Definition of "too Hi-Fi"

Good question with an easy answer. "Too hi-fi" means the opposite of "musical." There, that should clear things up.

agree with Rotarius about sterile ie: clinical to an unpleasant stage, lacking in PRAT. In my case, when I hear "HiFi", I would not be able to sit through a listening session for long without constantly wanting to change the music played. Perhaps a sign for me to look for something more musical/enjoyable??

Hmm....I like it when I hear the the singer's lips part or when I can hear them breathe....to me, it gives me the "you are there" feeling.

I've never heard a system that was "too hi-fi"...to me, it either sounds good or it doesn't. Period.

Maybe I already have it in my system and don't know it.

very analytical and not musical maybe....doesnt bring you in contact with the music......you just "observe" music not enjoying it......

Such great answers here. I've found that speaker manufacturers who purposely accentuate parts of the frequency spectrum to make them sound exciting or attractive in the showroom to most people are guilty of "too hifi." In the old days we would refer to some of these as the "boom and tizz brigade," or speakers with "presence" (!). Manufacturers vary so much in the tonality of their products that for the forseeable future the "truth" for each of us will be found in our choice of ancillary components, as others have suggested.

As for striving for "precise pinpoint imaging" I continue to consider that valid, even if it isn't always what one hears in the concert hall. If the recording microphones picked it up, and the engineer preserved it, I want to hear it. The trick is to get this sound to the ear without manipulating the original tonality of it with such tricks as raising the treble, etc.