The best speaker you ever heard?

@melbguy1. I can agree on price issue. They did sound amazing though. I think the magico look like the have better build quality. I don't know if I will ever hear raidho with solutions again ever. Maybe at an audio show. I will love to hear the magico s 7. I like my music slightly to the fuller and darker side by a smigid without loss of detail. That raidho system gave me that in spades.

In the end, loudspeakers as with music preferences are completely subjective. You should definitely aspire to own whatever makes you happy regardless of opinions on forums. If you like your music on the fuller and darker side, you could get that sound from Magico by using PAD cables & something like a Vitus RI-100.

Mel guys is right as we all know. I just haven't been able to warm up to the Wilson's, Magico's, Raido's and many other top priced speakers. The ones using carbon seem to have a sound that I do like. The Be and Diamonds still don't do it for me. Implementation is most important of course. Magic is a great speaker for many folks as are Wilson's, but the sound to me it just a tad to bright still. The new Magicos and the new Wilson's with the cloth tweeter are better for my ear and I could own them, but they just haven't drawn me in and I've heard both lines in many stores now with many different combinations of electronics. That's just my ear.

As I've said prior,I didn't want to like the Vandersteen's either and not I own the Treo's and hope like heck to get the Quatro's soon.

Why do folks use cables to 'tune' a system or speakers specifically? Personally I just never understood that. Just get speakers you fall in love with and get electronics that work with the speakers. Cables make a bit of a difference, but once you start spending that extra money on them, you can possibly get what you want to begin with. Not saying they don't work, but even speaker designers will tell you that cables usually don't make as big a difference as to many feel they do. Just an interesting thing to debate possibly.

@melbguy1 respect your opinion. Get what makes you happy. Just letting readers my know my observations. There are a 100 ways to get different sounds. We just don't all have the money to try something that doesn't work. I guess that's why people share on this forum. Either way we all figure what we like and try to get there based on what we know. Cable can make a difference they are a big part of the chain especially when you get to a certain performance level. In the high end like magico, raidho, Wilsons, etc. they are important. Feed the system the right thing and your system will be on steroids. Lol.

Calvin, I also have not been able to warm to the Wilson speakers. To my ears the Alexia's have an airy top end and good sound staging, but have bloated, flabby bass which also smeared the midrange. I prefer Magico's sealed box approach which allows tighter, more accurate bass. Magico also have better build quality than both Wilson and Raidho imho.

I know what you mean about carbon drivers. Wilson Benesch, Proac & Vandersteen all use all-carbon drivers and are generally regarded as sounding natural. Speaking from my own experience, paired with Vitus or Soulution the S5's are capable of drawing me into the music. However to get the best out of them requires careful attention to detail. I've worked hard at building my system around the S5's for optimal synergy, incl: amps, front end, cables, isolation & AC power. The old adage "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts" applies.

Though as good as the S5's are, I would say there are other loudspeakers i've heard which sounded more natural and did a better job of drawing me into the music like the Avalon Transcendents & Crystal Arabesque speakers with the RAAL ribbon tweeter. That's one of the reasons I am upgrading to the new S7's. Magico's latest drivers (incl: diamond-coated beryllium tweeter, hybrid carbon Nano-Tec/Nano-graphene midrange & new 10" bass drivers) are all lighter, faster & much better than the previous generation, whilst cabinets and crossovers have also improved substantially. From what i'm hearing, the S7's approach the complete sonic freedom and 'boxless' sound of the M Pro's which is high praise & just what i'm looking for.

Richard Vandersteen and Alon Wolf are both at the top of their game and building great loudspeakers which are extremely fast, accurate and coherent. It is hard to imagine anyone not being beguiled by their latest offerings incl: the Vandy 7Mk2 & Magico S7. The technology from the S7 will inevitably filter down to other S series models, as i'm sure will occur with Vandersteen. The winner as you say is we audiophiles.

As for cables, i'm not a fan of using cables to 'tune' a system, much as in the same way i'm not a fan of using 'tuning feet' such as the Harmonix to correct deficiencies in a system. Hence I use Jorma cables which are neutral in tonal balance and sound natural. Cables matter, and indeed I have a significant investment in wire. But I don't agree with those who elevate cables to the level of components. I don't subscribe to that point of view. Imho, at that level your money would be better spent on a component or speaker upgrade.