Definition of "too Hi-Fi"

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.

THere is no such thing as too hifi. By bringing up such a term shows just how much snake oil and hype there is in the audiio world. At tkmes I feel like its the 1970's all over again when i hear certain equipment. The names labs use with all the letters and numbers like SEXi 3.5, or SE9000, "the all new SEX310" and such. In this world of easy access info, there's seems to be more confusion than true knowledge. With the audio mags as the prime source for adding to the confusion and hype.
I've heard alot of equipment that some said were simply 'definitive, the ultimate" and I've walked away from the demo just shaking in disbelief or at times.ROTFLMAO
Lets get back to substance and facts. And leave questionable ideas and reviews where they belong, in the garbage can.

Hi fi means high FIDELUTY. Of course you youngsters have never heard this term before.

I guess I should now read through some of the above posts.....man we've got a long way to go.....

The term "Hi Fi " reminds me of the old mortorola stereo console my Dad bought when I was a Kid in the 60's. Also Seems I remember some of those old albums boasting " Recorded in "Hi Fidelity". Stuff like Nat King Cole, Patsy Cline and Glen Miller.
The sound from that old counsole was warm rich and perhaps a bit bloated in the mid bass area...that's what I think of when I hear the term " Hi-Fi".