the smoothest sounding speaker

My ATC SCM7's are pretty smooth, even with cheapo Behringer amps.

Having chased audiophile nirvana for about 30 years now, I have grown to associate "resolution" with fatigue.

In college, I had a pair of Magneplanar MG II b's which although lacking the ribbon tweeter of later models, still had enough resolving power to thrillingly reveal all sorts of faint weirdness, voices and sound effects in Pink Floyd records.

They never exhausted or fatigued me, however, and I don't recall ever thinking or saying: "I like these speakers, but if only they were a bit more 'transparent'.."

mrtennis, my Apogees, although mere Stages, were indeed very smooth, even with an Aragon 4004 MK II.

I would imagine with your CJ, even better and more smooth.

To everyone, please do suggest more s-m-o-o-t-h speakers, or for that matter, any smooth components.

I am now wondering if the new Harbeth mini monitor might be worthy of hall of fame of smooth.

Happy New Year,

Cwlondon: FWIW, the most resolving speakers I have owned are also the least fatiguing - the Ohm Walsh 2000s. I have heard more fine detail from some kilo-buck speakers, but in many cases, that came with the kind of stridency that brings on fatigue quickly, IME. The Ohms, with which I am about 3 months into a 4 month trial period, lack any of the congestion, stridency, brittleness and edge that makes me want to shut off the music and watch a movie before I get through a single album. IMHO, this is due to the absence of a crossover in the critical brightness range of 4-8kHz. The Ohm Walsh crosses over to a supertweeter at around 8kHz, much higher up than conventional multi-driver dynamic speakers. Of course, good design also plays a part in this.

As for other "smooth" components, amplifiers I like are Odyssey Audio Stratos (which I own), the Butler hybrid amps, and any current model by Moscode. All are very smooth, yet dynamic and resolving.

how can a component be smooth and resolving when they are adjectives having opposite connotations ?

I think that depends on what you mean by smooth and resolving. How would you describe those terms as it applies to audio?

Mrtennis - until one has heard a system that is both smooth and resolving, it is hard to conceptualize. I have been fortunate enough to hear a few systems that are highly resolving of fine detail, yet produce no grit, glare or edge in the music. I do not equate smoothness with an overall excess of warmth and lack of fine detail. I think most people consider a system smooth if it lacks those unwanted artifacts of grit, glare, edge and sharpness.

I consider myself extremely fortunate in that my own system has evolved over the years to the point where I experience just that combination of excellent detail resolution without any of the downsides usually associated with such systems.