The best speaker you ever heard?

Silverlne Sontata MKII

Probably a pair of huge SoundLabs, powered by Atma-Sphere amps. If I had a ballroom-size listening room and lotsa dough, that's what I would get myself. The SoundLabs, anyway.

The best speaker I've ever heard is the monitor audio platinum 500 G2 it outperforms speakers that cost 75 to $100,000. 

@roxy54  never mind, I didn't know how old these posts were
 

That’s ok. Thanks for showing us who you are. Much appreciated….

@roxy54  never mind, I didn't know how old these posts were

Huh? What are you referring to @grislybutter ?

Trump? Oh boy.... how much lower can it get?

ls35b

I'm relatively sheltered but the best I've heard in person were a pair of Magico S5 Mk IIs. A week ago. Mouth open, stupid grin amazement.

May have been the synergy of the system driving them, but for the sake of argument, I'll give most of the credit to the speakers.

The electrovoice carlton 4 speaker from 1948 but not released until 1954 is the best i have because of  the amount of recorded information they reveal that other speakers just gloss over along with unbounded dynamics and authority they are truly amazing on every type of music but shine on the challenging music that other speakers can not handle.

The more I listen, the more I realize that I'm part of teh group that's supper sensitive to time and phase correct speakers.  I'm talking true time and phase correct and that means the whole system.  

It's more expensive to make a speaker this way and the crossover isn't cheap, nor is it easy to do correctly.  There are only a handful of speaker who are built this way, but when you hear it set up properly, you get the emotion that is often times absent (to my ears) in many of the 150k plus speakers out there.  Almost like the OLD tube vs SS deal.  I had owned tubes only since the mid 70's until I found some SS companies that were neither tube nor SS.  again, just my take.

First Post here.
The best speakers I ever heard in person, were the Carver Amazing loud Speakers, driven by Carver Silver Seven amps (Yamaha Natural sound Preamp, and Digital Time lens processor).
This was back in 1987 at The Groove Audio Video in Houston. It was life changing, holographic to the point you were INSIDE the music.
When funds allow it I am getting some Martin Logan EM ESLs, and will drive them with a PS Audio Stellar S300, and a Shiit Freya+.

Best speaker I’ve heard and now own are the Kyron Audio Gaia. Not cheap but the sound is sublime.
AG 🇦🇺

And while I am on this thread, my sentiments would favor the TAD Reference One. 

My own Linn AV 5140s, run Activ using Exakt and an Akurate Hub (Katalyst) source.  No analog interconnects.  I am truly amazed by how much better they sound like this compared to the system they were previously used in (AV5105, passive), which I thought was outstanding.

Von Schweikert Ultra 11

I don’t think I ever heard a speaker get as close to reproducing the scale of an orchestra, but also get a lone singer with an acoustic guitar so right in size and scale.

All the while, not sounding dynamically compressed, extremely detailed, and get timbre right, too.

And if it wasn’t already validated before, this should serve as certifying any and all perceptions...

Amen to that.

TRUMP is the best speaker I've heard !

MBL 101 Extremes by a mile...

1. Stenheim (Alumine 5)
2. Ensemble (Ondiva)
3. FM Acoustics (XS1)


4. Zellaton (Statement)
5. Focal (Sopra)







6. Trenner & Friedl (Ra, Isis)
7. Oswalds Mill Audio (Imperia, Ironic)

For me it's still the Vandersteen System 9 (pair of sub 9's with Model 7 mk2).  I've heard the larger Magico's, Rockports, top two Wilson's, Von Schwiekerts, Dynaudio's top three models as well as the largest Maggies (newest), Tidal's and others in the over 100k league.  

Vandy still gives me the goosebumps.  I have always been drawn to true phase and time correct speakers and I'm not into digital room correction for bass built in etc...  I've yet to hear it done properly.  

That doesn't mean that I couldn't own some of these others and love them, but I'd want the Vandersteen's and I wasn't even a fan years ago.  Just like any other speaker, they need to be set up correctly.  I've been blessed to be able to audition so much awesome gear.  Oh, I like the Kharma's too.  Another excellent speaker.

The Vienna Acoustic Liszt were above and beyond the worst speaker I have ever had the displeasure of owning...I cannot imagine The Music sounds any different given the similarities. Dream elsewhere...caveat emptor!

ozzy

not saying i agreed with what he would be saying... but his speaking skills were/are unparalleled... if you listened, you were drawn in, could not misunderstand what he was trying to convey

best speaker in that sense 😁😁😁

bill clinton, conveyed ideas in plain english, compelling and

No Bill Clinton fan here at all. But I think most any sane person would welcome him back with open arms when viewed in the current climate..........

I would love to hear Vienna acoustics 'the music'. Big wilsons in big rooms sound amazing, the raidho d1.2 in the right room but for the cost of the wilsons you could follow your favorite musicians around the world for years so. meh 

bill clinton, conveyed ideas in plain english, compelling and 

I have heard the Infinity IRS---as well as their original Servo-Static I and RS-1b (which I for a time owned), Wilson WAMM, current big Wilsons (don’t know that model, but they retail for around $200,000, I believe), single and stacked Quads (my own), Magnepan 30.7 (and the earlier Tympani T-IVa, upon which the 30.7 is based. I currently own a pair), all the Acoustats, Jadis horns, Altec Voice Of The Theater, Marten Coltrane, all the Martin Logans, big SoundLabs, Vandersteen Model 5, and others that don’t come to mind at this moment.

But if I was to go out and buy a pair now, the Sanders ESL would be at the top of my list. I’ve heard them twice, and LOVED ’em!

Infinity IRS with all Levinson and top Walker turntable.

I agree with erik squires! The Snell Type A's are still a world champion speaker even 44 years later. Peter Snell got the "magic" right using three drivers in a sealed box! I have a pair from the original owner!

All rounder: Snell A/III

What they got right: Amazing top to bottom integration, tremendous bass, perfect imaging, great off axis. Imagine the combination of Wilson’s bass plus Martin Logan's imaging but without tonal exaggerations anywhere to be found.

Amazing imaging: Early Martin Logal full range ESLs. Terrible tonal balance compared to today’s standards.

20 year old thread and while I was skipping a page here and there I didn’t see votes for the speakers that impressed me the most. Usually my favorite is the pair I just sold til my ears get used to the pair I have then within a year or so I find something, some characteristic that breaks the spell and the cycle restarts. 

The new ProAc K3 and K6's ! 
 
ProAc has got these boxes tuned just right and your music sounds so uncanny Real.. much like you hear at a Live Concert !  

I don't hear this when listening to the Magico A5's or M6's or Vivid Audio and others I've heard in the past. 

 This could be End-Game speakers for a lot of us ! 

 

Some monsterously huge Focals something or other, years back at the RMAF. Using electromagnets for their bass drivers etc. 
Impossible to afford and useless in any of the listening areas I ever called my own, plus zero WAF to boot. 
So in answer to the OP's question, in real life none, sounding better than what I own since 1996, Burmester 961. 
Maybe some Karma 3 way units might sound a lot better. I do find their looks suit my taste, though their prices not so much. 🙄

Amen.
M. 🇿🇦 

As of today...the B&W 800D3.

Klipschorns! Too big and too expensive so, I just keep coming back to my very old but upgraded Klipsch Quartets. I have owned Martin Logan Sequel lls, AR-3s, JBL Decade 36s, Allison CD8s and CD9s, Klipsch Forte early version, Klipsch Heresy lls. All of the above were great speakers, just love my Quartets.

New Alta Audio Alec with the new Accuphase E-800

MBL 101e
Alsyvox Botticellis
Vaughn Zinfandel
Lansche 7.2

JM Lab grand utopia

MAGICO Q3and MAGICO M3.

Tidal 'Arira' ..just amazing

In my humble opinion is a DIY project.
It is a line array project made with 9 Jordan Eikona drivers for each speaker.
It's also a crossoverless design.
Outstanding scene dept, with a powerful, quick and dynamic sound.
The total project cost is quite high, yes, but the final sound is mindblowing.

For me many speakers can sound marvellous function of their embeddings in the acoustical field of the room....All speakers are not equal for sure, but most speakers were used in badly acoustically controlled room.... Then unsatisfied people upgrade the speakers instead of treating the room … The rest is audio reviews and marketing history... :)

The variety of answers in here prove one thing, tastes differ and opinions are opinions.

I myself do not have experience listening to super high end speakers but I own the modest F208 Revels.

Tannoy gold modified of the 70 era....

MAGICO DUDE!!

Tidal contriva G2 (magico m2 runner up)

All speakers being compromised it's hard for me to single out "best."

But in terms of realism, the most realistic sounds I've ever heard from a speaker came from the MBL 101s (one time at a reviewer's house, another at a dealer).  It made all other speakers I've heard sound like they were just "trying" and like collections of boxes and tweeters.

That's not to say the MBLs are perfect of course, just that when playing the right material I haven't heard anything that real.

First time I took a hit off a joint baba o'riley was playing on a tabletop radio and i've been chasing that sound ever since.

Got to hear the two top Wilson speakers recently.  I thought they were much better than in the past generation, but still didn't do it for me.  Vandy 7's still sit at the top of my personal perch.