1. DESIGN. I don't mean that they 'look kool' but rather that they look like they were shaped by an honest sonic objective and that everything...every element defers to that objective. I'm a big fan of Tannoy Legacy and Klipsch Heritage. Timeless design in the broadest sense of the word. Lastly, I need to look at it and it needs to looks interesting.
2. EFFICIENCY + IMPEDANCE. Both together need to be easy. I want more than 91db efficiency and no less than a 4ohm dip.
3. BIG DRIVERS. I now less prefer small speakers with high excursion and prefer large surfaces producing effortless, velvety bass even at very low volumes.
4. FULL RANGE RESPONSE. I like the simplicity of not having subwoofers. So the LF response needs to reach below 40hz.
5. ADJUSTMENTS FOR HF. I have an 8k notch (loss) in my left ear. My Tannoys allow me to juice the left tweeter a tad to make up for it. This is an amazing feature for someone like me.