Quote Originally Posted by RGA
The funny thing is most speakers used in recording studios don't have the words Studio Monitor or reference in the title.
Which studios are you referring to? Do you know this for fact or is this just presumption? There are quite a few studios out there that use actual "studio monitors". Mackie is currently one of the top studio monitor manufacturers, and have rated at or near the top of comparison tests I've seen in professional trade journals. Guess what they call their studio monitor lineup?

http://www.mackie.com/products/studi...ors/index.html

Meyer Sound is a local outfit that makes custom sound systems for live sound and studio applications (including Davies Symphony Hall in SF and the Sydney Opera House). They market exclusively to professional environments, and came up with a rather creative name for the stuff that they sell to recording studios.

http://www.meyersound.com/products/s...ries/index.htm

Oh, and let's not forget one-time market leader JBL. They also sell a line-up of pro audio speakers that are designed for use in mixing studios. What do they call them, I forget...

http://www.jblpro.com/LSR/LSR6300_index.htm

Quote Originally Posted by RGA
So what does any ofthis mean for you? Nothing. A Studio chooses speakers like PMC because PMC directly marketed their speakers to studios...they sent their seller to recording studios talked to purchasing agents and deals get done. Many purchasers never actually see or even HEAR what they're purchasing. This is mere assumption because this is my only NICE conclusion for all the less than good recordings out there.
How do you know all this about how studio monitors are marketed? Do you go and talk to the recording studio managers and ask about their procurement practices? Most people would not want an actual studio monitor in their living room because speakers marketed for recording studios are typically designed for near-field listening in small control rooms. That is, positioned close to a mixing board and the speakers themselves situated very close to the seating position. That may be a good thing for consumers who do most of their listening at their desk, but will be less than ideal otherwise.

And your point on less-than-good recordings, well consider how most of them will get played back. A lot of hip-hop recordings purposely boost the lower range for mobile subwoofers, and things that sound less than stellar on a high resolution system might actually be more optimal on a mini-system, FM radio, MP3, or computer desktop. Also, most pop recordings use dynamic range compression to cram all those multitracks into two channels. It's not the speakers themselves that produce the sound that you don't like, very often it's a calculated method based on how the target audience listens to their music or how a producer wants something to sound.