After the thrill is gone


I think we all understand there is no “perfect” speaker. Strengths, weaknesses, compromises all driven by the designer’s objectives and decisions. 
 

Whenever we make a new (to us) speaker purchase there is a honeymoon period with the perfect-to-us speaker. But as time wears on, we either become accustomed to the faults and don’t really hear or hear past them, or become amplified and perhaps more annoying or create minor buyers remorse or wanderlust.

I am guessing the latter would be more prevalent when transitioning to a very different design topology, eg cones vs horns vs planars etc.

While I’ve experimented with horns, single drivers, subwoofer augmentation …  I’ve always returned to full range dynamic multi-driver designs. About to do so with planars but on a scale I’ve not done before, and heading toward end game system in retirement.
So I just wonder what your experiences have been once the initial thrill is gone? (Especially if you moved from boxes to planars)

inscrutable
Post removed 

The Nola KO speakers are the end game speakers for me. I had the Dahlquist Dq 10's for 30 years. Then the Qg 20's for 12 years. 

The Nola KO speakers are the end game speakers for me. I had the Dahlquist Dq 10's for 30 years. Then the Qg 20's for 12 years. 

i agree, carl marchisotto is one of the great designers (and nicest people) in the industry... his speakers through the various brand names and iterations were unfailingly open, sweet sounding, musical and natural sounding... 

I ran various Alons for many years, loved open baffle sound qualities. Went to ported box for a couple years, couldn't get past sense of closed in sound quality. Some Klipschorns fell into my lap, wow, could hear the potential right off, sense of live performers in room unsurpassed. With extensive mods i voiced in over the years, these are my last speakers.

I’ve had my B&W 801 with custom outboard crossovers for over 50 years! Albeit it’s not my primary system, the thrill is still as I remember when I installed the crossovers 25 years ago. In fact, I enjoy them more than my recently acquired Wilson Benesch.