The best "imaging" speakers?

Audio Physic Virgo II. These image like nothing I've ever heard (and I've been to a few shows). I used to own a pair and 'upgraded' to MBL 121s. Even though others have cited the MBLs as imaging masters, the Virgos were even better IMHO. I miss them in many ways, even though they are so cheap - they're a real bargain.

Interesting.  I've had the Virgo IIs at my house - and the Audio Physic Libras, and I owned the AP Scorpios.  I also owned the MBL 121s for many years (just sold them not too long ago).


The AP speakers are definitely up there with best soundstaging/imaging.They just do a spooky disappearing act.  Not sure I'd quite put them in league with the MBL 121s.   The most amazing disappearing/imaging act goes to the MBL 101s IMO.


I've always enjoyed soundstaging/imaging/disappearing speakers so that's been a requirement.



Next to the AP speakers I'd place Waveform speakers (with their egg-shaped head module) for a crazy disappearing act.  Also my current Joseph Audio Perspectives really do soundstaging/disappearing.


Other honorable mentions:   Hales Transcendence 5s imaged wickedly.Probably the biggest surprise were a pair of Shun Mook Bela Voce speakers.  Plain "made-in-wood-shop" looking speakers that somehow soundstaged like giants!



For small monitors:  My Spendor s3/5s do a crazy disappearing/imaging act, probably only exceeded by a small pair of Meadowlark Swallow speakers - those were insane.


Holy geeze...forgot about my original big dynamic speakers, the Von Schweikert VR4 Gen II.   Those were known for their 3D effect (with rear firing ambience retrieval tweeter) and that was true 3 dimensional sound.


But if I had to nominate one overall best imaging/soundstaging speaker I've had it was probably the Thiel 3.7s - Thiel's final flagship speaker.The reason is that, despite their size, they disappeared from top to bottom in an utterly coherent way beyond anything I'd heard.  Soundstaging was as vast and deep and wide as I've ever had.But, crucially, the sonic images had a focus and density, a palpability and "thereness" that tends to escape other speakers.

If you have the room and the money  it's hard to beat the newest Magnepan 30.7 you are there.

IMHO, and at the risk of appearing pedantic: I believe many of the speakers nominated are really known for their soundstage rather than their imaging.
IME, those speakers that aspire to time coherence tend image best.

Coherent is a good thing. 

There is a relative trade-off between soundstage and imaging.... Yes, but i just increase these 2 qualities today, and improved also the timbre, by moving a single piece of metal thin enclosure (a fan) in my room... You can play with this trade-off then, he is not an absolute number linked to electronic design only, but it is mainly the variable sonic mirror of your room ...

People dont imagine the powerful effects that acoustic controls do in a room....They wave brand speakers name without thinking that the Edison business of design recording high-fidelity is relatively new, but Greek theater marvel has already some thousand years old...

Audiophile life is more linked to acoustic than engineering electronics.... More linked to your ears experience than to electronic marketing....We do not listen first to an electronic component, speakers, dac, or amplifier, we listen to music in our room first, and at the end....

A good amplifier is necessary, but the full experience is delivered by your room....

It is one of the three necessary embeddings of any audio system...

Embeddings are on par with design for producing the full experience...