The best speaker you ever heard?

10-13-14: Electroslacker
Doesn’t the “best we’ve heard” depend heavily on when we heard it? When it is outside our control and comparison. When there is some sea change in our assumptions and perceptions where words fail us. For me, it was a pair of KLH Model 5’s driven by a stack of McIntosh tubes. I was just walking down the mall, passed by the storefront, and was captured by a tractor beam, unable to resist the pull. A similar experience came with Apogee Stages driven by the original VAC PA-90’s. I’m sure there were better, just as there are prettier girls, but love is a unique and wonderful response.

Very well said.....

Focal SM9, it's on a totally different level compared to passive speakers.

The soundlab speakers driven by VTL electronics.For a fraction of what you can spend on speakers the way everything in a soundfield is reproduced is uncanny.They have a "spook" factor of 11 on a 1-10 scale.Imagine getting one of the greatest speakers for 10,000 to 15,000 dollars instead of 50,000 to 100,000.That's what you call a freaking steal.

Roxy54, at the time that I had the Cello gear, they didn't have speakers. I heard the Stradivaris later but never owned them. I don't really recall what speakers I had with the Cellos. It may have been Duntech Sovereigns.

Melbguy1, now with expensive cables and power cords, I think the notion of a balanced approach is nonsense. I have found that $20k worth of HFCables on an $1800 dac makes it sound like a $35,000 dac. Also isolation and better racks cannot be ignored.

Yes GiGo, but everything is critical for there to be the magic that we can now get.