What are the best speakers you have ever owned and why?


I just recently recieved my long awaited Shahinian Diapason 2’s from Vasken And they are absolutely spectacular! This got me thinking about my long journey to get here. Bless my wife for putting up with the many many many speakers that have passed through. The lifelong saga began with Magneoan MG 1’s back in college which were replaced by Dahlquist DQ 10’s. Then we traveled down a long road of speakers and systems. Magnepan Tympanis, Misson 770, Randall Rsch DQ10’s, Quad ESL single and stacked, Acoustat II, rogers LS3/5A’s, Linn Isobarik’s (2 pairs) B&W 801 Matrix, Hales Signature, Martin Logan Monolith2, Apogee Scintilla (1 ohm) Apogee Full Range, Theil SC 5A, Egglestonworks Andra, B&W Nautilius 801,Quad 63 and some I’m sure I forgot! Each speaker had its virtues and flaws but oh what a fun and a times frustrating trek! I think I have finally found my speaker to take me to retirement they do everything that I value wonderfully . They are detailed without sounding so, very dynamic, they have great low end reach, power and detail, are open sounding like a planner, their tonality and timbre seem spot on and they sound wonderful on any kind of music. Tell me about your journey!
hamr
KLH Nine electrostats! In use since February 1992. Used with Futterman H3AA OTL mono amps.
My speakers, described above, are essentially vintage/custom speakers that are not commercially available.  An important feature, to me, is that they are extremely efficient so that they work with low-powered amps (the only kind of amps I really like).  High efficiency options in commercially available speakers are somewhat limited.  The Audio Note and Devore speakers, while not extremely efficient, do work quite well with low-powered amps and they sound pretty good.  My favorite commercial speakers come from Charney Audio, but they can only be auditioned in New Jersey (or at audio shows).; the model I heard, and really liked, was reasonably compact, light in weight and very reasonably priced ($17,000) for a high-end product. 

If you go the custom-made route, check out Deja Vu Audio in Tysons Corner Virginia.  They make really good speakers from around $20k to ?? (I heard a million plus system, but, that included custom-built speakers and amp and linestage and phono amp, plus Audio Note DAC and transport and a turntable setup).  Deja Vu custom speakers can also be heard at affiliated Deja Vu stores in Miami and Los Angeles.  Goto makes components for assembling custom systems that sound very good, but, the components are extremely expensive (looking at six figures for just the drivers).
As a former dealer, we had pretty much every good speaker to listen to and compare to each other.  After a couple of years of doing this with various electronics attached, we realized that all box speakers and electrostatic versions had some positive qualities when driven with quality electronics. 

It was not until we hooked up Magnepan products that we finally realized that NO box or HORN or ELECTROSTATIC or RIBBON or any combination of these reproduced sound as accurately as Magnepan products.  Some better than others, of course, and positioning is a key item--and VERY frustrating at times--but at the end of the day, no matter what we put next to them, Magnepans were more accurate.  

Now, you may not LIKE accurate, so they are not for everyone.  For example, if you prefer kick-a__ bass, you need Cerwin-Vega (in those days) or Hartley 24" woofers, etc.  If you LOVE those shrill highs, you will love most electrostatic and/or ribbon models, etc.

This is what we discovered--no bias going in, but sure had some coming out.  Not many people are fortunate enough to have access to 20 or 30 brands of speakers and quality electronics to drive them (we were what was called back then a "HIGH-END" shop) and had only the better items on the shelf.  This is merely the result of our exploration. 

By the way, the boxes that we felt were the "best" back then were Fulton 80's and especially 100's.  Our college-day faves, Advents, were VERY, VERY INACCURATE, and the tweeters blew out at volume. We all learned a lot back then and I maintain that high quality tube electronics and Magnepan speakers can be dialed in to provide the most accurate music reproduction you can find.  Once again, you may not like it, but play your personal favorite instrument live next to a system like this and all will be revealed.

Cheers!