Describe ube sound vs solid state

The problem here is that often the ear will give weight to distortion perceived as tonality over actual frequency response.

A classic example is the brightness of transistor amps. On the bench they might test with the same bandwidth as a tube amp but will sound brighter. Its due to trace amounts of higher ordered harmonic distortion, which the ear translates into tonality: brightness.

IOW it may be flat but it may not sound like it. Not that you can get flat frequency response out of a speaker anyway- just look at their response and you will see that getting flat frequency response is a fool's errand.

"IOW it may be flat but it may not sound like it."

Actually it won't EVER sound flat if in fact it is because the frequency response of human ears is not flat.

See the Ear Sensitivity chart here for details and how that affects what we hear when listening to music.

http://www.independentrecording.net/irn/resources/freqchart/main_display.htm

That does not mean that flat frequency response in the sound making system is not a good thing. It is. It means whats coming out is the same as what went in, even if not always pleasant.

Raymoda, I do not consider skim milk healthy. It's just a part of brainwash. All ya have to do is to blend water and milk 50/50

Czar, you might be right about the brainwashing, but I have to admit I pay a premium for many products that I consider to be healthier mainly because they have less of the bad stuff they would have otherwise. Mostly for convenience reasons.

ALthough at home if I am not in a rush I will mix and water down things on my own in order to better fit my diet.

Rsrex, I have already recognized lumpy frequency response in loudspeakers before.
Geoffkait, some of you may have found that, more recently others found the opposite to be true.
Atmasphere, I find tube amps to typically sound brighter than ss amps.
Mapman, flat frequency response as being discussed here is in regard to the relationship of measured input to output.