The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word TONAL
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
T
O
N
A
L
More clues leading to the result TONAL
- In Princeton, a likely description of much traditional music
- Like some music in Boston, alive
- Number alto rehashed using standard harmony
- Starts the orchestral number, addressing lightness of sound quality
- Stockhausen wasn’t a heavyweight — a Lambert!
- Mandarin is thus found in Washington? Almost
- Number tackled by alto vibrato according to key
- After tea, we hear cricket side are left with varying pitch
- In recession, US city not of sound character
- Hundred at Lord’s initially using pitch variations
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "of sound quality" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case of sound quality = tonal.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does TONAL mean?
TONAL adjective- Of or relating to tones or tonality.
- Of or relating to the general character, mood, or trend of something.
- Employing tones that have a predictable relationship to some tonic.
- Employing differences in pitch (tones) to distinguish differences in the meaning of otherwise similar words (words which would otherwise be homophonic).
- An animal companion which accompanies a person from birth to death.