Considering the complete lack of dynamics in modern CD masters, ANY dynamics are better than what's out there now.
My "masters" are usually limited by about 3 dB. I turn down the threshold on L3-LL until the GR hits 3dB-ish, and that's about where it stays.
That gives me plenty of dynamics (kick and snare still have balls, guitars aren't overpowering everything else, etc.), and also utilizes the full headroom of the medium.
Granted, my mixes/masters aren't fantastic, but I think they sound better than a lot of what's been released in the past 10 years, re. limiting and compression.
OT:
The guitar player in the metal band I just joined burned me a mix DVD of a bunch of random albums he really likes. As he went through his library, he would put on a song from each album. Most of the time, I would cringe when the music started. (Typical modern metal albums; ridiculous amounts of brickwalling, absolutely zero dynamics, etc.)
After about three songs, he asked me why I had that face. I explained that the limiting and compression on those albums were so severe, they gave me a headache. They literally did; as soon as the double kick started, I'd feel a dull pressure right behind my ears.
He asked me why, and I explained the concept to him, and we had a good, long discussion about compression and limiting. We watched the loudness war videos on YT, and he came away with a new respect for quieter, more punchy and dynamic albums.
I'm glad he came away with that understanding, because I'm recording our album, and it's going to be easier to win the rest of the band over when I already have someone on my side to help me field questions from the other three!
