What if a high end speaker measures really badly?

Some bumps are good and others not so much.

With DSP, you get to add bumps where needed and where you want them to be, not where they just happened to be when the product shipped.

I find with most speakers I tend to like a bump from ~4-6khz. That adds a bit of edge and definition, much like one might expect with a very good pair of high efficiency horns. In particular it helps to keep your attention at lower volumes. The other tweaks I might apply often tend to be more room and listening position dependent.

In the chart in the original post, that relative peak at ~10k in conjunction with the dip just below will likely result in a piercing sound (more fatigue) that might only benefit in certain more extreme cases of hearing loss. Would not be for me most likely. though again it may be nothing that some smartly applied DSP couldn’t resolve. But even if so, better to not have to apply DSP to fix what appears to be a significant design flaw. Better to go with a more suitable design right out of the gate where any bumps perhaps might be better located and maybe even work in your favor in some cases. You decide! To me a good design is always preferrable.

I’ll go out on a limb and assert that in the end, proper application of measurements always helps to achieve one’s hifi sound goals faster, more effectively and for less.

The trick is to be able to understand and apply the numbers properly and I think that is not easy but a worthwhile goal for any audiophile.

More good and reliable data informs better decision making. But the devil is always in the details. Practically though, each will end up finding their own way as best they can. Sometimes it’s the journey that matters more than reaching the final destination.

It’s all good. Cheers!

Fwiw I have kef ls50 meta ( + Klipsch sw308 powered sub), Ohm Walsh and Sonus Faber Concerto Domus each in different rooms. I use Roon DSP to tweak the sound of each in their corresponding rooms. The KEFs are known for their good technical measurements. The Sonus Faber also have measured well but not as well as the KEFs. I have seen measurements of earlier Ohm Walsh models from years ago and they tend to be good but are not as conclusive perhaps due to age.

Each room’s acoustics measure much differently and each has its rougher areas that I have tackled via room correction using Roon DSP.

These are all “good quality” speakers. Once room is corrected for they start to sound more similar than different in regards to tonality. Soundstage imaging and detail is very good in each case but each is somewhat unique in this regard.

So once room is corrected I then use Parametric EQ in Roon DSP to tailor to my taste. The good measuring kefs require the least, just a bit of a bump from 4-6khz to liven things up a tad. The other two may get a similar bump but there are also remaining high end and bass related tweaks I apply to get them sounding just right to me at my listening position.

So after all that in the end they each sound quite similar in regards to tone. The kefs are the ones that reveal the most detail in the recordings. The Sonus Faber provide a touch of added “musicality” that I would attribute to their cabinet designed to deliver sound more like an orchestral string instrument. The pseudo-Omnidirectional Ohms are somewhere in between and always excel at delivering a live like sound where the players are in your room as opposed to you being drawn into the recording.

So there you have it. Measures serve a purpose to help differentiate gear out of the box and also facilitate getting them tweaked effectively as needed but alone do not assure a clear winner. No surprise there eh?

Also I have learned that DSP is the great equalizer. No reason these days to be stuck with the sound you get out of the box. If the speakers are up to the task given the room at hand, almost anything is possible from there with a proper amp and  DSP.

Seems to me the correlation between high end and cost is much higher than the correlation between high end and measured sound quality.  

Probably not myself personally, but If someone likes the sound of an expensive speaker it does not matter that it does not measure well or technically may be poorly designed or implemented. The off base measurements will probably be an indicator of the particular unique sound that is liked and is less likely to be found elsewhere. In other words a poorly engineered speaker may sound unique and distinguish itself from others but the reason it sounds that way may not be a very good one.

Or one may just be drawn to a product by aesthetics.  You have to live with your speakers so looks matter.  It’s all good even if not so much technically.