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My pet peeve: "revealing" speakers

The one word that bugs me the most in all of the audiophile world is "revealing." 

It's plenty descriptive but it's also biased.  What I mean is that speakers that are revealing are also usually quite colored. They don't unveil a recording, they focus your attention by suppressing some tones and enhancing others. The reviewer who suddenly discovers hearing things he has never heard before and now goes through his entire library has fallen for this trap hook line and sinker.

This is not always true, as some speakers are revealing by ignoring the room.  They can remain tonally neutral but give you a headphone like experience.  I'm not talking about them.  I'm talking about the others.  I  wish we had a better word for it.

Mind you, I believe you should buy speakers based on your personal preferences.  Revealing, warm, neutral, whatever.  I'm just saying this word is deceptive, as if there were no down side when there is. 

Best,

Erik
erik_squires

Showing 2 responses by nonoise

nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,105 posts
 
Sounds like a lot of audiophiles are frustrated having not achieved success in getting that revealing speaker, being bought or homemade, so they attribute it to other factors, which is a mistake. It's a variation on The Fox and the Sour Grapes.

Add in a normal amount of pride (which we all have) and having spent all that money and/or time and it still isn't revealing (there's that word again) and it's easy to blame it on other considerations that although factor in, are not the culprit.

I don't wish to highjack this thread so I'll stop here and let you know that I'll be posting my impressions soon on a new speaker I heard that one could call, revealing, in the best sense of the word.

All the best,
Nonoise






nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,105 posts
 
I just spent the better part of the day listening to a very......revealing speaker. Thanks for the word assist as I was somewhat at a loss to describe it. 

As for your feelings about the word, revealing....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wujVMIYzYXg

All the best,
Nonoise
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