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Bright High End Speakers = Bad Room?

Long time lurker, new poster and diving right in.
I have noticed on the threads, a lot of what are considered high spend speakers, high end B&W's particularly, but not exclusively, being faulted for being "bright", a viewpoint typically garnered from "heard them at a show", etc.
I would posit that the reason this is, not exclusively of course, but in many cases, is due to a conscious decision in how these speaker companies balance on/off axis energy  (or an unconscious decision due to the space they were voiced in).

Whether it is assumed you are going to have more off-axis energy due to reflection/diffusion and/or assumed you are going to have less off axis energy due to absorption, if you don't implement your room accordingly, you are going to find the speaker bright or dark versus a speaker, even a low end one, that is voiced in a room more like the typical partially or poorly treated room.
Thoughts?


atdavid

Showing 1 response by gdaddy1

gdaddy1
84 posts
 
Speakers that are very 'revealing' are often considered to be bright. 'Bright' speakers have become something to fear and avoid. I refer to many of them as 'clear'. Padding a speaker down in an effort to flat line on a chart can/will soften the sound by removing detail. High end audio is high resolution. If the speaker is capable of sounding natural at a high resolution then I find it to be wonderful clarity. Why remove detail that you've worked so hard to attain? However, it will be critical of poorly made recordings. Over processed music out of a high resolution speaker can and will sound edgy. Good recordings are amazingly clear and sound incredible when done right. 

Good quality headphones are extremely clear. I began use them as a baseline for the clarity of my speakers. This put me on the 'bright side' of neutral and I much prefer it.
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