The best speaker you ever heard?


In my opinion, the speaker is by far the most important part of the audio system. After all, it is the only part you hear. OK, the other stuff really matters a lot, but without a great speaker... No go.

I am a bit 'speaker-obsessed' I guess, and now I am wondering: What are the best speakers you have ever heard, and what made them the best?
njonker
The best speaker, which I have heard at $50k or above, is the Vandersteen 7. The midrange was the best I have heard from a cone speaker. The runner up is the MBL 101e speaker. The tone was less transparent, but a pair has the best image and air.

The best speaker that I have heard below $50k is my own Salk SoundScape 10. To a much lesser degree, this speaker combines the strengths of both of the speakers above.

The best speaker, which I have heard below $5k, is the Philharmonic 2. This speaker has the most natural sound of any speaker that I have heard, but it doesn’t have a totally dead cabinet like the others do. Also, it is not as commanding a speaker as the more expensive ones.

As you can tell I like a natural transparent speaker rather than a warm speaker.

Bob
For me it would have to be the Magnepan MG20. I have always been a big Maggie fan. I love the deep low end but also the wide open sound stage typical of a planer speaker. Since the sound of a speaker is subjective to individual taste that is the one that does it for me. That is the best of the best.
When this question comes up, my mind always goes back to that day in 1986, when I heard a pair of klipschorns at Flip's Stereo in St. Louis, MO playing Paul Simon's "Graceland" CD...now THAT was an awesome experience! A lot of it had to do with the room, I'm sure, but still, that has to rank as the best sound I've ever heard coming out of a pair of home loudspeakers.