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 also stopped for a listen at joseph audio room. I was impressed with the sound first and the looks second and the looks were very nice. It was by far the best sound under 20k at that show. I am going to listen further at a dealer in Philly. If you can give a try.
Mapman, Oldcar,
Since you were at the CAF too, what did you think of the GT Audio Works GTA 2 and the Volti Vittora speakers?

The latter looks almost exactly like a Klipsch LaScala but at 12k compared to what you can get a used Klipsch for, I would have to have a real face off to recommend them a that price level.

I guess being a Maggie owner I like the GTA since they use planer and ribbon but had never heard of them before. The guy said he makes them himself and at 3k seemed reasonable but for that you could get Maggie 1.7s and a sub so who knows. They did sound pleasant enough to my ears during a short listen? He called them "Maggie's on steroids" but that is a reach IMHO.

I hope the show continues growing.
I am not a hybrid fan generally but i liked the gts alot based on a limited audition. Maggies on steroids is nit an unreasonable description.

I heard ths voltis also. I loved the looks. The sound wasquite nice at lower volumes i heard these at. Not sold on the value but maybewitha more extended audition. I liked the cathedrals as well and these come in quite a bit lower in price and also had klipsch heritage/vintage altec horn aesthetic appeal.

I coud easily see any of these serving an owner well.
Thanks for the responses. Kind of gratifying to hear that others were similarly impressed by the Joseph Audio speakers. Having never been to an audio show before, and not having done much listening with newer equipment, I assumed my ears would probably be off-mark, at least by "audiophile" standards. I'd never heard systems with $100K in equipment until last weekend. And while I can't say I'll ever own one of those types of systems, I can say that I was impressed enough that I'm saving pennies and compiling a fantasy list of components for that ever elusive "someday."

Oldcar, which dealer in Philly has the Joseph Audio line? I'll be at a conference up in Philly later this year, and would drop in for a listen. Or, if anyone knows of a dealer in the D.C. area, I'd try to make it there sometime soon. Thanks.