what is the meaning of this???

This was a phrase commonly used by members of the Donner party. As in "The old man's all fleshed out, lets move on to the school teacher."

Related to your question: I've always been uncertain as to what the term "fast" means with respect to an amp. I know what the reviewer means, but I swear I don't think I've ever heard it. I mean, if the amp is fast, won't the music be playing too fast, or not having the right harmonic decay, or something else unpleasant? Also, if the amp is "fast" can it also be "fleshed out?" Also, everything you hear depends on the particular recording you are listening to. Some of them are faster or more fleshed out than others! Reviewing is a weird, weird, business, yet we all read reviews. I mainly read them to see what components the reviewer A/B'd or otherwise compared the component in question with. If I've heard the comparative component, I can get a sense of whether I'd like the component being reviewed. But it's all so arbitary, as we all know. Nevertheless, over the years I've actually solved various problems I've had with the sound I was getting out of my system, so reviews, comparisons, and descriptive terms have all been helpful to me.

My understanding of the term relates to a good sound stage being three dimensional. A not so good sound stage would be spread right to left OK but with limited or no depth, in other words the musicians and instruments are like cardboard cutouts with no depth or "flesh" on them. Fleshing them out indicates there is good depth to the image and enhances the perception that real people are playing in your room. The other definitions are pretty good, too. A lot of audiophile terms are poorly defined and used a little too loosely to be certain what the writer really means!

I would have a hard time arguing with Marty. Once again he has simplified things to their essence.

Actually the term does have a meaning. It does not mean whatever people want it to mean. When a writer is working on a project the writer begins (note the subtle avoidance of using "he") with an outline, and often character sketches. When a character is being developed he is being "fleshed out." When this term is applied to audio equipment it must mean that the product offers a fuller presentation of what was appearant earlier.

Pmotz hits it on the head with his closing statement. Words, and phrases mean things. It makes the writer appear a fool when they use words or phrases they do not understand.

I agree with Frank but enjoyed Octopus' response.