What's the best speaker you have heard?

124

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  • classic carl
    classic carl Posts: 648
    edited February 2010
    Monitor Audio Gold GS60 powered by a Cary tube amp and pre, sourced with a VPI TT and a Dynavector cartridge.
    Main System:
    Proton AA-1150 ~ Yamaha C-4 ~ Furman Elite-15 DMi ~ Sennheiser HD600 ~ Monitor Audio Silver RS8 & FB210 ~ Martin Logan Dynamo ~ Teac R-919X ~ Marantz CD5003 ~ Squeezebox Classic ~ Music Hall dac25.2 ~ Dual 1229/Acutex M312 III STR ~ Music Hall mmf-5.1/Goldring 1012GX ~ Music Hall Cruise Control 2.0

    Home Theater:
    Vizio V585-H11 ~ Yamaha RX-V800 ~ Furman Elite-15 DMi ~ Marantz DV6001 ~ EPI M90 ~ Polk Audio RT35i ~ CS400i ~ (2) Polk Audio PSW450

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  • Montoya
    Montoya Posts: 506
    edited February 2010
    I went to a new to me local hifi store yesterday signature audio they had a pair of Martin Logan CLX on demo simply amazing speakers. The best I have ever heard but way out of my price range. The store front was really nice and the guy running the place was really helpful I'm going to buy a Nad 375Bee from them this Friday. If your in the Houston area check them out way better than modia by far.
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  • curved
    curved Posts: 664
    edited February 2010
    Monitor Audio PL300 powered by McIntosh gear (tube).
    Living Room:....................[HTML] [/HTML] Zone 2 (Workout Room):
    AVR - Yamaha RX-V757......JBL 4312 Pro Monitors
    Pre - Nak CA-5
    AMP - Adcom 555 (Main)
    Main - Polk RTI8**/RTiA5
    AMP - Adcom 545II (Center)
    Center - Polk CSiA4**
    Sub - Snell Basis 300:p......Zone 3 (Outside)
    CD - Yamaha CDC-555.......Def Tech AW5500
    TV - Pani TH-42PZ80U
    BR - LG BD390
    Monster HTS1600 Power Center
    Dedicated Circuit - (2) 20amp, (1) 15amp
    Ben's IC, Canare 4S11
    **Dayton and Sonicap Caps with Mills Resistors**
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  • jz0h4d
    jz0h4d Posts: 33
    edited February 2010
    Big Maggies.
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  • hangon
    hangon Posts: 228
    edited March 2010
    I can not wait to hear the New MG 1.7's from Magnepan...
    Any and all McIntosh gear....
    HT Theater

    SRS-SDA 2.3tl RDO's
    Custom Center made out of a RTA15tl
    Pioneer Elite SC-25 Receiver
    CineNova Grande 5 channel Amp
    Klipsch KA-1000-THX Sub Amp
    (2)Klipsch KW-120-THX Subs

    Basement System

    SRS-SDA 1.2 upgraded Xover
    Pioneer Elite SC-25 Receiver
    ADCOM GFA 5500
    ADCOM GFA 5503
    Yahama P7000S Pro Audio Amp
    dbx 120x-ds Sub-harmonic Synthesizer
    2-JBL 4645C Subs
    1-Paradigm SW2200 Sub
    Klipsch Reference in wall's
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  • JPSmario
    JPSmario Posts: 142
    edited March 2010
    I spent an hour mesmerized by a pair of B&W 800's (perhaps D's?) a couple of years ago . I don't remember what the preamp or monoblocks were, but I could hear chairs creaking and someone licking their lips just before the music started. I'd like to hear a pair of Ohm F's again with the ears I have now. 35 years ago they were amazing, that piano was in the room somewhere...
    Dual 1229/Grado Gold/Rotel RCD1070/RC995/RB980BX/Pioneer 7100/Denon DRM710/Monster HTS3600MKII/PolkAudio SDA2B/TL's
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  • BAD ASP
    BAD ASP Posts: 361
    edited March 2010
    Best so far for me are my modded 1.2's on the 425wpc sunfire. I have heard some other systems but I really don't have any audiophile nuts like us so I can only compare them to what I have. My reference is the 3.1tl's, modded lsi9's, mission 765e's and some Jamo's. Hands down in my house is the 1.2's and I love their sound. :D:D:D
    Home Theater
    Amp: sunfire cinema grand signature 5ch 425 wpc
    Side surround amp: Sunfire 2 X 300
    Processor: sunfire theater grand V
    Fronts:: polk sda-srs 1.2
    Rears: Polk LSiFX
    Side surrounds: Fxi5
    Center: (2)polk LSiC's
    Sub: svs pb-13 rosenut
    Hd-Dvd: toshiba xa-2
    Blue Ray: oppo bdp83se
    Projector: sony vw60
    Screen: Da-Lite 106"
    APC S20 Power conditioner
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  • MCCLIPSE
    MCCLIPSE Posts: 176
    edited March 2010
    Lightning Audio 6x9's that were in this piece of **** bronco that I once owned. It was sonic bukkake!!!! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
    Truck system so far...

    2007 Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab Hemi

    Kenwood KDC-X492 HU
    MM651 coaxials in doors

    Family Room:

    Panasonic TC-P50G25 50" Plasma
    Panasonic DMP-BD655K BDP
    XBOX 360 250GB
    Harman/Kardon HK3480(on loan)
    Monitor 70 Series II
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  • domflane
    domflane Posts: 653
    edited March 2010
    I haven't ever really listened to anything high end, except a short demo of some McIntosh monstrosities at the only HiFi shop within 100 miles, so I'd have to say either my Monitor 5's or a friend's LSi15's when we heard them at the dude's house where he bought them. The guy had some nice gear. I can't wait to hear something really amazing, because I know this is sad . . but I'm on the lookout for SDA's now for my 2 channel rig, so we'll see what happens.
    Home Theater
    RTiA5 - CSiA6 - FXiA6 - PSW650 - Pioneer Elite SC-55 - Carver AV-505 - Sony 46" 120Hz - Monster HP 2400 - Xbox 360 - Playstation 3
    2 Channel
    Polk RTA 15TL - Harman Kardon HK3485 - HK DVD48 - Signal Cable IC's and speaker cables
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  • MCCLIPSE
    MCCLIPSE Posts: 176
    edited March 2010
    seriously though, personally the best I've ever heard are the LSi15's that LSiWill owns.
    Truck system so far...

    2007 Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab Hemi

    Kenwood KDC-X492 HU
    MM651 coaxials in doors

    Family Room:

    Panasonic TC-P50G25 50" Plasma
    Panasonic DMP-BD655K BDP
    XBOX 360 250GB
    Harman/Kardon HK3480(on loan)
    Monitor 70 Series II
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  • domflane
    domflane Posts: 653
    edited March 2010
    I don't know there mcclipse, those Polk 5 x 7's you got from Kenny's place sounded pretty damn good too.
    Home Theater
    RTiA5 - CSiA6 - FXiA6 - PSW650 - Pioneer Elite SC-55 - Carver AV-505 - Sony 46" 120Hz - Monster HP 2400 - Xbox 360 - Playstation 3
    2 Channel
    Polk RTA 15TL - Harman Kardon HK3485 - HK DVD48 - Signal Cable IC's and speaker cables
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  • MCCLIPSE
    MCCLIPSE Posts: 176
    edited March 2010
    oh yeah, they had such a...transparent sound
    Truck system so far...

    2007 Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab Hemi

    Kenwood KDC-X492 HU
    MM651 coaxials in doors

    Family Room:

    Panasonic TC-P50G25 50" Plasma
    Panasonic DMP-BD655K BDP
    XBOX 360 250GB
    Harman/Kardon HK3480(on loan)
    Monitor 70 Series II
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  • thall
    thall Posts: 25
    edited March 2010
    The Wall of Sound from the first Carverfest was pretty cool.
    thall
    __________________________

    I know what I like and I like what I know.
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  • dfranks
    dfranks Posts: 207
    edited March 2010
    My wife's boss had a pair of Totem's that looked like an overgrown flyswatter. I couldn't believe my ears, they were sweet.
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited January 2011
    ben62670 wrote: »
    These
    http://www.vandersteen.com/vandersteen_001.htm
    $16,900
    Wonderful sound stage and they have great accurate sound.
    Ben
    Ditto... haven't been beat in the last five-years...

    Have to remember though that the price includes delivery and set up...
    Tour2ma wrote: »
    Vandersteen 5A's...

    Driven by Bel mono-blocks and sourced from a Theta Digital SACDP...

    mdl5mdm1.jpg
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • fbm211
    fbm211 Posts: 1,488
    edited January 2011
    Vandersteen Quatro.
    SDA-2BTL with custom IC
    Adcom 565 monoblocks--Monarchy Audio M-10 preamp
    Theta Data Basic Transport--Stello DA100 Signature DAC--Camelot Dragon Pro2 MK III
    Harman Kardon T-55c TT
    DH Labs Q-10 Signature Speaker Cables With Furez silver plated copper bananas
    Revelation Audio Labs Prophecy Cryo-Silver Reference AES/EBU
    Revelation Audio Labs Prophecy Cryo-Silver i2s digital cable
    4 Furutech FP-314Ag with FI-11cu Plugs/FI-11AG IECs--- Power Cords
    DH LABS REVELATIONS ICs-amps
    Revelation Audio Labs Paradise cryo-silver ICs-Source to pre
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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,194
    edited January 2011
    To this day the very best audio experience I have ever had was with Dynaudio C4's. They are not the top of the line nor the most expensive speaker I have ever heard but they moved me more then anything else .
    They where mated with Krell Mono blocks pre and cd player. I swore I smelled the cymbal and drum stick in the room.

    The next closest experience was the B&W N801's with again Krell. The realism of those speakers are hard to beat. One of the very best in the world.

    Other speaker that took me was the Martin Logan Prodigy. They where wired to Tube amps Audio Research Mono Blocks. Crazy sound stage and completely real sounding.

    On a more affordable level , Dynaudio Cotour 1.8 MKII's being driven by a Mark Levinson #383 intergraded blew me out of the room. They made you listen deep into the music and forgetting you are listening to a speaker demo.

    I have Installed all these speakers many times and fell in love with all of them. The bad news is I don't own any of them. Maybe one day.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • zarrdoss
    zarrdoss Posts: 2,562
    edited January 2011
    I got a chance to listen to some of these Jamos, the sound was out of this world along with the price tag!



    http://www.jamo.com/na-en/products/r-909-description/

    Attachment not found.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited January 2011
    Revel Ultima Salon

    http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/96/

    _image_library_salon_pair_lo.jpg

    Powered by Mark Levinson mono blocks, source was a Meridian cdp and Meridian pre-amp. A friend has a pair.

    Very, very impressive.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • vwfred69
    vwfred69 Posts: 54
    edited January 2011
    Allison Acoustics al115 till I blew the tweeters.
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  • Audioquest
    Audioquest Posts: 104
    edited January 2011
    For me it was the MBL's. Superb detail and soundstage. Blew away the JM Lab Grand Utopia, Wilson Grand Slam, and the Sonus Faber stuff as far as I was concerned.
    Hmmm...do I want 2 speakers or a house?
    HT: Polk SDA SRS 2.3 main fronts, Klipsch RC-25 center channel, Polk RTi-150 rears, M&K V1B sub, Denon AVR-5800, Samsung 52" LCD, Sony BDP-S550

    2 Channel: Carver ALS Platinum, Audio Research LS-2B preamp, Counterpoint SA-100 amplifier, Integra CD player, Denon SL7D tt, TC750 phono pre, Nikko tuner
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  • shack
    shack Posts: 11,154
    edited January 2011
    Been a few years ago...but I was completely blown away by a pair of Revel Ultima Salon Speakers driven by McIntosh gear and the source was a Sony SCD-1 SACD player and the SACDs were Santana: Abraxas and Blood Sweat & Tears: Blood Sweat & Tears.


    salon_186.jpg
    "Just because you’re offended doesn’t mean you’re right." - Ricky Gervais

    "For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible." - Stuart Chase

    "Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago." - Bernard Berenson
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited January 2011
    MBLs are weird looking speakers, and I'm not sure I could pull the trigger if only for that reason; never heard them though...
    Jake
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  • gfong
    gfong Posts: 1,079
    edited January 2011
    Owned a pair of Klipsch LaScala's when I lived in West Germany in the 80's.
    Clean/crisp well defined speaker.

    Got back to Canada, got married, sold them and furnished our living room!

    Got divorced, damn I miss those speakers! :)
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,967
    edited January 2011
    Tough question, you can always pigeon hole something about a speaker. The Revel Salons mentioned were stellar, ML Prodigy, Legacy Whispers, Adventgaurd Duo's, B&W 800n, Vandy 5's, I could go on and on, would like to get an ear on the Montana Kas or Was though, the newer versions. Each speaker has it's strong points and weak ones, I settled on my Legacy Focus 20/20's because it comes close to the strong points of all the top brands with anything I throw at it, at a better price point. Easily a speaker you could live with the rest of your days, but like everything, eventually you move forward in audio and someday those big boy Montana's will be mine.
    I dig speakers that can blow your womans clothes off.:biggrin:
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • leftwinger57
    leftwinger57 Posts: 2,917
    edited January 2011
    Back from the 70s ESS HEIL AMT w/ transducers on top all powered by a Mac 2105 C-28
    pre and Dual turntable.
    2/ch--Adcom gfa555
    Infinity sm112s
    Onkyo p-301 pre
    Denon 1940ci-cdp
    2chl- Adcom GFA- 555-Onkyo P-3150v pre/amp- JVC-QL-A200 tt- Denon 1940 ci cdp- Adcom GFS-6 -Modded '87 SDA 2Bs - Dynamat Ext.- BH-5- X-Overs VR-3, RDO-194 tweeters, Larry's Rings, Speakon/Neutrik I/C- Cherry stain tops Advent Maestros,Ohm model E

    H/T- Toshiba au40" flat- Yamaha RX- V665 avr- YSD-11 Dock- I-Pod- Klipsch #400HD Speaker set-

    Bdrm- Nikko 6065 receiver- JBL -G-200s--Pioneer 305 headphones--Sony CE375-5 disc
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  • halo71
    halo71 Posts: 4,603
    edited January 2011
    Tony....can I borrow a few gran?? :biggrin:

    http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/ele/2144346584.html

    http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/ele/2142209958.html

    http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/ele/2139113599.html
    --Gary--
    Onkyo Integra M504, Bottlehead Foreplay III, Denon SACD, Thiel CS2.3, NHT VT-2, VT-3 and Evolution T6, Infinity RSIIIa, SDA1C and a few dozen other speakers around the house I change in and out.
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,967
    edited January 2011
    halo71 wrote: »
    Tony....can I borrow a few gran?? :biggrin:

    http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/ele/2144346584.html

    http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/ele/2142209958.html

    http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/ele/2139113599.html

    That first link may be overpriced if not the 20/20's. I'm still dieing to get an ear on the Focus HD or SE models. Saw some whispers for sale for 6 g's and almost risked divorce over them,since I'm still not working.:tongue:
    Hit up Legacy's website or Montana's, you'll drool, and your wallet will lock shut. I buy demos at almost half price so it isn't too bad. All in all, I'm pretty happy with my Focus 20/20's pulling double duty, If I crank them, they will blow clothes off the wife, saves money on the wineing and dineing thing.:biggrin:
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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  • PolkClyde
    PolkClyde Posts: 662
    edited January 2011
    I love my Polk 1.2's had them since 1988,but I also love the Infinity Kappa 9 I'm going to purchase a pair soon.I used to own the Kappa 8
    PolkAudioClyde
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  • megasat16
    megasat16 Posts: 3,521
    edited January 2011
    PolkClyde wrote: »
    I love my Polk 1.2's had them since 1988,but I also love the Infinity Kappa 9 I'm going to purchase a pair soon.I used to own the Kappa 8

    Kappa 9s are very good speakers but they need really powerful amps to drive. I hope you have amps issue taken care of or considered to use with the 9s.
    Trying out Different Audio Cables is a Religious Affair. You don't discuss it with anyone. :redface::biggrin:
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