Hi everyone. All too unqualified audiophile in budding here.
When buying CDs, what kind of information do I need to look for that will ensure that it is a high quality recording? I am specifically wary of albums mastered during the advent of the CD which, I've read, sounded inferior to their vinyl predecessors due to poor sound engineering. The "Loudness War" phenomenon is another thing to worry about. Am I missing anything?
The only navigational guideline for the former that I have encountered is to avoid CDs that were produced in the early 80s. I find this too vague to be effective. As for the latter, I don't even know where to start.
Is there anything apparent on an album itself that will give clues about the quality of the recording? Are there any databases and resources that could help me?
Heaalp!
