Is it me or new audio gear is too perfect and give ear fatigue?

When I am listening to a system I always take an SPL measurement

so I am aware of where the level is. Most times I will have a good idea

where the level is before I take the reading.

Here is where I need some insight.

Sometimes I am guessing too low by 10 dB. That is a lot.

Would that be a sign of a very well setup system or am

I crazy? Seldom do I hear a system that reads lower than

I anticipated.

Thoughts?

I recall my friend Murray Zeligman who designed speakers telling me that it often wasn't frequency response that caused brightness but poor crossover design to the tweeter resulting in ringing in the crossover region.

Another possibility is flat response  all the way out. Dynamic speakers should roll off slowly to compensate for changes in power response. As the dispersion narrows with increasing frequency the energy is concentrated resulting in bright response on flat recordings.

And, of course, there are poorly mastered recordings deliberately made bright to attract attention but that become tiring on well designed speakers.

@pedroeb , as others pointed.  Price not a factor on good sounding gear. I've been listening to music and gear for over 30yrs. I've got new and vintage equipment as well as speakers too.  This is a question of analytics on new equipment being too perfect.

@jeffseight ...To eliminate yourself from the equation, have your ears checked if you haven't.  Give you a 'baseline' as to what your personal response really is. ;)

I finally broke down and resorted to aids...I hadn't noticed that birdsong had become absent in my life....😒  Age is something none get to ignore...

@mapman , there's the choices of what connected in what manner to the final reproducer in the given space that has to make the given source sound different Everywhere...

And then there's the thought and intentions one makes in choosing nearly all of the above.  Imaging and depth I've got, even near-field...
Makes me want to play with the imaging, but I digress...*S*

I prefer 'flat' as much as practical, but given the space I'm in (that's not a subtle joke, btw), flat out difficult.  Long story, no Cliffs' Note on it....

SOTA stuff appeals, but I'd end up wanting 3 pairs of those Atmasphere D's...totally beyond means making a local dealer nonexistent ideal. 

A man's got to know his limitations..... ;)

@mike_in_nc ...but where in..?  AVL here...

The 2 amps I use (swapping them from time to time) are a single ended tube amp by Dennis Had and a Pass XA-25, and the remarkable thing is how similar they sound although they're utterly different designs. I dislike distortion or noise from any gear (except purposefully distorted guitar amps) and prefer efficient speakers to minimize heavy lifting from an amp, but proper clean treble has gotta be there and any gear that does otherwise leaves the house and isn't invited back.