I've never heard a large system integrate everything in a natural way. They always seem to foul up the bass to my ears. Live bass is much faster than most of those big drivers produce it. I have no best but consider the following very memorable in their own way:
Apogee Stage and Scintilla (the most transparent speakers I have ever listened to)
Quad ESL-63- First time I heard them I was absolutely smitten. They still have a midrange to die for and if I were to have a 2nd system it would be based around them.
SoundLab A3 I haven't heard the big boys but I can imagine, wonderfully coherent as Albert notes but not too dynamic, damn what a shame because they do everything right, I do believe the big Soundlab might be "The last speaker you'll ever own".
IRS Beta's (except for that damn bass the rest was superb)
Merlin Millinium OK so I'm prejudiced because I own them, but I LOVE their coherence and their point source nature, I can't hear the drivers crossover and this is very important. They don't have wall shaking bass but what there is is very clean, quick and natural. They fill up a room with music without bringing attention to themselves, they just disappear. They are tonally neutral and have a liveness and an immediacy that I'll never tire of. Lastly, they have a size that is easy to live with. I would qualify them as without a shadow of a doubt the best two-way speaker I ever heard, sorry Wilson.
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How about the Jean Marie Reynaud Twin MK II at $845.00 ? |
Pipedreams. Uncannily capable of recreating an acoustical event as it was recorded in its original space. I guess that means a sense of effortless scale. Their ridiculous size precludes home use for me, but I really felt like I was in Jordan Hall (in which I listen to live music at least monthly) when hearing Zander's BPO playing Stravinsky's Rite in that infamous live recording on Pickwick (1990). Spooky stage realism....and NO bass overhang! |
Jordan Hall. you're making me drool! I'm stuck half a world away, ahhhh to be there |
Dunlavy VI's are better than Dunlavy V speakers the bass is slightly better than the V. |
Qaud 57's stacked on chamber music......sigh |
Detlof, I'd add "...driven by Jadis 80" to your recent post! |
Wisdom Audio M-75. I bought these after hearing the Wilson Audio Watt/Puppy 6, SoundLab M-1, Martin Logan Prodigy, Quad 989, B&W 801, Avalon Eidolon, Thiel and Pipedream. Yes, the M-75 is more expensive but it clearly had the BEST sound. All the low end you expect out of the 801 and all of the transparency you expect from an electrostatic. Imaging better than the Eidolon. That's what makes these speakers so good. You don't have to trade off ANYTHING to get some other performance factor. Also, the will play absolutely clean at staggering volume levels. No matter what kind of music you like you can get a realistic concert performance volume level with these speakers. Regardless, of whether you're listening to a symphony orchestra, an acoustic guitar or the Rolling Stones. These speakers will knock you out. |
With my limited experience. Sonus Faber Extrema is my favorite one.
Supakit S. |
got to go with my active Newtronics Temperence in combo with the wadia cd no.6
didnt heard anything yet to beat it in the range $20k :o) |
Dynaudio Evidence. The Temptation is not too shabby either. |
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i'm not sure about what you mean by best, given the interface between the amp cables and speaker. i own quads and a two piece system by paragon (reminicient of the verity parsifal). the best system i have ever "heard" was a pair of theil 4's powered by threshold playing a lp in a display room of a high end shop in berkley california (in 1980's). the record was called "depth of image" by opus 3. it was a small ensemble and, i kid you not, was so third dimensional that you felt you could walk in amoungst the players and participate! i'm not talking about the heighth, width, height descriptions we usually hear. this was far more like the audio counterpart of 3d movies. i've had better equipment by far but have never recreated this "hearing" experience. |
Magico brand speakers, built by Alon Wolf. |
Legacy Whispers. I have auditioned B&Ws, Dunlavys, Martin-Logans, Vandersteens, Revels, just to name a few. All great speakers, but for the money and incredible performance, I'll take my Whispers over them all. |
Lumen White Light Monitors--for dynamic speakers. See my review "White Light Monitors" here on audiogon to understand what makes them the best. |
Piega 10's. Never thought I would trade the Dunlavy v's until I heard these. At half the price and one third the size they completely blew away the Dunlavy's in respect to detail,soundstage,highs and believe it or not the bass. |
Heh!!! Tannoy Churchill are for sale in NY now for $6000 used -- A killer for brands under $30000! I can only want them for now even for that much reduced... |
the two best speakers i have heard are the jm lab utopias and sound lab ultimate 1s. |
piega p10s...have owned ref vr5s hse.merlin vsm,heard dunlavy Vs,quad 989s, vansderstein 5s,revel salons,b&w 801s,wilson watt puppys,ceramique 1s,eggleston andras,ariels and others twice as expensive and all fall far short of the p10s. |
i think you are wrong saying the speakers or most important. the amps are more important. |
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Looking back at this thread, I wonder at the validity of my suggestion(s). Speakers, being at the end of the chain, are definitively system dependent -- apart from their inherent engineering quality, ofcourse.
I wonder whether I have really *heard* giga speakers I have listened to play at their utmost... (commensurate source, pre, power, etc). At the end of the day, I think not.
To do justice to the thread, I should revise my post from months back to read: speakers I have heard playing better the best tunes I remember" -- i.e. NOT the BEST, just better than my personal (benchmark) system.
Cheers! |
So far the Wisdom Audio D-75 and they make a larger Model the RUSH. |
Apogee .... all of the Apogee full range ribbons are frontrunners, but the Diva, followed by a Duetta Sig, cross the finish line first. |
According to Greg's suggestions, which I find excellent, I should have mentioned the Acapella Exaliburs. |
I am intimately familiar with the Wisdom 75's, both in their original and second generation. They are not an easy speaker to find an amp for. The woofers are very current hungry and the planars are quite revealing of amp character. Well set up and properly driven, they can create a huge layered stage and be quite dynamic with thunderous lows, at least above 30 hz. Having said this, I have yet to hear a pair that has the delicacy, immediacy and transparency of a well set up pair of Quads being driven by a good tube amp. This does not mean that the Quads are better or worse, only that they have very different strengths and weaknesses and that neither is perfect. |
Fcrowder, the Quads driven by a pair of Jadis 80 monos, HP of TAS once called a match made in heaven and by golly, how right he was! |
OK...here goes. I will try to make this to the point as possible: The Infinity Servo Statics 1-A's were a shocking eye (ear) opener....I never thought a speaker could be so clear and clean and have such a powerful (gut strong) bass....then came the Infinity/Maggies QRS/1-D's....wide,wide stage and very uncolored. The match between the infinity mids and tweeters and the magnaplaner base panel was awesome! What a spactacular system.....The infinity RS 1-B's (my current speaker) was the little brother of the IRS.....it was 1) more affordable 2) retained the wonderful mid and highs and the base went to the basement and moved tons of air.
I am considering upgrading to the Piaga's P-10's.....heard then briefly and will hear them again soon at an audiophile group I belong to...but boy what I hear (briefly) had tremendous promise!!!!!Transparancy, clean, uncolored, efforless.......it's sings!!!!!
But the best I've ever heard (at a dealer showroom) was the Levinson HQD........at Lyric Hi-Fi about a 1000 years ago (lol)....sounded at one point to be really...real.
Anyway, anyone want to comment on the Servo's? QRS/1-D's? RS-1-B's?, Piega's?, HQD's??????? |
RWD, WOW, now you are talking! I used to own the Servo Statics 1-A, sans the bass however, used the panels for the mids and highs and mated them with the Maggie bass panels you mention, which I still run today, together with my Quads. Those highs and mids were incredibly pristine, smooth and clear. I also attempted something like the HQD, but since I could not get Decca ribbons, I used those by Dick Sequerra, and boy did that system sing. Voices, small Jazz combos, chamber music was- you've said it- occasionally frighteningly "real". The Servo Statics died, the highs went first and then the bigger panels and spares were not to be had. The Quads were exchanged for the 63's, and other ELS which I still run today in a stacked version.
Cheers |
Avantgarde Trios are the best yet to my ears.Too expensive, though. The Avantgarde Duos are a great second choice. You can't skimp on electronics, however. |
b&w nautilus 801 with krell fpb600/hr and ml31.5 / 30.6 combo....'awesome' is the only word to describe. |
Thiel 7's. Hauntingly Accurate Soundstage. |
Avantgarde Duos Most powerful and sound like a live concert and beyond in a 25 X 25 ft room and stay true to the naturality of music without getting bright like most horn's very hard to prove you must listen to them. |
My Kharma Exquisite Reference 1Ds are finally here and i agree with the "golden ears" that have heard them so far that say they are the best speakers they have heard. Totally seamless and balanced from top to bottom, bass extending below 20hz (no, i have not yet measured it but this is the perception of 3 or 4 of the most knowlegable people to hear it), completely disappearing, the purest mid-range, extended treble, very dynamic, and super detailed but also completly natural......it is, dare i say, about perfect.
The Exquisites are 48 inches tall plus a 5 inch stand, they weigh 565 pounds each with stands. Their cabinet is completely non-reasonant which is responsible for the amazing bass articulation, extension, and integration. For details look at Jonathin Valin's review from Absloute Sound from fall 2000.
The 1Ds mate perfectly with my 75 watt OTL Tenors and look and work great in my 12 foot wide room. I have not stopped grining for the last 2 weeks. I have invited over 7 local audiophiles and industry experts to give me some objective feedback and they have all fallen under the same spell as myself.
The scarey thing is that i am told the Exquisites take about 9 months to 1 year to fully break-in. If you want to hear a speaker that has ALL the pieces but ultimately gets out of the way of the music, here it is. You have a hard time thinking "bass" or "soundstage" or "dynamics" because you are concentrating on the performance and the musical message......really something very special. It is an privildge to have these speakers in my room.
These 1Ds are the first 1D set in the world. They differ from the 1C in that they go lower (i am told some useful output to 16hz but probably not in my room), are bi-ampable, have cryo'd internal wires and crossovers, and have special damping on the crossovers.
Simply.....the best. |
What is the best loud speaker I have heard ? I have traveld many of miles to hear the best speakers avalible. Have allways kept my opinion to myself. But I think I Am very Qualifed, In my own opinion. To the best of all my experienced. First It all depends on the sound you prefer? Do you like your sound up front?Have you ever experienced,live music?to what existent. Do you like the sound of the middle? Do you like the rear of the hall? To many verbals. I think we all have to go lisnten the live music we love. Forget all the hype you read. Not to say that they do not do business all to well. They just do it from ther own prescriptive. First of all, you are in to the sound you most relate to. We all have diferntent ideas on what is correct. I have my own , opinions on what is the closest to live music that I have ever heard .Not to say it should be yours. Just to say it is my preference.First of all we have to examine what our listening preference are. What ever is the closest to your own preference. We are not all the same, that is what makes us all individuals. We all have are own sound preference.My suggestions,first you find your listing pleaure. It can only be what you asscoiate with live music.Enough said. My picks for dynamic loud speaker has to go to the revel salons.Most realistic mid range is the new Martin Logans.Best valule for the money Thiels PSB Vandersteens.What you have to remember is you have to go out,and listen for yourself.We are all different. So only you can pick the speakers that is to your liking. Do not give credance to reviers,or friends that think that they are audiophiles.Go out,and judge for your self. Then buy it,and what ever some one else has to say, tell them that is your choice,for your preference.And if they do not like your pick who gives a shit.Life to short be happy with your own choice.Yes I have heard all no cost mega speakers,and yes they are superior.But at what cost? To much out there for a fraction of the cost tha will make you just as happy. |
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Nice topic, great to see wide range of tastes and broad selection of fine speakers! |
Check out the new Piega c-40.It is killer |
I have to agree with Calloway and Snook2. The Piega P10's are without a lot of fanfare, but listen to them next to the avalons, revels etc. and tell me that they don't sound as good or better, and the price is not astronimical. Close your eyes, listen to the music, and don't think about the money or reviews, and tell me what you hear.... |
The best I've heard are the Rockport Antares. I've heard many/most of the aforementioned transducers, and my favorite(and therefore by definition what I subjectively would consider "best") were the Antares. They elicit all the audiophile superlatives, but frankly are so musically engaging that all those terms become moot and secondary because while listening the music is what you hear and are drawn to, not definitions or components. Dynamic and detailed without being analytical, bass that is deep and so naturally textured, coherent with beautiful mids and extended highs. And they do an incredible disappearing act, without being the least bit finicky about placement. The impression is of music being laid out in the room with an effortlessness and ease of a live performance, not as if a hi-fi system is "playing" music. I took delivery of these 400lb beauties last week, and have been in hog heaven since. My entire music collection sounds new. These are better than anything I've heard, and orders of magnitude in many cases. Now if I just had $75K laying around for Andy's Sirius III turntable......... |
In the last ten years, for me, it's the Von Schweikert VR5 HSE. |
Overall, Vandersteen 5's. |
Apogee Scintillas - I've never heard anything come close other than Apogee Divas and Apogee Duetta Signatures. The Scintillas are the only speaker that had me believing I was hearing a live performance even though the great monoliths were standing before me. |
Well, The Best, Is a pair of home grown speakers by a local audio engineer. It's all in the build and I find more and more that you can build that dream pair of $10000 speakers for about $2500 if you take your time and learn a bit abou acoustics. |
Infinity Prelude MTS. Detail, imaging, dynamics and realism all in one. |
A set of Optimus 11's, with a dampening pillow and a shun-meow cat on top of each one.
(But you need 250,000 worth of IC's to mate it with the Walkman CD player and the Kenwood KR-810 receiver if you want the TRUE sound!)
HE HE HE I love this site! |
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With the disclaimer that I have not heard all the candidates in listening situations where I am familiar with the entire system and room, I continue to like the Crosby modified Quad 63's paired with Entec LF-40's crossed at 50 hz driven by tubes; however, I did hear a speaker at CES that I thought, while different from the Quads, was doing some nice things, the Acapella Campaniles driven by tubed electronics from Audio Aero. I was intriqued enough to order a pair of the Campanile "Highs" which have more internal bracing, better crossover parts and silver internal wiring. The speakers have been shipped but have not as yet arrived in North America. Would be curious with respect to comments from others that have heard not only the Campaniles but also the larger speakers from Acapella. I will not be selling the Quads until after I determine that the Campaniles suit my tastes better. |
Now Fred, you have been to my home a few times and know that my speakers are the best there are :^).
Please post results if we don't catch each other on the phone before hand. |
