My experience suggests that some systems might be more robust against the perceptual swings that some of us experience. Right now I feel that my system is in a robust state because I haven't had a bad sounding day since I set it up like this. It's been pleasing me consistently, and it also seems to get along with a wide variety of recordings. I've had this kind of setup before, and it seems to have something to do with creating a natural, tonal balance that's easy to accept and enjoy, but doesn't necessarily reach the zenith of ultra realism and detail that some recordings can offer.
This seems to come with a light handed touch on the crossover settings and driver equalization, and a minimum of room corrections. I think one of the problems with trying to tonally cancel out room effects is that it actually works to some degree! So, the sound coming from the speaker is not sounding like a typical sound emerging from within the room, and thus being colored by the room. But since our ears are naturally trying to filter out the room coloration because we pick up on the room sound the moment we walk in to the space, it can actually be confusing and unstable perceptually. So it might be better to not do too much of that. Maybe EQ down a major bass peak or two, but be extra wary of bringing up low areas, and definitely avoid any EQ up in the higher frequencies, or at least be very careful with it or any use of target room curves. I've played around a lot with such EQ, and it can be exasperating because it sometimes creates real magic, but just hearing something that doesn't work with it can throw your perceptions off for the rest of the evening. I think it's not just room EQ that can do this, but any speaker with an unusual tonal response, and un-even off axis response. Such speakers will occasionally create magic that a speaker with flat, smooth response and good off axis never will. But often they will sound bad, and will require a fragile perceptual state to enjoy, unless they're just a match made in heaven for the particular room they are being used in.
