The best speaker you ever heard?

I really don't understand the trust that this thread has taken. The ideal speaker would be a reverse of the microphone, namely a point source capable of vast dynamic range and very high efficiency. Technologically this is beyond human technology. Similarly the perfect amplifier would be capable of providing the perfect speaker with all that it needed.

Rather than curse the darkness, I have always sought that which was better. I could have dismayed when my ServoStatics kept breaking down, when my Lowthers were irritating in the top end and had little bass, etc.

Of course, I cannot go back to my system in the '70s and compare it with my system today, but I really think it is far more realistic and thrilling. Don't despair, just enjoy.

In my observation,satisfaction (in hi fi) is often hindered by expectation and perception. I'll even go so far as to admit that I fell into this camp for a brief period of time.

I dug my way outta this line of thought by realizing that hi-fi sounds fake. Nothing, and I mean, none of it - sounds like the real thing. Once I came to terms with that, this gig became nothing more than a hunt for finding a flavor of fake that I could live with.

Kinda a glass-half empty point a view,I admit, but it's helped me to reach a level of satisfaction that I may not have achieved otherwise. Hopefully others find their own ways of attaining audio nirvana. Anyways, back to the whole "best" bit..

Regarding expectations, the trap to avoid is expecting a system to make recordings sound better than they are. If you look for a system that makes everything sound perfect, you will find yourself on a never ending and costly quest to achieve the impossible and never weaning the satisfaction that most recordings in fact have to offer.

You would all be well served by heeding the words of the prophet Rumadian.