Stupid speaker test question...please help a n00b

IMHO, John Dunlavy built some of the finest loudspeakers, and he depended on tests more than most. He seemed to think that step and pulse response were particularly important.

Well Drew, I suspect that many of those who bought the relatively large percentage of high end speakers that have first order designs (most of which have garnered very favorable reviews along the way) considering that few companies (less than 10?) bother with the difficult task of making them, would disagree with your opinion that they "...don't sound natural."

Please define "typical room"?

I'd suggest listening to speakers at the appropriate listening position. Caveat, first order speakers might not be the best choice for dancers. I'd be leery of putting too much stock in Sterophiles testing of first order speakers. Unlike many other speakers manufactures, first order speaker manufacturers usually suggest testing speakers at the preferred listening positions, not 1 or 2 meters, something that seems to have been challenging for Stereophile.

Where should they play, in a water polo pool? Without anechoic measurements we wouldn't have a baseline. Without a baseline it would all become a crap shoot. With reasonable speaker/ placement we can differentiate between direct and reflected sound surprisingly well. Appropriate room treatment can go a long way towards attaining a fairly neutral environment. As you have pointed out, digital room correction is starting to further help in that regard too.

The vast majority of music is above 150 Hz. Even with the diversity that exists in most real listening environments, having a baseline at least lets one try to correct for it.

I think products like the Audyssey just might well be the game changer in the near future. Still, knowing what a speakers low frequency output is in an anechoic chamber gives one advantages when making an initial purchase. Even room correction can't make a speaker do what it's not capable of. Truth be told, I doubt most manufacturers have access to anechoic chambers that are accurate below 200 Hz. I suspect most use computer modeling to predict anechoic response that low down in frequency. As compromised as that might be, it still allows for apple to apple comparisons, that can be user modified as needed.