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What's your speaker IQ, and the best speaker?

Please forgive the fact that this is a direct overlap of the popular "The best speaker you ever heard?" thread. However as much as I love the original thread, far too many of the respondents do not list what other speakers they have auditioned, severely limiting the value of that particular answer. For example if you say, "The Dunlavy SC-V are the best speaker bar none" and all you ever heard before that are whatever was at Best Buy, it is hard to give that opinion a lot of weight. But if you say, "The Dunlavy SC-V are the best speaker bar none" and I've listened to Von Schwiekert VR-11s, Avalon Eidolon Diamonds, and the entire Wilson line .. well then NOW you're saying something.

So in my perfect world, the posts would go something like: "Krix Equinox, Rogers Studio 1a, Quad 12L, Quad ESL989, ATC SCM 20SL, Kef C40s, most of the Thiel line, but I have to say far and away the best speaker I've ever hear is ..."

Forgive me again, but I guess this also overlaps the popular "Personal speaker evolution" thread! However if this topic takes on any traction, I think it can be a perfect marriage of the other two threads and very valuable resource.

Try to answer by listing the speakers first, so that when the answers post they will be seen in the 1st line of the post and anyone browsing the thread can then click on those answers that mention speakers that he/she is interested in.

This could be fun, thanks!
studioray

Showing 1 response by semi

semi
649 posts
 
Speakers I have owned:

Energy C22
Spica TC-50
Sonus Faber Electa Amator 1
KEF Reference 3
Merlin VSM SE
Genesis VI
Sonus Faber Extrema
Wilson Audio Watt/Puppy 5.1
ProAc Response 1.5
Totem Acoustic Model 1
Acoustic Energy AE1 .Signature
Usher S-520
Dynaudio Audience 80
Hales Revelation 1
Dynaudio Confidence 5
Sonus Faber Grand Piano Home
Sonus Faber Grand Piano
B&W 802 Nautilus
Tannoy D80
Tyler Acoustic Lynbrook
Dynaudio Contour 3.3
Revel M20
Sonus Faber Cremona
Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor
Sonus Faber Amati Homage
Sonus Faber Guarneri Homage
Usher X-718
Sonus Faber Concertino Domus
Sonus Faber Electa Amator 2
Usher BE-718
Sonus Faber Guarneri Memento

Some as short as 2 weeks (like Wilson W/P 5.1) because I could not live with the sound, most last over a year. The longest ownership were Dynaudio Confidence 5, Sonus Faber Extrema, and Sonus Faber Amati. Currently own Amati, BE-718, and Guarneri Memento.

I have also heard numerous world class speakers at length, not including speakers heard at show:

MBL 116, 111, 101E
Aerial 20T
Gryphon Atlantis
Avalon ISIS
Avantgarde Duo & Trio
Dynaudio C4 & Temptation
Elac FS609 X-PI
Usher BE-20
Sonus Faber Stradivari
Egglstone Andra 2
and many others I can't remember.

If I need to buy a pair of speakers tomorrow, my money will be on Usher BE-20. It has the most incredible leading edge transit attack among any speakers I have heard. Most people talking about trailing edge, or "air", of any instrument during playback. I assume the BE drivers are so fast you don't hear as much trailing edge and therefore some people thought BE-10/20 were dry sounding. But if you can get past the thought and learn to appreciate what real music should be like, the leading edge strike reproduced by Usher BE-10/20 are so addictive I haven't found anything, regardless of the price, that can compete.

I have read in a thread on Audiogon BE-10/20 can be further improved by changing out the cross over parts.
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