boy is AKG correct!! I have had my Vandersteens in place for about 5 years, and oh so casually, I got a shout out from John at Audioconnection in NJ who asked me for measurements from the speakers/room. He suggested moving my sear forward 10 inches, and the speakers closer to the walls 6 inches, and oh my word, what a difference. Its like escaping from the DEAD ZONE.. Setup is certainly a vital component to the others in the system. ..and so is the place from whom you purchase.
Why are most speakers designed for robots?
I recently decided to get a used pair of speakers as part of a trade deal and to my amazement, they have performed far better than any of my previous Wilson's, B&W's or Dynaudio speakers. They are Krell Resolution 2 speakers (my system IS all Krell). They are just far more realistic tonally, crazy dynamic and have a full sounding warm mid-band. Bass is crushing with oodles of texture and pitch definition. Obviously designed for humans who listen to music NOT played back in an anechonic chamber. It is shocking to me how bad so many high end speakers sound to my ear...all precision and no life, like a robot!