Is there a perfect speaker?

Michaelkingdom,

I know what you're talking about. I've always tried to choose speakers that do justice to the range that I listen to, mostly classical, rock, and home theater. And I've found that some speakers are better than others at meeting my particular criteria.

But there's one respect in which I don't think that any speaker can be a good compromise -- namely, the difference between playing good recordings and crappy ones. A very revealing, accurate speaker will accurately reproduce all the artifacts on a crappy recording -- close and multi miking, commpression, distortion, presence and HF boost, splices, artificial reverb, etc. So in that sense, I don't think you can make a speaker that suits everything.

I go for accuracy with good recordings of acoustical music as my main criteria, and then accept that some recordings are going to be revealed for the messes that they are. But I think everyone makes his own compromises on this. You're fortunate that you have the room and cash to choose the best speaker for each job!

We all hear things differently.. so YES, they are a perfect speaker for all of US out there somewhere BUT first we have to find that perfect ROOM that will be perfect with our perfect speakers or our perfect speakers will not sound.. "PERFECT"

There is no perfect speaker and most certainly the Magico is not - I know a few speakers like Rockport that eat it alive. The thing you have to understand about speakers like the Magico is the model they use with a large amount spent on marketing adds a lot to the price they sell at and generates a lot of hype it doesn't always live up to.

Thanks
Bill

My tongue was firmly in my cheek when I said the Magico was perfect. Sorry if anyone thought I was serious. The problem with threads like this where posters are seeking the 'best' or the 'perfect' component (as many posters have intelligently observed) is that there is no such animal. It all depends upon the listener's subjective taste and there is as much variety in that as there are audio components to judge. Rather than ask what the 'best' or 'perfect' speaker may be, the better question is "what speakers do you like and why?" From the myriad of answers that you will get you should be able to discern if there is a speaker that matches your taste. As a practical example, I have a Prima Luna Prologue One integrated amp. A while back I asked in a thread on another site what speakers people have found that match well with this amp. A large number of posters suggested the Reference 3A mm de Capo speakers. I purchase a pair and have to say that for this amp in my listening room for the music I listen to the de Capos are as perfect as it gets. My two cents.

When one listens to a speaker, one is listening to the complete system, including the room. Every one is different in what their taste of recorded music reproduction is, and should be. Although I like horns, many folks I have designed systems for, do not. It is ok. I dislike those who put down a design of a speaker if it is not to their liking. Horns, to me, represent the closest to live, unamplified music, that I have heard, and that is my reference, and, preference. I like imaging and spatial representation as much as anyone, but if music sounds compressed, as many speakers do, imo, nothing else matters. It is just what you want out of a system. And my horns completely dissapear when I listen...just the music, as the engineer intended.........MrD