Personal speaker evolution


OK, so here is a thread I haven't ever seen here: What speakers have you owned? starting with the earliest, price paid, new/used, and perhaps the models that really impressed you (for the price) in CAPS.

Rat Shack Something or others, $120, new
Fisher Something or others, $280, new
ADS L710's, $550, new
Snell A2i's, $1100, used
BEVERIDGE SYSTEM 3'S, $1000, used
Martin Logan CLS, $1400, used
MARTIN LOGAN SL3'S, $2300, used
pmwoodward
Okay: Not that I got an upgrade bug or anything in order:
JBL-L150
Yamaha NS-1000M
Magneplanar MG1.6
Linn Tukan
Linn Keilehd (sic)(active crossover)
Vienna Haydn
WattPuppy 5.0
Revel Studio
Sonus Faber Electa Amator II
WattPuppy 6.0
JM Lab Alto Be
Bosendorfor Series 2

I find WattPuppies my favorite, except for one thing, listener fatigue.. The Bosendorfors are in my office; The Alto Be's had to fit the decor and they are in a bright room with no real way to ameleorate the highs. I still remember distinctly how wonderful Flim and the BB's sounded on the Maggies..... I think for shear fun I loved the little Hadn's as an office system.... I guess this makes me the Maye West of speakers...never found one I didn't like something about.
Cerwin Vegas -> Apogee Stages -> B&W 801 IIIs.
Great thread. All 3 were/are great. Cerwin Vegas - good punch, but lacked finesse. Apogee Stages sounded amazing only if the listener were in the tiny sweet spot. B&W 801's may lack the highest degree of fine resolution, but they sound great in almost all situations and music. It will be hard for me to trade these beauties in...
Ampeg SVT cabinet (8 10-inch speakers:played bass in bands as well as hooking stereo up to it), Small Advents, Klipsch Forte's, Unity Audio Signature 1's.
Ok..herer goes first time spilling my guts.
Studiocraft 440's
OHM F's
DCM Time Windows
JBL 100's
Polk 7's/Large Advents
then
Vandersteen 1'c
Vandersteen 2ce
Proac Response 2s
Larry
My speaker history from the eighties to now:
1) self made 2 way, ScanSpeak drivers
2) kit speaker, ScanSpeak
3) Martin Logan Aerius-i, new
4) Merlin VSM-SE + BBAM, new
5) Von Schweikert VR3HSE Gen III, new
6) HGP Lyra SoNova (www.hgpaudio.com), new
7) Tidal Audio Contriva (www.tidal-audio.de), new

3-7) all impressed me for the price, or I would not have bought them :-)

The Tidal Contriva is my current speaker and I don't see any changes coming, as it combines the strenght of the speakers I owned before and outperforms them overall significantly.

I started with 2 way speakers I built myself, ScanSpeak drivers in a very ugly box I put together, no crossover, just a cap for the tweeter. They sounded - well, interesting :-)I then took out the drivers and bought a kit with a crossovers for those drivers, did not convince either, but worked for a student budget. The ML Aerius-i was the first speakers I got when I had a job, so I could afford to listen and choose. They were great for the money in my opinion. The Merlin was very special too, but too small after a move. The von Schweikert were really good for the money, but not in all aspects up to the strong points of the Merlin. The HGP I got for a really good price and hoped to get the bass of the VS and the resolution of the Merlin. It got some of it but not all. Enter the Tidal Contriva, I am still marveling at this speakers performance everytime I listen to music. For me a dream come true!