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

Showing 5 responses by johnk

db design oris 150 horn speakers ,the best speakers you can get for the cash ,plus you can build then to fit your tastes and budget .
Converging Quad Oris 150 horn array with giant upsized decware imps and t900a tweeter.But Iam working on something better. Pic http://steinman.mesls.org/stereo/J%20Kalinoski%20Loudspeakers%20101.jpg
Sunlight engineering SE 308, 2 way 18in concentric drivers.In my large BR cabinets they fill large rooms with even SPL. Image stays centered even when far off axis. Midrange is so detailed, I hear things in music I know well that I have not before. They have a musical connection that seems to go beyound fidelity into musicality, touch your soul, bring out the emotion in music. Built to last a lifetime, magnets are 50lbs ea of alnico.Cones are easy to repair. They do need help with sub bass and ultrasonic trebile after all at 103db for a 18in something has to be given up ;) but adding a fostex t90aex tweeter and designing a sub wasent so hard. This system is design for use with a powered subwoofer I use a aura 18in monster fills in below 50hz. Together this near 800lbs Sat sub system can fill very large spaces on lower power ampliiers , se308 mains are 103db 8ohm drivers are costly near $10000 pair just for se308,one would still need cabinets crossovers etc. Still one of the best I have heard owned.
My new 3 way front loaded corner horn with 8 -15in drivers, 2 compression mid horns and 2 fostex amk2 tweeters. I havent heard anything else thats close except goto or Ale systems. And I could use these drivers if I had the cash.
How about the best full range driver loudspeaker. And for me its been new SEAS exotic. Can produce HI-SPL can run on low power can be used near field or in large space, bass is strong detailed non resonate since driver does best in AS cabinets. No port noise, no BLH colorations, pretty cool. Point source, phase and time correct, sounds great off axis, even better in sweet spot but still images when one sits far off axis. Trebles clean detailed never heard such out of any full range. Plus the detailed real sounding mid range. If I watch TV with the SEAS my dogs bark at every door knock, door bell, horn honk,car or truck noise etc. They are only fooled by the SEAS and my massive front horns other loudspeakers I use dont triger this. Since sound is real sounding to even a dogs ears SEAS exotic must be doing something right.