Too many posts to quote here.
Clint, I also have the Japan Middle Man CD. It sounds great and features one of my fave Boz tracks, Breakdown Dead Ahead. Anyone with a good to high-end system needs to play this track LOUD!! Candy's Room from Bruce's Darkness album also begs to be cranked up. IMHO, his best album. With an MC cartridge, these tracks have an "in your face" dynamic range on LP.
I also bought the Japan Boz Hits CD. It doesn't have Breakdown. Later, when the US CD came out, it did have the US LP lineup, including Breakdown. So, I rebought it. Spending $40 for these 2 CD's proves I'm nuts. I got the LP for free when I worked for CBS, Middle Man, too. And that didn't sound bad. Careful, CBS' eye is on you!
Someone asked if I had the new Ronstadt live. No, I do not. Likely you read hwkn's earlier post in this thread.
We were dealers for Martin Logan, Boston, Klipsch, KEF, Polk and lots more. So, I'm very familiar with the sound of many different speakers.
Flat response, coloration, room acoustics, electronics, source material & mastering all have a hand in the sound. How far are the speaks from walls/corners and are they de-coupled from floor on stands, mounts, shelves, or spikes? I inherited a couple speaks that have lots of coloration.
Although we were a Logan dealer, I chose Missions w/REL sub. They sound pretty neutral to me. Sadly, this UK firm no longer markets in the US. Reproducing classical and acoustic instruments accurately is my aim, although I listen to mostly rock. Speakers designed for rock often perform poorly on classical. Often, they're too muddy for my taste. Speakers that are acurate on Classical usually sound excellent on rock.
Besides Missions, I have Bostons w/DVD-A/V in my car, Polks in the bedroom, and Philips 3-way 12", plus a hodgepodge of E/V, Kenwood, DLK being utilized, others not. And then, there are the 6 speaks in the Sony HTIB I inherited when Dad passed. Well, it was free and it plays SACD.
Pupster & 4 ears (eyes, too?), I haven't heard the Japan SHM-SACD of Low Spark. I did buy the MoFi Gold CD and the UK CD when they were released. IMHO, the MoFi is the best version I have heard. Obviously, I can't speak for the SHM-SACD. Last Feb., we spent a weekend hearing/seeing/meeting Kelsea Ballerini on Friday, and Winwood on Saturday. We had seen Winwood previously with Clapton, and opening for Steely Dan.
Swenson, I love Burt Bacharach and Sergio Mendes. There is a largely unknown QS LP/CD of Burt Live in Japan. I met Burt several years ago. Very nice man. Mendes is one of my 5 favorite artists/groups. I recommend seeing/hearing Brazil '66, etc. live.
Yesterday, as I sat for a pedicure, I caught up on reading a few QQ posts. A PM came from one of our members asking if I was OK. Yes, I was. And I happened to be on line that very moment, again reading but not posting. It was very touching. I often will forget to respond if I'm interrupted reading while waiting for an appt. Most of the time that I'm on QQ, I'm reading, but not posting.
Remember, the Mouse Police never sleeps...