I'm right there with you on the audiophile anal stuff Kim. Dolby blows goats. JVC ANRS and SANRS is superior for sure but all of them are based on frequency pre-emphasis/de-emphasis which are nothing more than relatively fixed, staged, pre/post tone controls. ANRS does have the advantage of being more dynamically responsive to input signal amplitude but it is still flawed. I prefer raw, no equalization signal transfer between input and output and if need be use EQ to tailor the freq response to my own tastes and capabilities of the sound reproduction equipment in use. I have done extensive recording from various source material to magnetic and digital media and have found it pays off to have hands on control and fuck the "automatic" shit. I also prefer discrete audio component gear that is up to the task of obtaining near-flat frequency response. Unfortunately such perfect gear does not exist commercially but some things can get close.

It is pretty simple to build a near flat amp circuit but unfortunately when recording from LP to other media you still have to contend with RIAA equalization of the LP which is an imperfect "standard" to begin with and varies significantly between record companies. I have learned to settle for a happy medium.