What if a high end speaker measures really badly?

@deep_333  illustrates the deep, deep chasm between DIY builders and kit makers, modders vs. the high end industry writ large. 

"How can a speaker maker offer such poor performance for so much money" they ask, and sometimes I have trouble defending some models.

@erik_squires 

As you may know, many guys on the diy forums (i have seen your name there as well) can do something better with the same parts than the guy asking 20k for this (facepalm)... This guy trying to make the easy cash did not deserve 20k in my books (no thanks).

Every speaker i own above a certain price point is something i can't cook up on my own. It immediately disqualifies manufacturers purchasing 3rd party drivers and throwing them in a box for me. I tend to pay for things i can't do on my own.. Unless if it becomes too much of a time investment/hassle/screwups/etc at a low enough price, it begins to reek "Just buy the damn thing and get it over with!".

@erik_squires is that speaker measurement (anechoic chamber) and it's imperfections become mute at nominal listening distances in an average set up room?  Therefore does the measurement really matter in choice of purchase, if you liked the sound more than X or Y speaker?

Granted, I think there were some solid points made for similar priced speakers that DO have damn near perfect frequency response graphs (assumed anechoic). 

I recently listened to a system that was fully active DSP processed: near perfect 'in room response' graph.  The bass was spectacular....but to my ears the whole really sounded 'meh'.  Without the DSP, I felt like that system had character, unique, some things I liked a whole lot more...some aspects suffered, like the bass control/detail.  I wonder if you 'DSP' those Alta speakers to be more even in response, would they sound "better"? 

@amtprod  I think @audiokinesis  was making some of those arguments, that some of these deep valleys may not actually be something most of us would become aware of.

No, if you like the sound of speaker Y vs. X buy Y, absolutely.  The one caveat is that long term and in room listening matter more than short term auditions. 

I don't think you can fix the nulls with DSP at all, but mid-treble I think could definitely be cleaned up at least a little. 

I also don't necessarily think perfectly flat is great, but allow for some discretion in bass bumps, and treble lifts.  So, if we squint and really apply major smoothing to the chart these speakers they do seem to be inspired by Fletcher-Munson curves and could be excellent mid-volume speakers.  Perhaps that will alleviate the otherwise poor (for a 3-way) sensitivity ratings?

@amtprod The DSP fixed frequency response and killed the magic.  DSP isn't the answer.

PS - I should point out here that I think we sometimes make the mistake  of auditioning speakers at different volumes than we actually listen to at home.  If you listen loud, audition loud.  Otherwise, spend most of your time listening at the volumes you normally would.

Kind of related to this is that a well treated room improves low-volume listening and decreases listening fatigue.