I think Shadorne has it-low distortion and wide dispersion (ie.consistent off axis) are top priorities, which eliminates horns, dipoles, electrostatic and good number of other technologies.
Listening in a small room you are hearing more room than speaker. For most of us, the only way to really hear the speaker is to eliminate the room- take your speaker outside or to a very large space. While even these environments can have an effect on the speaker, you are finally hearing more speaker than room. After you've selected what sounds best outside/in a very large room, now you have to return to your small room to listen. Everything you thought you knew about your speaker will now change as this small room takes over. Depending on your speaker's flaws or shortcomings, some of these flaws don't play well in small rooms.
Poor off axis is a top problem made worse by nearly all rooms. Uneven bass response is another one. We are drawn to speakers with more bass in a demo- every time- yet bass is the one thing that is always different between one room and another. The bass at the store will not be your bass. The bass with the speakers along this wall will not be the bass when the speakers are put along that wall. Sometimes 3 inches different can make or break bass in a room. The bass sitting here will not be the bass sitting there. All rooms will emphasize some set of low frequencies and will take away others, depending where you sit and where the speakers are.
So focusing on off axis response and low distortion as values in the speaker inherently makes at least that part a non issue once you get the speaker in a room. Now the next task to work hard at speaker placement once you get them home. This is generally to get the best bass and the best imaging. It amazing to read threads of speaker owners ready to jump ship yet have never moved them around in the room. You should be moving them all the time, learning your room, learning how this is different from that. Its usually a bigger difference than speaker cables! After you find the best placement sonically, then you can attack the last of your problems with acoustic treatment and maybe just maybe, some very subtle room EQ.
The idea you must avoid is thinking that placing the speakers at home where they look nice and never moving them is a good idea and that any problems or weaknesses discovered from the "look nice" position can be solved elsewhere. The industry has not done itself any favors pitching a magic little built in software program and $10 microphone that came in the box fixes it all- and if it doesn't, you need new "better" speakers.
Brad
Listening in a small room you are hearing more room than speaker. For most of us, the only way to really hear the speaker is to eliminate the room- take your speaker outside or to a very large space. While even these environments can have an effect on the speaker, you are finally hearing more speaker than room. After you've selected what sounds best outside/in a very large room, now you have to return to your small room to listen. Everything you thought you knew about your speaker will now change as this small room takes over. Depending on your speaker's flaws or shortcomings, some of these flaws don't play well in small rooms.
Poor off axis is a top problem made worse by nearly all rooms. Uneven bass response is another one. We are drawn to speakers with more bass in a demo- every time- yet bass is the one thing that is always different between one room and another. The bass at the store will not be your bass. The bass with the speakers along this wall will not be the bass when the speakers are put along that wall. Sometimes 3 inches different can make or break bass in a room. The bass sitting here will not be the bass sitting there. All rooms will emphasize some set of low frequencies and will take away others, depending where you sit and where the speakers are.
So focusing on off axis response and low distortion as values in the speaker inherently makes at least that part a non issue once you get the speaker in a room. Now the next task to work hard at speaker placement once you get them home. This is generally to get the best bass and the best imaging. It amazing to read threads of speaker owners ready to jump ship yet have never moved them around in the room. You should be moving them all the time, learning your room, learning how this is different from that. Its usually a bigger difference than speaker cables! After you find the best placement sonically, then you can attack the last of your problems with acoustic treatment and maybe just maybe, some very subtle room EQ.
The idea you must avoid is thinking that placing the speakers at home where they look nice and never moving them is a good idea and that any problems or weaknesses discovered from the "look nice" position can be solved elsewhere. The industry has not done itself any favors pitching a magic little built in software program and $10 microphone that came in the box fixes it all- and if it doesn't, you need new "better" speakers.
Brad