Warm vs Revealing—the struggle for balance

Not trying to hijack, but I’ve been reading that part of the “Warm vs Revealing” dichotomy is related to speaker baffle steps. The trend toward narrower speakers was part of the quest for precision in reproduction that cannot be easily managed by crossovers to create non-fatiguing musicality.

The recent popularity of ‘70s style big box speakers is not just their throwback appearance or their MidFi pricing. A 12” baffle keeps the baffle steps crossovers out of the sweet spot frequency for many instruments and vocals.

@retrocrownfan +1! The 12" baffle for an even transition between bass and mids has been largely overlooked by speaker designers over the past few decades. Skinny may be "in" for gals but it makes for problematic speakers!

I strongly agree with finding speakers that you really love. As has been previously stated, they will have the single greatest impact on the sound you hear. Use the other components to "color" things a bit. The other thing I'd say is when it comes to tube amplification, the tube matters. I went through a handful of 12a7 based preamps and was never happy. Once I put a preamp in with 6sn7 tubes it was a revelation. I got that balance of warmth and detail. I then sought out amps with the same 6sn7 tubes in the input and driver stages. As others have said, this took time and cost a fair bit of money. But right now, I don't have upgradeitis. I can just sit and listen to my system and enjoy the music it makes

I went through lots of amps and DACs and occasionally had problems with harshness (as you call it, lack of warmth). 

Once I siginificantly upgraded my DAC (Chord DAVE) and moved to low power SETs (and I've had several different ones), I've never experieneced harshness or fatigue as I continue to upgrade my system.

I don't think there is such thing as speakers that are "too revealing".  Speakers can be harsh but that is just poor implementation (by the manufacturer).  

Jerry

Our preferences are all different, and we all have a unique "sweet spot" we need to achieve to let the music take us away. There’s not a one size fits all road map. It’s always a matter of striking a balance on all fronts (including baffle width). There’s no free lunch, and there are trade-offs with every choice. We need to pick our poison, and keep chasing down the weakest link. Sometimes "too revealing" is just excellent clarity in parts of the chain that points a finger at some other source of sloppiness or harshness, sometimes its simply a tonal imbalance that’s too bright. I suspect sometimes it’s just too loud of a volume level for a given recording. Your right though....it’s pretty elusive!

The room is significant, and so is how well your speakers interact with it. Best bet (IMHO) is to find speakers that you love that work well in your room, then buy amplification that drives them well and has a tonal balance you like. Tubes can offer great clarity, and options for fine tuning to taste.