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
i thot before i entered the room that a woman was singing via a mic or maybe very loudly a capella. then i saw it was speakers, i walked all around the room and the sound field was so realistic i wanted them on the spot

Other speakers will do this. ATC for sure, but also many other speakers designed with as much care for the off axis response as for the typical flat on axis only designs. It is a shame but most people ignore off-axis response even if it is well proven to be a cornerstone to natural sounding speakers. Manufacturers know this and respond by concentrating on designs that have more extension (great highs and lows) - after all that is what sells.

The stuff coming out of Dr. Floyd Toole's work in the 70's => Energy Vertias 1.8, PSB, and Mirage are worth checking out.

On the whole during the 80's, there was a lot more attention to off axis response as opposed to the modern emphasis, which has migrated to bass extension and super-tweeters flat on axis to bat-only audibile frequencies...stuff that is only important on paper or in "my speaker freq response beats your speaker" threads. The midrange has been sadly forgotten in the battle of highs and extreme lows. Check out 80's designs - some are still made today - much the same as they were back then...
Montejay, surely the redhead at the CES 2008 show inviting you into the Coincident room made the biggest impression on you ... :-)
I guess the best speaker I ever heard was way back in the 1970's; a pair of Crown ES-224's at an audio show in Dallas. Two cabinets, the lower housing two 10" woofers, the upper 24 electrostatic elements. They were so impressive.
I'd match my Watson-Labs Mk 10 speakers with anything. 17-22k and spacious, easy to drive - I love them.
Alec