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My pet peeve: "revealing" speakers

The one word that bugs me the most in all of the audiophile world is "revealing." 

It's plenty descriptive but it's also biased.  What I mean is that speakers that are revealing are also usually quite colored. They don't unveil a recording, they focus your attention by suppressing some tones and enhancing others. The reviewer who suddenly discovers hearing things he has never heard before and now goes through his entire library has fallen for this trap hook line and sinker.

This is not always true, as some speakers are revealing by ignoring the room.  They can remain tonally neutral but give you a headphone like experience.  I'm not talking about them.  I'm talking about the others.  I  wish we had a better word for it.

Mind you, I believe you should buy speakers based on your personal preferences.  Revealing, warm, neutral, whatever.  I'm just saying this word is deceptive, as if there were no down side when there is. 

Best,

Erik
erik_squires
oldhvymec
5,101 posts
 

p05129112 posts08-22-2020 7:04pm

Excuse millercarbon, he gets paid by how many threads/posts he can answer/start about Tekton speakers.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Look I been on the take for years, now if I could just get paid for it..
I’m a major advocate, of speakers that haven’t been made for almost 9 years. Talk about revealing. I’m nuts... I almost bought a 40 year old pair of dipoles. RARE! I still might. First time I’ve ever seen a pair for sale.

That’s telling me. People just don’t sell them, WHY? They must be so revealing, that’s all I can figure... 15 years of looking, 1 pair.

Ok, ok, maybe not political enough, I’ll try to stay on topic. OP

Them speakers are better than those speakers, how am I doing?
Because those are on the LEFT, and those are on the RIGHT. BUT I’m slightly right of center.

That’s revealing. Oh, to much. OK, you can stop reading right after "posts" the second time. Just sayin’ :-)

It’s Saturday night, still 88 degrees and to hot to play the stereo.

What else am I gonna do?

Regards
Post removed 
clearthinker's avatar
clearthinker
1,582 posts
 
'reveal' is a transitive verb.
This speaker is revealing......what?

Unless what is revealed is specified, the use of the term 'revealing' is meaningless.  So please stop.

In the main there are only three groups of phenomena that might be revealed:
1.   The signal on the recording.
2.   The artifacts of the system.
3.   (very minor and just to be complete) the external artifacts that millercarbon tells you to spend so much money eliminating.

So let's always be specific.
richopp
760 posts
 
1.  Your ROOM is the most important element of any sound system.
2.  If you want to HEAR your components, have your dealer install (CORRECTLY) the most expensive Magnepans you can afford.
3.  If they did it properly, you will now hear your components and the recording as it was made.

If you like what you hear, so be it.  If not, time to start replacing your components or fixing your room.

Cheers!
rodman99999
6,206 posts
 
In no way do I intend this to be an exercise in semantic gymnastics, but- I’ve often used the terms, "resolving" and, "revealing" interchangeably.      ie: A really, "resolving" speaker will be found, "revealing" of whatever is correct or incorrect, in the system before it (sources/media, components, cables, etc).      This article (notwithstanding opinions on Robert Harley, Martin-Logan, Constellation, TAS, the term, "Hi-Fi, etc) exactly describes how I’ve viewed the subject, since 1964: http://www.enjoythemusic.com/tas/261/editorial.htm
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