Boy,do I have an opinion, and your title needs a bit of clarification./ Properly driven must be assumed/but this is not always the case.I go to friends houses with rooms worthy of hi jacking. None have great systems. So the sound coming out of a given speaker can be bettered in a good room. If the room is bad enough you can always listen nearfield. You wanna listen to "Bozo" speakers driven by a Rad. Shack receiver in a great acoustic environment/ not me.