The best speaker you ever heard?

AERIAL 20T V2

Simplicity oh Grasshopper. Wharfedale Diamond 9.1. This message approved by H.D.Thoreau.

The best speakers I have heard are the big Analysis Amphitreons. They are an easy to drive planar speaker with a long ribbon tweeter. I have a smaller pair of analysis speakers called the epsilon that do most of what the larger ones do, but not all. I have heard them driven with 100 watts and they were fantastic.

There are 2. The MBL 101-D can reproduce the dynamics and power of a symphony like no other, but at enormous cost as you need the $200,000 or so in MBL electronics to get you there. For smaller scale works, like most jazz and pop music, the transparency of the new Soundlab Model 1's (whether A, M or U) is breathtaking, and perhaps a new standard in clarity. Electronics MUST be tube for them to show their best. Either system requires large room dedication.

Well said Rumadian, I could not agree more.

Wilson Audio Watt/Puppy 5.1 Soundstage bigger than life and unbelievable detail. Listened to Bonnie Raitt and you could hear the brushes, like almost every bristle as it hit the drum. Bonnie, well there centerstage larger than life. This experience was well over ten years ago and still is with me.

You would all be well served by heeding the words of the prophet Rumadian.

Regarding expectations, the trap to avoid is expecting a system to make recordings sound better than they are. If you look for a system that makes everything sound perfect, you will find yourself on a never ending and costly quest to achieve the impossible and never weaning the satisfaction that most recordings in fact have to offer.

In my observation,satisfaction (in hi fi) is often hindered by expectation and perception. I'll even go so far as to admit that I fell into this camp for a brief period of time.

I dug my way outta this line of thought by realizing that hi-fi sounds fake. Nothing, and I mean, none of it - sounds like the real thing. Once I came to terms with that, this gig became nothing more than a hunt for finding a flavor of fake that I could live with.

Kinda a glass-half empty point a view,I admit, but it's helped me to reach a level of satisfaction that I may not have achieved otherwise. Hopefully others find their own ways of attaining audio nirvana. Anyways, back to the whole "best" bit..

I really don't understand the trust that this thread has taken. The ideal speaker would be a reverse of the microphone, namely a point source capable of vast dynamic range and very high efficiency. Technologically this is beyond human technology. Similarly the perfect amplifier would be capable of providing the perfect speaker with all that it needed.

Rather than curse the darkness, I have always sought that which was better. I could have dismayed when my ServoStatics kept breaking down, when my Lowthers were irritating in the top end and had little bass, etc.

Of course, I cannot go back to my system in the '70s and compare it with my system today, but I really think it is far more realistic and thrilling. Don't despair, just enjoy.

Is it sad......

.. that after spending years in this hobby.. after hearing tons of systems.. after _owning_ literally hundreds of components... there is still not one single speaker that I can think of as "the best", even in my opinion.

The problem is, I've yet to hear any speaker / system that is truly top tier in terms of reproducing every genre of music. Sure, I can recall tons of speakers that sound bad ass with small jazz quartets, or little girls with their guitar kinda music. I've even heard systems with speakers that did a very admirable job of capturing the raw energy and life of a full-sized orchestra. I've heard some make metal music sound every bit as hardcore as it should be, and I've heard some that make electronic sound every bit as atmospheric as it can be... but I've yet to hear ANYTHING do it all in a way that I'd consider to be 'the best'.

Sucks for me, I guess. :) All I know is that at this moment, I'm pretty content with my updated Wilson Watt Pup's. It took a lot of work to get them to sound the way that I want them to, but they are "jack of all trades" enough to leave me (mostly) satisfied. Still, are they the best that I've heard? No. Not by a long shot. If I do find that speaker though, I'll be sure to stop by this thread and make a post that is positively dripping with hyperbole. :)

Wilson WAMMS

So true. Balancing the entire system... electronics, speakers, cabling, and room acoustics will make the "best".

I would expect any speaker worth considering as the best to be able to do all types of music pretty darn well otherwise I would question how it can be called "the best".

Mapman, the best should excel in at least one kind of music. Until my tidals, my other 29 speaker systems had one virtue or another. Some were fast using compression drivers, some had outstanding sound stages, some had excellent midrange, some had great bass, and some had a sweet extended top end, but none did all of these.

The room heard in has to play a big part in allowing the best speakers heard to reach their potential.

How many of us have rooms like the ones that these larger best speakers in particular were heard in?

So just a word of advice to focus on getting the speakers matched to your room and system rather than on what you hear in somebody else's room. You can reach you own optimal sound a lot faster and likely for less as well that way.

I will admit that nearly all of my high end speaker listening has been with the Focal line, but my clear favorite is the Focal Utopia Diablo with a JL Audio subwoofer. The first few times I heard this combination it simply blew me away. Even if I could afford the Utopia Grande speakers I would choose the Diablo's.

I will vote for the Focus 20/20 and/or the Helix
I believe that in the audio world qualifying a component should be based on the best quality at a reasonable price
Going above $20K is like selecting a Patek Phillipe over a Jager LeCoultre watch where selection is a matter of taste and preference where they both will have identical time precision

The best speaker I ever heard was my own (VMPS RM2) AFTER I replaced my expensive box subwoofers with an IB system(http://home.comcast.net/~infinitelybaffled/).

Suddenly, clarity (the most amazing thing, which I did not expect) from the l/r and center channels, and bass such as I've never heard before: refined, detailed, and extended below 10 htz (yes, I measured ,and equalized, this response, with a Velodyne SMS-1 system).

on the subject of stratospheric prices for high end speakers and amps -- i checked out the new stereo shelf at the dynamic contrasts site : http://www.dynamic-contrasts.com/
the manufacturer makes some of the most over the top claims about his component rack ( called the rts ) in the history of high end hype . has anyone here tried this product ? according to the designer the $12,000 ( !! ) rts stereo shelf will transform the sound of any component to ultra high performance . i do admire this guy's confidence . i sent him a quick email :
" twelve thousand bucks for a stereo shelf ? ! ! ! have you gone completely insane ? ! ! "
and he sends an email right back :
" Well, you can certainly purchase a pair of $100k speakers, a $60k cdp, a $50k amp, or a pair of $30k speaker cables, or all four items and still only obtain a mere fraction of the RTS' performance when coupled with perhaps any well-thought-out system.
I ask you, which is more insane? In fact, if per chance my performance claims were only half true or even just one-quarter true the RTS would still be insanely cheap in comparison, don't you think? Relatively speaking of course. "

you have to love the hutzpah .

fla -
at present the clx's are driven by a borrowed pair of jolida music envoys in black which are 200 watts per channel monoblocks . the jolidas are great tube amps for their modest price of $2690 a pair but large electrostats need more power and refinement . ( isn't that always the case ? ) i will hopefully soon replace the music envoys with with two vac phi 300.1a's operating as bridged monoblocks which are three hundred watts of tube power per channel . unfortunately two vac phi 300.1a's retail for thirteen times the price of the jolida black music envoys . this is surely a perfect example of the law of diminishing returns .

Doggrell, which amp drives your MLs? Thanx

tvad your observation is correct on many levels . take for example the famous live recording of martha argerich and the berlin orchestra performing rachmaninof's third piano concerto . it is passionate bombastic and thrilling and contains within its score a wide range of soft and loud passages . yet when played on a very good speaker system with convention cone shaped drivers the detail and definition that makes a grand piano sound like a grand piano is ever so slightly obscured . that is not to say that it is not clearly rendered or distinct from the surrounding orchestra - it just sounds more like a bell . with a well designed full range electrostat the concert piano is much more realistic - its timbre is fully characteristic of the actual tone of a felt hammer striking a seven foot long metallic wire strung across a nine foot soundboard . the martin logan clx with two martin logan descent i subwoofers covers the full dynamic range of any acoustic instrument used in solo or orchestral recordings . the timbrel accuracy which only a full range electrostat can deliver produces a far greater sense of acoustic authenticity than is possible from even the finest speaker systems which are based on conventional cone drivers . though the dynamic range of some orchestral compositions may be far wider than many rock and roll recordings there is normally an emphasis on constant rhythm peaks throughout a rock tune that demands the room filling projection best handled by cone shaped transducers . so its a bit of a trade off . when playing a beethoven piano trio on a speaker system like the clx / descent i the realistic nature of a grand piano and violin and cello from the very softest passage to the loudest is rendered more authentically than can be displayed by any cone driver technology . but only a great cabinet design with multiple cones will project the relentless rhythm peaks contained on a majority of rock and jazz albums - though such systems ultimately lack delicate detail required for true acoustic timbrel authenticity .

Tvad, my system sends live orchestral music recordings to hair raising dynamic range, yet will do far less justice with amplified rock music. There, the live music is going to be blared out to the stadium audience in massive horn loaded speakers systems with truck sized woofers.

Actually, for the sake of my ears, I stopped going to concerts decades ago.

dear shakeydeal and mapman
yes i am guilty of the pompous statement " rock or jazz or other over driven drivel " but come on , let's have a sense of humor shall we ? the larger point i am trying to express ( however pompously ) has to do with speaker systems and their capabilities . over the last 75 years the rise to prominence of the electric base , the electric guitar , the rock drum set , and the synthesizer has also given rise to the design of speaker systems which have the capabilities to reproduce the ear splitting gut pounding hyper dynamics that these instruments require . all well and good if that is what you want to listen to . personally electric guitars , electric bases , rock drum sets , and synthesizers drive me out of the room or club or concert venue screaming in pain and holding my hands over my ears . i realize that i am the only person on earth that is critical of rock , jazz , rhythm and blues , country , etc . but i find all such banal cacophonous noise depressing . i am not under some illusion that because an individual studies bach fugues or beethoven sonatas that he is somehow more sophisticated or evolved in his musical preferences . there simply is more music to appreciate in one single line of chopin than the entire catalog of rock and roll recordings since the birth of elvis . i do not need or desire a speaker system that has the capability to reproduce the pounding beat of a rock drum set . most hifi consumers apparently want their speaker systems to have the dynamics necessary to recreate the raw power of over amplified entertainment . the very best speaker systems that can play rock and jazz convincingly contain dynamic cone drivers in their midrange and midbase . the martin logan clx with two martin logan descent i subwoofers is an electrostatic hybrid stereo system . this speaker is startling in its ability to recreate accurate timbre . the acoustic grand piano is notoriously difficult to record and play back on a stereo system with any hint of realism . without exception all conventional cone drivers no matter how complex portray the striking of a piano string with the sound quality of a bell . but full range electrostatics sound much more like a hammer striking a real string . the difference is in the details . my point is i believe not every great speaker system is suitable for every kind of sound and music by design . the unfortunate consequence of owning the martin logan clx with two martin logan descent i subwoofers is that this system may not be as capable as other similarly priced designs for the reproduction of megadeath and twisted sister albums . darn .

The best should excel at all kinds of sound and music. No exceptions.

"rock or jazz or other over driven drivel , why would anyone want to subject their ears to that kind of torture ?"

What a pompous statement that is. Have you ever thought that many (MANY) people actually like that "over driven drivel", and actually consider it to be music? Get over yourself.....

Shakey

Or do a Goodle search on worlds best speakers and find these:

Worlds Best Speakers

Given the cost is no object approach, I'd expect these to be the best:

Exotic Speakers

Start saving your pennies people!

the martin logan clx with two martin logan descent i subwoofers is the finest speaker system ever designed for classical music . this speaker system when driven by very high powered tube amps ( like two vac 300.1a in monoblock mode ) reproduces the most revealing natural and convincing classical music regardless of price and design . the clx with descent i subs is the only speaker system that properly recreates the sound of a grand piano . no other speaker design yet attempted comes anywhere close to the clx with descent i subs when playing recorded classical grand piano music . ( caveat : i have not heard all speaker systems on earth but none of the super high priced designs that i have heard - except the clx / descent i - gets the grand piano right because they are simply too large ... while these overwrought overpriced behemoths would certainly best the clx / descent i subs when playing rock or jazz or other over driven drivel , why would anyone want to subject their ears to that kind of torture ? )

Hi there,I have Osborne Epitome speakers with bass bins,these speakers are something else.They easily blow off B@W 802 fs speakers I still have,and just seem to get better with better gear added.

I spent a year trying speakers. I compared Wilson Watt/Puppy, WAMM, Grand Slam, JMlab Grand Utopia, B&W original Nautilus, Goldmund Apologue, Goldmund Epilog, Apogee Diva, ATC 100 passive and active, Faber Extrema.
At that time the Goldmund Epilog had the most accurate timbre, was fast and did not boom. I really wanted the Nautilus but saved up for Epilogs and have not regretted it for a moment. I have heard horns that are a touch more dynamic but coloured. Otherwise I still haven't heard better, they are still available...
Frank

I will only comment that the reason that some names do not appear frequently is not that they lack in quality but that no one ever gets to hear them. This would be the case for the top of the line speakers of any company who primarily operates outside the US.

Anyone ever bother to do a tally of the most mentioned? If you believe in the "wisdom of crowds" these must have some (subjective) merits, and probably should be on any shoppers shortlist. A few pieces that appear to show up quite a bit are:

Avalon Eidolon
Avantgarde Duo/Trio
Dunlavy (IV)
Vandersteen (5a)
Klipsch horns
Apogee divas
The "big Wilsons"
Quad ESL63
Wisdom Audio M75
Nearfield Pipedream

Interesting how many of these are "old designs".

Anyone with too much time on their hands interested in tallying these across the entire thread?

Notable absenties in my opinion are: Revel's, Verity Audio's and MBLs.

Any one of the speakers from Zu that I heard/owned - Zu Druid, Zu Definition, Zu Presence, Zu Essence.

JBL 4312-the finest studio monitor with the most accurate reproduction of sound and music without any distortion. It is still the one that is used by professional recording studio's worldwide. Absolutely no comparison to any other speaker except the L-100 which is the same but designed for retail use. Really, these are the finest with price being no object. They are no longer made but I have a pair in mint condition.

CRAIG CAR SPEAKERS OF THE 70'S! NOTHING BEATS IT NEXT TO BEING DEAF!

proud owner of ohm walsh, magnepan, eminent tech, acoustat!

It coud be a tie between newform-645's and polk audio sda-srs2's.

I have not heard a broken in Sunray and have only heard the Arrakis once at a show, but I have heard the Tidal Contriva Discera SE under comparable circumstances and have always been shocked at their fidelity to the instruments and voices in the recording as well as the realism of the sound stage. I have never heard any other speaker do this.

I now have about 400 hours on my Contrivas and realize how much better they sound here rather than in the shows. Frankly, I don't think any speaker even approaches them. Until these I thought that I had to accept that all speakers were compromises and that you had to choose where you wanted the compromise. I now know that is not true.

I do not believe the Sunray is better than the Arrakis. I listened to Sunrays in Hong Kong. However the room wasn't as good as the room the Arrakis was in. Also IMO there is no question that the cabinet construction and overall build quality is better with the Arrakis.

Or the Tidal Contriva Discera SEs. There is no question in my mind. I was convinced that all speakers were compromises somewhere. I now realize I was wrong. I only wish that I had them for the previous 45 years of my audiophile life.

tidal sunray

Rockport Arrakis in a purposely built and tuned room mated with all Gryphon electronics (Mirage and Colosseum) is the best setup I've ever heard. I just can't imagine anything better, only different. The Clearaudio Statement turntable might have helped too.

Revel ultima salon
Proac response D100
Quad 2905

stuck between the three for top contenders that I have heard.

For many years I owned Crosby modified 63's with two pairs of Entec LF 40 subs. The sound was in many ways as good as it gets, particularly with respect to low level detail and dynamics at the soft end of the scale. Sadly, the speakers did have some limitations, dynamuc range at the loud end of the spectrum, bass extension without a sub, top end extension and most importantly reliability. Still one of my favorites. Note that Richard Lees is currently modifying the newer Quads and says that they surpass the 63's.

Rebuilt quad 63's with a triode tube amp

Yes, I couldn't buy them when I had kids in college. Come to think about that I had the QLSs while they were still in public schools. I think I paid $3000 for them.