I'm Glad you like the IDS-25. I also appreciate you taking the time to explain the differences in sound. Its like hearing the difference between an Altec 604 and a Klipsch corner horn. The Klipsch is louder has more bass, but the imaging and staging is all screwed up compared to the Altec might be a vlid relative comparison.
Now I would never say the 290 bass is fuzzy thats a term only we Bozak Concert grand users can claim before bi-amping. But I catch your drift. And yes Room perfect improves the sound while maintaining the basic sound of the speaker, if thats as far as you want to go. So Room perfect might be just the ticket for the IDS 25. I'm glad to hear the IDS doesn't fall apart with a 601. The boys at Audio Classics were given a choice to sell the IDS 25. Steve said they had to pass. He loves ML and XR bass, as I do and I guess the IDS didn't tow the mark. I'll let him answer the question for the company. The question is how much are you willing to give up to gain the the imaging and staging of the IDS 25. Being a low brass player and my better half a lower register reed player, the speakers would never be accepted in our house. Maybe that's unfortunate. I'm curious about what you thought about the emissions above 7 kHz. That could be a real issue with large cones and so many different arrival times for a very long array.
Way back when I use to believe that I would rather have great signal to noise ratio and low distortion, which is a form of noise, than super wide frequency response and very high dynamic range. I still believe that way to day though I find low bass below 40 hz very necessary today more than I did so 50 years ago,
I was listening to and watching the latest video of the UP 844 break in run on the internet. And like all commercial video recordings, the guys are interested in getting the picture right and have no clue what to do with the sound. So I got out my CD dubs or recordings I made with a Nagra and Neumann microphones, Even my recording on video setting the gain properly without going into the limiter with a Audio Technica Stereo mic were much more life like with the bass rolled off starting at 70 hz. If you want to challenge your system some time find a Original Masters LP of UP 8444 flying buy at 75 mph with the mics placed with in 8 ft off the RR tracks. If your system can't put out 115 db, and produce 30 hz you will be very disappointed. It will be like listening to a Volkwagom compared to a full throttle DODGE Hemi with straight pipes. I've measured over 120 A db continuous at 30 ft from the RR tracks with 8444 flying long between Larime and Cheyenne. I almost fainted the first time I heard Shirley Muldonney race Big Daddy Garletts at a drag strip. .
I wonder if some one could make big money selling accurate Noise Fi systems?