Over the years, I've come to believe that people differ in how they experience sound reproduction, in somewhat the same way that some foods taste good to some people but are disagreeable to others.
The simplistic answer to your question is: if the sound quality seems good to you, it is. And if it doesn't, it isn't.
Beyond that, there are a variety of qualities that high-end audiophiles value: wide dynamic range; excellent midrange, with full bass and clear highs; transparency; accurate frequency response; soundstaging; PRAT; etc. The extent to which each of these properties matters to a person can be pretty subjective, and does vary between listeners.
In somewhat the same sense, the way a given component "contributes" to sound reproduction may, or may not, be pleasing to a given listener. It will depend, I think, on what importance the listener places on each of the respective audio properties. For example, some people love the warmth of tubes, while others prefer the sound of solid state gear.
Chacun a son gout...
The simplistic answer to your question is: if the sound quality seems good to you, it is. And if it doesn't, it isn't.
Beyond that, there are a variety of qualities that high-end audiophiles value: wide dynamic range; excellent midrange, with full bass and clear highs; transparency; accurate frequency response; soundstaging; PRAT; etc. The extent to which each of these properties matters to a person can be pretty subjective, and does vary between listeners.
In somewhat the same sense, the way a given component "contributes" to sound reproduction may, or may not, be pleasing to a given listener. It will depend, I think, on what importance the listener places on each of the respective audio properties. For example, some people love the warmth of tubes, while others prefer the sound of solid state gear.
Chacun a son gout...