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
In my opinion the Apogees, for me its first the DIVA, Scintilla, Duetta and then the Caliper. I like a completely neutral and precise speaker that can throw a tall realistic image and thats why i have the DIVA's now. But one has to junk the crossover box to really get them going and at least 6ft from the backwall, and of course Graz ribbons help a lot. Also if you junk the Krells and use Tube/SS Hybrids they will show the midrange love. Other speakers would be the Avalon Eidolon Diamond, Avantgarde TRIO and the Maggies. Its great, since my friend here own 20R's, Scintilla, Duetts and me with DIVA's. The holy grail of audio :-)
Last week, Accapella Violins. With all Halcro set-up and a turntable - I hated the rackling and pops, but the imaging was close to eerie. I loved the sound. I still asked my host to play some sax - I have still yet to hear a sax that sounds as *breathy* as in real life with a sax right in front of you..... anyone heard different?
Klipsch Cornwalls do the dynamics without having to buy $80,000. in amps but they can't do anything else right and in fact do some things worse than anything on the market outside of Bose. If dynamics is the only thing you need to convince you it is live, then they are for you. I can't get past the fact that the horns run at 40% distortion and have the imaging of a victrolla.
Dmurfet asked:

"I have still yet to hear a sax that sounds as *breathy* as in real life with a sax right in front of you..... anyone heard different?"

The best sax I've heard... "breathy" and very real sounding has come from my Apogees in my room playing one of my "Houston Person" CD's. I think trombone (Steve Turre) 20bit Telarc recording I have is the best "bite" I've heard from that instruments reproduction by a pair of speakers... The trombone can also be somewhat "breathy" at times.

Dave