Can a Quality Full Range Speaker be the Limiting Component in a system?

One last point.

For some perception is reality.

An obvious after the fact result occurred following some of my previous steps up the audio finesse ladder as more costly items arrived replacing former old friends.

The overall sound quality. The sonic presentations. All seemed to remain the same tenor. Resolution gains were made. Better imaging developed. Bass was more robust and defined.

However, the voice of the outfit seemed to remain pegged pretty much at one point along the accuracy to euphony line a dot or two on its warmer side.

None of my latter audio arrangements sat squarely on neutrality. The previous earlier versions were busting down the doors of uber analytical and detailed, ushering a migration towards or away from crtical incisiveness.

What I’m saying is I feel a person’s listening preffs, genres notwithstanding, stay put once they’re matured or achieved.

You like your steak a certain way. Your coffee just so. Clothes and shoes need a certain fit in form and fashion. Music you are paying for to hear repeatedly in your home appears no different. Speakers need a certain aire about them esthetically and sonically to be there in the first place.

It follows then, if a major speaker upgrade is perceived and transpires how is the significance of the exchange then quantified?

Consequently, there’s a real good argument for ‘we’, or ‘us’ being the true bottleneck.

Well, that and money. Maybe a wife’s acceptance factor too.

BTW… on the WAF aside, just include the cost of some very nice jewelry in your proposed speaker upgrade and your choices for speakers will increase dramatically. Or should.

Predominately though, its us or the lack of $$$ which limits a system in at least one or two very under appreciated contexts.

Butperhaps that’s just me.

I'm not sure where to begin...there are so many terrific responses and I'm learning with each one.

So rather than respond specifically, let me thank all that have posted. 

I wish I could have provided a more concrete situation and phrased the question better...perhaps that will come in time as I digest what you have already shared and reflect and process the points all of you have made.

Thank you.

Al, the problem with assessment of speakers by headphones is that there exists as much variance of performance between headphones as speakers. You would need a set of several headphones to peg the performance of the headphones if they were to be used as a measure of the speaker performance!  :)

MHO...no.

The physics of the speaker preclude 'accurate' reproduction over a bandwidth that relates to the range of human hearing.  Now, by 'accurate', I'm referring to a 'ruler flat' line that would appear on a piece of test equipment.  These devices Do Not Exist.  If they did, we likely couldn't afford them, nor would we 'like' what they sounded like...IMHO....

We're so used to the 'coloration' of the various drivers available, and that of the equipment and hardware that we employ with them, that 'accurate' exists in the mind and ear of the beholder...IMHO.

Note that I haven't mentioned the space in which an audition would occur.  That's an entire issue unto itself....

All of this reminds me of the 'ideal pulsating sphere' as a reproducer....which leads to a plasma 'driver'....which is only practical if you don't mind not breathing or fouling the atmosphere on a regular basis...

To be fair, I like the concept of the full-range single driver.  But, most of what I've seen and heard is still short of the goal due to simple mechanical and acoustic 'fail'.

You 'can't get There from Here.'  You might get 'closer'...but No. 

Sorry...