Addition or subtraction?

Is added warmth an accurate term? As in, I went out and found some of it and added it into the recipe. Or, is added warmth an illusion caused by the lack of something else? You can add warmth by putting on a coat, or turning off the air conditioner. I have been as guilty as any audiophile for using terms without really describing their root cause. It's lazy talk. Yes, we can sometimes add warmth, sharpen sonic focus, or extend the highs. But more often than not these additions are really the result of removing something else getting in the way. And the problem with descriptors is they tend to define our beliefs. As designers, we need to know what's really going on. We need to understand whether something is an omission or a commission. Important information to get right because these are the keys to building clean designs that serve a higher musical purpose. I will do my best to keep my vocabulary of descriptive terms in check. It's just too easy to throw out a word that accurately details what we hear but inaccurately points out why. It is the why that matters most.