Yes - the impulse response contains both time and frequency information which are related in known ways decipherable by Fourier and Hilbert Transforms. But, I am referring to the auditory-brain mechanisms which perceive frequency/tonality differently from impulse/time. This area is much more obscure and unstudied and, I believe, contains they key to understanding why some folks think phase/time coherence is valuable in music reproduction.
I land firmly in that camp - that it matters. But most of the audio engineering community (Toole and others) believe otherwise. My extensive personal experience leads me to value it and therefore try to understand it. I also know how easy it is to demonstrate the false negative premise - to 'prove' anything isn't so.
Over the years there have been many reviews and comments regarding how well details can be heard with Thiel speakers. Recall John Atkinson having to re-master a recording when getting the 2.2 for review, because he could hear edits and punches which had previously gone un-noticed. I recall a commenter stating how 'screwed-up' the Thiel 3.5 was because the orchestral recording sounded like the listener was hanging from the rafters! Guess what? The mics were hanging from the rafters. So, I consider his condemnation as a compliment - the speaker allowed apprehension of spatial presentation masked by even very expensive studio / mastering monitors.
This spatial ability is not related to frequency response. There are many speakers with far flatter frequency response because first order requires very broad range of all overlapping drivers, operating far out of their comfort zones. Thiel went to all that trouble to get flat-enough frequency response because we were and remain convinced of the musical importance of coherence, even if most people don't care and most experts dismiss its validity. That's what specialty companies do, they propose their unique vision.
I land firmly in that camp - that it matters. But most of the audio engineering community (Toole and others) believe otherwise. My extensive personal experience leads me to value it and therefore try to understand it. I also know how easy it is to demonstrate the false negative premise - to 'prove' anything isn't so.
Over the years there have been many reviews and comments regarding how well details can be heard with Thiel speakers. Recall John Atkinson having to re-master a recording when getting the 2.2 for review, because he could hear edits and punches which had previously gone un-noticed. I recall a commenter stating how 'screwed-up' the Thiel 3.5 was because the orchestral recording sounded like the listener was hanging from the rafters! Guess what? The mics were hanging from the rafters. So, I consider his condemnation as a compliment - the speaker allowed apprehension of spatial presentation masked by even very expensive studio / mastering monitors.
This spatial ability is not related to frequency response. There are many speakers with far flatter frequency response because first order requires very broad range of all overlapping drivers, operating far out of their comfort zones. Thiel went to all that trouble to get flat-enough frequency response because we were and remain convinced of the musical importance of coherence, even if most people don't care and most experts dismiss its validity. That's what specialty companies do, they propose their unique vision.