@Lowrider57 and I are thinking along the same lines. When most posters say "musical speaker" they mean a design that aspires to reproduce the fabric of the musical whole while the "audiophile speaker" tends to allow one to focus attention on emphasis of individual instruments with sharper image outlines and more detail.
IME, live unamplified music often provides less image specificity and a less delineiated soundstage than many "audiophile" speakers. Dynamic contrasts are more easy to follow live than with all audio gear and the best "musical" speakers get closer to reproducing the variations in dynamic swings between instruments. The best speakers let you get close to both goals. Some are much better at one or the other.
A completely different paradigm that also comes into the discussion at lower price points, that being "additive vs. subtractive". What I mean is that as designers choose their preferred compromises to hit price points, some prefer eliminating the lowest & highest frequencies and just try to get the midrange right. Others prioritize different aspects that might add various distortions or colorations. "Musical" speakers often follow the "first do no harm" maxim, while some "Audiophile" speakers might prioritize getting the best frequency response, bass/size ratio, etc. etc.
None of these decisions are ultimately right or wrong, just preferences an priorities that might align with some listeners over others. Cheers,
Spencer
IME, live unamplified music often provides less image specificity and a less delineiated soundstage than many "audiophile" speakers. Dynamic contrasts are more easy to follow live than with all audio gear and the best "musical" speakers get closer to reproducing the variations in dynamic swings between instruments. The best speakers let you get close to both goals. Some are much better at one or the other.
A completely different paradigm that also comes into the discussion at lower price points, that being "additive vs. subtractive". What I mean is that as designers choose their preferred compromises to hit price points, some prefer eliminating the lowest & highest frequencies and just try to get the midrange right. Others prioritize different aspects that might add various distortions or colorations. "Musical" speakers often follow the "first do no harm" maxim, while some "Audiophile" speakers might prioritize getting the best frequency response, bass/size ratio, etc. etc.
None of these decisions are ultimately right or wrong, just preferences an priorities that might align with some listeners over others. Cheers,
Spencer