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My pet peeve: "revealing" speakers

The one word that bugs me the most in all of the audiophile world is "revealing." 

It's plenty descriptive but it's also biased.  What I mean is that speakers that are revealing are also usually quite colored. They don't unveil a recording, they focus your attention by suppressing some tones and enhancing others. The reviewer who suddenly discovers hearing things he has never heard before and now goes through his entire library has fallen for this trap hook line and sinker.

This is not always true, as some speakers are revealing by ignoring the room.  They can remain tonally neutral but give you a headphone like experience.  I'm not talking about them.  I'm talking about the others.  I  wish we had a better word for it.

Mind you, I believe you should buy speakers based on your personal preferences.  Revealing, warm, neutral, whatever.  I'm just saying this word is deceptive, as if there were no down side when there is. 

Best,

Erik
erik_squires
steve59's avatar
steve59
1,659 posts
 
I have a new saying. If you wear a helmet when you go out buy speakers based on their measurements, otherwise buy what sounds good to you. 
dazzlingmd
71 posts
 
Based on this discussion, I think I’ve been using (and reading in reviews) the term “revealing” very differently than others.  
I’ve had speakers in my system that were more “forgiving” in my view, and less “revealing” to me, in that a meticulously recorded album (e.g. Steely Dan Gaucho), compared to a poor recording (e.g. Rush All the World’s a Stage), would sound better, but not dramatically better.  

My current speakers are far more revealing and unforgiving, to where Gaucho sounds fantastic (better than through my old speakers) and All the World’s a Stage sounds dramatically worse in comparison.  The speakers are better at revealing recording/mixing/pressing flaws, which is a double-edged sword, as it showcases the greatness of great recordings but also the issues with poor ones.  
I’m not sure how reviewers use the term, but that’s how I’ve understood it.  
electroslacker
375 posts
 
Perhaps fluorescent conveys the feeling, Erik.  Some systems are like a room lit by fluorescent tubes.  You can really spot things, but it isn't natural or nourishing--it's why you don't light a church sanctuary with fluorescent lights.

I have a Chauncey Gardener relationship to sound-- like to listen...or not.  Part of what I like to listen to is the poetry of the lyrics, so the system has to reveal the words and how they are expressed without going fluorescent. A clearly heard whisper in candlelight
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p05129
483 posts
 
Excuse millercarbon, he gets paid by how many threads/posts he can answer/start about Tekton speakers. Tekton are anything but revealing. They have a mediocre tweeter as their tweeter and midrange drivers.

Everybody has a preference of what speaker sound they like. I like to say that each speaker manufacturer has their own type of sound and if you like their cheaper models, you will probably love their reference speakers. For example: B&W has a certain sound that shows up in all of their speakers except for their top of the line. Same goes for Focal, Totem, Revel, Raidho, and many others.

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