I believe making a speaker test well by putting a mic in front of it is pretty easy. I also believe that same speaker will sound like absolute crap in 99% of real world listening environments.
I believe people will buy on measurements and convince themselves that this is how things are supposed to sound. I also believe these people have never heard a real, non-amplified, instrument or voice. I’ll also conclude there is a subset of people who prefer the sound of recorded, processed, and amplified over real.
These are my beliefs. I wish them luck on their speaker testing. It will at least give me a list of manufacturers who are in that second crowd and I’ll avoid paying them any further attention.
Many years ago I bought a dozen silk shirts from the Far East by sending a comprehensive set of measurements. The materials were fine, the fit perfect, but the workmanship was so shoddy that they soon fell to pieces.
Gotta agree with Chrisj1948 here - I have visited the ASR site frequently when looking up various bits if equipment - I like facts and figures and especially graphs and they are very difficult to find - but I do (and have always) draw(n) my own conclusions, and ignore their opinions simply because they are so obviously flawed, often stating they don’t actually sit and listen.
Having seen some of the site’s followers pop up on this site to troll I am very disappointed in many of the them, but that goes for all internet trolls and keyboard warriors everywhere.
I’ve stayed around on this site simply because it is mostly friendly and mostly fun.
Nevertheless ASR is a useful site, as are the other review sites and online magazines that quote test figures etc.many of whose conclusions are also suspect.
I’ve come to conclude after watching objectivists vs subjectivists, in my hifi enthusiast world, that those who are devoted to measurements, most often doubt their ears and feel unarmed in defending their choices if made emotionally (subjectively).
If they have measurements on their side, then the argument is over as far as they are concerned; here are the measurements right here, they’ve made the right choice.
I used to like to watch Top Gear (the original).
They were fun to watch, funny as hell.
But they would most often conclude that the car with the highest top speed or 0 to 60 time was the best car. That was stupid and they knew it but it was part of their shtick.