The best speaker you ever heard?

A toss up between Soundlabs the Ultimate one with CAT electronics, and the Sonus Faber Stradivari with Nagra tube equipment.The rooms of the owners were different as was all associated gear but both were systems with first rate sound.It would be hard to pick a winner,so I'll call it a draw.

The Joseph Audio Pearl. I heard these at CES and thought there was a real accoustic Bass player in the room, so I went in. It was just the Pearls in there.

The Fab Audio Model 1 driven by Tom Evans Audio Design electronics (Vibe/Pulse/Linear A) are doing things I've never heard another speaker do in 25 years of audiophilia nervosa. It's hard to put into words just how real this setup sounds. Much of it is due to the amp, but the Fabs are the most transparent speaker I've ever heard and let absolutely everything through. I've not heard a planar of any description, nor indeed any other speaker setup, come close to this. It's the whole enchilada.

Speaker:

Wilson Watt Puppy 7s

System:

Ayre V-5xe Amplifier
Ayre K-5xe Preamplifier
Ayre C-5xe Universal Stereo Disc Player

This combination of equipment has been the best combination I have heard to date. I don't have extensive experience with equipment way past its price range, but it is better than systems I have heard that were twice the price component wise, including one system I heard at Harvey Electronics that the salesman claimed was a $150,000+ (USD), which was in their Home Theatre showcase room. It was so real and 3 Dimensional sounding I knew I was screwed the minute I heard the first song start to play on it, and have started saving up to buy all the components in the next year starting with the Ayre C-5xe which I already purchased. It isn't even that bad a price considering how great it sounded and how much better it sounded compared to the stuff I heard around my area that costs twice the price and then some.

I do think component matching with speakers has to be crucial, because I have heard these speakers with other equipment, and while they still sounded incredible, they didn't sound as stunning as they did with the Ayre gear. I felt like I was sitting in the studio hanging out with the band I was listening to while they were playing.

I'm not sure what cables they were using.

Zu Definition 1.5. No crossover between 40 HZ and 12Khz provides impeccable phase coherence where it matters. Speaker is solid and implacable to 16 Hz because of 4 ten inch powered woofers per speaker. This may sound gimmicky to you but I assure that it is the result of original, substantial and considered engineering. Add in a nearly resistive 6 ohm load and 101 db efficiency and you are approaching the ideal. Check em out.