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The new king of passive speakers - according to spinorama.org ranking - KEF Blade 2 Meta: preference Score without EQ 7.07 and with EQ 7.68

I have found that there is a very clear correlation between measurements and actual transparency, so much do that I feel confident purchasing ( and discarding )a design purely on its measurements.
Having said that ultimately one’s decision is subjective so the ideal is to try them in your space.
Keith
May I please add the old-hat idea that appearance of the speaker is also important in a domestic setting (most of us listen with our eyes regardless of what we say).

If we chose purely on measurements, I dare say we'd mostly be using JBL 300 actives as they seem to 'measure' quite well and are very cheap. I've yet to find out if the wide dispersion patterns would suit my hearing issues better than an old-fashioned box that dips out on and off-axis right where my hearing needs the reflected sound to help re-enforce those frequencies ;)

Whatever, it really pays to try to understand what these graphs actually mean :) Greater understanding and well-read tech-savvy customers buying better designs is a major way of bringing about progress I think
 
Understanding the correlation between measurements and sound quality is key, for many audiophiles of a ‘certain’ age loudspeaker selection is still just a lucky dip, trying one design after another.
Keith
 
My simplified view of visual curve interpretation is dispersion should look something like the chart for the Blade II Meta. It just happens that the LS50 (original and meta) look that way. Lots of speakers have nice smooth horizontal dispersion, but only a few do as well as the coaxial drivers in the vertical plane. I don't worry too much about minor diversions in the frequency response because they can be fixed with EQ. Maybe that's why I'm so happy with my LS50's even after 6 years. I'm in a 13'x18' room with a dormer ceiling so their limited dynamic range is enough and subs take care of the abbreviated low end.
 
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