If Warmth Is a Distortion, Why Do So Many Audiophiles Still Defend It?

We were at a live stage play recently when a solo violin started playing off to the side of the stage as the curtain opened.  The musician stepped out of the shadows and the sound was so amazingly beautiful I was truly mezmerized! 

  It has been a while since I had heard a single musical stringed instrument played by itself and the sound reminded me why I don't understand the majority of the sounds that seem to be  the rage today.  In the late 80's I thought that we were on the right path to recreate musical bliss like I experienced this night, but all I hear from most modern audiophilia, is clinical and sterile.  Detailed beyond belief, but zero warmth or richness that soothes the savage beast.  

  I am obvious not in the majority or else the field would have not shifted this far away from what I seem to hear from real instruments played live and unamplified.  

@hkcharlie 

warmth need not be distortion.  a system can sound "warm" by having a low end frequency bias- e.g. within the speaker’s room response.  

also for me it doesn't take much - too much warmth is just as bad as not enough. 

I can switch out amps to experience what the OP was saying initially. I like having that ability.

Warmth need not be distortion... but accurate musical presentation. 

Long ago tube amplification excelled at rhythm and pace and midrange bloom. This part of the spectrum communicates the emotional content / connection with the listener. But it was not good at the detail, it was soft in the treble and slow with the bass. 

On the other hand... solid state gear was very strong in treble... often etched and very quick to put out power to the lower frequencies. 

Neither sound was satisfactory. But over the decades by design the sounds converged with audiophile tube equipment added detail without loosing the beautiful midrange and solid state gear was designed to provide better midrange and not be too hot in the upper frequencies. 

Largely the two have now converged. But there is still a tendency for solid state to be a bit too detailed... not too detailed, but present details too highlighted versus the tube equipment and not have the rhythm and pace of real music. But things are so much better. 

To me, tube gear still has the edge (by companies trying to portray music accurately) in getting the gestalt and the details right in musical reproduction. Many solid state exploit their ability to highlight detail and image, but loose some of the intimate magic of realistically reproduction of music. 

I second @avanti1960’s comment,

“warmth need not be distortion”

It can come from a bit of a mid-bass emphasis, a denser tone, or a deeper soundstage.  I more commonly hear detail turn to sibilance, particularly with less expensive equipment.

I disagree about the Class D amp statement in that I owned Bruno Putzeys’ NCORE NC1200 amps and my current Class AB amps are far better, as were my previous two sets of Class A amps, IMO of course.