One word: Hales. Although I never got to meet Paul, I had the good fortune of meeting his business partner/co-designer Larry. A real class act. I spent a couple of years working on the sales floor of No.Cal's only Hales dealer in Oakland in 2000-01 and the Hales were just the best sound overall that I had ever heard. Nothing too esoteric, just good solid design and execution with quality components. Such a shame the company left the consumer market so abruptly.
After they closed, the boss asked us to spend time with other speakers to help pick a brand to fill the hole in our product lineup. We already carried Meridian and Genelec on the active side, B&W, Canton and Triad on the passive side, so the new brand had to fit well at the top. Reps from several manufacturers came by to show their wares. The boss eventually went with Snell, and they are very nice speakers. But nothing ever really came close to the overall music that flows out of Paul's designs to my ears. -jz
After they closed, the boss asked us to spend time with other speakers to help pick a brand to fill the hole in our product lineup. We already carried Meridian and Genelec on the active side, B&W, Canton and Triad on the passive side, so the new brand had to fit well at the top. Reps from several manufacturers came by to show their wares. The boss eventually went with Snell, and they are very nice speakers. But nothing ever really came close to the overall music that flows out of Paul's designs to my ears. -jz