+1 - test system/speakers with well recorded acoustic music, symphonic, chamber, solo piano ect. If you get that right, everything else will be right as well. Solo piano is very hard for a system to get right. Unless of course you don’t like or listen to that type of music. I figure how do I really know what a rock band should sound like? If you hear a rock band live, it's way different from the same band in the recording studio. But by going to the symphony and other acoustic concerts, I’ve developed a sense of what sounds right.
Consider a DIY project- I’ve learned a lot about speakers by building my own over the years - what sounds good and what doesn’t. I’ve probably built a dozen pairs over the decades, and it has really helped me ID what I want in a speaker’s performance. Room treatment can make a big difference especially in a lively sounding room, when you get the reflected sound under control.
Over the years, I’ve found that I prefer high sensitivity speakers and tube amps and I listen at lower levels than I used to. A good R2R DAC made a big difference for me as well.
Consider a DIY project- I’ve learned a lot about speakers by building my own over the years - what sounds good and what doesn’t. I’ve probably built a dozen pairs over the decades, and it has really helped me ID what I want in a speaker’s performance. Room treatment can make a big difference especially in a lively sounding room, when you get the reflected sound under control.
Over the years, I’ve found that I prefer high sensitivity speakers and tube amps and I listen at lower levels than I used to. A good R2R DAC made a big difference for me as well.