When a budget speaker is preferred to a high end one...

I checked on images of Harbeth crossovers and was shocked. I dont care about the quality of the parts so much as the design itself. Check out some of the crossovers on Thiel speakers. 

Of course there is a difference between high end and budget speakers. What a ridiculous thing to say.

Which is not to say that all high end speakers are good and all budget bad.

Well there is no denying that the best speaker for the individual is the one they like best. However, when you read some of what the Harbeth "guy" says most doesnt make much sense. Much of what Harbeth appears to do is create a sound that appeals to a certain listener. No problem with this provided that you understand that the sound coming from every Harbeth speaker, to my ears, is the antithesis of neutral or accurate. 

Now I would rather listen to a Harbeth than say any number of other designs that are etched, rough or not organic in nature. But I dont think that creating a "house sound" is really what good loudspeaker design is about no matter ones preference. Coloration should be designed out not in. Just an opinion.

Yes other speakers sound anemic because I think you like all of the information being added by the Harbeth. Again this is what I hear which is precisely what I expect given Shaw's design decisions. As you say to each his own and it should be no other way. 

Well it seems to me that Shaw has said that all amps sound the same through his speakers. To me this statement diminishes the obvious importance of other components and elevates the speaker in terms of significance. This also runs contrary to my experience. 

I think Shaw is dead wrong about thin walled cabinets and energy dissipation. Sure the energy is removed but by the vibration of the cabinet which adds audible colorations. 

His crossover designs run contrary to my belief that first order crossovers are the best compromise and that complexity in this arena is a really poor idea.

I think it is also interesting that much of what Shaw proposes also reduces the cost of his product significantly which, considering the sum of its parts, I find very expensive. 

I think that the crux of what I am trying to say about the Harbeth sound is that the way the speakers are designed excludes the possibility of neutrality and "natural" sound.

I dont dislike Harbeth speakers I just object to the adjectives often used to describe their sound. With respect, I think that this extra sauce is what Harbeth owners like but I dont think that it is as true to the source as other speaker designs.