@seanheis1 It is rare now for speakers to have a 5 dB anechoic amplitude error except at the very ends of the audio spectrum. On the other hand early room reflections can cause errors over 10 dB. I had a window adjacent to the right channel speaker I had to remove because of a 12 dB response error it caused above 10 kHz.
Amplitude errors do not just occur in the bass. They are usually more pronounced in the bass, but if anything in the room is resonating, like my window, strange things can and do happen. Using "room control" only in the bass is inadequate. It has to cover the entire audio band. When a processor can perform room control an added benefit is that it can also do EQ given the user the ability to voice their system the way they want it.
I want to also add that the knowledge of what an audio system is or should be capable of is gained only by experience. You have to have heard a system performing at that level. Live performances can be useful, but only if acoustic in nature. Once you add amplification, particularly in large venues, all bets are off. The sound quality at large stadium concerts is typically hideous and in mono. A good system with a good live recording has no problem outperforming that circumstance. IMHE, as an audio insider in the late 70's and 80s, experienced listeners always know when they are in the presence of an exceptional system. It only takes 30 seconds of a familiar recording, you can see their eyes widen, and exceptional systems will do this to every honest experience listener that hears them. Not that these systems have no faults, their faults can be glaringly obvious, usually in the low bass, but their performance extremely convincing none the less.