I will only add to his observation that many aspects of room acoustics cannot be "seen" with only usual room measures...
You need way more...
Psychoacoustics concepts , and HTRF and inner ear measures...And i used mechanical devices as Helmholtz tuned resonators distributed to experiments with ...
Most people spending money on the gear had no idea of what acoustics is and do for a maximally or even minimally satisfying acoustic experience...
Add to that mechanical resonance /vibrations controls and electrical noise floor controls , and nobody in a buying upgrade spree who had never seriously work on a SPECIFIC chosen system BEFORE any upgrade, nevermind his cost, had a clue about what acoustics (which is not only room acoustic ) can do ...
It is easy to spot this reading audio forums...
And no gear seller can say straight to his customer , when you will buy my gear pieces it will not be enough at all ..
😁😊
i learned this with a low cost system yes, but after few years of experiments non stop ( i am retired) ...
The most ignorant are some who mock the others as me who had not listen to 30 amplifiers 40 dacs and 30 speakers... 😊
They think they know what is better , in design perhaps they are right , better design matter but less than they think...
Knowledge and experiments matter more than any piece of gear at any price ...
I already owned one of the best speakers of the past the Tannoy dual gold monitor... Their design is superior to many other speakers on many front... But my actual chinese low cost active speakers which are low -fi sound better them on spatial qualities in near listening in my acoustic dedicated corner or rival them on some aspects now ,in spite of their driver limitation in the bass for sure , BECAUSE they are well embedded mechanically, and electrically and acoustically ...
Alas! when i owned my TOP Tannoy i had learned nothing about acoustics or vibration controls or electrical noise floor controls at these times, i believe owning the best gear was enough as marketers says... I never listened to the Tannoy at their peak potential... I modified my low cost active speakers , thanks to Helmholtz genius, and embed them rightfully and if not for their limit in the bass under 50 hertz they will beat the Tannoy completely ..If i had the Tannoy and a room today they will crush my chineese speakers for sure...I am happy anyway now even with these low-fi speakers well embedded and modified...
It is the reason why the distinction between low-fi, mid-fi, and high-fi , had less meanings for me than the distinction between minimal acoustical satisfaction and maximal acoustical asatisfaction thresholds...
The minimal threshold is not a stopgap by the way ... You know why ?
Because all acoustic characteristics of sound qualities are there in a minimal amount and enough to put you in a sonic heaven ... Better design and more costlier gear will not necessarily be so well balanced in all aspects in a bad acoustic room and with no resonance control and no electrical noise floor control... This is why my system is not a frustrated stopgap at all ... I am proud of my ratio price /sound qualities...
Why do you think i know acoustics is key, not price tag ?
Non stop experiments each day for one year full time...
Now read me right : acoustics will not replace good design at all nor compensate for low cost gear limitations ...But in reverse high end gear cannot do what acoustics and mechanical and electrical workings controls do...
