Clearly, it has to be the Plasmatronics, which hasn't been made for years now.
This monster used helium gas and converted it to plasma, the fourth state of matter. Then, this purpleish glowing spherical ball of plasma was modulated by a direct drive tube amp, which had a 5000 volt plate supply, if I remember right. The surface area of the plasma sphere became the point source radiator and let me tell you, from 700 Hz up, it was flat out perfect. It also used a very large tank of helium each year, too.
It didn't work below 700 Hz so you had to complement it with subwoofers and stuff. The problem is, nothing would mate with it well, so there was always perfect sound mixed with non perfect bass. It was huge, too; reminded me of a loveseat put on its side and you had two of these things in your living room. It was one helluva system, let me tell ya. That purple ball of plasma floating in space really caught your eye.
The other speaker system I heard that had a lot of promise, but wasn't finished, was a spherical point source electrostatic. Richard Shahanian and another engineer perfected a way to make a spherical electrostatic and that had a lot of promise. Unfortunately, Richard doesn't own the patent, otherwise I am sure he would have perfected it.
Of course, Shahanian's Diapazions are very good, which is why I saved for years to buy them. |
Zingali 215.
And I have owned many speakers : Sonus Faber, B&W, Quintessence, Keff, Dali, Cabasse, Wilson, thiel and Dynaudio. |
B&W Nautilus 800 speakers. Simply amazing !!! |
Apogee Diva, Scintilla, and Duetta Signatures beats all the aforementioned speakers hands down for soundstage, detail, clarity and depth+transparency.
R. |
Infinity IRS Beta in my system. ( at shows and dealer showrooms I loved the MBL 101 , Soundlab A1 and the Genesis systems) |
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The Martin Speakers USA Transflex 4050 (an improved transmission line) with two 11" Woofer, 5" curvilinear midrange, 1' dome tweeter, had Rec. Amp 100-300W it was 52" tall and 12' wide was capable of well defined sound pressure levels of up to 120 db and was designed for concert level listening. Low frequency to 28HZ. This was my personal choice of the best speaker I have ever heard, I should have saved a pair! |
That is easy.The best speakers I ever heard are my ears.I think I will keep them forever. |
IMHO, the Nova Utopia Be are the best around. Expensive at 37000 USD ! But incredibly refined... Capable of very deep bass and very accurate medium. Exquisite treeble. My prefered speaker to date... Don't you agree ? |
I'v heard, that there is a pair of old raido shack speaks, that are amazing but haven't heard them personaly. any comments? |
Nucore Electromagnetics Cathedral Sound, LR42, LR45 and LR48 transmission line speakers. These high efficiency loudspeakers are the best sounding loudspeakers I have ever heard and speaker placement is very practical. Cathedral Sound leads you to believe live music is being played by real musicians. Hifi stereo systems are all about recreating the live music experience and creating the most accurate reproduction of the recording possible. I also love the fact that these speakers work very well with both solid state and tube amps. I recognized the value and quality and purchased the LR42 speakers and use them in my home theater system. Cathedral Sound |
I have heard the Dynaudio Evidence with T + A electronics and was blown away. |
It's amazing how many different speakers are the best heard. This, I think, shows how variable sound systems (and their owners) are.
What I look for in a speaker is its ability to disappear leaving only music. For me, Equation Gaya's have done this best, but they need the right system behind them to do it.
When I first heard them, I could not believe that air could be so filled with music. If someone had put a blindfold on me, I would not have been able to locate the speakers. It really was like the musicians were in the room playing. It's been over a year since I heard them and I still cannot forget the sound. |
ATC Aniversary 50's or Martin Logan Summits. |
MBL's 101e. The closest to what feels like the real thing. |
Hands down, Infinity IRS Beta's! but one man's gold is another man's junk. |
Revel Salon driven by Levinson gear at a dealer in NYC a few years ago. With the prices of used Salon's getting more and more resonable it sure is tempting......but I'm pretty impressed with the sound that I'm now getting with my Energy V2.4i's and Talon Roc2002 sub. Funny how once you have a kid, the gear you already have starts to sound really nice. |
The Legacy Whispers with Legacy subs, driven by VTL pre/amp combo. Source was an SME table and arm but not sure which one. I wont stop until I can get close to the beautiful music I heard that afternoon. |
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Zu Definition 1.5. No crossover between 40 HZ and 12Khz provides impeccable phase coherence where it matters. Speaker is solid and implacable to 16 Hz because of 4 ten inch powered woofers per speaker. This may sound gimmicky to you but I assure that it is the result of original, substantial and considered engineering. Add in a nearly resistive 6 ohm load and 101 db efficiency and you are approaching the ideal. Check em out. |
Speaker: Wilson Watt Puppy 7s System: Ayre V-5xe Amplifier
Ayre K-5xe Preamplifier
Ayre C-5xe Universal Stereo Disc Player This combination of equipment has been the best combination I have heard to date. I don't have extensive experience with equipment way past its price range, but it is better than systems I have heard that were twice the price component wise, including one system I heard at Harvey Electronics that the salesman claimed was a $150,000+ (USD), which was in their Home Theatre showcase room. It was so real and 3 Dimensional sounding I knew I was screwed the minute I heard the first song start to play on it, and have started saving up to buy all the components in the next year starting with the Ayre C-5xe which I already purchased. It isn't even that bad a price considering how great it sounded and how much better it sounded compared to the stuff I heard around my area that costs twice the price and then some. I do think component matching with speakers has to be crucial, because I have heard these speakers with other equipment, and while they still sounded incredible, they didn't sound as stunning as they did with the Ayre gear. I felt like I was sitting in the studio hanging out with the band I was listening to while they were playing. I'm not sure what cables they were using. |
The Fab Audio Model 1 driven by Tom Evans Audio Design electronics (Vibe/Pulse/Linear A) are doing things I've never heard another speaker do in 25 years of audiophilia nervosa. It's hard to put into words just how real this setup sounds. Much of it is due to the amp, but the Fabs are the most transparent speaker I've ever heard and let absolutely everything through. I've not heard a planar of any description, nor indeed any other speaker setup, come close to this. It's the whole enchilada. |
The Joseph Audio Pearl. I heard these at CES and thought there was a real accoustic Bass player in the room, so I went in. It was just the Pearls in there. |
A toss up between Soundlabs the Ultimate one with CAT electronics, and the Sonus Faber Stradivari with Nagra tube equipment.The rooms of the owners were different as was all associated gear but both were systems with first rate sound.It would be hard to pick a winner,so I'll call it a draw. |
Question is very subjective.
Best speaker to A might not be for B's ear.
To me, I think the marten design coltrane should be one of the best. |
Apogee Scintillas & Divas.
Avalon Ascent MK.2's & Eclipse Sigs.
Dahlquist DQ-20I's & DQ-30I's.
Vandersteen 3 Sigs & 5A's.
Von Schweikert DB-99, VR-7&9's.
More than one pair, sorry ! |
Everything in the universe is relative...but for my room, my equipment, my listening ear, etc., the 802 diamonds are something special! |
I love the Vandersteen line - especially the 2ce's..but I have to say after hearing the Von Schweikerts Vr 99's - not much else compares.
Larry |
Apogee Diva's driven by Krell and Martin Logan CLSIIA's coupled with the Kinnergetics SW800 subwoofer. Sub driven by Levinson Model 23 and Audio Research SP-11 Mk2 and D250 Mk2 Servo for the CLSIIA's. Transparency, detail, speed, imaging, and power. Awesome. |
The best speakers are the ones that allow you, the listener, to enjoy the music. Everyone hears differently, and everyone's listening rooms are different, as well as what your source components are. If you have effected a synergy between your room, the source components,pre-amp and amp, and your speakers, then you have it made! |
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To me, a really great speaker would be designed to output the original signal as faithfully as possible. Then, theoretically anyway, if you have these speakers in a good room and set up correctly, and if the system upstream is also accurately reproducing the original signal, you will get a good facsimile of the original recording.
I believe good speaker designers have identified and analyzed shortcomings with existing designs and made efforts to correct these deficiencies. This has resulted in many designs that do perform better than other previous designs, at least in those areas the engineer was addressing. It is perhaps our sensitivity, or lack of sensitivity, to these areas, as well as those not specifically addressed by the designer, that lead to our brand or model preferences. And even this is limited to what we have actually been able to hear (has anyone heard them all?). So we end up with speakers that surpass all other designs, but usually only in one or two areas.
For instance, I currently think that B&W makes some of the most accurate [in many areas] drivers ever produced. You could definitely build a great system around some of their D series speakers. But the sound just doesn't hit my ears right. Does that make me or them wrong? And then nobody does lifelike dynamics and resolution better than Wilson. If careful, someone could have a great system around these too. But not me.
For me, the speaker system I have heard with the most potential with the fewest compromises is the Thiel CS-7.2. If set up correctly, this speaker system has resolution, neutrality, soundstage and imaging to rival the best, but without the shortcomings (comparitively) I am sensitive to of other designs I have heard. Definitely one of the best, if not the best speakers available. |
Larry, didn't mean to upset you. I was pointing out that there are several ingredients to a live performance that remind us of the event. When a sound system reproduces the one or two things that are most important to you then you are happy and to people that like Klipsch it's dynamics. I am cursed with the fact that it takes 15 ingredients for me and when that is the case it costs tens of thousands to get dynamics with it.
I have been listening to equipment that is so good for so long that almost everything on the market is not good enough. Nothing personal.
By the way, you don't have to know how to spell to listen to music. I went to public school. :-) |
Hi, my Dad has asked me to sell his DQ20i's for him and I have no idea what they are worth. They were purchsed in the mid 80's and are all black.
pls e-mail erinb007@yahoo.com
Thanks,
Erin |
Duane
What's a Victrolla ? The correct spelling is Victrola.
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Duane,
I don't give two hoots what you think of Klipsch Cornwalls. I just know I like them. Go stuff your head in your favorite speaker and don't knock my mine.
Larry |
Dmurfet
Drop by the Apogee speaker users forum, we have members in the UK that will be more than happy to let you do just that. We have members all over Europe with many Apogee models for that matter. BTW, A pair of one of the best ever Apogees (Scintilla) is on Ebay/Europe as I type...they look to be in great shape!
Dave |
sogood - that would be easier to check - I have a trombone - I used to play in a "Brass band'oop Noorth" when I was younger. I'm in the UK - you might not get the accent! |
Dmurfet asked:
"I have still yet to hear a sax that sounds as *breathy* as in real life with a sax right in front of you..... anyone heard different?"
The best sax I've heard... "breathy" and very real sounding has come from my Apogees in my room playing one of my "Houston Person" CD's. I think trombone (Steve Turre) 20bit Telarc recording I have is the best "bite" I've heard from that instruments reproduction by a pair of speakers... The trombone can also be somewhat "breathy" at times.
Dave |
Klipsch Cornwalls do the dynamics without having to buy $80,000. in amps but they can't do anything else right and in fact do some things worse than anything on the market outside of Bose. If dynamics is the only thing you need to convince you it is live, then they are for you. I can't get past the fact that the horns run at 40% distortion and have the imaging of a victrolla. |
hi,
Klipsch Cornwalls
Larry |
Last week, Accapella Violins. With all Halcro set-up and a turntable - I hated the rackling and pops, but the imaging was close to eerie. I loved the sound. I still asked my host to play some sax - I have still yet to hear a sax that sounds as *breathy* as in real life with a sax right in front of you..... anyone heard different? |
In my opinion the Apogees, for me its first the DIVA, Scintilla, Duetta and then the Caliper. I like a completely neutral and precise speaker that can throw a tall realistic image and thats why i have the DIVA's now. But one has to junk the crossover box to really get them going and at least 6ft from the backwall, and of course Graz ribbons help a lot. Also if you junk the Krells and use Tube/SS Hybrids they will show the midrange love. Other speakers would be the Avalon Eidolon Diamond, Avantgarde TRIO and the Maggies. Its great, since my friend here own 20R's, Scintilla, Duetts and me with DIVA's. The holy grail of audio :-) |
I never likes Krell and Levinson on Apogee's The best I ever heard was hybrid amps like David Berning or New York Audio Labs. Also heard Meitner amps sound good on them and an old VSP TransMos amp. Jeff Rowland isn't bad on them but could never get away from the fact the instruments always sounded like they were connected to aluminum foil. |
Fcrowder, I hear you. Frankly, the only amp eater made by Apogee is the Scintilla, my speaker. The Diva needed to be bi or even triamped. That can be expensive. The Duetta Sig is easy to drive.
The 1 ohm Scintilla is the best sounding Apogee, save maybe the FR. That's according to most opinions.
I was disappointed in the sonic results using conventional amps for all the reasons you point out.
I'm in heaven now. Amp design has finally caught up with the Apogee. |
I owned a pair of the original (read extremely large and heavy) Apogee speakers and still feel that in a number of areas (detail, transparency, speed, low level rtesolution) they are the best speaker that I have ever heard; however, I did not find them them to be conducive to long term listening enjoyment using either matcjed ML3's, 2 pairs of ML2's or the largest of the then current Krells. Perhaps, I just never found the right amps. |
I completely agree with Mr. Muralman. |
That old, "Source first," axiom must come to rest. No golden ear front end has ever overcome the deficiency of other components. Besides, the title of this topic thread is, "What best speaker have you ever heard." In my case, I bought the best speaker I ever heard, and have constructed a system around it. |
Sonus Faber Extrema speakers. |
