The best speaker you ever heard?

The best speaker, which I have heard at $50k or above, is the Vandersteen 7. The midrange was the best I have heard from a cone speaker. The runner up is the MBL 101e speaker. The tone was less transparent, but a pair has the best image and air.

The best speaker that I have heard below $50k is my own Salk SoundScape 10. To a much lesser degree, this speaker combines the strengths of both of the speakers above.

The best speaker, which I have heard below $5k, is the Philharmonic 2. This speaker has the most natural sound of any speaker that I have heard, but it doesn’t have a totally dead cabinet like the others do. Also, it is not as commanding a speaker as the more expensive ones.

As you can tell I like a natural transparent speaker rather than a warm speaker.

Bob

For me it would have to be the Magnepan MG20. I have always been a big Maggie fan. I love the deep low end but also the wide open sound stage typical of a planer speaker. Since the sound of a speaker is subjective to individual taste that is the one that does it for me. That is the best of the best.

Devore orangutan 0/96......fantastic

When this question comes up, my mind always goes back to that day in 1986, when I heard a pair of klipschorns at Flip's Stereo in St. Louis, MO playing Paul Simon's "Graceland" CD...now THAT was an awesome experience! A lot of it had to do with the room, I'm sure, but still, that has to rank as the best sound I've ever heard coming out of a pair of home loudspeakers.

Thiel CS 3.7s.