Speaker types- your preference and your journey?

Back in the 1970's I built a pair of large box speakers using Jensen tri-axial drivers.  I enjoyed those for years (still have them) until I purchased a pair of A/D/S L810s.  I stupidly sold the L810s as I started my "audiophile" journey to make way for a few different B&W speakers since those seemed to be the speaker du jour at the time.  For a while, I actually liked the sound of M803 IIs powered by big SS Classe' and BAT amps.  Then, after reading too many audio magazine articles, audio "upgrade" stupidity drove me to try a pair of Alon Vs that just never worked for me (too soft in the bass, lack of focus, and incompatibility with SS amplifiers).  Trying to get back to what I enjoyed about the L810s, I discovered Michael Kelly's Aerial Speaker line (Kelly was formerly with A/D/S).  I tried a pair of Aerial Model 9s and those moved the sound of my system closer to the dynamic impact I enjoyed with the L810s and M803 IIs, but the Model 9s didn't seem to reach the level of resolution and bass definition I was looking for.  A pair of Aerial LR5s (sealed boxes with dual 9-inch woofers) along with two Aerial SW12 subs finally delivered the level of resolution and dynamics that I had been looking for and, once I found amplifiers that delivered the quality and quantity of power those speakers require, the Aerial LR5/SW12 set-up has kept up with all of my subsequent system improvements.

I started out with a pair of hand-me-down AR-1s. Then added a pair of Large Advents to create an ersatz Quad system with a Dynaco Quadapter. After awhile, I sold the ARs and got another set of Large Advents but jettisoned the quad idea and went to full on stereo. My little Dynaco SCA-35 didn’t have the uumpf to drive all four so I got an Advent receiver for its preamp section and bought my pop’s GAS Ampzilla. Stacking the Advents tweeter to tweeter and now properly powered it was a rig I remember foldly! The turntable was a Kenwood KD-500 with an SME3009.

Traded the Advents in for a set of Boston Acoustics A-400s. Awesome speakers for the time. Then I moved to Denver and had it ALL burgled from me except the GAS for some reason. Maybe they were too stupid to realize what it was. Or to lazy to carry it. So, starting over...

Infinity RS-8s then I heard a pair of Acoustat 1+1s... And every time I turn them on it’s like hearing them for the first time. Big smiles and getting lost in the music. 

So yeah, electrostats!

Happy listening.

Infinity 1001A  My first decent speakers, for my college dorm rooms.

B&O  I don't recall the model no., but these were their top of the line floor-standing speakers, 4-way, IIRC, with lovely rosewood cabinets and black metal stands. They sounded a little better than the Infinities, but were not really audiophile-level.

Magneplanar 2.5c?  My memory is hazy for the exact model no.  These sounded great if there was no strong bass frequencies in the music, but were thin when there was that kind of bass.

Apogee Duetta II  Still my main speakers after all these years.  Fantastic soundstaging like the Maggies, but much better bass response.  They were taken to the next level when upgraded by TrueSoundWorks a few years ago.  For my moderate-sized, asymmetrical listening room and musical tastes, I don't think there are better speakers unless the newer ribbon planar speakers are better--I haven't heard them.  No need for a subwoofer with the Duettas, although if I didn't care about the floor space needed, I wouldn't mind trying subwoofers.  I suspect the asymmetrical L-shaped configuration of the open floor plan would mean higher bass on one side than the other, but I suppose that could be adjusted.

For secondary systems in smaller rooms,  I've gone with mid-level floorstanders and an active bookshelf pair from Paradigm and PSB, both Canadian companies that produce high-value, good-sounding conventional speakers.  They're fine for me for background listening.

My first pair of speakers were home built floor standers built by my brother.  Not sure where he got the components, they sounded great when I was 14 and he gave them to me along with a cheap Symphonic receiver.  I used that system until I turned 17 and bought a Marantz 2270 in 1972.  I wanted a pair of JBL L100's but the sales guy talked me into a cheaper set of Electro Voice Interface A's.  They had a dome tweeter and a 10" driver and a 10" vent.  I had these for a long time but they eventually disintegrated and I didn't think they were worth fixing.  In the early 90's I went with a Luxman integrated amp, CD player and a nice 3 head cassette deck.  I recorded my own cassettes for use in my car, never bought a commercial cassette.  I added a pair of NEAR (New England Audio Research) speakers, conventional 3-way floor standers.  Great speakers for the money and are still in great shape.  Then in 2019 I purchased a set of Goldenear Reference speakers and a Naim Uniti Star all-in-one.  That's my system today, but got the itch again.  I use Sonos speakers in various rooms and my garage, meh, they're OK.

I was a sophomore in high school (1975) when I purchased my first speakers: a set of KLH bookshelf speakers.  Off to college and fell in love with a set of RTR 300D towers. Prior to graduating college I moved up to the RTR satellite subwoofer system - DAC1 and SAT1's.  My wife gifted me a second DAC1 subwoofer as a wedding gift (she's a keeper and has been for 44 years!).  The RTR subwoofers were truly ahead of their time with sealed chambers and passive radiators and tested flat down to 16 Hz. and they were like large end tables!  I've also owned AR, Martin Logan, Infinity and DCM.  Lastly I've settled on a set of Maggies - 3.7i with a set of REL S5/10 subs. Very pleased.