What does listening to a speaker really tell us?

Everything is relative. Many like to forget this fact.

The folks at Linn have always touted, the easier it is to follow the tune the better the system. I def. agree with that, whether or not one thinks that their equipment does it the best is another issue. Anyway the list of audiophile jargon is endless and I find most of it has nothing to do with music. Things like "neutral" when was the last time you went to a live performance and called the band "neutral"..if you did,sounds to me like a bad band.

Concerning the recording issue, I did a full length cd, so I was there (drummer) was the "image" anything like it was when we were in the studio...nope...did the "image" sound like pretty much all my other cds...yep.

So when it comes to hi end audio I just listen and see if it is musical...like real music...if the gear is it makes me want to listen to music more...all the while tapping my feet and bobbing my head.

So there is no one speaker etc..it is all a combination and the end result is how well it plays the music, not how well it plays the audiophile jargon.

Fidelity only takes one form. All the rest is editing. Some like edits some don't. Problem is no speaker is close to the ideal. Add to that the room interaction and then all hell breaks loose and the subjectivists have a field day opining willy-nilly. Subjectivists are happy with some of the most coloured speakers and pronounce them "moooooosical". Check out the measured response for the Verity speakers in this month's Stereophile. Unless the aberrations are great, most people’s ears get used to pretty dismal sound pretty quickly: that's called "break-in".

Since you are right that going from a live performance to a recorded performance degrades the performance,even with an excellent recording,it follows that you compare speakers using the same music. At least the degradation will be equal from speakers to speakers.

I stole this idea from an article in a magazine but it makes sense to me:

--Use a recording you've heard over and over.
--Make sure you listen to different speakers at the same amplitude;you might favor the louder speaker otherwise.
--Compare two sets of speakers at a time. Once you've decided between A and B,compare your choice against C,and so on.

Assess according to these four objective factors:

--timbre. Does the orchestrated color of a violin plus a cello sould like the color of a violin plus a cello(for example)?
--imaging. In a three part counterpoint,can you follow the melody,the countermelody,and the third line defining the harmony without the speakers getting in the way?
--dynamic range. Does the distance between a single instrument playing softly and a hundred instruments all playing loudly sould correct.(Even fine speakers will compress this distance a little. Even a good fm broadcast signal compresses dynamic range somewhat.)
--frequency extremes.Do violin half stops and organ pedals sound correct?

I know it's harder than that,but it's a start. Also,it's a personal preference. Maggie 1.6 s don't have the best bass or dynamic range in the room but,for me,the imaging and timbres are more important.

Enjoy the search,when you find something your ears like,get those speakers.

1...Listen to a female vocalist. Does she appear between the speakers?
2...Listen to a male news anouncer on the radio. Does his voice have an unnatural boom?
3...Listen to a piano recording. Does it sound like a piano?
4...Listen to a large orchestral piece. Does it sound full, and not strained.
4...(Optional) listen to some loud pop and/or rock. Does it sound aweful?

Carefully rank each speaker on a scale of 1 to 10 during the listening sessions. Add up the scores. Then, go to your nearest Magnepanar dealer and buy one. Spend the rest of your money on a nice vacation.