Since 2008...YG Acoustics Anat Reference II/FM Acoustics combo, Classic Audio T-1/Atma-Sphere combo - all experienced at RMAF '09.
DALI MegaLine III/VTL combo heard at Albert Porter's house. |
Bbro,
Couldn't have said it better myelf. Bravo man!
Shakey |
Nice one Bbro! Not sure about the 4 years, bad ones have lasted 8 years too, recently! |
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Hey Es347,I disagree.
There is so much distortion in that "speaker" that it breaks all records. It can sound very good at first but then listener fatigue sets in. The wood is highly resonant oak (actually acorn) which can add to the distortion. It uses the Spector crossover which you certainly can't trust and for the tweeter it uses the Pelosi speaker which is extremely shrill and irritating. All in all the "speaker" will probably only lasts 4 years. And I guarantee it won't be good for your health(care). |
Our best systems are inextricably linked to an emotionaly formative time/experience. If time travel existed and we were able to go back and listen with our present day ears, we would no doubt be less than thrilled. Bozak sounded better than most to me growing up in the 60's thru the 80's. |
First Hi-Fi I ever heard:LaScalas with old Mac Gear playing Roundabout on a Thorens table/V15 in the early 70's in a dorm room.
I will never forget it and nothing will ever really match it.
ADS 710 and 810 were great and like another post said,Double Advents were great especially the powered model.
Now 40 yrs later with 30 in the business of Audio I always go back to a Utopia of some variety.
I lived with Roy Allisons 1 &3 for a long time but who knew at the time that the foam would self-destruct?
I love my Thiels but if money were not the limiting factor I would have the big JM's
Ed |
I second the symposium's. I'ld get them in a heart beat!! |
Symposium Reflections driven by 150wpc Wavacs.It was like seeing a UFO.No one could ever understand who wasn't there,dispite any description I give. |
Real landmark speakers I heard
The Apogee Diva and Full Range
The KEF Reference 205 and later 207 models (sought them out after hearing the 104.2)
The giant Sound Labs
The Vandersteen 5
The Klipschorn and in a different way the Voice of the Theater.
The Megalithic Nudel designs like the IRS series
Magnepan Tympani IV with Bohlender Graebener Radia for the midrange. |
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I have to say the Totem Winds I recently purchased are an amazing speaker for the money. I have spent may hours recently listening to Sonus Faber's and Wilson Maxx 3's they are tremendous speakers but for so much less money these Winds are outstanding. I found them to be superior to the Watt puppy's and Sophia's and many other high end speakers I have heard.
I am sure there are many better speakers out there but I can't find anything to fault the Totem's. Everything sounds good on the winds. Even my worst recordings come to life in a way i have never heard them before. All around IMO it is the best value speaker out there. |
Do not complicate too much...the Logitech Z-2300 is a good set of 2.1 speakers. They sound great |
MAGICO M5 MAGICO MINI 2 MAGICO V3 THEY ARE THE BEST IN CLASS!! |
Quad ESL 2905. A year before they were publicly released, I was invited to a private audition at CES as I used to manage the Canadian distributor for Quad. They were running off a 909 amp. After 1 hour of the private audition, Quad had to ask me to leave so others could audition them. I went back the next day and could not get enough of these!
PEZ |
I'd have to say Barack Obama.. |
Wilson watt Puppy 7. I like to listen louder than most people and many speakers start to show weaknesses as you wind them up. The dynamic capability of this speaker is great. Even at "normal" listening levels, it's hardly trying and the result is an effortless super clear sound. |
If ever there was question with no potential for agreement, this thread's question is it. I was about to add a speaker but realize it is useless. |
MBL, with MBL's best electronics driving them. It was a hypnotic moment in audio, defying all preconceptions of 'recorded music'.
The old addage, that, "Nothing is live music, but live music" is correct--but that ineffable illusion of 3 dimensional, holographic recreation that I experienced, was not to be believed or understood--at least not by me.
My congratulations and ultimate respect to MBL. At this moment in time they are the "Masters of the Audio Universe."
Good listening,
Larry Staples |
Magneplaner 20.1...A very difficult and subjective question...my experience was when I was in an adjacent room when I thought there was a piano player at the keyboard....what I was hearing was a pair of Magneplaner 20.1s biamped with a pair of ARC Ref 300 and a VT100MK III. The source was an LP on a Clearaudio Turntable ?? ..can't tell you the cartridge or arm or cables....but when I thought there was an actual piano playing instead of recorded music, that was the critical mass info I needed.
The LP was a Mercury Living Presence solo pianist recording of Pictures at an Exhibition |
2008 CES- Venetian. MBL 101 powered by MBL Amps.
Incredible display of brute power. You never heard Pink Floyd like this. |
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The most impressive speaker I've heard was Isaac Asimov at Rutgers in the early seventies. I loved the Foundation Trilogy. |
Tonian Labs TL-Ml MKII.
The most natural sounding speaker I've ever heard. |
The best sounds I've heard recently have come from Magico Minis, the latest and greatest large Maggies (20.?), PSB Synchrony, MBL 111s and my own OHM Walshes.
Not to say these are categorically the "best", only the best sounding I have heard recently. Much of that is likely due to proper setup and matching to room and other components. |
KEF 104.2..... love it :) |
I posted in this thread about six years ago. Many good choices. I just wanted to add the speaker that really got me started in the pursuit, the Stacked Advent. A friend in college had these in his dorm room with a Citation 16 and 17. Unbelieveable!!! He became my friend because I sought him out by following the music to his door. I haven't seen him in 30 years. Thanks Bob.. |
It think it was June 1990 in Norfolk Virginia. I walked into my then fav audio dealer and I heard Ray Charles playing Georgia.
I did not right away notice the multi speaker array that was the Infinity IRS system. I was too busy looking for "Ray" who according to my ears was somewhere in the shop playing and singing.
Outside of live music, I had never before or since heard a stereo system produce anything that sounded like that. I will never forget it. And yes it was an LP playing on a Thornes TT/Arm combo using a Shure V15 Micro Ridge. |
In the 80's a pair of Infinity IRS playing a recording of Holst's Planets. I was astounded and instantly hooked into this addiction!! |
Salk HT3 is the best speaker I have ever heard or owned. Granted I have not heard a whole lot. |
There are two or three that I've heard that would qualify however if I would have to choose one it would be the Focal JM Labs Grande Utopia. The Utopia's makes the music sound so real and natural, it literally makes you feel that you're at a live performance. |
MBL 101 Extreme powered by all McIntosh Gear. If only I had the money and space... |
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No holds barred, Krell Modulari Duo are probably the best speakers I have ever heard. At $65,000 a pair they should be.
Back down on earth, my heart belongs to the Dunlavy SC-IV/A. They're big and ugly, despite the beautiful cherry wood finish, and they deliver more sound/$ than any other speaker I have heard. Even with their amazingly fast and powerful bass, I still supplement them with a JL Audio f112 to bolster the bottom end. Total MSRP for the set is about $12,000. That's hard to beat. |
to Tpreves dont knock it till you have tried it. |
Energizer,how about shareing some of that stuff you're smokin'!!!!!! |
question, why do we always buy a pair of the same speakers? unless they are mirror imaged,i think it better to pick two speakers closely matched in power handling and sesitivity.ist pair you consider might have better bass response.2nd choice might have better high end.?.so why not get one of each, and obtain both your desired bass and your prefered highs.we are conditioned by marketing skills to buy two of the same. WHEN YOU ARE SEARCHING FOR YOUR SWEET SPOT CONSIDER ALTRNATIVES.TRY THE SPEAKERS HOROZONTALLY-UPSIDE DOWN ONE UP ONE DOWN ECT.you might be surprised at what you hear. |
Best speaker I have ever heard? There are tons out there that I haven't heard but two that I have heard; the pair that I now own, the VSA VR5 Anniversaries and the Magico V3s...I can speak to how they compare. I have heard both driven by MAC electronics and what I ended up owning pretty much speaks to my preference. The V3s are very good speakers...great fit and finish and attractive, the M/T was very good, in some ways more like the Von Schweikerts than different, but the big difference was the soundstage and bass extension. The Anniversaries go lower, throw a much wider and deeper soundstage and frankly, sound more alive. The price of the Anniversaries and the V3s is comparable but in my humble opinion, the Anniversaries are the much better speaker. |
The ones in my living room, heavly moddified Klipsch K-Horns with fc260 tratrix horn and a BMS 4592 2in driver. |
Of course there is no best, but I was most amazed when I heard Quad ESLs for the first time; that was memorable. |
I heard the Scaenas. Excellent speakers. If you can get the bass to integrate properly. Not sure if I heard the latest ones. That is my problem with them. I love the looks and optional finishes. They are close though. Analysis plus is also excellent. Probably the best I have heard ever to date are the Symposium Speakers, but I didn't truly test their bass performance and they need a long wall for setup. For me a limitation for now. Also, they are IMO ugly. There are many excellent speakers though & as mentioned a few times, it is the room/ system as a whole which determines the speakers performance. |
I may have posted this before, but the largest Sunny Cable horn literally blew me away, but that company is in transition to a new entity, and the speakers are the size of closets, so not very practical.
I have heard the latest Scaena 3.2 and thought they did everything extremely well, with tons of detail at even low level playback, without any etch or fatigue.
Anyone else have opinions on the very latest Scaena's? They are much improved over the earlier versions I heard. |
I would list three in no order. Reference 3A Grand Veenas, Sander Sound latest electrostats with their 1000 watt amp, and Acapella LaCampanellas. If could deal with bass below about 38 Hz, I would add the $2500 LSA1 Statement. |
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Maple - weren't they mfr'ed by Hemmer? |
I would say for nearfield listening the Manger MSW in OB is sublime. Outside of reason for a computer speaker ;-) but then people do spend a lot on good headphones. I wouldn't know where to start with the best monitors ever but if the bass isn't right then there is no hope. |
Sequerra Monitor Speakers NFM driving the Mid & High + 10inch woofer for the Low Mid. These speakers can beat the 6' footer available today. When it comes to classical & dynamic music, you will feel the real meaning of "weight" in your system. |
Anyone evr hear Royd speakers? |
as previuosly mentioned by some members there is no best speaker -we choose the most important sonic feature to get close to real sound.
from comercial fullrange traditional dynamic speakers mass production (bigger manudacturers,clasical drivers implementation)-
1) the most technical "right" sound Jm Lab Grande EM closely folowed by Stella EM, and not far away other and older 2002year utopia. all of theese bunch are very warm sounding speakers also.
2)the most imediatly , live and dynamic sounding speakers- older Wilson audio speakers. Some of Peak consult and verity audio top line steps in the same sonic features.
3)the best soundstage and calm smooth,soft sound (opoizite to wilsons) MBL 101E with soundstage performer Kharma Eq.
i didnt find comecial speakers which had all theese features in single package.
from small speakers very musical and big sounding(but coloured) speakers Sonus faber Extreema, more precize -Jm Lab Diablo Utopia, average medium between theese both would be dynaudio special twenty five.
i didnt counted many small manufacturers just the main ones. |
Focal (JM Labs) Grande Utopia EM. IMHO challenges the boundaries of modern loud speaker performance |
Paul Hale's Hales Design Group Transcendence 8, powereed by Boulder equipment. Of course I'm a bit biased as we all are in that this is my current system, but honestly I have never heard another speaker this transparent ever. Between it, the Boulder power and preamp, and the Meridian front end, if you put music in, music will come out gloriously. Unfortunately, on the other hand, if you put garbage in, well.... |
Hard to say since there is no one "ideal" speaker around.
Vivid "Giya' comes close. In addition I would list speakers I love for the "close to the real sound" quality they all have (in some cases it had to be together with the electronics used at the moment),starting with the more expensive and going down:
MBL 101, Original B&W Nautilus, Wilson Benesch "Chimera", Vandersteen 5A Sign. Some Sound Labs should be added as well.
For the "small" speakers it is Sonus Faber "Extrema", Wilson Benesch "Discovery", B&W Silver Sign.
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Magnepan MG 3.6R's (09 edition with new crossovers). If you truly know music, there is no other speaker for you. They will unleash your inner audiophile like no other and let the music flow over you like the Holy waters from the audio God's:O ) |
SP Technology Mini's are truley astonishing in every way!! |
