@lonemountain wrote:
Who says studio monitors are "cold and analytical"? Does that mean audiophile speakers are warm/colored and distorted? If Studio Monitors main goal is low distortion, does that mean low distortion is not something audiophiles want? They want what, high distortion? "Pretty" sounding distortion? Or find pretty sounding speakers that make bad recordings sound really good? What is the point of searching out good recordings then? They won’t sound as intended on a highly colored distorted speaker!
Good post. In a nutshell audiophilia has turned all the typical limitations of in particular loudspeakers into a reference and something to desire; what’s more realistic in size of scale of the sonic image is overblown or unfit for a domestic environment, what approaches real dynamics is deemed exaggerated, what’s full-range at full tilt to emulate a reference isn’t necessary and even ridiculed, etc. People have to feel good about their usually self-imposed (i.e.: not monetary) limitations, also by pointing their fingers at that which eschews their schooled understanding, while reveling at the paradigms or even dogmas established in the hi-fi milieu. High Fidelity, compared to what? In the now inverted universe of sound reproduction the live acoustic (or amplified) reference falls short of what’s dictated by its all-is-equally-good interpretation in many a home from a speaker package mostly way too small. Oh, vanity..
As for monitors, they come in many shapes and "expressions" reflecting (at best) their intended usage, while also being at the behest of the designer and his/her skills. Some monitors to my ears simply become too much of a pill to swallow with extended listening (usually less so), and it mayn’t be due to them being bad speakers per se but rather that what they were designed to do doesn’t sit well with the intention of enjoying music. I’ve often found that many a monitor’s sound isn’t due to what’s left untarnished, but instead what’s specifically bred or honed in on as a sonic signature that complements their function as an (magnifying) instrument or sorts to the mixer. In other words: what may be perceived as cleaner to some may simply be a sonic design choice that makes it appear as such.
Obviously sound reproduction can become too much of a euphemism, so to speak, also per above paragraph. It’s a balancing act I find hitting that "middle ground" of insight vs. the less technical approach to music as opposed to scrutiny even. Some lean more in one direction, others differently. ATC speakers to me strike a fairly good balance while still being ruthlessly honest - not always to the liking of some audiophiles. I find they "get way with it" musically because of their tonality, coherency, fine dynamics and rather unflappable nature, even at extended SPL’s. And that 3" super midrange dome driver is just an engineering marvel, if you ask me.