Which pair of speakers changed your Hifi life?


*** I am not trying to create a debate or a quarrel with anyone. My discussions are purely having a talks and to express one's experiences. Also to learn fellow audio lovers passion. Please do not disrespect with hurtful words or expressions. Please be more forgiving and understanding in this discussion thread. Thank you." ***

Hopefully one day, someone would say "Mon Acoustic speakers were the turning point in my Hifi life".  😃

My 2ch-audio journey began when my uncle bought his BOSE system at his home (don't even know the model or never really heard it) in early 90s. Bose was rear and expensive in Korea(South) back then. So I started my own system with Bose Cinematics 2.1. Then moved on to Goldenear Triton 3, then to Triton 1. But more utilizing the speakers for AV set ups, not 2 ch stereo.   

When I had my first house, I bought a pair of Revel M105 speakers and I think these are the pair that really changed my audio life. My initial paring with M105 was Yamaha receiver. Then I tried goofie set up with center speaker 3.1 to see if it improves vocal in the songs I liked. We went through many combinations of system set up. I ended up with Chord Electronics set up. 

I still own them. Always struggle time to time, whether to sell them or not due to the number of pairs I own(out of a guilt). I cannot argue how many pairs of shoes my wife owns.  I pair them with NAD M10 (version 1) for my bedroom since my wife likes the warm and well rounded sound, and 80% its white design aspect. 

So what are the speakers that have impacted your life? 

 

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Rogers Sound Lab 3600 Studio Monitors built to compete at the time with JBL 100s. Everyone that heard then in a comparison with the JBLs bought the Rogers which were offered at a slight price advantage. It led me to realize how good a system I had and gave me the motivation to start taking it further. Still have them set up in my sound lab as a speaker to evaluate various pieces I pick up here and there. Extremely accurate with a natural sound quality. Still handles solo piano and challenging classical and jazz pieces beautifully.

Vimberg Mino D - just purchased my first high-end speaker which was the AXPONA 2022 demo.  

Fortunately for me i was bread into the audio world at 8 years old being a son of single dad. In 1982 my dad bought the Ohm Walsh 2's, a Nakimichi tape deck and a pair of Carver Ma500 cube amps..and the Walsh 2's hooked me from there. And then we had a good friend that owned a Hiend Audio Store that carried B&W, Thiel, Linn, Magnapan, Martin Logan, Infinity, Acoustic Energy, Castle and Ariel Acoustics.

  All great speakers but my Favorites that i logged 100s of hours on the Aerial 7b the midbass speed on this speaker was incredible, the B&W Nautilus 805 the way they just disapeared into the room was unreal. The Infinity Overture 1 just a incredible all around speaker and quite the Bargain for the Class that it was playing in. But my Ultimate at that time the Aerial 10t it was ugly but it quite simply the best speaker i had heard and still 1 of the best to this day.

 Being young and broke the first great speaker i owned was the Paradigm Atom V2 just loved them...but then i got the bug pretty Fast and bought the Wharfedale Diamond 8.1 the first budget speaker to use Kevlar driversmost and they changed the way i listened to music it was different having that ear education at home i still own them till this day. And finally the speaker i bought showed me what i value most in a speaker... The Totem Arro they showed me what tone and Elite Soundstaging and imaging was...till this day they are still 1 of the very best in Soundstaging and Imaging i've heard..

  

quad esl63 (on arcici's) - taught me what transparency and purity means in this pursuit

In 1981 I gave my 3-way Jensons to a girlfriend and bought Maggie SMG's and a Nakamichi 530 to drive them. They were the most natural sounding speakers I'd ever heard and kept me happy for ten years...until I built a house with a very large livingroom that really exposed how directional they were and how bad the old stands that made them point up were.

I tried a few box speakers and went back to Maggie SMMG's and eventually 1.6's.. the vertical stands and quasi-ribbon tweeters overcame the SMG's flaws, and then some.

Now, retiring and downsizing, the Maggies are gone, and some Kef R300's are working out nicely.