Recorded orchestral music (are you generalising when you state 'classical' music, WV) is always a trade off and the BBC have strict rules on recording levels. If, say, they were to record Elgars 'Enigma' without some sort of control over the levels, to get the quieter moments to be audible enough through loudspeakers, the brassy double forte, say, at the end of Nimrod, would blow your speaker cones out. I find it spoils the sense of the music when the sound levels ( I take it that's what you mean by 'dynamics') are evened out so much. To me, it blows away reality when I can hear a harp at almost the same volume as a trumpet playing at the other side of the stage. I agree with you, it's a poor substitute for the real thing, but that's how the recording engineers have decided it has to be done. Now, if the sound engineers could work their magic and do something about the poor diction that many modern singers seem to be aflicted.. better not go there ;)