Speakers to hang on to for LIFE

When I was a kid I hung out at a place called The Stereo Studio here in the Chicago area. My first pair of brand new loudspeakers were purchased there one night at a "Midnight Madness" sale. I bought a pair of AVID 102a bookshelf speakers for $119.00 ea. plus tax. Today those little gems are in my garage where they serve me well while cooking out or just sitting outside with my wife and son. Not hardly the BEST sounding speakers I've ever heard but very decent little bookshelf speakers never the less. I was just a kid at the time and couldn't afford the high end listening room. But I zoned in on a pair of KEF 105/2 Reference Speakers that just sounded so great powered by a pair of big Audio Research Power Amps and eventually I took them home. They are still with me 33 years later, crossovers freshly rebuilt, woofers re-coned and they sound and still look terrific. A few years later I managed to score a pair of KEF 104/2 Reference speakers as well and I still have those too. There's just something about these loudspeakers... they are truly special to me. These will be with me until the very end.

I'll have to agree with the KEF 104.2. They should be "old and in the way" but I have mine powered with a VAC Avatar in triode mode, and there is something about the midrange that gives pleasure, and can sound spooky real. I have an itch for the Aerial Acoustic 7T, but it's like replacing a pet that is still living at the house.

I would nominate two - the bookshelf ProAc Response 1 SC and the floorstanding Tannoy D-700. After almost 20 years with both, I still find them thoroughly enjoyable.

I just upgraded the stat panels on my Innnersound Eros Mk II's to Roger Sanders new stat panels.

Broken in for past month and they are the most revealing, dynamic, resolving and uncolored speaker I have ever not heard.

I am super happy with a pair of Green Mountain Audio speakers. Not planning to sell them anytime soon - definitely a candidate "for life". Very realistic and dynamic. An absolute pleasure to listen to for hours and hours and days and days.... and years and years.
The model I own are the EOS HD with integrated speaker cables (very rare). They are currently being "upgraded" to HX. It is wonderful to communicate directly with the designer and manufacturer and know you can trust.
They really had to twist my arm to disconnect my speakers and ship them for the upgrade. I do not want to live without them for the weeks it takes to upgrade them and I can't imagine that the upgrade will be of any significance. But I trust GMA and was ensured that there will be a significant improvement. Looking forward to it! A keeper.
I am using the speakers in my "listening room", which is ~11'x17'. But they would also work well in bigger rooms.
For large rooms (>20'x20' with very high or open ceiling), there are other GMA models that I am sure would work very well. I have no listening experience with GMA floor standers.
After listening to many many speakers (large and small, more and less expensive) over the last 25 years, I have come to especially appreciate good monitors on stands. The imaging of good monitors - always making sure to match with room size and acoustics - is generally better and more accurate and dynamic and live-like vs "floor standers".
I also have a larger family room with floor standers (Waveform Mach 17), which are also keepers and I have been very happy with them for years and years.