The best speaker you ever heard?


In my opinion, the speaker is by far the most important part of the audio system. After all, it is the only part you hear. OK, the other stuff really matters a lot, but without a great speaker... No go.

I am a bit 'speaker-obsessed' I guess, and now I am wondering: What are the best speakers you have ever heard, and what made them the best?
njonker
It was a diy project. A single horn measuring 18 ft. high 22 ft. long and 20 ft. deep. Built around a concert d Bosendorfer - not unlike a hunting trap you have to lure a musician inside...a really nice bottle of just opened scotch will often do the trick...think Balvenie 1973 single cask and Oscar could show up at any minute...or a barbeque sandwich with the crust cut off for Charlap. though not perfect, I'm enjoying wadia to atmasphere's to 3a's-I'll put my anniverssary steps up against most any monitor in near field environs, given proper juice.
The best loudspeaker system I have ever heard was the Dunlavy SC-V's driven by BAT 60 amp, VK3i preamp, VK-10 phono amp, VPI Aries turntable, and BM-glider cartridge.

I brought some albums to audition this system at my local dealer and was totally blown-away by the sound this system put out. We played the Doors first album and the tract Light my Fire was totally electrifing. I could literally reach out and touch the performance. The sound was totally transparent and layered in three dimensional space. Dynamics that were unforgetable and palitable. Wall shaking bass from the center of the earth and extended highs with imaging to a pin point. What an auditory experience.
Here is the best speaker I have ever heard, and let me just say that I have heard almost every high end audio speaker brand - the Goldmund Mimesis speaker system. It is by far the most musically satisfying loudspeaker.
Aerial Acoustics 8t. Driven by Audio Research VT 100 tube amp, with Audio Research LS 15 preamp. Source material was a Proceed HDCD player. Amazing setup - soundstage went on forever, imaging, dynamics just like a live show. There was a Rega or Rotel (I forget) turntable there but it wasn't prepped and hooked up the day I was there, a true crime! This was about 7 years ago, at Mission Audio's demo room in Santa Barbara, CA.
Avantgarde Duos - liked them enough to sell my Wilsons.

Previous high end speakers owned - Apogee full range, Kefs, Infinity, and the Wilson WattPuppy 5.1s
Speakers recently auditioned before I bought the Duos:
Avalon Eidelon, Vandersteen 5s, JM Utopia - liked them all, but not as much as the Avantgardes.

My current system - CJ16LS, CJ15 phono, Cary V12, clearaudio Master Solution/Benz refSilver,Synergistic Reference Cables, Wadia 16i