The problem with same

For those that read my blog or watch the YouTube channel, it is well known I am not a fan of how pro audio studio monitors sound. Let's just say that they are not my cup of tea. On the other hand, I am in love with a small number of other home audio designs including our own Aspen series of speakers (I am picky when it comes to speakers). Put the studio monitors and the Aspens in the same room and there is a world of difference in sound quality between them. Measure the two speakers and you'll discover they both are flat to within +/-2dB. At first glance at the identical measurement tolerance spec, they should sound very similar. Except that they don't. PS Audio speaker guru Chris Brunhaver could talk your ear off for hours explaining the differences: on-axis/off-axis, transient response, stored energy levels, and so on. Most people listening to him wouldn't understand much of what he's talking about. On the other hand, it is pretty simple to point out that the major difference we hear is in that first simple measurement—frequency response. +/-2dB is a 4dB swing and that's a lot of difference. If one speaker is up 2dB at 1kHz versus the other speaker which is down 2dB at the same frequency the two will sound night and day different. Yes, they fit into the same tolerance box, but that doesn't mean they are remotely the same. That's the problem with saying the two speakers measure the same.