Is "warm" a compliment or a criticism?


I have noticed that when some people describe the sound of equipment as "warm," they mean it in a positive way, while others seem to equate a warm sound with muddiness or lack of detail. What exactly does "warm" mean?

Jeff
jsk49

Showing 1 response by jeffreybehr

'Warm' is inherently neither good nor bad. It descrobes a tonal balance that has more energy in the lower half--say, below 500Hz--than in the upper half. (A tonal balance having more high-frequency energy is called 'bright'.)

Warmth is absolutely a coloration, an error, but usually it sounds wonderful if not overdone. But warm becomes 'thick' rather soon.

So whether 'warm' is good or bad is truly a matter of opinion, but WHAT it is is rather commonly accepted.
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