Is it too bright or is it high resolution?


It has been said in the forums that one mans bright sounding amp is another mans high resolution amp. Some amps and preamp combinations can deliver a high resolution presentation and to others this may be considered too bright sounding. Is there a fine line that can distinguish between the two? Personally I like very revealing & the fine details delivered but the wife says it sounds a tad bit too bright.
phd
Jafant, thank you for saying that. I don't the luxury of having a group of audiophiles on standby when i play the next CD but what I do have is some experience and I'm going to trust my ears.
I have always liked the "bright" highs, but I interpreted them as detailed. But as I aged, I find that my tastes have changed. Not wanting to dull the highs but to have the detail without the "Schrill" or piercing. I have begun looking to replace my Revel Performa F32's and am looking to gain a more balanced sound without drawing so much attention to the highs as in your face. I am sure my hearing is diminished over the past 30 years or so, although a recent hearing test, the Dr said I still had exceptional hearing for a man much younger. But he did say I am missing some mid to high frequencies. So my point, Phd, is maybe your listening habits have changed and might be part of what you're experiencing. One last thought, I have a good CD player and a few years back it seemed too bright and I changed cables. This made a significant difference in taming that "schrillness" for the lack of a better word.
Is it too bright or is it high resolution?

Yes.

The answer is in the ear of the beholder.
There is a very fine line between high definition and too bright.
You will know it when you cross it. You will find that your listening sessions growing shorter as listening fatigue begins to set in sooner and sooner.

While I do enjoy high definition, I do realize that one can go too far.
I have heard systems that have reached the point of sterile, amusical, and uninvolving.
Decades ago TAS had an anecdote about an audiophile who goes to a live symphony concert and turns to his companion and asks, "where are all the high frequencies?"