Best Loudspeakers for Rich Timbre?

Your argument that apogee would sound better if it were higher impedance is false based on imperial evidence.  Case in point the 1 ohm Schintilla sounded better than 4 ohm Schintilla, as long as you could find an amp that could drive 1 ohm load.  

@dracule1
I think you missed my point. As far as I know, there isn't any empirical evidence, because there is no way to make a four ohm speaker magically 8 ohms or more because the design would be different.
I'm looking at this from the point of view of the amplifier, which will sound the best if its distortion is kept to a minimum, and that is done only when the amp drives a higher impedance.
The idea is to avoid the brightness and harshness which is how the ear interprets small amounts of higher ordered harmonic distortion, as well as increased intermodulation distortion. The only way to do that is to have the amp drive a higher impedance. You can't get rid of it by turning down the treble since the brightness is caused by distortion, not frequency response. You can turn down the treble and brightness is still there.

You and I are both not convinced by our rooms at RMAF and the like. We've only gotten sound I really liked at a show twice- once was in Munich, and the other was at THE Show many years ago in Las Vegas.

I hope my DeVore O/93’s are on your list of the speakers that meet your preferred characteristics.

@fsonicsmith

I like them a lot; every time I've heard them they were very convincing. They are a good example of what happens when a speaker is easier to drive.

Atmasphere, seems like you’re claiming no amplifier designer knows how to design an amp that will be just as good driving a 4 ohm load as driving an 8 ohm load. Am I correct? I don’t think you speak for all amplifier designers out there.

Apogee did “magically” make a 1 ohm and 4 ohm version of the Scintilla.  There are other speaker manufacturers who make different impedance versions of the same model (eg, Tekton).  

The best sounding amp circuits today are:

1.) Devialet ADH (Class A D Hybrid)
2.) Hypex Ncore
3.) ICE

Yes, all are at least partially class D. Class D has an absolute iron grip on bass response. And the above three have gotten so state of the art, that they even surpass the best analog designs. Anyone looking for amazing timbre, look at the above first.

invictus005, I believe most will disagree with you including myself. Bass grip is not the end all for an amplifier design. I auditioned the Devialet, and it doesn’t have the harmonic richness of most tube amps or the best solid state amps.

seems like you’re claiming no amplifier designer knows how to design an amp that will be just as good driving a 4 ohm load as driving an 8 ohm load. Am I correct? I don’t think you speak for all amplifier designers out there.

@dracule1
Yes, you are correct and I think you will find that any designers will admit to the same. Keep in mind though that this is not the same as saying that the X brand amp can or can't double power as impedance is halved.

I know you don't believe me; just look at the specs of any amplifier.

I believe most will disagree with you including myself. Bass grip is not the end all for an amplifier design.

Yes- in fact its not really a 'thing' at all. There really aren't any speakers that need more than a 20:1 damping factor, and most need something a bit less for optimal bass response.

Yes, all are at least partially class D. Class D has an absolute iron grip on bass response. And the above three have gotten so state of the art, that they even surpass the best analog designs. Anyone looking for amazing timbre, look at the above first.

There really isn't anything that is partially class D. It either is or it isn't. IME most class D amps fall apart in the bass until you get to recent examples made in the last few years.