The best speaker you ever heard?

Why limit it to speakers you've only owned.  It's ever heard.  Many of us get out a lot to stores and audition many speakers. In the last couple of weeks I've heard speakers ranging in price from 250k to 200.  I've not liked most of what I've heard.   Most of the ones I've listened to for a few hours have given me enough to know that I couldn't never enjoy them.  Too often I heard that upper midrange ringing that so many folks mistake for extension of treble or openess of a speaker.  Many of these high end speakers do one or two things really well, but let me down in some areas that I personally can't live with.  Others seem to like the 'hifi' sound and that's why we have so many choices.  The Vandersteen 7's  are still in the top spot for me.  There are many top speakers I've been unable to hear as they aren't in my area, or I don't know WHO is showing them out of their basement. I'm still learning that this industry has changed so much, lol.  I just hope a thread like this helps many who are following to go out and go audition.  There are still plenty of great audio stores and now home based stores where you can audition.  That's the only way you will know what you like or dislike.  That's the only way we can keep this industry going forward.  You don't have to buy those expensive models, but I bet many will rethink what they have and will want to change out or it will just confirm that you have what you should have. JMHO

Mine.

The first time I heard Avant Garde Duos they bested anything I'd heard until that point.  That's when I knew that high efficiency speakers were the answer.

Now I have eXemplar Horns with Karlson subs.

I have yet to hear anything better, anywhere.

I love the McIntosh XR16 speakers a monster of a speaker but you hear every instrument players on either vinyl or disc

WEGG 3- a special series by William Eggleston.
My reference is Thiel.

Original Thiel or the new stuff.  To me the sound is so different that the original Thiel users probably won't love the new stuff and visa versa.  Even the Thiel dealers I know are highly disappointed by the new gear and are getting rid of the line.  One I know has had top of the line Thiel's in his personal system since the 80's and now he's getting rid of them in favor of something else.