According to J. Gordon Holt, "The Audio Glossary", 1990
(I hope the critics all read this so that we are all on the some page ;-)!
Bright/Brilliant: Describe the degree to which reproduced sound has a hard steely edge to it. Brightness relates to the amount or energy content in the 4- to 8- kHz band. It is not relating to output in the extreme high-end range.
Forward: A quality of reproduction which seems to place sound sources closer than they were recorded.
Dark: A warm, mellow, overly rich quality in reproduced sound.
Laid-back: Recessed, distant-sounding.
(I hope the critics all read this so that we are all on the some page ;-)!
Bright/Brilliant: Describe the degree to which reproduced sound has a hard steely edge to it. Brightness relates to the amount or energy content in the 4- to 8- kHz band. It is not relating to output in the extreme high-end range.
Forward: A quality of reproduction which seems to place sound sources closer than they were recorded.
Dark: A warm, mellow, overly rich quality in reproduced sound.
Laid-back: Recessed, distant-sounding.