Most "Ruthlessly Revealing" Speakers. Your opinion

I own speakers that would more than likely be considered as 'ruthlessly revealing', a 2-channel/HT set-up comprised of ATC speakers. They employ the same design standards as their highly regarded studio monitors. In spite of their 'ruthlessly revealing' character, they are not the least bit harsh. I think Newbee has a point in that many people seem to equate a highly revealing speaker with potentially bright, even harsh, sound and at the very least will repeat the "only sound good with great recordings" mantra. I might have thought so as well prior to my experiences with ATC, but contrary to this notion, I find the sound of everything from pristine audiophile-grade recordings to gritty punk-rock bootleg quality tracks to be all around deeper and more musically involving.

"ruthlessly revealing" isn't necessarily an oxymoron. A pair of speakers can be incredibly revealing and "ruthlessly" display any flaws of upstream components. Of course, this may/may not be a good thing, depending what type of electronics/other components (ie room) are in the picture.

The most revealing speakers I'VE heard are the Wilson Alexandrias. Usually subtle changes such as cable changes are instantly very noticable.

I agree with Newbee. See my old thread titled: "Worse Sound ever from a Tweeter!", or something along that line of thinking. MOST people confuse a revealing speaker with a tilted up high end. Even reviewers in revered magazines!

I consider this for excellent studio monitors. Ones that won't let flaws hide. Recording engineers need that. So why do they use garbage brand X? That's another thread--we won't go there now. But ruthless in this sense doesn't mean bad--it means you are going to get the truth--like it or not. We've designed rooms like this, and there is no where to hide. Bad recording--you'll hear it. Great recording, well that's bliss.

Most ruthless are typically high-end monitors. They don't produce so much bass to muddy things and disguise flaws, What you hear is the truth of the recording. Genelec demo'd a speaker for about $20k at CES--that exposed everything. I find Talon Hawks to have similar attributes. I like ruthlessly revealing in the right context. The Von Schweikert VR-9, while full range, has adjustable bass and in the right room can also be ruthlessly revealing.

Keep in mind, those mentioned are just examples--there are many more. Nor, do I think that ruthlessly revealing is for everyone. Many speakers can convey the music, without being so revealing and may be more enjoyable for many listeners. I own multiple systems. None are ruthlessly revealing, though some components may be.

In the spirit of your question, I've found Thiel speakers to be extremely revealing. When first installed I revelled in the newly found detail but, after living with them for a while, "ruthlessly revealing" is an apt description IMHO. I sold my pair as they began to grate on me. Some of my favorite (poorly engineered) CDs were unlistenable.