Songwriter's problem is a problem that many people have when they approach a subject that they know a little about but don't understand the subject thoroughly.
I will give you an example. During medical oral boards, a mix of prominent academically oriented young and old physicians are called on to test the unboarded physicians by giving them theoretical cases to solve. The unboarded physician is then judged on their methodology used in solving the case as well as the solution obtained. The younger physicians that are placed in a position of judging another's methodology often do a poor job of actually judging, due to their limited worldview. These physicians have tunnel vision and are only able to see their approach as correct. These docs are often unable to see that there are usually many approaches to solving a problem. Because of this, before the unboarded physician is failed, the case must be reviewed by another physician to make sure that judging was fair. These young physicians often have low pass rates initially, but given enough time, knowledge, and experience these young physicians actually become more tolerable as they age, and often end up making good judges.
This narrow-minded view is kind of like how your preference for women changes as you age. When I was young, I judged a woman more how she looked and put a high priority on an attractive face and a slim body. Of course these are poor criteria to use when picking a mate. I would say that as Ive grown older, Ive come to appreciate the opposite sex in many other ways as well.
Is a Merlin VSM-Mx a better speaker than a Thiel 2.4? Maybe not in terms of time coherence but in several ways it may be better for me depending on my own preferences, knowledge, and which qualities I judge as most valuable. Is a Patek a better watch than a Rolex? Well yes in some areas but perhaps not in terms of durability. Is a Vacheron better than a Timex? Not in terms of timekeeping, price, or durability, but I'd bet you'd pick the Vacheron over the Timex if given a choice. But if I were to just consider the qualities of timekeeping and durability, the Timex is the better watch. If I look at value, craftsmanship, artistry, etc. I may arrive at a different choice. If I dont know anything about watches, and dont appreciate the craftsmanship, then I may think it obscene to pay $50K for a watch when I can get one that keeps better time at Walmart for $20. My choice depends on my preference, my knowledge, and upon what qualities I judge as most valuable.
The problem Songwriter has is that either a speaker is 1st order or it is wrong. To him the issue is black or white, and to many time and phase coherence is often a religion. Given enough time he will realize that there are often several approaches that are valid. Like SETs, tubes, or feedback, time and phase coherence may be important, but there are many other things that are important to think about when designing a speaker.
Like anything in life, a good speaker is balanced, i.e. the summation of several compromises. Things like drivers, damping, power response, impulse response, distortion, crossover slopes, power dissipation, alignment, cabinet design, etc. Focus on only one thing and you will have a poor sounding speaker.
Troy
