Recording quality hall of fame, history and timeline

[RainbowStorm]

Hi!

Is there any book or web site where they have analyzed the sound quality of popular CD recordings and have discussed the different gear used and stuff like that?

I would like to read about the history of recording quality and get a better picture of what studio is famous for the best sound quality so far, as well as discussions about where the technology is heading in terms of getting improved sound quality... I mean this site is great but I would like to read a story based on professional research... If not, is there any source where they have made advanced analyzes about the impact ratio of different critical recording components, for instance perception based research on what the human ear understands as beautiful sound and sound quality or noise measurements on each component involved in the signal chain (instrument, mic, pre-amp, cable, converter, effect)?

Right now I am pretty sure that technically the sound source is the most critical part if it's a sampled sound and that it's the mic + pre-amp that is the most critical part if it is a real instrument, but lately I've noticed that effects have a greater impact on the perception of good recording quality. I would like to get more detailed information about this with tests etc... Have you come over any nice articles about things like this? This is a kind of deeper approach on what good recording quality really is and I'm interested in getting more knowledge about different theories...