Describe the "new HiFi sound"?

@decooney

to me the newer sound is u-shaped freq response across the range

the old ’sizzle boom’ more overt detail, less effort to ’hear into the music’

perfect synopsis of this is to compare the old school spendor classic 100/sp100/r2 sound vs their modern sound d9 or d7 series

Whether it’s due to recording, mastering, or the playback equipment, the new HiFi sound has lots of sparkle and definition, often due to a boost around 8-14 kHz. It’s far more detailed than listening to an acoustic instrument in a natural environment.

Placing microphones inside a piano, or right next to a guitar, tends to exaggerate detail.

I would say since vinyl has surpassed CD sales that would qualify as "new" :)

Sounds like B.S. to me.