Is "detailed" audiophile code for too much treble?

In my case, it depends on wether it's digital or analog. Overall, highly detailed in digital leads to some fatiguing in my experience. I easily remedy it by using sine wave from my master clock to all digital components. Square wave is just too sharp to my ears and conducive to distortion. In my analog system, I do not ever really suffer from too much detail.

Bright gives me a headache or fatigue. Detailed does not necessarily have that same physical effect. A lot of times it does but when it does not, I keep that gear.

It’s hard to be detailed if not bright ie dull. For proof just Turn down the lights and watch the detail fade away.

Higher frequencies enable detail.   That’s just how it works.  But the devil is always in the detail. 

I never interpreted the meaning of "bright" when used in the audio vernacular to be the same definition as when used it the discussion of the intensity of a light.  But I may have been wrong about that; I often am.

Wow, that is quite a range of answers.

I would say more often than not a “highly detailed” “whatever” relies an excess of treble and often a dearth of midrange to highlight details. Many of these are major high end brands. But definitely not always, really good equipment that focuses on the music first does exist. This is one of the reasons I run all Audio Research equipment. It reproduces the details in proportion to the real thing and they are reproduced in the appropriate band… often upper midrange (like much of the sound of cybals and bells are in the midrange… they sound like brass… not sizzle). Many components overemphasize treble and artificially bring out the venue and mastering. It doesn’t take much to really pull the emphasis from the music to the detail. If the midrange is attenuated then you start loosing the rhythm and pace and the “music”. Tilting to the analytical mind and from the emotional side looses the compelling musical satisfaction.

One of the best things I did recently was to compare a ~$10K integrated Luxman, ~$10K integrated Pass, with an Audio Research I-50 through Sonus Faber speakers. The difference was so stark it was shocking (to me… I have fifty years of listening experience) the Luxman artificially gained detail through way too much treble (it sounded really “high end”), the Pass was in the middle with more relaxed treble and a pretty good midrange bloom… made me want to tap my foot, then the Audio Research… I simply fell into the music… sure the detail was there if I could get myself motivated to listen for it. But it’s perspective was music first.. then the details… like I was listening to real live music.