I got my start in all of this in 1974, doing consultant work with a major loudspeaker company and by 1975, they actually hired me to do some design work. Before that time, I was a home brew DIY guy with loudspeakers, learning to play music and it did not take long to realize that recordings themselves, and the productions had more of a bearing on the final sound than any of the home/consumer loudspeakers..PLUS, the professional loudspeakers that studios used, made such a difference as well.
So, 1976 it was. I begin by doing live recordings of bands and "lucked in" on a few heavy duty FOH gigs and major studio mixdowns due to simply "going for it" and having input that was welcomed and sorely needed at that time. Put it this way, I used my ears and listening skills and knowledge to put myself in the position to make a difference. I was well received 30 years ago because people back then knew that an extra guy might or "could" make a difference (pass the doobie)..and I learned from everyone I worked with, still learning today...with exception to so many that are in the actual position to be teaching that can't find their ass with both hands or simply follow the status quo and nothing new is acceptable, even if it is very old..and they have not been there before. We live in a world where you have so many armchair experts without the ability to comprehend "change" or the need to. I hear mixes all the time that SUCK and others say "right on" so we just deal with the law of averages and make that do. You have bookworms and mathematicians that have the concept down but fail to see the other dimensions never studied in school because they actually have not been presented with good papers (had no access to them) that would not pass through a referee system of submission, because someone (referee) was "blindsided" due to the "establishment", its difficulties and the scientific communities lack of forward thinking. We have "Fletcher-Munson" curves established 70 years ago..when no change nor form of human evolution that could be considered due to the short time span, in actuality, without new testing or new procedures or new subjects, the old standard ranks "SUPREME" and is "locked" as "absolute". Certainly people hear differently and their are more subjects of different types today. Especially those who have listened and been conditioned by ELECTRIFIED MUSIC!
You can make new strides. Never forget that. I would LOVE to have you..but you may not love to have me. Who knows? The work is not there. I do "repair jobs for a pittance" and every once in a while, I get something I love and take under my wing to see it through.
Nowadays, you have over 1000 loudspeaker companies and the calibration is all over the place. It is "acceptable" practice, each one speaking that theirs is the "best" and no real standards of acoustic environments are normalized, such as absorption coeff. or room density or even dB level. Hell, look at the loudness war. That is a prime example of stupidity and ignorance prevailing over quality and usefulness of the machines.
So...I really really wish you well. If I can help whatsoever, feel free to PM me. All I can do is bust my chops to work for 1/10th of what I worked for 20 years ago and provide 10X the quality and get 1/14th the amount of work to do.
Sound familiar?
Remember, I do wish you well.
God Bless.