Best speaker brands for transient response

Volti Volti Volti !!

Talk about speed and dynamics. I’d bet these are the droids you are looking for. Yes it is true there is not a return policy. However if you are intentional and make an effort to listen to a pair, the return policy will be irrelevant. I’m sure there are plenty of Volti owners like me willing to welcome OP into their home to have a listen. Additionally one would have no problem reselling as they are sough after and rarely show up for sale used.

If you are within a drive of NE Ohio I’d be happy to host.

Yes Volti is a very good brand for delivering excellent dynamics and speed while still sounding relaxed and natural.  This is a far cry from a brand like Zu which is very fast and dynamic but also shrill and brittle sounding (to me anyway).  Volti horn systems are the rare examples of modern horn compression driver systems that I like.  However, there are MANY vintage systems and drivers that can sound as good or better than the Volti, although many are quite expensive.

JBL horn systems can also be quite dynamic, but, they don't have enough mid-bass weight for my taste so they sound a bit thin and slightly harsh; still many, like the Everest are very much worthy of top end systems.  Fyne speakers sound fast and reasonably balanced and just a touch harsh.  There are quite a few high efficiency wide-range driver systems (i.e., not compression driver/horn systems) that are also very dynamic, such as the single driver and two-way systems of Songer Audio, the single driver backloaded horn systems of Charney Audio, and the single driver and two-way systems of Cube Audio (I particularly like the two-way Nenuphar Basis model).

At a lower price point, the MoFi Source 10 is quite dynamic with only a slight bit of harshness.  It won't deliver the weight and sense of scale that the Volti speakers deliver, but, they are surprisingly capable.

A dealer in the Washington DC area, Deja Vu Audio, builds custom speakers using modern and vintage components.  These can be tailored to one's specific taste, which is a BIG advantage of a custom build.  They employ vintage midrange horns and compression drivers because there is very little out there that can match these old drivers except VERY expensive drivers from the like of G.I.P., ALE, Cogent and Goto.  These systems truly deliver excellent dynamics while retaining a sweet, natural and relaxed sound; the weight and sense of large scale is particularly good when very large format horns are employed (some of these horns are monsters).

@doyle3433 thank you that is very generous of you to offer that!

I am worried about the no return policy -- I am not worried they won't sound amazing more I just worry they may overwhelm the room (12 ft from wall to listening position, low ceiling exposed beams treated with sound panels).

@larryi thank you for your recommendations -- i really like the Cubes but appear to be outside my target budget. Gorgeous products.

I have also considered the new Mofi sourcepoint 888 as Music Direct in Chicago owns Mofi and I can get an audition there. And that's in my budget. I'm going to Music Direct anyway for the JBLs so plan to listen to the 888s while I'm there.

The interesting thing about horn systems is that they sound particularly good at lower volume levels and tend to work well in small rooms--controlled dispersion of the mid and high frequencies help to lessen the impact of room acoustics.  Big horn systems in tiny rooms are common in Japan where rooms are small and listening levels have to be kept low to not disturb neighbors.  I don't see the 12-foot distance to the speaker as a big problem.  Still, I can understand the anxiety over not having the right to return the speakers if they are not to your liking (they have a sound I think almost everyone will like, but of course, you may be the exception).

From a measurements perspective, improved driver impulse response could be equated (to some degree, one component) to improved transients.

This translates to small drivers playing respective frequency band, and increased number of drivers to achieve sound power.

Drivers themselves can’t be too compliant (signal reversal, phase shift ) or too stiff (resonances, stored energy, waterfall). Many poor drivers i’ve tested that go into some "high end" speakers don’t cut it, it’s one thing or the other.

A poor crossover design will introduce big electrical phase shifts and so on (nullifying benefits accrued from the above mentioned).

It appears that some big horn speakers mentioned on this thread have defied all physics, engg design, material science, etc and achieved unmatchable transients, as per the sales crew. No, they did not, but, whatever helps to sell your stuff.

What you sell is apparently always the best at everything, no exceptions indeed! (They don’t just win some/lose some as the engineers would admit, but, they just excel at everything according to the sales crew....NOT)