The best speaker you ever heard?

transaudio has a very good point. Bad equipment matching, bad room acoustics can make any good sounding loudspeaker bad irregardless of price. Acoustics in a room is very important, as important as the speaker design itself. All well designed loudspeakers however properly tuned and placed in the optimal acoustical environment with matching gear gives that audio nirvana feeling. There's always something in us that always wants us to push the envelope even though we might be satisfied with what we're hearing.

Transaudio, I have two listening rooms. One is quite large with high ceilings and natively pretty good acoustics. The other is a tiny 10 x 13 x 8' room in my small summer home in the mountains. I was never dissatisfied with the large room and very unhappy with the small room. Long ago after much experimentation in the large room I got it very satisfying. The small room took me two years to get it acceptable.

I don't think getting a "good" room is at all easy. I tried professional solutions like LEDE, profession diffusers, and even audio mirrors. I even tried digital room correction. Then after hearing a demonstration of the Synergistic Research ARTs and buying them on the spot, I found a solution in the large room. The small room also responded to using these Tibetan bowl derived wall treatments, making it listenable. This summer, I found another company also using the Tibetan bowl derived method, and it had an amazing impact basically removing the sidewalls and the speaker walls.

Basically, I agree with you, but it is not easy to create a "good" room.

"it had an amazing impact basically removing the sidewalls and the speaker walls"

So you are saying these treatments essentially turned your room into an anechoic chamber?

I don't doubt they have a positive effect used properly, but that sounds like a bit of an exaggeration?

TBG

Sounds like you have found a solution, even though I have no idea what TIbetan bowls are (although now I am a bit hungry). I think it supports the point that a playback "system" includes your room. And yes, getting a good room can be a lifelong enterprise.

Brad

I have now had the Daber Monitor 3's for two weeks and have had a chance to do some critical listening. I have the rounded cabinets in maple that Steve provides for a small extra fee. They are gorgeous with very high end carpentry work! The first thing that will strike you is the deep, tight bass for such a relatively small speaker. I doubt anyone but the most avid bass fan will see the need for a subwoofer in a two-channel setup. The mids are very satisfying and the highs are clear and precise. Vocals are rendered in a very natural fashion. The soundstage competes with the best. My wife, who is very musically inclined, even prefers them over my Acoustic Zen Adagios. A very different speaker and a matter of taste, but still high praise from a very musical person. I love them both for different reasons. To say that I am pleased with the results would be an understatement. In summary I think this must be one of the best values in speakers out there and they are made in the USA by a small entrepreneurial company. Give them a try - you will not be disappointed!

As a side note the speaker stands for the Volla speakers fit as if made for these speakers (rounded) - got them from MSS HIFI at a decent preice. Steve is planning on making stands for them as well in the near future.