The ultimate critieria for me is that the sound draws me into the music and makes me forget that I are listening to a pair of boxes with speakers and wires in them. When this happens, I know I've found speakers worth owning. Just my $.02 worth. ;)
Speakers: What's MOST important to you?...
When you demo a pair of speakers, what criteria do you use to judge the quality of sound? What must the speaker have or do that will bring out the check book or credit card?