When well-intentioned designers go too far in any one direction it's usually at the expense of everything else. Remember the THD wars of yesteryear? Some companies worked so hard at lowering THD to vanishing levels they forgot everything else like good sound.
Balance is essential in a successful design. Too far in any one direction and the end result can suffer.
But, balance must be tempered with inspiration and daring. Trying too hard to keep everything in balance we risk dumbing the product down to the point of boring.
In the end, we always have to come back to listening as an essential tool in the designer's quiver.
Just as any great chef must smell and taste their creations, audio designers must spend as much or more time in the listening room than they do in the design lab.
It might sound obvious to readers of Paul's Posts, but you'd be amazed how few actually pay more than lip service to this vanishing art.
You can't build remarkable products from a cookbook.
