Kal,
Im willing to admit easily, Ive not heard near the number of different speakers yourself or many heere likely have but noticing differences in the way the sound itself is conveyed isnt too hard to do.
I was hasty in selecting the word character without further defining it
though I feel it is quite different from the term, colored or coloration. IMHO character points to how the overall presentation is depicted, and colored/coloration indicates tones or notes of the instruments are changed from what they should have or could have been, during the original recital. As when a B flat becomes a B, or a B is then a B sharp.
Consequently, Ive always felt coloration is not something one would want in a fine loudspeaker. Character however, might be. In as much as panels have one sort of personality or nature, and cone units have quite another disposition, though neither may be colored. All however then possess their own character.
Neutrality in my view should mean none of the bandwidth is promoted over any other portion of it by either addition or subtraction.
Transparency to me, says the sound is unadulterated or unchanged from its natural origins.
Certainly both terms being evidenced amount to the amalgamation of a better reproduction system.
For my uses neutrality of a loudspeaker weighs on more than a few parameters than its upstream compliment
. And neutrality becomes about as subjective as is the term transparency. Yet Ill give more credence to a transparent speaker over a neutral one.
The character or spirit , if you will, of any speaker system then can be further defined by the sum of its parts, and of course, its voice and preview upon the sonic presentation. One system can be forceful and impacting, while another can be more reclined and well heeled. One more up front and intimate a perspective, and another a distant viewpoint in terms of the sound stage geography. . Even the type of materials used in the drivers & crossovers affect how the leading edges of notes are sometimes presented, by sharpening or rounding them up or off. However all of these systems can be uncolored if the tones being reproduced remain accurate and untainted.
A ribbon, a mylar , cloth, alloy, or even a metal tweeter can reproduce the same tones if properly designed, but somehow I can most often discern which is which, eventually if not immediately. Some tweeters regardless the type just sound better to me, as in the Esotar DynAudio produces.
Of course, if one considers any change whatsoever is accomplished to the original tones themselves by the speaker system, as colorations, your point is as valid in that context.
I pray Ive made my use of the word character transparent, and hope it wasnt used inappropriately.
Ill take your word on the business of we arent there yet too. For my money, if and when that day comes, Id bet it will be quite the thing. Until then I feel outside the requirements for power speakers demand, their voice or character is what equates to a better fit for one system over another if there is to be any interjection of life into the presentation, and why I attribute character as a viable component for picking one loudspeaker system over another as your primary units.
To me, the soundstage proximity to the LP is as important a thing as is the articulation. Currently, Im about spitting distance from the stage and would prefer a second row or third row seat, yet retain the impact and thrust of the music. This factor too contributes to a perception of a speakers personality.
