Audio Systems: sound [music] processing, home stereo system, apples to apples

Question
why do songs played on the radio always sound better then the same music i play on my home stereo system. eg. higher highs, lower lows, better treble etc. even in my car it sounds better. what type [brand ] of cd players etc, do they use. i have top notch denon equipment. but i can't seem to get the same sound as radio. any suggestions? thank you

Answer
Apples to apples - if you compare the radio on your home sound system to the CD player, the CD player with a well recorded CD should alway sound better. If it does not then you may have a problem with the CD player or amplifier. Remember that your question uses words not sound. For anyone to truly evaluate what the problem is they must listen to your system.

Radio generally uses CD's as a source played with modulated waves into processing devices required by the FCC in order to decrease the dynamics. Sometimes a small sound system seems to sound better with that type of sound but really does not.