A spectral flaw echoed across many speakers gets misattributed to the recording.

Evidence

Long ago, respected audio engineer John Eargle (1973) recognized the consequences of mismatches between monitoring and home systems in what is done during the recording process. Børja (1977) noted “dramatic and easily audible” differences in recorded sound quality caused by recording engineers compensating for spectral defects in control room monitor loudspeakers. He found that the inverse of the frequency response of the monitor loudspeakers could be seen in the spectra of the recordings. If the monitor loudspeaker had a response peak, the recording exhibited a spectrum dip—the engineer simply did what was necessary to make it sound right in the control room. — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 105 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Portable recording devices debunked extravagant echo claims — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2633; Recording room acoustic variations cause the circle of confusion; Flawed studio monitors bake their own coloration into recordings — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 105

Related

• Flawed studio monitors bake their own coloration into recordings (similarity 0.92)
• Engineers’ colored monitors embed personal EQ into the recording itself (similarity 0.90)
• Recording room acoustic variations cause the circle of confusion (similarity 0.86)
• Professional monitor loudspeakers were not reliably neutral or accurate references of sound quality (similarity 0.86)
• Selecting flattering monitors perpetuates the flaws of earlier generations. (similarity 0.83)
• Recording monitors with deliberate response errors perpetuate the circle of confusion (similarity 0.82)
• Recordings with broadband spectral variations still reliably reveal loudspeaker resonances (similarity 0.81)
• Room curve variations across control rooms distort recordings’ spectral balance (similarity 0.81)
• Stereo playback masks differences between loudspeakers with room reflections (similarity 0.80)
• Unstandardized loudspeakers once meant recordings could not reliably reproduce their intended sound. (similarity 0.80)
• Some professional monitors have resonance and directivity flaws no equalization can fix (similarity 0.80)
• Even professional monitor loudspeakers showed measurable defects in early tests (similarity 0.80)
• Portable recording devices debunked extravagant echo claims (similarity 0.80)
• Mismatched left-right speakers may degrade stereo imaging more than room effects. (similarity 0.79)
• Badly designed loudspeakers cause audible amplifier differences reviewers attribute to the amplifiers (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Flawed studio monitors bake their own coloration into recordings #expands (0.80) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 105