Mark, as I've commented before, the original recording technique and the mixing and mastering then applied to the result are what determines the quality of a disc(not whether it's CD, DVD-A or SACD). There's about a zillion(a number beyond human comprehension) variables involved. Although I listen almost entirely to classical music, when I've checked some pop items the apparent desire of the producers to have the loudest product on the market was evident in a compressed dynamic range with the top of the range sometimes set so high as to result in digital clipping with associated distortion. Another flaw appears to be an intentional boost in the upper midrange/lower treble around 2-6KHz so that the sound seems to be more immediate and impressive when played on mediocre equipment. Of course when they're played on accurate speakers such as Axioms, the result is sometimes criticized as being "bright" or even harsh.
