We can get a better picture of which speaker is truly better if those contributing their favorites have heard a good number of the top speakers. Include in your response the speakers that didn't take the gold.
The best I have heard recently that I found hard to fault are OHM, mbl, Magico mini, and custom GOTO horns. I've heard some PSB Synchrony and Quad ESL speakers that were up there as well.
I'm factoring in utility as well as sound quality meaning they not only compete with the best but also can be run optimally by many in less than grand environments and are also within the reach of many in terms of cost. So more really top notch systems are within reach for more with these than anything else I have heard.
If price is no object, and you have the room to set them up optimally, I would expect one of these to be THE best on a grand scale:
[url=http://www.higherfi.com/spkrlist/speakerlist.htm]World's Best Speakers[/url]
After all this site comes up in a Google search for "worlds best speakers", so hard to argue that!
YEs, the mini does not plumb the depths like many speakers in that price category. OTher than that though, they were hard to fault when I heard them (twice).
For smaller rooms or tight quarters, they are one of the best for sure, however, I suspect there are others that can compete for less.
I've heard mbl twice, once optimally in a dealers showroom and once by the same dealer at a show.
They were far less impressive at the show than properly set up.
All speakers sound best when properly set up and matched to teh room, not just mbl. If you just focus on this you can reach nirvana a lot faster and most likely for significantly less cost than otherwise.
"I trust that goners take every thread and not just mine with a grain of salt. "
That is not guaranteed. I am not a dealer but I believe its a better business practice to disclose than to place the burden on others to put two and two together and risk a negative impression IMHO.
Perhaps not the nth degree in detail compared to the others, but otherwise extremely good and hard to fault.
Driven optimally and set up well as I heard them, they are in the same league perhaps but more like the Reds or Twins perhaps, not the Red Sox or Yankees. The Red or Twins are capable of beating the Yankees on any given day!
"I ignore speakers that cannot be driven easily with tubes or are built around the Voltage Paradigm, as such speakers rarely sound like real music. The exception so far to that has been the mbl and I do believe there are others. "
Atma, if you took to the mbls but found them a bit bright, you should give a listen to some newer OHMs also.
If not for OHM, I suspect I would be much more of a tube kinda guy than I am. I'd love to play mine for you someday if you are ever in the area.
I've heard the same dealer's mbl 111s in a good dealer showroom and at a show on all mbl electronics. The dealer setup was stellar. The show setup was more back with the pack.
PSB Synchrony had perhaps as high a toe tapping factor as anything I have heard run of Rogue Tube amp and a nicely imaged full range sound that was right on.
Magico minis were distinguished by a most natural tonal purity and lovely soundstage and imaging when I heard them.
mbl created the largest, deepest soundstage I have ever heard in a large suitable room with lots of room behind the speakers and also demonstrated extremely accurate and lifelike imaging in that soundstage with a fine full range tonal balance overall.
OHMs are somewhere between PSB and mbl in regards to the overall sound but not far behind Magico in terms of overall tonal purity given the huge difference in cost between my system and the Magico system I heard.
Quad ESLs and OHMs are similar in many aspects however the OHMs have the big edge in overall dynamics and I suspect much less finicky.
GOTO horns had the nth degree of dynamics and a nice tonal purity top to bottom, at least with the vintage jazz and classical vinyl source material demoed. Soundstage was large and natural sounding in a medium sized 18th century room with high ceilings. The digital source on this rig was more back with the pack overall.
Wouldn't doubt it. It seems to do about as much is possible for its size. My Dynaudio Contours (smaller/ported) may go down to 40hz or so.
I did not find bass to be lacking with the minis for teh most part. Not the nth degree of muscle in the low end for certain types of music, but very impressive still for its size.
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