The best speaker I've ever heard was the Tonian Labs Classic 12.1S. I settled on his little brother, the TL-D1 and as he grew up, he no longer stood in his brother's shadow.
I have speakers in 5 different rooms in my home and run each regularly and sometimes concurrently, for a/b tests.
I have yet to find any 1 speaker that works best in all rooms. There is a lesson to be learned there. My big OHM 5s are probably the most versatile. They have 4 three way level adjustments on board each to help tune the sound to different rooms of all sizes.
I have bigger rooms and smaller rooms. I have one fairly well optimized larger room and one small. I also have three others that are less optimized but work quite well for more casual listening. The best sound in my larger optimized room is with my larger OHM 5s and in the smaller room, probably with my smaller OHM 100s. My Dynaudio monitors are not quite as full range but also sound pretty optimal otherwise in the smaller room, though the tonality is somewhat different than the OHMs.
I like the sound in my optimized rooms as well or better than most anything else I have heard at shows, dealers, and elsewhere. WHich is best? WHo knows. Its all quite good.
Without question the Polymer Audio MKS. It is not subjectively the best sounding, it is also simply in a whole other universe in terms of construction and engineering. All other loudspeakers I have owned seem amateur in comparison.
The Polymer MKS has concluded the search for the elusive "best". It very hard to describe the incredible leap in musical realism and the way it connects the listener to the music. Now, I am just trying different amplifiers. So far the best result has been driving it with the Dartzeel but it is a little underpowered for these speakers. So im on a search for an amp that has that sweetness and smoothness of the Dartzeel but with more power and damping factor. Next week, I am getting delivery of the Soulution 710 which is recommended by the manufacturer.
I am a fan of speakers that play music for me, not those big PA speakers that are full of " shock and awe". Speakers that are involving, emotional, high resolution. So often those companies that fun those full page ads and have those flagship speakers just don't get it.
I've been in this hobby for decades, thus an uncounted number of contenders. But the top Duntech Princess I owned for 19 years has finally been surpassed by my Janszen zA2.1s.
This is L. R. Staples, former Director of Marketing for THIEL Audio, and founder of LSA Group. I'm wondering if there's any interest in bookshelf speakers these days. With the flagging of audio product in high end audio, it seems that speakers are not well received. I have a bookshelf speaker, ready to market, that's small, yet amazing. It's about 11% larger than my LSA 1's which are currently sold internationally, and better n some ways than the LSA 2's. Just let me know if there is any interest. I'll email privately or plublicly. Larry Staples, Founder, LSA Group. Thanks, Larry
Morduant Short Performance 6's still sound fabulous and they have not gotten due credit in the USA probably because the company makes many midfi speakers which are also excellent buys in their respective price ranges.
They're a true 3-way with time aligned baffle, 12" woofer, 15" passive radiator, 5.25" mid and 28mm dome tweeter. Response from 20Hz to 20KHz +- 1.5dB. Powered by 500W amp.
For most people, it is likely to be there current speakers. If you are making changes, hopefully it is for the better. I have chosen speakers carefully and all the ones I have had, have been good buys and I have enjoyed them.
Yes, my current speakers are the best by a good margin, they are Daedalus Audio DA-RMAs. I have had them for 4 years and can honestly say, they are my last speakers, though I hope to have the latest wiring upgrade, retro fitted some time
I have heard good things about the Raidho speakers. Let us know how they do in " long listening sessions" . I am sure it will take a while to break them in.
The Raidho D1's as compared to the Dyn C1 Signature. Extremely clear and accurate sounding. Background is super black. Best separation of instruments and vocals I've ever heard. Imaging is pinpoint. The ribbon tweeter is super smooth. Plays really nice at all listening levels. Compared to the Dyn C1's the bass really drops off at 50hz where the Dyns were good to about 38hz. Dyns are a little more dynamic sounding. Speaker placemnet with the D1's is a lot more critical and require to be separated farther with lots of toe-in. I preferred the Dyns with very little to no toe-in. Not sure how many hrs are on the D1's but they were my dealers demos he got in late April and I have put about 60hrs on them. Haven't heard any change in sound (yet).
Without a doubt the pair I have. Going to audio stores from time to time an auditioning others, some very much more than what I have, has made me appreciate my purchase all the more, especially for the price.
Hey Larry get out of my thread ..I have a good lawyer who will suit for damages ..we all have good lawyers don't we ..how much is your speaker selling for and can I get an industry accommodation? Every one needs to ask for an industry accommodation these days. Hell we have all been close enough to the industry haven't we?
I've had two really fantastic pair in my listening room... speakers have come and they have gone over the years but these two sets were/are absolute keepers should another member get their hands on a set. 1. Reference 3a Serie Master, Baccarat - may not be another set of these in the US and you won't find much on the web but they are incredible!! 3a crossoverless design, proprietary bass & mid-bass drivers in a cabinet with few equals in terms of build quality and ridgedness. Tall & slender can be placed anywhere. They thrive in a bigger room with HQ amplification. Used with Plinius, Unison and Audiomat gears. They are currently for sale. 2. Equation "7" - hand made in Belgium... simple 2-way in a wonderfully finished cabinet. The Spanish maple is beyond elegant and they play just as well with SS as with tubes. Not for sale at this time. Better the source the better they perform, both sets.There are undoubtedly better speakers but the way these two sets have integrated in my systems is nothing short of amazing
I think you're going to find that for most people, it will be their current pair as people typically move forward, not backwards with their gear. I've been running a pair of Linkwitz Orions for about 13 years now and am still in love with them.
Like many, there are other loudspeakers I lust after, but then I play my current rig and the urge just goes away, they sound so good.
The Orions are a very good loudspeaker. Were you to find version 4 or 5 for sale somewhere, you'd think you'd died and gone to audio heaven. The Linkwitz LX521 will give you the same level of experience.
I've always liked the big floor standing loudspeakers from Avalon Acoustics, but they are not cheap, even used. But then I listen to my Orions and all that is forgotten.
It does seem like it is possible to own the dream speaker. Interesting that no one mentioned those really large and or really expensive speaker.
My experience has been the same.
Not my experience - that is, while my actively driven 2-way Electro-Voice TS940D LX pro cinema main speakers + dual tapped horn subs are very large (subs alone are 20 cf. per cab) they're hardly "really expensive." The EV's were bought used from a German theater and the subs are DIY, the total price of which - incl. subs amp, bought used, and digital XO (that also acts as an active XO for the main speakers) - sits between $5-5.5k; an outright steal all considered.
I am a fan of speakers that play music for me, not those big PA speakers that are full of " shock and awe". Speakers that are involving, emotional, high resolution. So often those companies that fun those full page ads and have those flagship speakers just don't get it.
Sometimes what ends up the sonically most gratifying experience doesn't come in the expected package, certainly not per typical audiophile convention, but it does require of one to keep an open mind and potentially challenge any self-established dogmas. By and large my current speaker system is the best I've ever owned, though the EV's were actually intended more as an experiment on different fronts. I've owned quite a few speakers over a 4-decade period, incl. Raidho Ayra C1.1's some 10 years ago (now that this brand has been mentioned a few times), but nothing approaches the core qualities of what I have now in terms of sheer effortlessness, scale, resolution, coherency, dynamics and envelopment. Obviously preference comes into play as well, but it's not about some quick-fix "shock and awe"-effect one would all too easily ascribe to this segment of speakers (what you refer to as "those big PA speakers"), but rather a sonic package that can be both subtly intimate, resolving and engaging as well as fully flexed visceral and physically imposing. Pro cinema speakers often comply with these demands for home use, some more than others (and that's the trick, hunting down the best ones), but you wouldn't necessarily expect it from their rugged looks, 15" woofers, horns and intended usage - not the more "sophisticated" side of their sound, at least.
What started out being an experiment trying to accommodate core physical aspects of the sound as if from scratch (everything from the height of the speakers and what could effectively impact the presentation here, to sheer displacement area, maintaining a 2-way design and a "power region" reserved to a driver segment with no cross-overs here, dispersive nature, active configuration, etc.) ended up being so fulfilling in achieving those "macro parameters," that I saw no way to go back to where I was before. Getting the basic pillars right and work on from there is what it's about to me; hi-fi for the most part, from my chair, is having worked on for a while without getting the basics right to begin with.
The best speaker I heard at home was the Gauder Akustik Berlina RC9.
What disappointed me a bit was the sensitivity of 88 db. My amp.
(Accuphase) really had to give everything for a little power.
In my opinion they are therefore less suitable for some hard rock.
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