"Jeez, many of my favourite recordings were made at Folkways studios with a single mike! Is this a folk music blog or the Philharmonic?"

It depends on what you are listening for. I too have many favorite recordings from Folkways - as well as field recordings - but we listen with a different set of criteria.   Moses Asch also recorded in a different age and the sonic differences were less perceptible.

With technology advances, the acceptance of poor quality recordings is more evident. A scratchy Woody Guthrie recording, true gems to people over the age of 50, are harder for most people under the age of 50 to listen to for great lengths. Sure, there are scholars and devoted fans where content means more than quality, but that is not the case for most people.

I remember hearing a story of a group of performers at a benefit. Pete Seeger was among the performers. A young woman was havning trouble tuning her guitar and she said "close enough for folk".   Pete shook his head diapprovingly.   IF you care enough enough about the music, you will take the care to present it in the best possible light. If you accept flaws that can easily be overcome, you are just giving a half hearted effort.