Which pair of speakers changed your Hifi life?


*** I am not trying to create a debate or a quarrel with anyone. My discussions are purely having a talks and to express one's experiences. Also to learn fellow audio lovers passion. Please do not disrespect with hurtful words or expressions. Please be more forgiving and understanding in this discussion thread. Thank you." ***

Hopefully one day, someone would say "Mon Acoustic speakers were the turning point in my Hifi life".  😃

My 2ch-audio journey began when my uncle bought his BOSE system at his home (don't even know the model or never really heard it) in early 90s. Bose was rear and expensive in Korea(South) back then. So I started my own system with Bose Cinematics 2.1. Then moved on to Goldenear Triton 3, then to Triton 1. But more utilizing the speakers for AV set ups, not 2 ch stereo.   

When I had my first house, I bought a pair of Revel M105 speakers and I think these are the pair that really changed my audio life. My initial paring with M105 was Yamaha receiver. Then I tried goofie set up with center speaker 3.1 to see if it improves vocal in the songs I liked. We went through many combinations of system set up. I ended up with Chord Electronics set up. 

I still own them. Always struggle time to time, whether to sell them or not due to the number of pairs I own(out of a guilt). I cannot argue how many pairs of shoes my wife owns.  I pair them with NAD M10 (version 1) for my bedroom since my wife likes the warm and well rounded sound, and 80% its white design aspect. 

So what are the speakers that have impacted your life? 

 

128x128monacousticusa

My first pair of speakers were horrible. They were made by JohnZeer and that is all that I remember.

    Because of them, I went the other direction and came upon plans and drivers for the Speaker Lab K. They were a bitch to build but I had a high school wood shop at my disposal. I won't tell you that they were the best speakers that I have ever owned in every way, but I had never heard/felt bass like that in my life until then. Very little distortion in the bass, and the mid and treble horns gave an immediacy to the sound that I never forgot either.

@4krowme 

I'm running a pair of SK corner horns (which I bought, didn't build) right now powered by 2 SET Watts.  I just came back from the Pacific Audiofest and there was stuff that sounded better (but not a lot)  and there was a lot of stuff that cost more than a luxury car that I wouldn't trade for.  

What an amazing design.. still.

The K horns were one of the hardest builds that I ever did. They were so heavy that each move was a real event. Funny though, many of the speakers that I have owned turned out to be heavy. Many of them were game changers, but my curiosity turned into amazement many times over. 

 It wasn't just one set of speakers that had a huge effect on me, it was many.

In the early 2000's as I was making my way into Higher End Audio I replaced my OHM Walsh 4's with a pair of Unity Audio Fountainhead Signatures and they really moved me. I used a Musical Design 100 WPC Amp with them. I kept those until a few years later when I landed a pair of Genesis V's (placed in  my dedicated listening room in my basement) which I had up until this past December driven by my VAC Renaissance 70/70 which I still have. +

Wilson X-1 Grand SLAMM. I never owned a pair, but when I was young and returned home after college I went looking for a new stereo to move into my place with. Knowing nothing back in the late 90's I randomly walked into the first stereo shop I found myself walking by in New York City, which happened to be Sound by Singer. Straight out of college I obviously could not afford anything in there, however a nice salesman let me listen to a few systems, one of which was a pair of Wilson X-1 Grand SLAMM speakers hooked up to full Krell kit. Before that the nicest hi-fi I had heard was my parent's KLH Model 20 stereo and my buddy's Onkyo integrated with some Cerwin Vegas. I never knew that hi-fi could sound that good. So that started me on my audio path. 

So, to answer your question the Wilson X-1 Grand SLAMM changed my hi-fi life, because without having heard those, I probably never would have gotten into this stuff as deeply as I have.