Stupid speaker test question...please help a n00b

Basically, if you create a loudspeaker to measure well in an anechoic chamber (the only way you can accurately evaluate its output), it will sound unnatural in a number of ways when placed in a room. Some loudspeakers are designed (e.g., James, Mirage, MBL, Gallo, Ohm) to interact with the room and are the better for it when it comes to natural-sounding listening. But in an anechoic chamber these speakers don't measure so well.

For nearfield monitors, anechoic measurements are valid, but for regular home audio speakers, the *power response* is more important. That is, how linear is the response when it is in a typical listening room, where walls reinforce certain bass frequencies and hard surfaces can make the treble sound unlistenably bright. If you have a narrowed dispersion at the crossover point, this won't be apparent in nearfield listening or anechoic measurement, but will sound thin and hollow at that frequency in a typical room because the narrowed dispersion at that frequency results in less reflection--and therefore less energy--there.

02-22-12: Unsound
Please define "typical room"?

Of course there are many listening room configurations, some on a slab, some suspended floor, some with 8' ceilings, some with high or vaulted ceilings, some with enclosed rooms, some with open architecture, etc., etc. One could say, however, that a typical room will be rectangular with painted sheetrock walls, carpeted or with area rugs, with a mix of hard and soft furniture, pictures, wall hangings, and shelves, some holding record and/or cd collections. And the astute buyer will match the speaker's dynamic range, bass extension, and system power to the room size.

One thing is sure--a speaker designed for a uniform power response in the "average room" is going to sound more natural in a wide variety of room configurations than one that is voiced only for nearfield or anechoic use.