greater resolution as an end in itself ??

About ten years ago I got to "the end" of the resolution chase with a certain system. Woodwind pads clicking, chairs squeaking, bad caps in mixing consoles, horrible sounding digital artifacts, poor splices, etc, etc.

I had a fairly nice album and cd collection that was then about 80% unlistenable/unenjoyable. I don't know that there is one answer, but I'll never go for resolution at the expense of a "musical" sounding system (whatever that means!).

I think there's a lot more to it than what appears on the surface. What many folks equate with "greater resolution" is simply tilted up or peaky treble response. There are also cable and component combinations that together produce a kind of hyper-detailed, but not musically accurate or satisfying sound. Then there are room nodes, reflections, and cancellations to deal with -- not to mention things like failure to ensure clean power to your component chain (which has it's own set of undesireable effects).

In any given system, there are varying degrees of all of the above (and more). But I suppose it's easiest just to put a label like "too resolving" on it and/or assign blame to the offending recording(s), and call it a day...

Mr. Tennis

Having reviewed all the equipment being discussed I find that your are correct.

In general, I'd tend to agree. However, I recently made some changes to my system that gave me more resolution while also increasing the body of the tone, and a little bit of extra warmth to boot. The result is increased resolution and musicality at the same time. Even some CDs that were borderline "listenable" now sound better.

I've found it difficult to find the right balance of components and cables to get these results, but my experience seems to indicate that it's possible.

Mrtennis,

I think part of the equation in the "Higher Resolution"
dabate is the fact that some highly read reviewers are at the point of appreciable hearing loss. And they won't admit it.
I went to a local high end store here in Phoenix with a fellow audiophile, a couple of years ago. We heard a system that the store owner raved about. After he left us alone with the system, I asked my friend if the system sounded as bad to him, as it did to me. I described my take on the system, he pretty much agreed.
I've known the store owner for years, I used to agree with him the majority of the time on systems I heard at his store. I believe as his hearing degraded, he desired more & more detail to make music sound as good as it used to.
I'm 54 now, and I've recently decided I want my 2 channel to sound as good as my finances will allow.
In a few years I will have appreciable hearing loss.
I want to make the most of my hearing now.
My front end consists of an Electrocompaniet CD player, and a Pass X1 preamp. I believe both of these pieces have very good detail, but they still sound very musical, to me.