Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Generalizations about how recording labels mix

I know that the quality of the recording and mixing/mastering process is of the utmost importance. I've heard all sorts of things, such as that sound engineers usually mix for diverse sources, that they usually don't include a lot of low frequency information (or at least, such information is reduced to mono), usually a lot of dynamic compression happens during the mixing process, etc.

I'm wondering if there's any meaningful label/brand identification possible; does label X usually mix for lower-end systems / does label Y usually include good LFE stuff / does label Z not compress their music much? Are there well-known 'audiophile-friendly' labels, and not-well-known 'audiophile-friendly' labels (or vice-versa)?

Anyone have insight on any generalizations about which recording studio does what?

Thanks guys!
Mike