The best speaker you ever heard?


In my opinion, the speaker is by far the most important part of the audio system. After all, it is the only part you hear. OK, the other stuff really matters a lot, but without a great speaker... No go.

I am a bit 'speaker-obsessed' I guess, and now I am wondering: What are the best speakers you have ever heard, and what made them the best?
njonker
i haven't heard a lot of the contenders, and my own exp with the below was extremely limited but my god the Magic Model 6s were phenomenal when I had spent an hr with them: driven by all Audio Rsch Ref gear set up. Needs a big room though. But holy cow.
Apogees - I have 2 pairs in Storage (waiting for a better room) I have a space made for it along with the grave,nothing out there like it ever.
Proac D38. Or other Proac models (D25, Studio 140) depending on your budget. Very very musical speakers. Makes you want to listen to music.
Since this thread is still going strong, will chime in from my recent discovery.

Usher BE10/20, incredible reproduction of minute details and leading edge dynamic that are hidden in most speakers. Superb integration of tweeter and midrange due to similar material used (Beryllium) and close proximity physically. Able to play loud despite only having one tweeter and one midrange per speaker, this has the advantage of reproducing more focus sound unlike those multi tweeter/midrange speakers. Excellent bass, beautiful craftsmanship, and sexy real wood cabinet.

I also like Analysis Omega (superb transparency and coherence like Apogee), Elac top of the line model (excellent top to bottom, though a little soft), and MBL101E but not with MBL amps which produce too much bass output.
Semi, have you heard the Pioneer SX speakers? They use the midrange and tweeter drivers from TAD, owned by Pioneer. I heard them at last year's RMAF and have thought seriously about buying a pair. They cost $9500 per pair!