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
I get a real charge out of people/reviewers that call Harbeth speakers neutral. 



Speakers that are revealing just mean a tipped up treble most of the time, what about revealing bass. 
I couldn't disagree more. Seasoned reviewers know the difference between a revealing speaker and one with a tipped up top end or a broad peak in the upper midrange.
Revealing is an amateur term for a dissatisfaction that the user doesn’t quite understand.
The recording is resolved by the system+room, but the system +room reveal his own inner working in resolving the source...

People speaks as if the dac has the only resolving power, or the turntable, or the speakers, but it is the system+room that resolve the recording...

People speaks like the speakers could have too much "revealing", too much details, or resolution, but it is the speakers+room that reveal ,not only the recording ,but the way the room deliver it....Speaking of "revealing" about bad designed speakers is not a good use of the word.....

Then there is a difference and a balance between "resolving" and "revealing"....Resolving refer to the original acoustic of the recorded initial musical event, revealing refer to his recreation by the system+room...

The ears/brain distinguished the 2 acoustical spaces, and all audio acoustical science is the art of educating the ears to use these 2 acoustical dimensions in the same moment...

But the acoustic of a room is NOT the acoustic of a musical hall... Secondary reflections plays an active part in a small room and contrary to some sayings not a negative one at all if we know how to use them.... Then the Active acoustical controls can play an important role in the way we use the complex interplay between direct sound and reflections.... Passive materials treatment is not enough contrary of what is said in most audio thread..... This is my last discovery....

By the way nothing is more important than the room acoustic, no electronic component do much without the room.... But most people dont know that because they dont have any comparison point...

I have one and no system is at his utmost level without room controls...Nevermind the price....Even if you are in near listening.... This is a myth to think that in near listening the role plays by the room is diminished and played down.... This is rubbish but people have no comparison point with any experiments....

A small room is a very complex acoustical space and NO computer can use it and compensate for all the content and topology, because too much non linear variables are coupled.... We need the ears to work one step at a time the active controls that will make possible a very good S. Q. The active controls gives a feed back for the ears to work with one step at a time in each different and specific room....We can compute the nodes to put passive materials in a room, but active devices need to be located where the ears guide us to put them....

Only active controls work with the limitations proper to each different audio system and can compensate for them(dac,amplifier, speakers)...Passive materials work identically for all audio systems.... This is a very important difference unknown to most..