Appreciate all the posts. Audio is such a tricky subject on which to compare notes. It's common wisdom to try things out in one's own home, yet every room is different. And the associated gear is different. So, when I utter a simple claim like "speaker A is bright" any number of factors *besides the speaker* can cause people to agree or disagree. Typically, it's more fun to throw out names of brands and models to solve the problem, but what turns out to be most helpful have been "rules of thumb" or basic questions which highlight the factor I might be missing — "How high is your ceiling?" or "How far apart are the speakers?" or "What kind of music are you listening to?"
For me, audio research has been most confusing when I've mistakenly assumed that technical details about gear design is the key to getting oriented. E.g., I've found myself researching "warm solid state" or "beryllium tweeters" or "front ported speakers" before appreciating that none of those things were relevant, yet. To assemble a system I've made a lot of leaps in the dark — toward my amplifiers, my DAC, my cables, etc. Once I was down to speakers, I figured it would be a simple matter of trying a few and choosing. But the room! The room. The damn room.
For me, audio research has been most confusing when I've mistakenly assumed that technical details about gear design is the key to getting oriented. E.g., I've found myself researching "warm solid state" or "beryllium tweeters" or "front ported speakers" before appreciating that none of those things were relevant, yet. To assemble a system I've made a lot of leaps in the dark — toward my amplifiers, my DAC, my cables, etc. Once I was down to speakers, I figured it would be a simple matter of trying a few and choosing. But the room! The room. The damn room.