Debunking Audio "Truths" - Flat Response = Best Sound
Like I say in the video, please don't get worked up over the hype in the title and just go by what I'm saying in the video. I'm not really trying to "debunk" anything, just point out the very obvious connection between the speakers and the room they are playing in.
The frequency response measurements (includes off axis response) for speakers are done anechoic, meaning without room interaction. And that's a standard way to measure the objective performance of the speaker, but it's not tied to the reality of using that set of speakers in a room.
To measure THAT performance, you have to set them up in the room where they will be used, and that gives a true representation of what the actual sound quality is. You can not judge the sound quality of a pair of speakers based on the anechoic measurements - they have to be in the room they will be used in and you have to listen to them.
The room matters a great deal - as much as 50% of what you hear when a pair of speakers are playing is the room itself: the reflections and how the size / shape / density of the boundaries / and level of absorption change the sound you hear.
I know it's easy to dismiss that effect (I used to) when you are not willing to do anything to change it. But denying reality doesn't mean it stops being a factor.
The experiment where you set up speakers in different rooms (and then outdoors) should illustrate quite clearly just how much of a factor the room is and the very real impact it has on the overall sound quality.
So buying speakers based on measurements and reviews of those measurements, is like buying food based on the ingredients without knowing if you like how it tastes. Music enjoyment is, like eating, a purely subjective act and while there are things about it that can be objectively measured, they would be the least significant factors in the process.
Add to that the fact that no one is making truly bad speakers these days and that means the anechoic measurements are even less relevant.
It's fine if you enjoy watching or reading reviews (either objective or subjective), but stop conflating that with determining how good a pair of speakers will sound in your room.
For example, I enjoy watching camera reviews (for video and photography), but I never take just those reviews into consideration when buying a new camera. First thing I do is recognize that there's little actual difference in the objective performance between models where image quality is concerned, and it then comes down to features and ergonomics, and whether I can afford it.
If buying speakers without listening in the room you will use them, your main criteria for selecting a pair should be whether you can afford them and if they appeal to you visually. Because there's not going to be a significant difference between different models / brands in the same price range. And when you have them, you can then get to work setting them up in your room to optimize the sound quality you can get from them.
The best approach (and the one that has worked best for me) is to set up your speakers by ear, then do some basic in-room measurements and tweak from there. Tweaking means speaker positioning and EQ. To get the best sound you need to put in the time to do both.
AND if you really want the very best sound quality, you need to add effective room treatment that will reduce the strength and duration of the reflections that can dominate what you hear in a room. That means thick (at least 6" thick) acoustic panels placed where they will be the most effective.
Reducing the early reflections and the reverb time will dramatically boost clarity and detail, and you will hear the music like you've never heard it before. I can't over stress how much of an improvement effective room treatment will produce.
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