The best speaker you ever heard?

08-13-14: After_hrs
Electrical synergy that translates to emotional and component harmony is key. As we all know a speaker is only as good as what the amplifier is doing for it primarily and what the room is doing additionally.

Absolutely! Amp rolling is one of the trickiest parts in my audio experience....

The room is an extension of your speaker, and many seasoned and wise philes have told me its 70% or more of the equation. Most of the speakers referenced are competent, but without proper setup and room engineering, they will suck. I have heard many a megabuck speaker held hostage by the room. The real problem is an industry one. It is easier to sell equipment than rooms. The longest threads on this forum are typically revolve around arguments about equipment. Sad and short sighted.

Ironically, Focal has a reputation just like Magico or Wilson for giving you a haircut with the wrong gear upstream. Depending on your perspective, that can be good and bad. Wilsons can sound great when mated with Lamm. I have heard Magicos sound very good with Plinius last year. The big Focals created a stir not too long ago with VTL. Its just like cooking....

That aside, very few "audiophile" grade speakers can rescue bad recordings. If that is your fair, get an iPod or a Sonos....

09-27-15: Jughead
Just bought a pair of Intuitive Design Gamma Summits and these speakers are so amazing I will never get rid of them.

Good for you Jughead. I used to own the Summits, and they are exceptional speakers. I sold them as I have young kids, and I did not want to have a 90 lb monitor that was mobile on Stillpoints....

Jughead, the Summits will compete with most of the speakers referenced on this thread when properly setup and with appropriate ancillary equipment. Dale spends an inordinate amount of time on mechanical and electrical grounding schemes in his speakers, and you can hear it. He said those two elements are far more important than Gucci drivers and parts. They make most other speakers "sound like speakers" with their disembodied and ethereal sound. Its the sound of no speaker. Enjoy....

Nice. It does not hurt to have Duane in your court for setup. He is the master....

09-28-15: Jughead
That he is, and he drinks all my good beer too. LOL!

That is his standard fee. Talk to him (or Dale) about room treatments or design elements for your future sound room....

08-10-14: After_hrs
Probably the most startlingly realistic sound I've ever encountered was the Overkill loudspeaker at T.H.E a few years back. I've heard tremendous horn systems (in homes) tweaked to the hilt, effortless, clear, powerful etc but never in 30 years have I heard what felt and sounded like a live event like this.

Its a shame they appear to have gone out of business. After reading through the reviews, it was indeed a balls-to-the-wall design.

10-13-14: Electroslacker
Doesn’t the “best we’ve heard” depend heavily on when we heard it? When it is outside our control and comparison. When there is some sea change in our assumptions and perceptions where words fail us. For me, it was a pair of KLH Model 5’s driven by a stack of McIntosh tubes. I was just walking down the mall, passed by the storefront, and was captured by a tractor beam, unable to resist the pull. A similar experience came with Apogee Stages driven by the original VAC PA-90’s. I’m sure there were better, just as there are prettier girls, but love is a unique and wonderful response.

Very well said.....

The revel salon2 was the best sounding system I heard til I bought them and brought them home. now I disagree with the OP and while speakers are important all the pieces of the puzzle have to fit in a hi rez system for it to be musical.

Bingo Steve.  Currently, the "best" speaker I have owned/heard is the Trenner & Friedl RA fronted by a Traumatic 300B amp.