What are the best speakers you have ever listened to (1 Viewer)

I would be interrested in the best speakers you have ever heard, or shall I say the best sonic experince you have ever had.

My first and most lasting impression in hifi was with Fidelity Acoustics RFM-2 loudspeakers, driven by Naim separates, both of I'm thankful to now own. This experience alone was enough for me to decide to build a 2-channel stereo system, instead of the surround home theater system I'd originally intended to.

Probably the best speakers I've ever listened to are Sonus Faber loudspeakers, also driven by Naim separates. Interestingly, my Fidelity Acoustics speakers share the same Scan-Speak ring radiator tweeter, its no wonder I love the two sets of speakers.

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About two years ago I auditioned Sonus Faber Stradivari powered by two Krell 600 Watt mono blocks. The Demo disk was Breaking Silence by Janis Ian and I have to tell you this was the most amazing Sonic High I have ever had. Finnaly I special ordered this CD for $49.00 to chase that incredible rush. Well I put it on my system (which I have around $35.000.00 invested for sound) and nothing, no rush at all, not even close. I have agree with you Sonus Farber are the most incredible speakers I have ever listened to.

Fellow HTF'er Phil A's Thiel speakers.

I was luck enough to listen to a pair of these.....
.Meridian DSP8000 Digital Active Loudspeaker

with one of these



http://www.meridian-audio.com/p_d8k.htm.


It was the most amazing listening expriance I have ever been privy to. The detail was just utterly amazing. I was hearing things in my CD's which I have heard 1000's of times ) that I have never heard before. Imagaing was spot on and even at ear bleed level there wasnt a hint of distortion.




GIDDY UP

Phil, I've actually sold the 7.2s. I have Thiel 3.7s and like them better and they are easier to drive. Thanks for the compliment! The room has lots to do with how something will sound too. It's the most overlooked component. Without making my place look like something that's not for living in, I've used an RTA and treated the main room nicely.

Recently, I visited Sun Studios in Memphis, which is now a national landmark and museum and found the design of the studio where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and a host of other performers got a start, quite interesting in the way the main studio was designed to eliminate some problems.

I've seen too many audiophiles buy really silly expensive things that are not suited to the room and while they may have the capability of sounding excellent just don't cut it in their environment. When a friend of mine worked at a local hi-fi shop several years back we delivered $20k mono blocks (220 lbs. each in their crate) and a $16k 2 channel preamp and hooked them to $85k list speakers and took out $12k list speakers. I've heard the $85k speakers sound quite good at a show but in a small room (probably about 9x17) with metal Boltz racks filled with LPs along the walls they actually didn't sound all that good. The $12k list speakers we pulled out sounded better in that room.

I've heard those and they do sound quite good.

I love my Thiels as well. I got 3.6s about 6 months after they came out. I doubt 3.7s are in my future. Anyway, the best I have heard was the 3.6s driven by a little 50 watt, pure class a amp, and a Nakamichi CD player with variable output (no pre-amp) I used to have. It was absolutely transparent, but the amp didn't have the guts to satisfy all my needs.

The room is so right. I spent probably a couple years on mine, with the speakers ending up about 4 feet out from the front wall. Not many rooms would handle that.

On Monday I was at my local hifi store, they were showing off an $80,000 McIntosh stereo system. I was shocked at how boring I found the system, not engaging in the least bit. We compared it to a $10,000 Naim system (the system I now own), which just blew it away. My Naim system is just a small 50-watt amp, and a solid CD player. In many respects it was the room that let the McIntosh system down, but there's no question in my mind that throwing money into audio will not guarantee a strong system.

Now on the other hand, the $18,000 Linn LP12 turntable they were showing off, with an Ekos SE tonearm and Akiva cartridge was simply astounding... I couldn't imagine this system sounding bad on any set of speakers, absolute magic to listen to.

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH Turntables. Beats the crap out of those down loaded mp3 crap

Pioneer TAD Reference One.

Today I have had a chance to audition the Evo-2 System by Micon-Audio and I do have to say for HT I was impressed, these Wool-Carbon drivers did'nt crack no matter how much power we gave them. I do have to say I was was blown away by the impact these speakers had. These things did'nt flintch at all.

Dunlavy SC-IVs powered by McIntosh that could have been placed better in the room had the owner cared more about sound than appearance. Still the most musical experience I've ever had from electronics.

Greg

Without question, the best I've ever heard is Allison speakers. They are hard to find now days, since the company is out of business. Occasionally, eBay has some, but other than that, good luck finding any.

Martin Logan electrostatics always sounded wonderful to me in 2 ch. I haven't auditioned any speakers in a couple years though.

[ It must have been at least 25 years ago when I listend to Allsion speakers. I remember they had Schnell, Piramid, Ohm and Allison, and the Allison where the most impressive those days.

Alright! Somebody that has heard of them!
I have a pair of Allison AL-115 speakers that I use as my fronts. I love them. They are about 15 yrs. old now, and still going strong. My ex bossman came over one day and listened to movie demos and music. When he heard the music play through them, he wanted to immediately go buy a pair. The place I bought mine had sold out, and wasn't getting any more since Allison went out of business.

They opened for business again, after being closed about 10 yrs. Now they are closed again. Roy Allison said the newer PB 8.2 speakers, are the same speaker as mine. They renamed them when they reopened and started building them again. Mine were $400 pr., but the PB 8.2 were about $1350 pr. At another forum awhile back, a guy posted a link to a business in California, that still had a new pair of Allison Ones. They were on sale for almost $4000.

There are some AL-115s on eBay now, along with some other Allisons. I'd love to be able to get that pair of AL-115s, to use as my rear speakers!

The best I've ever heard are VMPS RM2 speakers. Very detailed sound, every subtle nuance of a performance comes through, incredible granularity. And also very smooth, no harshness to the sound. And I'm very happy to say these are also the speakers we have in our stereo system.

At one of the local stores they had a set of Dynaudio Evidence Temptations driven by Simaudio Moon Reference P-8 Preamplifier and W-8 Amplifier using a Moon Supernova CD player. They played Hugh Masekela's "Coal Train" or "Stimela" track from his "Hope" CD. It was simply amazing.

I picked up the CD and tried the same song on my system (also Dynaudio and Simaudio - but a couple of steps down the food chain...) and decided that the "trickle-down" technology was working. My system sounded pretty good, but could not compare with the Temptations.

I can highly recommend the "Hope" album by Masekela.

Mike

Infinity cascade.