The BBE Sound Process Explained:'
Loudspeakers have difficulty working with the electronic signals supplied by an amplifier. These difficulties cause such major phase and amplitude distortion that the sound reproduced by speaker differs significantly from the sound produced by the original source. In the past, these problems proved unsolvable and were thus relegated to a position of secondary importance in audio system design. However, phase and amplitude integrity is essential to accurate sound reproduction.
 
Research shows that the information which the listener translates into the recognizable characteristics of a live performance are intimately tied into complex time and amplitude relationships between the fundamental and harmonic components of a given musical note or sound. These relationships define a sound's “sound”. When these complex relationships pass through a speaker, the proper order is lost. The higher frequencies are delayed. A lower frequency may reach the listener's ear first or perhaps simultaneously with that of a higher frequency. In some cases, the fundamental components may be so time-shifted that they reach the listener's ear ahead of some or all of the harmonic components. This change in the phase and amplitude relationship on the harmonic and fundamental frequencies is technically called “envelope distortion.” The listener perceives this loss of sound integrity in the reproduced sound as "muddy" and “smeared.”In the extreme, it can become difficult to tell the difference between musical instruments, for example, an oboe and a clarinet.
 
BBE Sound, Inc. conducted extensive studies of numerous speaker systems over a ten year period. With this knowledge, it became possible to identify the characteristics of an ideal speaker and to distill the corrections necessary to return the fundamental and harmonic frequency structures to their correct order. While there are differences among various speaker designs in the magnitude of their correction, the overall pattern of correction needed is remarkably consistent. The BBE Process is so unique that 42 patents have been awarded by the U.S. Patent Office.

 
If your B.S. meter isn't already dancing in the red, it should be.
 
It's essentially a three-band fixed-band EQ that lets control the boost from two of the bands. In short, a mid-scooper. Yes, you get some phase shift - any non-linear-phase equalizer does that, and except in extreme cases (very large bass boosts), it's inaudible .
 
Even assuming said shift is actually beneficial, how do you know if it's an appropriate "fix" for your particular speakers? Or if your speakers (or your listeners' speakers) even need fixing in the first place? 

As far as I understand it, the phase shift is intentional and relatively separate from the EQ part (although obviously it does move somewhat). I can imagine a fix like this being "generally" appropriate on older analog systems (disregarding whether it's necessary at all), but I was wondering above if modern processor based speakers don't actually already compensate for the things they're talking about.

The BBE sonic maximiser has been around for *years*. Whether or not you believe in the *magic* of the *secret process* is up to you - but people still use these type of plugs on a snare drum or even a "dead" bass guitar for example. Can you do the same thing with EQ? Probably - but it's easier with a BBE plug. Just turn it on - et voila!
 
I actually got these plugs cheap because I had the old Cakewalk BBE plugin from *years ago*. Now the ver 3 upgrade is $29 - so it's not a big deal.
 
I'd say it's good to have in the armory, and you'd definitely use these things sparingly.
 
If you don't believe in the *magic* - I'd say just forget it and move on. it's not worth arguing about, and definitely not worth wasting time analysing waveforms etc etc
 
Just my £0.02 (worth $0.03)