Powered speakers show audiophiles are confused

@kota1 respectfully I will add a few things to your post… I’m a musician long before being a decorated engineer. I’m looking at a 1930 Mason Hamlin double B that’s one of the best pianos in the world, and a room full of instruments that are mine as well from the past. I’ve helped companies like Bricasti and Mytek, to create some of the best DA conversion in the world. I have 1 foot in and 1 foot out of every category here. The thing about a lot of these posts is either it’s an argument for a certain conceptual approach, or a defensiveness about our own purchases, or a look for confirmation of what we’re doing from insecurity … And all of that is the wrong way to go. The right way to go is to understand that there is no perfect, there is no right or wrong, it’s a subjective journey that involves both our taste and a variety of scientific choices that all stem from the notion of positive compromise, meaning that we get the most and lose the least. The notion of right and wrong is completely opposite and narcissistic, as if there is any external standard. So the real challenge of putting together a system is that it has to come from decisions that only you can make for yourself… This is the world of artistry. This is where the two worlds dovetail. Music making uses science, but it’s ultimately a personal decision and putting together a system uses science yet it’s ultimately a personal decision. I science serves the process, it doesn’t dictate the process And anything outside of that is a trap. Music makers and music listeners all have the same goals: connection, community, elevation. Joy. It would be a simpler world if it was possible to come to such things by following directions from outside of ourselves, but that’s not the truth. Enjoy the ride :)

@donavabdear , before I had room treatments I was stuck. Most of what I could find about acoustic treatments was re: stereo, not Atmos. I had an inspiration to reach out to a studio where they mixed immersive content. I figured these guys are doing the content and if I can setup my room like they do I’ll have a better chance at getting a more accurate reproduction of what they heard in the studio. Can you imagine my surprise when Marti Humphrey from thedubstage replied to my e-mail! I wasn’t a client, a customer, just some guy from Timbuktu and he couldn’t have been nicer. He asked for pics, I sent them and my setup works for Auro 3D and Atmos and I told Marti I like Auro 3D. He copies Wilfried Van Baelen from Galaxy Studios, founder of Auro 3D who checked the pics on my room and they both provided excellent encouragement and feedback. I reached out to Anthony Grimani who also gave me excellent suggestions. So, although I am not a mixer that community you work with is five star, all the way from my experience. When I completed the room treatments as they suggested it sounded nothing like I could have imagined. Now the room correction software I use can do a much better job as room correction is limited in what it can do. Lucky for me I was not only looking to change but got a good roadmap. Thanks.

@brianlucey , all of these decisions about curating a system require components and that goes hand in hand with risk. Yes, many, many threads here evolve from insecurity, I agree. It is great when you can address that insecurity from the feedback and experiences of fellow members before you pull the trigger. For example, I bought a media player that had amazing upconversion ability for dolby vision. Not expensive but not cheap. I was insecure about the purchase and the claims. The product did what it claimed re: video but the audio was sub par, and the software to run the OS was android based and IDK android beyond using my phone. Glad I didn’t purchase a more expensive model, whew.

@kota1 talking to people like that is such a gift, they have no reason to do anything but help you, wonderful. What treatment did you perform acoustic or electronic? I don’t know if you read my note about “revealing” speakers sounding bad but it’s true and no one thinks like that. In acoustics flat rooms sound bad for different reasons I spoke to John Storyk, this guy ruled studio design world in the 80/90s he said they don’t design flat studios because they sound bad. So what should you do? Capitol Records sounds weird, Sony sounds strange because it’s so big, Warner Brothers sounds good, but nearly all the smaller rooms to show clients movies sound great. So when you mix the movie and record the music you do it in an odd sounding rooms and when you play it back it’s done in a great room. Error on the dark side for playback in recording it’s a bit like tube amps you want a little ring a little echo, but in playback less big reflections. The floor #1 the ceiling #2, imagine yourself in your listening position then everything except your speakers imagine  a mirror whenever you can see your speakers in a reflection work on those areas. Acoustics is often another area of willful denial in physics, huge flat sound consoles right in front of the speakers could you set up a better phase problem if you tried for the original recording engineer then the mix engineer, then the mastering engineer (they usually have a different room). The acoustics company I worked for put in a sound system into the crystal cathedral in Southern California it was a nightmare everything was glass. The answer was small speakers in the back of every seat but that was to expensive the other answer was very directive speakers using the people as absorption looking down. Reflections are your rooms enemy phasing is everything.

The Golden Ear Triton One R’s have a 1600 watt, active subwoofers built in and they sound surprisingly good. I’m waiting for my local dealer to get in a pair of the Triton References.