No way! The CAT is a super smooth pre. If by chance you have always used a solid state pre, then maybe it may sound rolled off. But what you are hearing is highs that are what they are and not boosted to so airy or detailed. I had a Classe 5 pre before and after I tried the Cat there was no going back. Cat Sig. Mk. II However you should consider the age of the tubes. They maybe getting tired and slightly dark. Good luck.
CAT 1990 model - Highs rolled off??
I am demoing a 1990 CAT Reference preamp, and while it sounds very pleasant and musical, I am wondering if it achieves this at the expense of a very slight rolling off in the upper frequency range... There seems to be just a bit of sparkle and liveliness missing on some recordings I am familiar with, and wondered if anyone else has experienced this with the earlier CAT's?