Analytical or Musical Which way to go?

I've always found that the best components are the most accurate ones, as measured by their ability to recreate something like an original performance.

"Analytical" components aren't always the most accurate in that respect. For example, a speaker that beams will likely sound more analytical, because it minimizes room reflections. But two channel stereo is missing the lateral reflections that are crucial to a sense of acoustical space. So a loudspeaker that illuminates the walls will if the speakers are a sufficient distance away sound less detailed and more spacious -- less analytical, but more accurate, by comparison to the original sound.

In the case of measurements, I'd distinguish between naive measurements and properly-interpreted ones. An example of a naive measurement would be the assumption that the frequency response of a speaker should be a horizontal line. Speakers that have that kind of response don't sound like the original performance with natural two channel stereo. They sound too bright. This effect has been known for years and is probably caused by the rolloff of high frequencies in the reverberant energy of a large acoustical space. Cardioid microphones and microphones that are too close don't pick up as much of this energy, and so the balance shifts and becomes too bright. It has to be compensated, either in the loudspeaker, or in the target curve of room EQ.

Again, the goal is an accurate reproduction of the performance. A flat speaker may measure well, but the total frequency response of the recording/reproducing chain will be wrong.

A good explanation Josh.

It seems to me that a neutral (flat frequency response)speaker would not necessarily sound neutral. Let's go back to ny glasses anology. The clear glasse4s would let through the full spectrum of light. Whatever was there would come through. The mere fact that it(a speaker) always sounds neutral would indicate some type of "coloration." If truly flat it would present very different sounds based on the music prented to it.

Maybe its a left/right side of the brain kind of thing?

The quote goes

"If it measures well but sounds bad you measured the wrong thing."

The above is a fact, and is also pragmatic. Most measurements do a poor job as they really are not attending to human hearing rules.

'Musical' to me implies accurate without editorial. 'Analytical' to me implies excessive energy in the high end and that I might listen politely for a few minutes before trying to get out of the room.

Hi Ralph
It takes me more than a few minutes but the results are similar to yours.