Why isn’t more detail always better?

Master Chen to Caine, "We see not what is in front of our eyes, but what is behind them". In other words, we all have preferences as to what we like individually, it's often a matter of personal taste. More bass, more detail, less bass, less detail, more natural, less harsh.... it's all a hodge-podge and no real agreement of what sounds best to all.

Unless we are talking about really bad equipment or extremely lossy formats, there is no difference in the musical detail presented in playback.  Can anyone point out a specific bit of information in a particular place in a recording that cannot at all be heard with one piece of gear versus another?  What differs is the presentation of the information--whether something is more highlighted or is emphasized, or not, whether the tonal balance is such that certain instruments are more clearly heard, etc.  It is rarely a matter of too much or too little detail.  A lot of gear highlight treble information by reducing bass or mid-bass which tends to make it harder to hear such detail; is this good or bad?; it really depends on personal preference.

More detail isn’t always better because excessive detail can disrupt the natural balance and emotional engagement of music. I can think of few reasons why, 

1. Overemphasis on Microdetail - Hyper-detailed systems can highlight aspects of a recording that were never meant to stand out, such as tape hiss, microphone noise, or mixing imperfections. This can detract from the musicality and cohesiveness of the performance.

2. Listener Fatigue - Excessive detail, especially when combined with brightness or analytical sound, can lead to listener fatigue over time. The music may feel harsh or clinical, reducing enjoyment during long listening sessions.

3. Loss of Naturalness - Overly detailed systems may sacrifice warmth, body, or tonal richness, making instruments and voices sound less lifelike. Real music often has a balance of detail and harmonic texture that conveys its emotional essence.

4. Revealing Poor Recordings - A highly detailed system can expose flaws in poorly recorded or mastered tracks, making them less enjoyable. This can limit the range of music that sounds good on your system.

5. Imbalance in System Tuning - Detail is just one aspect of sound reproduction. Prioritizing it over other factors like tonal balance, dynamics, and spatial presentation can result in a system that feels unbalanced and unsatisfying.

When putting together a well-tuned system, the key is to strike a balance and synergy, revealing enough detail to immerse the listener in the music without drawing attention to itself or overwhelming the emotional connection.

I always believed that musicality should come from the music itself—not from a hyper-analytical presentation.

Listening fatigue +1, detail systems tend to sound thinner. It’s hard to mix highly detail and proper tonal balance .

I believe that we should strive for all the detail we can get. If it’s there, we should hear it!

HOWEVER, the area of the band that includes much of the detail also includes much of the "hash/noise/distortion" present in all recordings, to some extent, and a minor loss of detail in this area can make the listening experience more pleasant even at the expense of some detail.