No two engineers ears are exactly alike, different studio monitors used by engineers sound different, and speakers and rooms all have unique affects on the frequency response of what you're listening to.
I've argued this point with so called stereo experts, namely the idiot sales people at the big$$ audio store, and a few hardcore audio snobs that have way too much money so they buy the best because they can. Here's an example I used once and it really drove the point home. Put on the recording of Tommy Bolin Private Eyes and listened to overly rich and lush bass, reverberant mids and crisp upper end, not the best recording but that wasn't the point here. Then put on a recording of Journey; it sounded as if someone quickly came into the speaker audition room and removed the Infinity's we had been listening to and replaced them with soup cans and string, it was absolutely horrible. I finally got the stereo snobs at the store, those of the mentality of tone controls on stereo should be against the law, to pay attention to what I was attempting to tell them. All this garbage about EQ's adding signal coloration, degradation, manipulation, distortion, noise,
, to the original signal will completely ruin a recording was proven to actually help more than it hurt.
Consumers don't live in anechoic chambers nor do most of their living rooms remotely resemble one.The reality here is this: microphones, mic cable, xlr connections, recording amplifiers, mixing boards, mastering tape, interconnections of studio gear, acoustic connection between studio monitors and recording engineer's ears, recording engineer's tin ear, medium used for mass production of recording for consumer playback, and the realm of consumer playback equipment all add or subtract something from the original sonic event. So to tell me that the BEST sound, one could possibly achieve, is to have a signal path free of additional signal processing equipment before the arrival to the speakers just doesn't make sense to the MUSIC. However, if getting as close to the original signal provided to us by the recording people is what you seek than that would be your cup-O-tea not mine. Futhermore, I detest being treated as though I don't understand audio equipment just because I choose to have control over what I hear.
I didn't buy audio equipment to listen to how good or bad a recording engineer did his job, I bought it to listen and enjoy the sound of the music. I found most signal processing equipment got bad raps from subjective reviewers because it was used in excess. Case in point, a review I saw for the dbx range expanders (can't quote the pub) said that range expanders caused the music to exhibit an audible pumping or breathing effect to the sound, end quote. Lesser quality single band units will do that especially if the expansion level is set too high, but to say that all expanders do that is an injustice to a concept that really does make the MUSIC sound more lifelike. So I'll keep using my processing gear and think nothing more or less of you if it's your decision not to use any of it, but please don't slam me if I do.
By the way; I use an SAE E101 to flatten the room acoustics, an Audiocontrol C-101 to fine tune the recorded material and a stack of dbx gear to breath some life back into some of the mass produced recorded material I have.
Remember; it's all about the music.
(wow, did I just write all that? I think I need a nap now)