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
BP7000sc OK,OK I have not heard any speakers over $16,000, but I have heard most of the more available speakers under that number. I owned Linaeum Model 3s for years (Sad story about that company and technology). I tried Def Tech Mythos when I thought I was going into "Home Theater". The theater idea was a joke but I discovered that I did like the Mythos as standalones for music. Moved them into the listening room and liked them very much. Broke an input and called Definitive for a replacement. Had a great discussion and asked them what was the best speaker they had ever made. "The BP7000sc" they said. We talked some more and it turns out they still made that model even though they don't advertise it much. Long story short (too late for that, I see), I bought a pair. WOW! I have a large-ish room (5400 cu. ft.) and these guys fill it up.
I like the bi-polar approach. And get this - because of the built in 1500w bass amps, they are so efficient (92db I think) that they can be played with 8 watt tube amps! The midrange is superb - great layering and depth. Spot-on timbre. Treble is goes way up, no sibilants. Unforgiving on bad CDs. Bass is prodigious yet tuneful when dialed in.
Only weakness I hear in this speaker is that the bass and the rest is not quite as seamless as it could be on some material. Still working on this. Seriously, open your minds and give a listen.
Vapor Audio Cirrus Black - after being moved from home for work for the last 3 months, I finally got home this week and fell in love with them all over again. For my ears they're just the perfect balance of all the audiophile buzz words.
Vapor Audio Cirrus Black - after being moved from home for work for the last 3 months, I finally got home this week and fell in love with them all over again. For my ears they're just the perfect balance of all the audiophile buzz words.
Doc77, aren't you more than just a Vapor speaker owner? Don't you work shows with Vapor Audio? If you are promoting at shows for them doesn't that cross the line here?
There are probably many speakers available which outperform the ARS Acoustica Celera (taken into account retail price), but I have yet to hear them. I especially like the way they disappear sonically, and the sheer clarity and directness of the portrayed musical image. Every single note appears to be amplified individually, without pulling apart the music as a whole. Sadly discontinued, but very, very high on my wanted list, and hopefully available secondhand in the main future.