I do understand, and don't want to be too argumentative over this.
Discussing individual preferences is indeed useless, however having a discussion comparing different technical approach to speaker design like/ Dipoles vs open baffles, vs high sensitivity vs 4th order crossover filtering can be of interest.
This was the question and gist of my original post. There was no statement of preference.
Also, you are saying that objectively if 3 sets of speakers reviewed measure the same or close, then it is a simply matter of taste or preference. Ok then, but that's admitting that speakers that measure the same (or closely) do sound different.
Agree with the first three paragraphs.
No I am not saying what you wrote in your last paragraph because I personally don’t know about any studies which answer that exact question scientifically as there are many variables going into when a speaker is perceived the same. Plus you didn’t even define what to measure.
The Harman (Toole, Olive) studies show that the majority (ca 64%) of a large test group who have listened to various speakers over the years in a controlled test, prefer a flat anechoic frequency response and smooth directivity. The rest preferred some deviation, plus minus a few dBs , (look up the details) in terms of bass mainly. That is different than saying every speaker sounds the same.
I don’t remember if the study looked at distortion or dispersion angle for example, which also (can) affect sound perception.
The study was also motivated by Harman to find out what characteristics a speaker should have in order to be liked by most and therefore bought by a lot of people. It was never meant to dictate one’s individual preference by saying you have to like it or otherwise… not at all, as it shows the occurring variances within the test group.
However it is useful if one doesn’t know at all one’s preference to preselect potentially likable speakers and ideally take them home and make the final decision there in their room. And that final decision is only valid for that person in that room and not for anyone else.