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

Worst combo I've had--

Cerwin Vegas with Crown Amps--so bad totally unlistenable .

Almost as bad but never would buy.

Latest B+W 800 series-- like razors in the ears.

Von Schweikerts-- just dull.

Magicos- sounds like designed by and for a computer-hear them with Halcro Amps and rush for Root Canal for relief

Any ESL-yes sadly been there many times-bit of heaven and hell
they all fail at some time--got sick of saying a Prayer every time I turned them on. The great pity as they can perform superbly --when running

Caveat Emptor

T

I agree with those who think the B&Ws are too bright. I've owned one pair and heard others, and I just can't listen to them very long. Other's love them, so to each his own. I find I have issues with a lot of metal dome tweeters. I prefer, and recommend, soft dome tweeters for less fatigue. 

Martin Logan ESL-X on demo they hooted, squawked and buzzed at me getting very lost on complex pieces.

I feel the same way about B&W speakers as @millercarbon feels about Wilson.That is, over rated, over priced & under perform.
I also had an aquaintance who had an outstanding Wilson set up .... at least on paper.
$25G dollar Wilsons, Bryston 4B-SST amp, Sim Moon deck, & Nordost wire.
To save space lets just say after blowing all that doe his system sounded .... dry.
Price maybe an indicator where to start, but it's not the "be all", "end all" in the final analysis.
As for using YouTube as a listening reference for any piece of Hi-Fi ..... that's just blayton ignorence. Get down to a dealer and listen - PERIOD.

I am amazed at how many people actually bought and paid for so many speakers they didn’t like, some posters had that experience with several. My first thought was they didn’t do their homework or didn’t do a proper job of auditioning or both. The expectation that a speaker will perform in one’s own room (with his own electronics) in the same way as in a dealer’s showroom is recipe for disappointment. I honestly think one can make almost any speaker (that one liked the basic signature of) work well in his room with proper set up, system matching and acoustic treatments. If I was disappointed in the performance of several reputable speakers in my room, I might well blame the room instead of the speakers.