Which speakers did you find bright, fatiguing or just disappointing in some way?

Not high end but the Triangle Borea BR03 I found very bright and gave me just terrible headaches. I actually loved the sound itself and thought it was a great imaging speaker, but I literally felt like my brain was melting.

I've been around long enough to have heard bad speakers poorly set up, good speakers poorly set up, good speakers well set up and well matched to the room with less than ideal ancillaries, but the only speakers I've ever heard where everything has come together are in my own room.  At this point, I'd be hard pressed to know how to audition speakers.  It is so rare to hear speakers optimally set up that it is anyone's guess if one is hearing a speaker's weakness or the room's characteristics. The probability of beating what I've got is not that great and trying to get the speakers optimally dialed in in my room is daunting.  

All that said, the worst I ever heard were Cornwalls back in the mid 80's.  Just dreadful.  Utterly boring and one note bass that sounded like someone was kicking the belly of a dead cow.  The closest to well set up was a pair of Sonus Farber Cremonese.  The speakers were well placed in a well treated room and showed some measure of their potential.  Ancillaries were not up to the task.

BIC AMERICA DV-84 pair. 
  The treble was searing on some recordings, 
but the open airy sound and crystal clarity was simply awesome.  They use the Vifa tweeter, which is very good. The crossover must have been mismatched, 
there was no midrange to take the lower freq’s.  2 passive 8” radiators & 2 active 8” drivers. 
Bought the DV-64’s, they sound great.
BIC is still relavent. They need to bring back the classic speakers, they would sell much more. I would be in for 2-3 pairs if they made them....the old Formula line and the realta  pair. The realta speakers were amazing!


 Gave to my cousin, he loves them.

  

All JBL, B&W and Klipsch .