Which pair of speakers changed your Hifi life?

My first were a pair of Mirage M1s that I bought second hand at an audio store. Loved them for several years and battled with what amp and front-end to drive them. Very rewarding with good equipment. 

im in love with the Raven Corvus Monitors. Paired with 2 subs all I need is good sounding music to fit my house. Isn't that all we look to gain in the end?

Pioneer HPM 100

For me, it was the KEF Q75. I bought them off Craigslist for $100 years ago and it was my first gateway. I wouldn’t call them special but they led me to get into the hobby and end up where I am now.

Pioneer HPM60, when I was a teenager, but they weren't mine. The ones that I owned long after that did it, they were A/D/S  L1530.

Cambridge Soundworks, the Fleetwood box. There is nothing like it

Altec Valencia (VOTT). It wasn't  audiophile or accurate, but boy was it fun! Wish I still had 'em.

When I was 16, around 1969, went with a friend to the house of an acoustics professor/in-home audio dealer and heard a pair of Klipshorns paired with a mono center Belle Klipsch.

I was in awe & bitten....own a pair of K-horns today.

Technical note: He was a Crown dealer and for EACH corner horn used a bridged DC-300 for the woofer, a DC-120 for the mid, and a DC-60 for the tweeter. Overkill, but in his acoustically designed room it was a life changer listening to Sticky Fingers.

Great post, thanks.
Martin Logan Monolith IIIx (with the active crossover).

Ironically, I never really got them to work in my room! They're gigantic! Bass integration, beaming, room bounderies...

But what they did right was startling and mesmerizing. And it started my journey into audiophilia nervosa (which may not have been such a good thing). But I believe I found my forever love: Vandersteen 5s. Fussy, but not recalcitrant like the MLs.

I learned that what you admire, and what you can get to work, are not always the same thing, and that the biggest component in your system is your room. And that anyone telling you that your thing is mid-fi and their thing is better, well, it's nonsense unless they've heard your system in situ.

Fun reading all the answers! What a wonderfully odd hobby we have.

Snell 2c mk2 with Adcom electronics Woo really missed them when I switched to canton 9K monitors and Technics Integrated sug 700, that is until I added a SVS SB1000 pro sub. Forgetaboutit this system crushes the Snells in all respects.

I might also add the tech support at SVS is freaking outstanding! Technics support on the other hand absolutely sucks. No sucks is too kind it is nonexistent! Seriously stay away from that company if anything goes wrong with their product you are alone, buyer beware. They do not have working phone numbers, texts and emails go unanswered. Panasonic the parent company is up to something. Lucky the amp works fine but man what a crap company avoids them like COVID 19, no make that Ebola.

Audio Physic Special addition Avanti 5 . Predecessor of the Avantera.

My fathers Quad 57's which got me into audio in the first place

Proac EBS studios - purchased in 1982 - which had ATC midrange drivers. Just sold them last year to get current ATC gear.

In my 58 years, I have owned about 20 pairs of speakers. The only ones that were purchased brand new were the Sony SS-CS5 bookshelf and the tower version the SS-CS3. So yeah, nothing to write home about budget speakers. Good for the price and for what they are. As far as used ones, they have all been of a wide variety but always floor standers. A couple years ago I scored an almost mint pair of ESS AMT 1B’s at an estate sale for $60.00. All they needed was a refoam on the woofers and new passive radiators. That Heil tweeter was outstanding. I sold them locally for $700.00. Not long after that, I bought a new pair of Tekton Enzo XL’s. I simply loved them. If I could go back in time I would have bought the Double Impact or even Moab and likely would have been done playing speaker buying and guessing games.       BUT WAIT! While walking through my local Salvation Army store, I eyed a unique looking pair of high gloss black speakers in the furniture department. I Googled them and nothing really came up on them (to the best of my recollection). I had never heard of the brand before, but just judging by the cabinet finish and the typical "knuckle wrap" test, I immediately suspected that I stumbled on a really decent, older pair of large speakers. They both had a price tag on them. $250.00 each. I asked the cashier if they were really $250.00 each and not for the pair because nobody is going to just buy one. Nope, they were $500.00 for the pair. I walked around the store for a bit weighing in on the WAF and decided that I was going to do it. That’s a lot of money for a Salvation Army item, but darn it, they had such a nice finish and a serious looking 12 inch woofer. Well to my ears, these speakers ended up sounding every bit as good as the Enzo’s and were a quarter of the cost. I still have them after 3 or so years and I will never sell them. They are Amrita Audio Reference Standard speakers. It turns out that they have a 13 inch woofer with cast aluminum frames, dual 6.5 inch Dynaudio midranges in their own sealed enclosure within the box, and Vifa aluminum dome tweeters. I believe the efficiency is 92db and they are 6ohm. The gorgeous gloss black MDF cabinets are about 49 inches tall, 14 inches wide and 16 inches deep (all approximate). I believe they were manufactured in 1992 and sold for $3500.00. For the pair, not each LOL. I’m not sure what they weigh, but they are stout for sure. The bass is certainly adequate and the midrange is very detailed and forward. Pretty cool that these were not produced in very high volumes. I still don’t see any for sale anywhere and I look fairly often. I would love to be able to A/B compare them to the Double Impact speakers. My inquiring mind is really curious if they are close in sound signature.

While I didn't own the following speakers mentioned, they had a lasting impact on me:

Yamaha FX-3. Heard them at a local dealer in 1980 with my brother and father playing the then recently released Pink Floyd double LP 'The Wall' - "Another Brick In The Wall, Part II." I was 8 years old, and at the time already being very interested in sound reproduction they blew my mind. 

Some 4-5 years later, Snell AII's. My first acquaintance with a stage, coherency and timbre of this kind. Lovely speakers. The later AIIIi's were less convincing to my ears. 

Around '90/'91 I heard a pair of JBL K2 S9500, and was astounded by their explosive dynamics and clean, visceral presentation. I was already quite familiar with the sound of larger JBL models like 250Ti, 4430, 4435 and Everest DD55000, but this was something altogether different. To date the most dynamic JBL domestic line speaker I've heard (incl. the Everest DD67000), no doubt aided by the crazy powerful 1400ND (first neodymium magnet) woofers, Bessel tuned. 

S.P. Technology Revelation + dual EV TL880D subs, some 10 years ago. The interesting takeaway auditioning this speaker setup was that I heard the transformation from their original passive configuration to a fully active ditto, which convinced me of the natural attributes of going active and that it was even possible this way

That effectively settled my audio path going forward some years later pursuing active configuration myself, though "married" with a different approach in speakers more in line with and inspired by the K2 S9500's mentioned earlier, which is to say large, dual pro style woofer/mids and compression driver/even large horn as a 2-way main speaker setup, augmented with a pair of tapped horn subs. 

I am yet another who joyfully lived with Quad 57s for 10 years in the ‘90s.

And sold them to get dynamics, bass and treble. I had also taken off the screens and was tired of the look. And always missed them.

Now, when an Electrostatic Solutions rebuilt pair came up for sale, I snatched them up. There is no question that they are far from perfect. And that their presentation is very unique and different. I have great dynamic speakers from which I have moved.

And yesterday, I heard a friend’s fantastic dynamic speaker based system.

That system is among the best aI have heard. But my former speakers, my friend’s, and all dynamic speakers I have heard, present the music “at you”. The 57s pull you in. Because the midrange is so “right”, there is more of an emotional connection. Granted, they take getting used to. But when you do, they are addictive. And it has been said correctly, that with the right music, there is nothing better.

For me, it’s Usher. I heard a demo of the BE-718 years ago and was mightily impressed. I bought a pair, and have since gone upward in their line. From Mini One Diamond to Mini Two Diamond.

The Quad 57s! Bought my first pair in the late 80s. I remember the dealer, who was also a personal friend, told me that, even if I wanted to try a different speaker, to never sell the Quads. I didn't listen and sold them in the mid-90s. Bought my second pair the early 2000 and kept them for about 10 years. For me, the big problem with the Quads was the very narrow listening window - Quads are not a social speaker - and I like listening to music with friends. However, the Covid pandemic has put an end to group listening, at least for the foreseeable future. So, I will be purchasing my 3rd pair of the 57s and this time I will heed that early advice and never sell them.  

Quad ESL 57! I got my first pair in the late 80s and foolishly sold them in the 90s. Bought my second pair in the early 2000s and sold them about 7 years ago. Again, this was a mistake (I will never learn). For all the things the old Quad do wrong, like play real loud and that really narrow listening window, the midrange is just perfect and unforgettable once heard. I am about to acquire my third pair of the ESLs and this pair I will never sell. I have learned my lesson, finally. 

Amazing how many answers were about planar speakers. They never sounded musical to me, kind of tinny.

klipschorns with McIntosh amps, and Bose 901’s, woke me up to high end, around 1970. 
 

i’s a pair of Phase Linear speakers from c. 1980 I miss the most, though.  They were stolen, along with everything else. 

ESS AMT-1 with Heil Air Motion Transformer...my brother bought a pair in the late ‘70’s and I was absolutely mesmerized with his music.  I had no idea stereo music could sound so real...I inherited them and need to pull them out of storage, repair the woofer foam and see how they hold up today🤔

Dynaudio Audience 82. First time I ever truly experienced and then understood the term "disappear" when describing speakers. I remember the very first time I sat down for a critical listen after bringing them home and waiting about a week for them to break in...Just simply awestruck. I'll never forget that moment...

Dahlquist DQ-10s and Magnepans opened up my ears to what was possible for the first time in the late 70s. (Enjoyed ML SL3s for 16 years.)

The Raidho D2s by Mike Borresen took my listening to another level, revealing musical information on CDs I'd owned 20 years and that my Dynaudio Sapphires could not pull out. (Of course hearing mega-buck world class systems at shows is a hoot as well.)

+1 on the Kef 105’s. Way back in the late 70’s. I worked in a hi fi store to pay for college expenses. One of the guys hooked up a new pair of 105’s, sat me down and said listen to this. He put on “the firebird “ by Stravinsky and wow!!! These speaker’s were the only ones that gave me goosebumps listening to them. Since then I’ve been chasing the rainbow to get the same reaction from a pair of speakers. 
 I have had the privilege of being able to buy a few goodies over the years such as acoustat 1100, Martin Logan (various models), and a few other weird and esoteric brands. Fast forward to earlier this year, looking on Facebook marketplace, lo and behold. A pair of Kef 105/2 for sale at a steal price. Called and talked with the owner and found out he hated them! Didn’t sound like his Maggie’s ( duh). Set up a meet in a parking lot of a hardware store. Driving up I was amazed at the condition of the cabnets, like new. He had both types of dust covers( no rips or tears). Needless to say I kept my mouth shut, paid the man, loaded them up, and home I went. Full well knowing my wife would give me a hard time for buying another pair of speakers. (Side note , I had just bought a pair of Martin Logan’s). Well I deflected all the evil eyed looks, hooked the 105’s and the ml’s up and did a demo for her, not knowing what to expect. After listening to dido, the planets, tony Bennett, and Beethoven’s 5th. Her reaction was priceless. She said, the kefs were amazing!!! Now I have them set up as the speaker of choice for moment. 
  My home is currently under renovation, boxes, furniture, and stuff everywhere. When finished I’m going to hook up all my old guard speakers and do a fair comparison. I know most of you have mega systems that put mine to shame. I should say that this forum has helped me with several questions and thoughts. Thanks for the advice. 
  For now, I’ll sit back and explore my new node streamer and listen to the Kef 105/2. 

For me, it was on a visit to my local audio store that I first heard a pair of ADS L810 speakers back in the 1980's. The music was clear and precise, with a sound I hadn't heard before. I took them home, tried them out and have been a big ADS fan ever since! I currently own their L1590/2 speakers and am satisfied that this will be my forever speaker!

I have loved speaker every since my father helped me up grade my sunperman turn table by adding an extra speaker to it when I was about 6. The first was a pair of EPI that my uncle gave to me. This was the mix 80’s. I had to replace the woofers because of dry route. But they sounded incredible. They were warm with solid bass. I didn’t know what I had.  The other that changed me were a pair of energy speakers a friend had. This was back in 1991. It was a small pair of satellites hooked up to a small integrated amp. No sub. They did not do everything, but what they did do they did well. They imaged like nothing I had heard before.  I had a pair of self made speakers at the time ( I had been and still like to build speakers). They sent me on a quest to build or buy a different type of speaker. Before I focus on speakers that did everything but not necessarily right. To one’s that did what they could right. They also was the state of me learning about real hiring. What proper placement and setup could do for an ok pair of speakers. Also rom treatment, etc. I think I have come full circle and realize that there is not a perfect speaker. So I kinder love them all differently. I’m trying to break the habit.

Snell A -II’s in the early 80’s for their deep, tight bass & full sound like few others back then. My brother’s Proac EBS’s around the same time for their great midrange  & 3 dimensional imaging w/ Conrad Johnson tubes. Finally, my Volti Audio Rivals now for truly live sound that bests most concerts I’ve been to other than the Boston Symphony in Symphony Hall. 

While the needle had been firmly inserted into my arm for some 15 years, Accoustat 2 + 2s knocked my socks off in my new (to me) home (now here 26 years) with large listening room, terrazzo floors, and 12ft high open beam ceilings. The main issue is the listening area is 21 x 35, but due to the room layout, I have to sit at ~ 15 ft from front wall, so zero back wall reinforcement. But WOW they filled the room with sound. Alas, while the Accoustat tube servo amps sounded way better then the interfaces, they were prone to glowing tubes (in recent years mods available that makes them stable). Lots of really good speakers later, I have had Emerald Physics 3.4s for ~ 2 years, which comes close in wonderful room filling sound with my LSA Voyager GaN 350 amp, Audio Alchemy DDP-1 + PS 5, Audiolab CDT6000, and recently replaced the complete array of really good cables with Ali-Express Nordost Odin 2 knock-offs. Look them up, you won't believe the prices, or how much they CAN improve your enjoyment. I stuck my toe in the water replacing a Pangea Premier XL coax  (MSRP $169) with the Odin 2 for less money. Quality is extremely high and the improvement was jaw dropping. I then got a power cord and XLR interconnects, then more power cords and finally speaker cables, which replaced  ~ $8000 cables tieing it all together. With quality recordings, the sound is very holographic and I feel transported to the venue

hth

Infinity IRS BETAS, Nearfield Acoustics Pipedreams Model 21, Sound Lab A1 Ultimate, Martin Logan CLX, Alsyvox, Avant-garde Duo Omega G2.

All among the very best I’ve ever heard in 46 years in audio.

No one listens to big Kharma or Lansche or JM Labs ?

Duke's choice of SoundLabs is great.

I have never owned classy speakers so nothing to brag about. I do like Michael Green Audio Chameleons. This is an unusual free resonance approach and has its strengths and limitations. Wouldn't be anyone's choice for listening to Berlin Philharmonic orchestra and other large scale music, they can't take that much power and reproduce the three dimensional tapestry created by so many instruments.

Can't find them anywhere for sale, by the way.

Beveridge model 2s.  I'd heard a lot of really nice speakers before that but when I heard them it was a complete game changer.  Never before had I heard speakers that sounded like the person was standing in front of me, or that the piano was in front of me.  My regret is that I never bought a pair.

KLH Model 9 stats

Aerial 7b were the first time I realized how good a modest system could sound, and were probably my gateway to wanting to keep finding incremental improvements; ie the merry-go-round.

None changed my life. 

These moved me in new ways

Sanders 10e

Borresen 01s

Usher CP-6311

Solved so many of my sound problems.  With diligent attention to placement and use/non-use of the gold spikes (depending on the room) for the beefy cast iron stands, I achieved an extremely focused image, excellent depth and height of soundstage (if not the most expansive width - no complaints here) and a remarkable tonal balance.  Bass is great. Transients and high frequencies are natural and detailed. Nothing in the frequency range seems to dominate the others.

I went to the stereophile HiFi 96 show in Manhattan and there I heard the Silver version of the original Von Schweikert  VR4s. I came home and ordered a pair straight away. I had only owned midfi speakers up until that point and these were a gateway for me and put me on the high end road.

Celestion SL600..... They did not go overly loud, and had little to no bottom end, but they put the music and the mix directly into the room for me.  Never lost the magic for me and I have been trying to get back to something like them with some better bottom end since 1989.

@tsacremento Tell me more of your story, please. KEF 104.2 caught my attention long time ago due to its weird design(to my taste), but such great reviews made me curious about them. 

@monacousticusa, 

By the time KEF released the 104/2, I had been in the audio business for several years and was already acquainted, if not intimately familiar, with many top shelf speakers. But in those days, most speakers were still products arising more from alchemy and the black arts than engineering. This one, however, represented an engineering tour de force.

Whether or not all the research and engineering behind them was the reason they sounded so wonderful, was irrelevant for me. That they did was enough. I was immediately stricken by the 104/2’s rock solid imaging, dynamics, and smooth yet detailed sound, so I had to own this new model from Kent. I still have and use them daily, although they are now fitted with Morel MDT29-4 tweeter upgrades from Madisound, and are currently performing their duties in my bedroom system.

The 104/2’s represented my introduction to an MTM driver arrangement, which I subsequently discovered produces a dispersion pattern that I favor over those generated by other tweeter-midrange arrangements. In fact, the speakers that replaced the 104/2’s in my main system are also MTM’s, and their sound is very similar. The replacements are visually more attractive, but I still enjoy the presentation from my 104/2’s as much as ever.

Either Dahlquest DQ-10’s or Acoustat Panel speakers or OHM F’s

Many moons ago, I sold hi-fi and was fortunate enough to be able to audition hundreds of speakers. But only one pair took me away - Quad ESL 57s. I still have a pair and they are now run by an Audio Note Cobra tube integrated. A very simple system that blows me away every time I listen to it. Quads have a reputation for not having a lot of bass. With its Quad own amp and others I have had, that definitely was the case, but with the A/N Cobra, there is plenty. It's heaven.

Focal Kanta 3s

Early on maggies sounded impressive...heard Bose 901s in college that made me nauseous...in grad school listened to lots of speakers but only the Acoustats sounded good enough, so bought the Spectra 22s...still have not run across speakers that I love as much...still listen to the 22s every day but do have some Martin Logan Source in a bedroom system that are decent...anyone make something like Spectra 22s today? Maybe for $20K instead of the <$2K I paid back then?

Dahlquist DQ 10's.....listen just about every day to them.

B&W Matrix 801 Series 2...still have 'em, now with North Creek crossovers...lifer speakers :)

@timintexas 

You were not wrong about the Epi, except for burning them!  

The Epi 100 is still around, and can be updated as I describe in my post above... or, get the Human Speakers model 81.  Even the 180 is still around, but I find the 100 to be the best all-arounder.  The 100 reaches down to about 44hz, so if one adds a small quality sub, think SVS 300micro or something, to handle less than 40 or 38, then that's it: done.

The Epi tweeter is still one of the very best; you were right on track.  And it is amazing what the 8" woofer can do in a normal home... tight, accurate, and it just reaches in and tickles the eardrums.

Epi 100.  

Showed me how a simple, inexpensive, well-designed speaker can sound so natural, clear, and non-fatiguing that I prefer it over almost all other speakers for home use.  Over the years, it has kept my "upgrade-itis" under control because so few speakers actually sound better, to my ears.  I recently auditioned speakers up to $7,000 and while I suppose a couple MIGHT have sounded "better," for the most part they just sounded like the Epi or maybe the Epi with a quality modest sub.

I did end up with a Heresy IV, but for the reason that they sound DIFFERENT, and I wanted to have an alternative experience with my familiar music, at least for a while.  The Epi 100 is not going anywhere, though, and is in another room now, but will be rotated in periodically to the "main room."  

I updated them with Human Speakers parts, but the basic design and sound remains the same with maybe a bit more heft and tightness to the bass and a bit more dispersiveness and clarity to the highs, but only subtle, since Human parts are designed based on Epi design.

Am I open to other speakers?  Of course, and over the decades I've searched for an Epi beater, but nothing has been compelling enough to change out; I have changed out, for a while, with various attempts, but over time I keep going back.  

It's nice not to have to worry about "are my speakers good enough," once you've found your niche for your home.  Saves a lot of anxiety, and of course a lot of money.

Finally made a speaker change after 

20 years. I really thought the Monitor Audio Gold

Ref 20 was still relevant

Found a pre owned pair of Focal Kanta 2 s

and was blown away at the information i 

had been totally missing for  20 years

Changed my life and listening habits

Never going back

Good luck Willy-T

I was at a social gathering at a colleague's house back in the early 90's, and he had some music playing through a pair of B&W bookshelf speakers.  I don't even know what model they were.

They just caught my attention.  The midrange sounded so sweet and it just left an impression on me for many years.  I finally got my first pair of B&W in the late 2000's.  They were the CM-7's.   I upgraded to the 804 D3 a couple of years ago and have been pretty happy with them so far.   They are a little bit tricky to pair and can sound bright so I have to choose my equipments carefully.

When I was a teenager in the 70's, the first time I heard Klipsch LaScalas I was floored, finally got a pair in 2001. I've owned Khorns and Hersey II's in 93 but always wanted a pair if LaScalas.

Now being older, my horn fetish has expired and own a pair of Monitor Audio Platinum PL300ii for 2 channel and couldn't be happier!!