Most people even with top headphones or top speakers and top electronics have no idea what their audio system can optimally do when rightfully controlled...
The reason is simple : embeddings working dimensions controls...Mechanical, electrical but ESPECIALLY acoustical...
Most people who own a small square room or with an imbalanced acoustic, geometrically, topologically or in acoustical content, dont know how to treat the room.... And when they know they think about the usual PASSIVE material treatment mainly.... But for small room with acoustic imbalance, passive treatment will not be enough nor optimal... Adressing the speakers/room by activation of the relation between speakers and room with Helhmotz resonators AND diffusers will complete the job of the usual passive treatment and put it on another level...(there exist also secondary unorthodox means i will not describe here to not create useless debates)
A room is not a set of passive walls waiting the sound waves to bounce on them ( this image validity is linked to Hall or theater big space).... Most people had this image... A small room by contrast is more a dynamical organism which metabolism is constituted by small pressures zones of different densities living in TIME not only in space....And Helmholtz resonators and diffusers are NEW CELLS added to this organism controlled by your EARS, helped if you want by some measuring apparatus... But a room COULD be TUNED like a piano can be tuned by human ears....
Room relatively large could be well tamed sometimes or seems to be so with only usual passive treatment BUT to optimalize the speakers/room relation i think Helmholtz resonators and diffusers grid will increase big time all acoustic experience factors...
An audio room ideally cannot be a living room.... Sorry.....my audio room cannot be recreated in a living room... But some aspects can be used in a living room.... It is not necessary to install a grid of 40 Helmhotz resonators and diffusers like me to obtain very good results.... Very precise small sets of resonators and aesthetically designed can do ( i am not crafty )....I use sometimes "toilet paper rolls" but you can use more sexy material for a living room.... Anyway acoustic ratio sometimes dont give a damn about the specific material save for their acoustic properties....Use what you want if the acoustic ratio is right...
By the way i am not an acoustician, nor an audio pro, only an average dude with no money who decided one day to create his own audio system at peanuts costs if necessary because i could not afford costly gear i was dreaming about anyway....
You dont have to believe me.... Only to think about some simple concepts and experiences i suggest at no cost or very low cost... Thats all...
We are here to partake concepts and experiences first, opinions second, and politely argue about....
I am not interested to prove anything, only that one dude exist here that is not impress by costly marketting of electronic pieces hype upgrading obsession, why? (Not because a better electronic gear is useless, if i could i woul buy better audio system....But my 500 bucks one is relatively very satisfying now....) Then why?
Because if Acoustic science is the sleeping princess, and any tweak or piece of gear are one the 7 working dwarves, guess who is the prince ?
You own creativity is the prince....
Trust yourself....