Judging speakers to purchase.

It’s a given that speakers have to play well in your room, especially in the sub-200 hz range to have any chance of sounding like music. But for me, having see-thru clarity and stellar phase coherency is huge, then they can pass along what they’re fed with minimal coloration and veiling. A great soundstage is a must, but is usually present if the clarity and phase coherency are good (dispersion is factor here too). That level of clarity also tends to bring excellent micro dynamics. Yep...superior clarity is up there on my wish list, but it also makes them revealing of the rest of the system, which can set you up well for the rest of the journey.

@o_holter

Your reply highlighted a lot of things I suspect most of us experience...especially the last part about small group sounding fine, only to have things intensifying during the refrain and sort of falling apart.  I can't say for sure, but since it's not true of all recordings, my best guess is that it's due to noise and compression in the recording.  Not something a system can fix without mucking up several other things, but maybe a good remix could help.  Best bet is to build a system around the music you like best and listen to most often.  

@immatthewj

stellar phase coherency

@knottscott , can you expound upon that?

In a nutshell, the idea is to create a music wave that sounds natural when it reaches your ear, as if it’s coming from a single source. For example, splitting the female voice between a woofer and a midrange means creating a uniform wave from two sources, so the timing of those two drivers to create the illusion of a single source poses challenges, or it won't sound natural. The slope of the rolloff of both drivers and the crossovers all come into play, along with reflections of the baffle. One of the appeals of full range drivers is that they are a single source, though there are other downsides, as there are with every option...never a free lunch.