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

All (the threads) you're given
Is what (threads) you've been given
A thousand times before
Just more more
More of that (posturing ranty) jazz

Reference can be a comparative opinion, imperfect but state-of-the-art, or a calibration standard.  All of it applies to speakers.  Do I want exceptional beauty?  Do I want to enjoy the unenjoyable?  Of course I do.  I want both.  Reference gear should deliver more.  It should especially shine when the recording delivers less.  It's not either/or, it's all that.  IMO

@Kenjit

I have no idea what you are on about, so again, ignoring  you.

So it sounds as if most here are saying that objective neutrality is not a requirement, but to be a "reference" speaker it should be the epitome of the maker's product line?

Or it can be something you go back to as your personal preference.

I guess I always thought of "reference" as being similar to laboratory grade, like a precision scale or ruler.  Something other speakers should strive for.  Seems most are saying it is just hype, like the words "deluxe" or "premium."

My thoughts on what constitutes a reference are similar to those from @kr4  above.   It is something that is well characterized and whose attributes are not in dispute.  Thinking in simple terms, it is like a graduated ruler, against which one can measure the length of multiple objects with confidence.  Use of a ruler is not context dependent in a practical sense.  I can use it at my desk, in my living room, in my listening room and it works the same.  I can use it in Tennessee and travel to Leipzig and it still works the same.   

I think of "reference" audio equipment and speakers in particular primarily within the context of use by a reviewer.   I don't think of any of my pieces as being references even though when I audition new gear I use my existing equipment as a reference of sorts.  I think more in terms of "destination" pieces.  Those pieces that are so good I will probably never replace them.   I regard my Atma-Sphere M-60 amps are destination pieces.  Possibly my Coincident CSL line stage.  I would be hard pressed to significantly improve on the M-60/CSL pairing.  Future changes to my system will be to source or speakers, or perhaps to cabling or isolation devices. 

Speaker performance is so tied to how well suited it is for the room in which it is used and also to being fed by a well matched amplifier that I just don't know how one really could have a reference speaker in the absolute sense.   A reference should not be context dependent.   What good would a ruler be if it were made of a material that had a high coefficient of thermal expansion?    One that would only give reliable readings in a room where the temperature was rigorously controlled at 20C?  That context dependence is the nature of speakers.  How they perform is so context dependent I just don't think it is possible for them to act as true references.