Compilations/collections recording quality?

[nightflier]

I tend to avoid compilation/best-of CDs because the recording quality doesn't always measure up and I feel that the intent of the original albums is lost to some degree. That said, I've been collecting classical music so long I've given away, lost or worn out much of my classic rock & pop CDs. So I've been looking at filling in some gaps with compilations like the Time Life sets and these from Barnes & Noble:

http://music.barnesandnoble.com/boutique_cds2.asp?PID=9428&start=1&z=y&cds2Pid=9428

My question is to anyone who's bought any of these, what is the quality of the recordings? I don't expect Mappleshade perfection, but I also don't want to buy bottom-feeding quality either. Any thoughts?

By the way, what about Time Life compilations, is it worth the investment? Or should I go back to hunting for the originals?

[SlumpBuster]

I have a couple of the 20th Century Masters collections including Buddy Holly and Parliament. The Buddy Holly disc is as good as can be expected from such old recordings. The Parliament disc is very nice. I have alot of Parliament/Funkadelic vinyl including some special audiophile quality pressings, but wanted something for the car. This fit the bill nicely and I detected no problems with SQ as compared to my "reference" vinyl. Referencence as in what I was actually comparing it to.

http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/12800000/12806400.jpg