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
Bright is a bad thing. Its a coloration.

Detailed is a good thing.

Quite often the two are found together. This gives detail a bad name!

Its possible to be extremely detailed and yet quite relaxed. Brightness is often not an actual frequency response error; instead its often caused by distortion (particularly in solid state and digital but can manifest from tubes and analog easily enough) which the ear converts into tonality.

By adding brightness, this can cause a system to temporarily seem more detailed. But in time it will be seen for what it is- a coloration, and not a very pleasant one.

This is just another way of restating what Spencer posted above.
Let me guess: you listen to mostly to digital music? Vinyl won't sound that way nearly as much.

Also: Maybe think about a preamplifier that has tone controls?  Spousal happiness is pretty important, especially when it's time to upgrade.  The audio rig, not the spouse, that is.
If recordings were all equal and a standardized perspective was established then an agreement on brightness vs high resolution could be discussed effectively.  As recordings, material and perspectives can vary dramatically, the answer is a moving target.  I favor detail but with warmth and liquidity.  As a former drummer, cymbals need to cut through with all their complexity and shimmer!  I hate dullness and cloudiness.  That's a big reason why I gave up on tubes;)

theo, thank you for your thoughts on this subject matter, in fact I thank you all. You might be right, my listening habits have changed. Everytime I have revisted gear I remembered liking in the past has proven to be a disappointment, as this hobby is a progression. And yes some interconnects can change the sound up to be more agreeable but with this current combination has barely changed the sound to a warmer presentation.

 The ss CJ amp does have a warm sound with more detail then one could ask for but its presentation became brighter with the addition of a CJ tube preamp I like what I'm hearing right now (although the wife thinks it sounds a bit bright) and as atmasphere and jmcgrogan2 mentioned if this would become intolerable over time then it would prove to be coloration.