In reply to:
If you believe the curves that Axiom provides for their speaker response, then they are neutral or flat. They only reproduce what signals they are given.
Rat, you make it sound like Axiom speakers have a ruler flat frequency response. They have humps and spikes just like any other speaker, any of which provides the speaker with its own tonal character.
There are speakers which are better in this particular measurement. Take a look at the Goodsound archives.
Also keep in mind that there are other measurements which may not show on a frequency graph, such as the driver output, efficiencies per each driver, etc. One reason why i have the resistor in my M60s is that it takes down the tweeter output by 1-2 dB thus reducing some of the brightness that i perceive. This does not make the speakers any less detailed but the hypothesis of a greater SPL output in the tweeter section is perhaps one reason why i find Axioms bright compared to other speakers i've reviewed.
The fact remains that crappy recordings exist and if one owns a speaker that makes those recordings sound harsh, there is little recourse but to find a speaker that does not reproduce this effect. This does not mean you lose any detail. A comparison of any well made speaker and the mostly subtle nuances between them should show just how detailed many other brands are as well.
