Speakers The single most critical component


I know we've been over this Q hundreds of X's over the past 20 years here on audion, You can find dozen of topics dealing with this Q <which is the ,,,,most important component...>>
well time for yet 1 more topic dealing with this,, perhaps unanswered, un-resolved issue.
I'm bringing up the old hachet due to my recent experience acutally hearinga FR in my system. 
Let me tell you, there is not even 1 traditional/conventioanl/xover design <The Boxed Type>> in the world that could convince me  , there is something that will beat out FR (caveat, FR requires  some sort of high sens =sensitivity, tweeter)  in  the Boxy world of speakers.
That is to say, FR + Compression Horn is the future of 21st Century high fidelity. 
One lab has already brought us these ~~~SHF~~~ aka SuperHighFidelity  single drivers. 
The code word here is ~~SHF~~~ which can not never be employed when describing xover/trad/conventioanl style  aka The Box designs. db level under 91 are _<<IN-EFFICIENT>> , = dysfunctional, out dated, old school , = Dinasaurs. 
For amps, I only consider tube amps (PP and SET) as ~~SHF~~~ I can not include ss amps in this topic. 
IMHO all well made tube amps sound very close,
 a  kt88 in brand X will sound  close to brand Y. 
So amplification takes a  distant 2nd place in critical component.  No need to break the bank buying amp A vs  a  lower priced kt88 amp B
CD players, nearly all  tube DAC's , tube cdp-ers sound  close. No need to braek the bank over X vs Y.
My Jadis DAC is  only miniscule gain over the Shanling,
 the Shanling
only a  miniscule gain over the Cayin CD17. 
Now as for  best source  , phonograph is the ideal playback medium vs cds. 
I have some LP's now , but my main collection are classical cds, most not on LP version. Cables , I did note some gains employing silver/copper wiring throughout my entire system including inside the Defy.
Tweak worthy.
New Mundorf caps in all componets, tweak worthy. 
Yet the main central component remaisn the speakers.
Here is where  the entire audio resolution either rises to Nirvana or falls to <<distortion/muddy waters,/pollution/anti-fidelity  voicing  issues.
Your system's fidelity is ultimately dependent on what speaker  you have chosen to employ.
Forget all you've learned over the years, 
The new mantra is <,The speaker is key component>
All else is just extra tweaks/nuances. 
To sum up, a  ~~SHF~~ driver will match even the top of line Wilson weighing in at hundreds of lbs priced $$$$$$$ overa single FR driver. 
FR beats out any/all xover box design speakers. Mostly due to that key specification ~~db level~~~ which is everything in speaker design and thus in resolution/fidelity. 

mozartfan
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The notion that there is only one right approach, which implies only one correct set of priorities, is unreasonable.  I am a fan of extremely dynamic speakers, such as full-range, full-range used as wide range drivers in multiway systems, and horn-based systems.  But, there is no one approach that does everything right and so we all pick our favored set of compromises. 

I've heard a lot of different wide-range drivers and I have not found any particular approach is consistently best.  Among my favorite is a large  field-coil driver--Jensen/ERPI M10 (13" driver); I also like the AER 8" driver and several systems I heard with Voxativ drivers.  At the Capital Audiofest, I heard a prototype speaker by Classic Audio (I believe) that had an 8" field coil driver and a powered woofer; I really liked the vividness of the speaker, but, if I were to ever own it, the sibilance would have to be substantially tamed.  Sibilance, peaks in the upper midrange and treble, lack of bass and weight, are common issues, particularly with the smaller wide range drivers.  Larger drivers are typically lacking in top end response and have too narrow high end dispersion (even when they employ whizzer cones to improve dispersion).

I have not heard a "holy grail" driver of this type.  I know a lot of fans of the Western Electric 755a, but it is too thin, colored and rough sounding for my personal taste (substantially improved with a tweeter added to the system); I much prefer the Western Electric 756 (but it really requires a tweeter).  My personal pick would be the Jensen M10 with a field coil tweeter, but, I don't think I can afford that system.
  


One could ask: what is it you want to achieve and like in particular with with wideband speakers/drivers? A noteworthy trait is their alluring simplicity sans cross-over of any kind, and another is they're a single point source per channel - with all that entails and the advantages that offers. I would imagine though some people also have an inkling towards their often found character or signature (as elaborated on by poster @larryi just above) as a certain flavor of sound they like, even though it may deviate from a more "correct" imprinting in certain respects. 

Where a point source goes Tom Danley's Synergy horns are a potential "having your cake and eat it too" scenario that offers the advantages of a point source without the pitfalls of most wideband drivers. They do need a cross-over however to handle the response of the different drivers (that sum as a single point when configured the way they are), be that active or passive, and presently they're only found as pro segment offerings - which nonetheless shouldn't keep one from acquiring them for a home setting. Danley does have their more domestically oriented Signature Series coming soon, for those interested:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBl5lhmzRKA
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