When I first started paying serious attention to this hobby I believed a speaker that gave as faithful a reproduction of the source as possible the only way to go. To hear the singer inhale, or fingers slide over the guitar fret are little nuances that make revealing speakers special. Sometimes, though, this reproduction of every little sound can be tiring (at least in long term listening sessions). It's almost as if the speaker demands your attention. I find myself trying to listen into the music to uncover little details.
"Warm" of "laid-back" speakers can offer good clarity, just not the extra bite of finite details (this is a gross generalization, I know), which lend themselves to a nice smooth presentation. Maybe it offers a better presentation of what the music is offering and not what the music is hiding.
I'm not saying one is better than the other, just different. I think a lot of people don't have the luxury of hearing both kinds of sounds on his/her own system. The average person buys one set of speakers, learns to like the sound, and sticks with it. I'm not saying that sound is bad to begin with, just that it's good enough that most people don't search for something else.
I guess there is the other side of the coin where people do like their speakers, but just like to tinker and try different things.
I just got my M40s yesterday, and they offer a much different sound to my Monitor Audio GR 10s. I've put maybe three hours on them so far, but I like what I hear. Need to do some more listening to give better impressions.
This hobby is going to be the death of me. I don't think this sound odyssey will ever stop, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Well, until I run out of room for the stuff. . .
