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Should a reference speaker be neutral, or just great sounding?

I was thinking about something as I was typing about how I've observed a magazine behave, and it occurred to me that I have a personal bias not everyone may agree to.  Here's what I think:
"To call a speaker a reference product it should at the very least be objectively neutral."

However, as that magazine points out, many great speakers are idiosyncratic ideas about what music should sound like in the home, regardless of being tonally neutral.

Do you agree?  If a speaker is a "reference" product, do you expect it to be neutral, or do you think it has to perform exceptionally well, but not necessarily this way?
erik_squires
michaelgreenaudio's avatar
michaelgreenaudio
1,019 posts
 

Hi Erik

In regards to your latest definition, the way you described it, reference is nothing more than a marketing tool.

michael

antigrunge2
1,379 posts
 
A neutral speaker can still be sluggish or intransparent. ‘Great sound’ encompasses lots of things, especially the owners preferences.
A truly reference speaker in my mind should have neutrality, speed and transparency to properly sound stage, image note decay and allow for tuning through positioning. In my experience neutrality, speed and transparency are vectors on which people in comparisons tend to agree.
richopp
760 posts
 
If you set up Magneplaners correctly, they reproduce what you send them.

If that is your idea of "reference" then so be it.

Try playing a musical instrument live--a piano, possibly, as they are somewhat difficult to record--and then play the recorded version.

If you don't hear any difference, either your ears are not trained or you have a pretty good system, I would say.

That's what Maggies do if your system is not weak in some area.

Try it and see for yourself, of course.  Don't take anyone's word for anything.

Cheers!
jandersonhill
3 posts
 
I’m going to make a similar comment to NoNoise, all speakers are a compromise, none are perfect. Whichever speaker sounds best to you is dependant on which compromises you’re willing to accept and how much you’re willing to pay in return (accepting that price is a compromise in itself)...
denverfred's avatar
denverfred
252 posts
 
No reason to go for neutrality if you hate the sound. Rock and Techno/electronic stuff? Have at it. Whatever sounds best.
But if you're into anything acoustic or vocal, neutrality is essential.

Of course, we may disagree on the meaning of "neutral." But we will always make the best choice if the LIVE PERFORMANCE is our "reference" and not some imagined sound.
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