Listeners largely agree on preference, and preferred speakers measure smoothest

Evidence

But the subjective “fidelity” ratings yielded some surprises. First, most of the listeners agreed on which loudspeakers were preferred. Where were the personal preferences? Second, the loudspeakers that were preferred exhibited the smoothest anechoic frequency responses. Why did the bad ones exist? — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1920

Categorization

• CANDY: Nice cocktail-party point: people argue endlessly about speaker taste yet mostly agree once listening is blinded.