Yep, room interactions do play a MAJOR part of how good a speaker sounds. I have always told folks to allot $500-$1000 for room treatments. If you have a drill and a stapler and a pair of scissors you can keep the number well below $500 to EQ out the room properly to make the best of those speakers.
Any speaker will sound "so what" in a poor room environment, but I wouldnt use that as an excuse not to get em. I spent 2 days and $380 bucks(high frequency absorbers on all main reflection points,DIY tube trabs in the corners and to the sides of the speakers) on my "so what" room and turned it into a room far superior for a pair of floorstanders than from where I originally heard em.
Any speaker will sound "so what" in a poor room environment, but I wouldnt use that as an excuse not to get em. I spent 2 days and $380 bucks(high frequency absorbers on all main reflection points,DIY tube trabs in the corners and to the sides of the speakers) on my "so what" room and turned it into a room far superior for a pair of floorstanders than from where I originally heard em.