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Should a reference speaker be neutral, or just great sounding?

I was thinking about something as I was typing about how I've observed a magazine behave, and it occurred to me that I have a personal bias not everyone may agree to.  Here's what I think:
"To call a speaker a reference product it should at the very least be objectively neutral."

However, as that magazine points out, many great speakers are idiosyncratic ideas about what music should sound like in the home, regardless of being tonally neutral.

Do you agree?  If a speaker is a "reference" product, do you expect it to be neutral, or do you think it has to perform exceptionally well, but not necessarily this way?
erik_squires

Showing 1 response by denverfred

denverfred's avatar
denverfred
252 posts
 
No reason to go for neutrality if you hate the sound. Rock and Techno/electronic stuff? Have at it. Whatever sounds best.
But if you're into anything acoustic or vocal, neutrality is essential.

Of course, we may disagree on the meaning of "neutral." But we will always make the best choice if the LIVE PERFORMANCE is our "reference" and not some imagined sound.
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