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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
tbg
5,263 posts
 
Gandme, I sure this would be tied to the number of each speaker sold, but what is the causality? Would you buy something because it was popular?
wynnosu's avatar
wynnosu
23 posts
 
When I read the comments about the Bose 901s, I thought it must be sarcasm. I remember being in Sound Associates in Bowling Green, Ohio in about 1974. We went there to listen to the Infinity QRS speakers with Audio Research and GAS electronics, along with a Linn LP12. After some listening, a salesman I wasn't familiar with came into the room and asked if we would like to hear the Bose, which were suspended from the ceiling,

When he switched them on, my friend and I looked at each other like, "OK... what's the joke?" They were, without question, the worst "high end" speaker I had heard then and until this day. I'm not an electrical engineer, but how someone would expect a relatively small box enclosure with nine equally sized midrange speakers to reproduce the entire audio spectrum seemed an impossible task.

I will NEVER forget that experience.

On the plus side, the Magnepan Tympanis, back in 1978, were probably the speakers that really got me started in high end audio. Matched with an Audio Research D-79 and SP-6 pre, again with a Linn table, was audio nirvana at that time. Probably would still sound pretty decent.
hifisoundguy
630 posts
 
Wynnosu , these Bose 901's are some of the most revealing speakers on the market and I found out by doing few tweaks to them they really come alive and sound amazing !!

You need to take OFF ALL these "fiberglass" grilles because I have never heard speakers that sounded better with the grilles ON and sure not grilles made of fiberglass !!

On the backside of these 901's where most of the speaker drives are, there's a lot plastic parts that are sticking out...those ports and other plastic parts that just COLORS the SOUND WAY TOO MUCH !! After I covered all these plastic parts with teflon tape you don't hear this anymore!...maybe covering these plastic parts with non-hardening modeling clay would be better, I don't know.

What I found very important with these 901's was using GOOD interconnects and speaker cables, just as important as "set-up", maybe MORE important!.. and the best cables I have found was Crimson R.M. Music Link cables. These cables are so GOOD with these 901's that it's like Crimson custom made these cables just for these 901's !...

We all think that the "stock" pair of 901's are better than the new Magnepan 1.7's.

And we all think two pair of modified 901's "STACKED" with all the grilles OFF and teflon tape on ALL the plastic parts sticking OUT are as GOOD as my friends Quad ESL 2905's !!

After hearing two pair of these modified 901's "stacked" it's very addictive and very hard going back to listening to just one pair...ever again !!...

We will NEVER get a magazine review on these modified 901's "stacked" BUT maybe some of the 901 owners out there will try this and let us know what they think about it....

tbg
5,263 posts
 
Wynnosu, I had a very similar experience which has left me entirely close minded about Bose. I liked the Magnepan Tympanies also until I heard a six foot wide mouth on a female singer.
hifisoundguy
630 posts
 
Tbg , this news could be GOOD news for some 901 owners out there and very BAD news for all the "BOSE BASHERS" OUT THERE... .. ...
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