Quote:

An ex-girlfriend has my pair. It's a long story.

Slightly off topic perhaps, but does she happen to be named "Lorena Bobbitt" ?

OK! Buddha, In no particular order.
AR3's The first time I heard good bass from a reasonably sized box.
Rogers LS/3 Didn't like the bass but oh the midrange.
Magnepan MG1's My first panels. Have owned no boxes since.
Quad ESL 57's No bass and no real volume but the best midrange I have ever heard at any price. They sold me on electrostatic sound.
Apogee Grand's In my wilder/younger days I might have given up a testicle for them. I like them a lot more than the Infinity IRS's.

Buddha, I am looking for a pair of Acoustat 2+2's to replace my Model 2SW's. I want the added panel area so I can get rid of my subwoofers. I had a pair of Model 3's in the past and the bass was flat to 32Hz in my old room. My current house/room was not wide enough for them so I've been using the Model 2SW's. A fire on the second floor and subsequent remodeling has made the the 2+2's workable. I also have a pair of Model 1's for my rears when listening to multichannel and movies. Maybe later I'll look for some 1+1's to replace those.

Buddha,

Great post and I'll take up the beginners end of things with a few speakers that have helped to open the door into big and better thing for many an audiophile.

1) The Spica T-50 - Okay so it had no bass and looked kinda weird but what it have was golden smooth and very sweet.

2) DCM Time Windows - Another odd looking speaker that was a little bass shy but again, very sweet sounding and lots of bang for the buck.

3) Vandersteen Model 2c (e,i, etc.) - Along with the ubiquitous Quads these speakers have ushered more listeners into the land of good sound than any other single piece of audio equipment over the last twenty some odd years.

4) & 5) I'm leaving these slots open for two inexpensive but high caliber bookshelf speakers. Anyone have a few suggestions?

Great thread!

My picks:

Dalquist DQ 10s as well.

The Quads that AD is refurbining

Polk Model 10's. They were the first speaker that I bought that my wife also wanted. That happens about as much as a solar eclipse. They would not take much power, but were very musical and much fun.

AR 3: The one speaker I wish I had never sold. My current AR58's are my replacement, and although I like the 2 cubic foot design and I am not sure it they are all the 3 was. The are strong to 30 hz in my room and measure very flat in my room.
AR 58

AR-LST Good design that just wasn't very marketable for some reason.

AR 2ax: For those that could not ante up for the AR 3s, the 2axs were not stealing much from their owners.

Dynaco A-25: for the money a great audio bargain. If someone had invented sub-woofers in the early 70's how different would things have been.

KLH 17: This and the Dynaco A25 were even Consumer Reports favorites, which, I know make us all nervous. They did get these recommendations right.

Klipsch Cornwalls: I really wanted a pair of those or the recently reviewed referbed Bozak Concert Grands. Maybe not great measurers, but still great audio fun. Just always out of my reach financially back then.

Allison 1. Smooth and very musical.

Rogers LS3/5: I tried to become a dealer back in the 70's and the people were so hard to deal with. I gave up the fight. They did not have a dealer in the entire state I was in. Go figure.

You may enjoy these links below:

Speaker Link

Classic Speakers

Enjoy.

In no particular order:

1.

JansZen Z-600 Those electrostatic tweeters were awesome. But I blew the woofers twice with a Phase Linear 400. These were my first decent speakers.

2.

Rogers LS3/5A This was the speaker that made me a real audio fanatic. The imaging of this speaker floored me. I think a blind person would have believed there were four men singing opera in the store. I hope to get a pair of the Stirling Broadcast LS3/5A speakers later this year.

3. Maggie SMGA (Baby Maggies) I was knocked out by these the first time I heard them. A week later I got a job at the store and got a pair for 1/2 price.

I now have a pair of Maggie QR speakers. They are in storage and the exact model escapes me. 0.1QR maybe?

4. Appogee Duetta. The first planar I ever heard. Listening to them was like being in a dream.

Yo,

I agree with everyone so far, but I would add the first B&W floorstanders (800? 801?), circa 1980, and the first Martin-Logan hybrids (same era, but I can't remember the model numbers). I heard these at Havens and Hardesty (over by Huntington Beach) and thought they were breakthroughs at the time. I would also throw in the Rectilinear III's, which I owned and loved. Clifton

Really? I had my rectilinears for 3 years and didn't even know that! Maybe that's why they were so easy to drive (50 watts could drive you out of the room). I remember them (I owned them 1974-1977) as having the same general characteristics as my current Triangles -- lots of unforced detail, neutral, really open, etc. One has to wonder how good they would be today with more rigid cabinets, a removable grille cloth, and the now-standard 3-way binding posts. And modern tube amps, connected with something other than zip cord. I'll bet they'd hold up at LEAST as well as the Advents, although they were about $500 a pair, as I recall. I saw some on Audiogon a while back -- both the ones I had and the lowboys, with the fancy wood-fretted grille. I almost bought 'em for nostalgia value. Maybe I will. Cheers, Clifton

During my all to frequent insomniac moods, I remember the RSL (Rogersoundlabs) Speedscreens being a fun and musical speaker (of course I was listening to Jethro Tull, Grand Funk, and Elton John at the time). I wholeheartedly agree with the DCM Timewindows. To dig really deep...the GNP (Gross National Product of Pasadena CA) had their Lead Balloons, with the tweeter in a lead-lined enclosure...fun system with good science behind them. I pair of GNP's were up on Ebay recently.

I still own the RSL Elan speakers.....still play strong

How about:

-Martin Logan CLS (the originals)
-Dunlavy SC-IV

Hi, Loner -- I was very sorry to see RSL go belly up. They sold a lot of good equipment at reasonable prices. And, as you mention, their house-brand speakers were great values. Very honest in the midrange, nice cabinetry, and all would play loud as hell with no break-up. Fond memories, Clifton

Not in order....

Klipsch - klipschhorn - your room is your speaker (wow)
Bose - 901 - a bunch of small divers bounce the sound around your room
Quad - ELS - who would have thought it would work
B&W - 801 - used in so many studios as monitors (can't all be wrong)
AR - AR3 - the baby grandfather of the modern speaker (but better)

Quote:
Bose - 901 - a bunch of small divers bounce the sound around your room

Hi Mike,

Well you got 4 out of 5 right. The Bose 901, or as DUP would say, Blose, belongs in the Loudspeaker Hall of Shame - a bunch of crappy speakers bounce lousy sound throughout countless rooms.

Thank goodness you didn't mention those Cerwin Vega Voice of the Theater monsters powered by clip at the drop of a hat Crown amps.

Quote:
The Bose 901, or as DUP would say, Blose, belongs in the Loudspeaker Hall of Shame - a bunch of crappy speakers bounce lousy sound throughout countless rooms.

I know, I know. How about the Polk Audio SDA series. I just got to have something in the list that has some strange electronics (make your speakers disappear - spooky ultra wide soundstage). Or maybe the Infinity IRS - fill your room with so many speakers that it has to be good (and man it was actually good).

cheers

No highs no lows, must be BLOSE.

Spica TC-60's sure it's a little light on the lower bass (t IMHO todays tastes are a little heavy on the bass anyway) but the timbre of instruments is dead on and the imaging is off the hook. Fast, accurate and I can listen to them at any volume without any fatigue.

Never heard the TC-50's as I went from the earlier SC-501(I think that is the model number circa 19) to these with a couple of non Spica stops along the way.

Quote:

Quote:
Bose - 901 - a bunch of small divers bounce the sound around your room

Hi Mike,

Well you got 4 out of 5 right. The Bose 901, or as DUP would say, Blose, belongs in the Loudspeaker Hall of Shame - a bunch of crappy speakers bounce lousy sound throughout countless rooms.

Thank goodness you didn't mention those Cerwin Vega Voice of the Theater monsters powered by clip at the drop of a hat Crown amps.

A friend of mine was quite proud of his new Bose 901's. I thought they sounded like crap.

My only experience with Cerwin Vega was the "Least Breaker" that was used in the movie theatre when I saw the movie "Earthquake". There were at least 6 of these hugh speakers around the theatre and the floor vibrated my feet around. They sure added some good effects to the movie.

Quote:
My only experience with Cerwin Vega was the "Least Breaker" that was used in the movie theatre when I saw the movie "Earthquake". There were at least 6 of these hugh speakers around the theatre and the floor vibrated my feet around. They sure added some good effects to the movie.

I'm pretty sure that you mean the Cerwin Vega "lease breaker" speakers but I'm glad to read that you heard them in the place where they were intended to be played, which would be a theater, hence their nickname "Voice of the Theater". My big problem with CV speakers was when they were taken "as is" and place in the home. Bad idea which resulted in very bad sound.

Pro audio, PA audio and home audio are three very different animals, all with very different demands and needs and what works well for one may not work well for the others. For example, the Grateful Dead's famous "Wall of Sound" may have sounded great in RFK Stadium but I won't want to hear it in your average movie theater.

Bose belongs because of how much they sell and how they drove an industry. I'm not defending their sound (other than for club use) but their impact. If the high end industry pulled their funds and cooperated they could take a lesson from Bose and grow the industry to the same level. I see Bose adds everywhere - TV, print, the inetrnet etc - and I see Bose displays at malls and in airports. (In one crowed airpot I heard the Wave Radio for the first time. Accurate or not the sound range that comes of that small box is impressive. I can see how the avarage person is impressed enough to buy). Bose markets to the average person by bringing the product to them. Not sitting back and waiting for them to come in the door - like most high end shops. I bet more people stop at the Bose display in an airport in one week than visit a high end shop in a year.

Quote:
Bose belongs because of how much they sell and how they drove an industry. I'm not defending their sound (other than for club use) but their impact.

I disagree and stand by my original statement that Blose belongs in the Loudspeaker Hall of Shame and here's why: Most Bose owners believe that they have, in fact, purchased a piece of high end audio equipment and they believe this to be true because of Bose's immense and highly successful marketing and ad campaign.

Now since these consumers have been led to believe that they now own equipment which compares favorably with equipment costing several times has much, why on earth would they bother to replace that equipment? After all, look how much smarter they are then all of us audiophiles, with our high priced wires, out of date tubes, turntables and the like. Come on, a $500 Bose Wave and you're all set. One can't argue with that and I don't even try.

I happen to be a very big jazz fan (as if you couldn't tell from my screen name) and used to think that if people were just exposed to more jazz that they would come to like it more. Well that's just not true. Some people like jazz and some people don't. Some people after hearing a really good audio system become audiophiles and some just say "so what".

When I see an HDTV I still say "Great, now I can watch all that crap in high definition, big deal" and some people slap down the credit card for the biggest HDTV available. Different strokes for different folks. Marketing can only get you so far.

How about the adding the orignal Wharfedale Diamonds to the list? From what i understand these were a/the landmark budget audiophile speaker.

to get rid of that Bose Brainwash I like to suggest my friends listen to an m-audio Ideck, iPod devices arent tainted with the stigma of pretension that tubes and vinyl share, so you won't easily be cast aside as an audiofool.

Great forum, but for me living DOWN UNDER the Duntech Soverign was one of the ultimates set up right just sold mine for a set of Genesis 201's these i will never sell, Megalines seem to do everything just right,as do the Sonus Faber Stravidari, i know these are all fairly new speaker's but they all bring that live sound into our listening room's which is what we are all striving for, also the Avalon Senetial was not to bad, i am sure it would have sounded better with a lot of tweaking. Mick

Quote:
Well, semantics rears its ugly head.

How about a compromise?

Bose speakers should surely be in the loudspeaker hall of fame, but not in the Hi-Fi Loudspeaker Hall of Fame.

Fair?

Just like the VW Bug should be in the automobile hall of fame, but not the Hot Rod Hall of Fame.

All right Buddha, fair enough. And since you opened the door for all kinds of junk how about those little Radio Shack metal mini monitors the Minius 7s I think they were called. They helped to start the whole mini speakers plus subwoofer setup craze. Thursday is my next garbage day so I'll post another winning design then.

Great topic! Now for the envelope, please...

There are so many ways to define "classic" but for now I'll stick to speakers that had an impact in the marketplace, had a good, long production run, and were capable of sounding good, at least in the right set-up! Now where did I put that envelope?...Oh yes:

1 Klipschorn.....the great horned king is in it's 60th year. Practically nothing will play full-range as loud and clean with very little power.

2 Bose 901.......They can sound very impressive with proper set-up. True, they are quite colored, but still they rock and roll, they disappear and Bose has sold a boat load of 'em...for whatever that's worth!

ADS L300.........One of the true originators of the sub/sat concept. (Radio Shack's Minimus line was a cheap but effective copy.) Lives on as the ADS L310, relatively unchanged and still a great value. Proves there is much virtue for a loudspeaker in small size and a simple, solid design.

Two more, if I may:

The AR3. It ushered in the age of the acoustic suspension loudspeaker, and it's descendents still set the mark for small, affordable, nearly full-range speakers.

Last but not least, Magnepan. Any model will do. An affordable alternative to boxes, that doesn't blow up or require you to sit with your head in a vise! I've never owned a pair, but I've never heard a pair that didn't sound very good.

1-Klipschorn....changed the way I thought about music reproduction.
2-B&W 801 matrix.....wow 20-20k in one box a true reference
3-Klipsch Heresy....small box BIG sound
4-Altec 604e full range drivers in open baffle cab.....only speaker I know that is an investment.(There are several other vintage Altec full rangers that continue to increase in value)
5-Quad ESL line---imaging heaven

Quote:

Just like the VW Bug should be in the automobile hall of fame, but not the Hot Rod Hall of Fame.

I dunno Buddha, herbie was quite a quick little roadster.

maybe theres a charismatic bose system out their ready to take on our snobbish boutique brands.

so here is a comprehensive and probably incorrectly calculated list of recommended hall of fame speakers.
this was more time consuming than It should have been, and probably of little use.

Oh well here it is

Numbers are Speakers recommended and/or # of forum members recommending a brand
So that if bob recommends 2 klipsch, and sally recommends 1 of the same that bob recommended the klipsch brand would be a 3.

8)
AR 8

7 Speakers + Forum Members
Klipsch 7

4)
Quad 4

3)
Dahlquist 3 Magnepan 3 Martin Logan 3 B&W 3

2)
Apogee 2 Rogers 2 Spica 2 DCM 2 Bose 2*

1)
Wharfedale 1 Polk 1 Vandersteen 1 Allison 1 KLH1 Altec 1 Duntech 1, Genesis 1, sonus Faber 1 Rectilinear 1 ADS 1 Acustat 1 Jan-Sen 1 RSL something majiggers

*bose makes loudspeakers which are not necessarily hi-fi.
** this is crude humor and did not make me laugh out loud or even spill my coffee on my last good pair of pants.***

Buddha
Dahlquist DQ-10
Acoustat 2+2
Klipsch Heresy
Apogees. I'm a planar guy. Diva, Scintilla, Full range, the Grand line. I love 'em all.
The Acoustic Research AR-90

JoeE
AR3's.
Rogers LS/3.
Magnepan MG1's.
Quad ESL 57's
Apogee Grand's In my wilder/younger days I might have given up a testicle for them.**

Jazz Fan
The Spica T-50
DCM Time Windows
Vandersteen Model 2c
Inexpensive Quality bookshelf 1
Inexpensive Quality bookshelf 2

Jim T
Dalquist DQ 10
Quads
Polk Model 10's
AR 3
AR-LST
AR 2ax
KLH 17
Klipsch Cornwalls
Allison 1
Rogers LS3/5

Eagle
JansZen Z-600
Rogers LS3/5A
Maggie SMGA
Appogee Duetta

Clifton
B&W Floor Standing 800

Thanks WZ (I don't know how else to address you, Wind doesn't work, nor does 'Zilla, so WZ it is),

The list is pretty neat. A couple of things that I found most surprising after reviewing the summary.

Vandersteen, which I mentioned and which probably outsell many of the non-mainstream brands by a factor of two to one, were only mentioned once.

Thiel, which as long time reader of Stereophile knows, must be a part owner of the magazine, since every, and I mean every, single one of his designs gets an instant rave review in its pages (sorry JA but I have the back issues to back up my claims on this one so don't even bother with some lame excuse about editorial policy and advertising, something is very rotten in Denmark) did not get even one mention. So much for brainwashing. I guess most of us value bass resonse a little too highly to go with Thiels.

Quote:

Quote:
My only experience with Cerwin Vega was the "Least Breaker" that was used in the movie theatre when I saw the movie "Earthquake". There were at least 6 of these hugh speakers around the theatre and the floor vibrated my feet around. They sure added some good effects to the movie.

I'm pretty sure that you mean the Cerwin Vega "lease breaker" speakers but I'm glad to read that you heard them in the place where they were intended to be played, which would be a theater, hence their nickname "Voice of the Theater". My big problem with CV speakers was when they were taken "as is" and place in the home. Bad idea which resulted in very bad sound.

Pro audio, PA audio and home audio are three very different animals, all with very different demands and needs and what works well for one may not work well for the others. For example, the Grateful Dead's famous "Wall of Sound" may have sounded great in RFK Stadium but I won't want to hear it in your average movie theater.

I just now noticed the typo. I did mean "Lease Breaker". I didn't know that and the VotT were the same speaker.

Quote:

Quote:
Well, semantics rears its ugly head.

How about a compromise?

Bose speakers should surely be in the loudspeaker hall of fame, but not in the Hi-Fi Loudspeaker Hall of Fame.

Fair?

Just like the VW Bug should be in the automobile hall of fame, but not the Hot Rod Hall of Fame.

All right Buddha, fair enough. And since you opened the door for all kinds of junk how about those little Radio Shack metal mini monitors the Minius 7s I think they were called. They helped to start the whole mini speakers plus subwoofer setup craze. Thursday is my next garbage day so I'll post another winning design then.

I've got a pair of Minimus 7's. For the price they are awesome. I'm getting the upgraded crossover for them in a while. I imagine that will make a nice bit of difference.

I originally got them to use in my car. Now I'll use them for my computer, with a 60Wpc Nakamichi power amp.

I just bought a pair of ADS L310's off of e-bay. Just got them and the box says they are made in Taiwan! I know the ADS line from years ago and I find it hard to believe that these would be made there. The test will be the sound but I am not set up yet to listen to them. Does anybody have current knowledge of these today???? Hope I didn't get screwed!!! Thanks for any input!!

I would have to say the Pipedreams at the 2001 T.H.E show at Alexis Park in the LAMM room. I played a Branford Marsales tune called, "Berta, Berta" off the album: Heard You Twice the First Time. It was amazing no matter where I stood. The only trick was to get the Aussie from LAMM to leave you alone long enough to enjoy a few minutes of good listening time.

The "Voice of the Theatre" was an Altec speaker, not a Cerwin-Vega. And was and still is a very highly regarded speaker with a strong cult. There were many variations of the speaker and it came in utility, home and studio monitor versions.

Many use A7, A7-500 and A5 motion picture theatre VOTs in their homes; gray utility cabinets, sled mounted horns and all.

It seems to be fun for some to bash CV speakers here.  They apparenlty don't realize that the "Earthquake Speakers" (named for the movie that made them famous, "Earthquake") they mistakenly called something else were redesigned for home use in the form of the DX-9 (the original Earthquake Speakers were D-9's).  Those DX-9's fixed almost the entire range of problems with the original D-9 with a much more accurate mid-range driver and tweeter.  Those speakers rival many much more expensive speakers being sold today.  They are not perfect speakers by any means but they certainly aren't the dogs people here make them out to be.  I've heard both the D-9 and the DX-9 and there is a huge difference.  And yes they still provide humongus bass response which I know some find offensive (I wonder if they have heard a live performance of a rock band in the last 20 years).  The original sound of those bands included lots of bass once it became widely available and the previous king of concerts, the Klipschorns, were retired.  It's funny how no one bashes those speakers even though they were designed to be used in gigantic stacks big enough to fill arenas during the days of the real rock tours.  Those speakers never delivered the clarity or the bass of later designs and they sound even worse in a living room.  Yes I've heard those too and the PC speaker crowd seems to love them.  It makes me wonder if they all have hearing damage because those horns were never able to deliver clear sound.  But praising those speakers makes you a member of the "audiophile club" while bashing CV makes you a member of the "snobbish audiophile club. 

I realize this thread is as old as the hills but the misconceptions and outright bad information here are monumental.  It's like arguing with holocaust deniers.  I've heard lots of newer setups and the top end and mid-range are much better on them than the 1970's designed DX-9's.  I would think so given that was 40 years ago.  But very few new speakers under $10,000 each can come close to producing the bass range of those CV's.  And before you give me that song and dance about how it wasn't how the band wanted the music to sound be aware that I worked for bands creating the sound they wanted and you're wrong about them not wanting powerful bass.  And my son, the engineering physics professional, has listened to a huge numbers of new speakers and who wanted to design speakers at one time but liked the money he was offered to go elsewhere, told me he has yet to see the combination of bass and upper end in a new speaker that would make it rival the CV's.  Yes the higher frequencies are better but the bass is better on the DX-9's.  Speakers that lack the full range might be ok for surround speakers but give me a full range speaker to hear music and for sound effects in movies. 

Try getting out more often and actually listening to equipment.  You might learn something.  I did it for 20 years before finding the system that made me happy.  There are better systems now but I could build a house for less money than they cost.

Who you grumpin at? Thread is 8 years old and you apparently imagined it was a negative one about cerwin vega???

I guess you guys missed one of the all-time classics; the Wharfedale W70D.

I bought a pair of them around 1970 or so, and they were my first real "hi-fi" speakers (I had some little University 2-way boxes before that).

They had 4 speakers mounted on one square panel, a 12", 5", 3" and a tweeter.

The back panels were nearly 2 inches thick, because they were a hollow sandwich with sand in the middle to reduce cabinet resonances.

They had beautiful cabinets with carved moldings, all made of real walnut veneered panels. 

The price was not too bad, and I think they must have sold a whole lot of them.

Then of course you had the Vandersteen Model 2 (200,000+ sold and counting...), which I bought from Bob at Havens and Hardesty in Huntington Beach around 1986 or so.

I fell in love with Vandesteens then and I still am. 

I bought one of the first pairs of Model 3s a few years later, upgraded them to 3A later, and recently upgrade to the Treo, which is equipped with some fabulous new drivers they developed and has Sound to Die For! 

I have no idea where they came from (pawn shop?) but there are a pair in the house that were used in the basement gym.  Not particlarly "high" hi-fi but I'd agree that they're not bad for the money.  Kind of funny.  Sorry I'm also 8 years late on this thread as well.  :-)

Hearing the DQ10 in 1975-6? was my introduction to the high end in my small Pennsylvania hometown.  I've never forgotten how impresssed I was as a high school student.  You've all mentioned a lot of great speakers.  The Dunlavy IV was superb for a six foot tall pair of headphones (do not move your head from the sweet spot)-and meeting John in person almost 20 years ago in Colorado Springs (where I still am) was fun.

Very good thread!

I was one of the early responders to this thread. I just went back and re-read the entire thread. I see no evidence of Cerwin Vega bashing. The only thing about Cerwin Vega speakers worth mentioning concerning this thread is their lack of mention.  However, since you brought them up; the D-9 and DX-9 sound pretty bad to me. The only Hall of Fame they IMO belong in is the Headbangers.

Newer CV's that I've heard, such as the XLS series, do not have the typical CV sound. While they still don't have the kind of sound I'm listening for, the XLS series doesn't make me want to cut off my ears and run away as their earlier home speakers did and do. 

FWIW: I've been using ESL's since he early 80's. 

musicaddict wrote:

Hearing the DQ10 in 1975-6? was my introduction to the high end in my small Pennsylvania hometown.  I've never forgotten how impresssed I was as a high school student.

How coincidental.......

1975 I was 17, at the Opus One audio dealer in Indiana, PA where i heard the DQ's with Mac mono amps & a Linn Sondek outfitted with a Transcriptors Vestigal tone arm. I still get goose bumps when I thnk about the first time I heard that system.

A year later I left there with a set of Advent Large, Advent 300 receiver & Advent 201 cassette deck on my way to my freshman year at college.

Hopefully, some model of Thiel loudspeakers. The CS 2.4 is easily my personal reference in 2014!

These are all somewhat dated back to when I was selling hi-fi in the '80s during high school and college.

1. KEF 104/2.
2. A/D/S L-1090. A friend's dad had these and loved them. He liked the KEF 104/2's better so we sold his ADS on consignment.
3. KEF 103/2. Nice little bookshelf.
4. Martin Logan CLS circa 1988. Mostly because I'd never heard or seen anything like that before.

Other speakers I've had that I really enjoyed. These wouldn't make a "global best of" kind of list but were great at their price point include the Monitor Audio R352 and JPW AP2.

I really need to find a list of "top 5's for the 21st century."

My first venture into HIFI was Bose 901 seriesVI, being driven by mn realistic STA235B reciever and they were dissapointing so I tried moving them around and finally flipping the stands over and mounting them to the ceiling gave them control in the bass I struggle to get with my "bonafide" gear they probably rolled off by 10k but what did I know, I traded them for a pair of SDA's duh, slow learners group i'd probably get in the wrong line :). I picked up a beautiful pair of Kef 107/2's yesterday and since no one mentioned them yet KEF 107/2, Mission 764 I think, (the ones were rear ported with two front facing 8" woofers, anything ADS from 80's, then babys started poppin and I lost time for hifi.

Now I'm too young to have the bredth of experience as some, but keep in mind, I've heard a few.

With a good tube or mosfet amp, and not played too loud, the Martin Logan Aerius (still in production?) are very good. But I find too many people throw a powerful Krell or Classe or Levinson at ML Speakers and say it's good as can be. Not so.

I got started with a pair of baby Advents that were excellent and still have very fond memories of my slot ported JM Lab Chorus 706 with a GTA SE-40. Remarkable combo.

Also, everyone keeps bringing up the Matrix 8XX from B&W. Never was too big on them (Heresy, and I don't mean Klipsh! don't you know this is Stereophile!). I have Matrix 3 S2, which best I can tell were continued from the 80's up intil the late 90's with the S2 iteration. They are some of the best speakers I've heard and as close as someone who doesn't want to spend thousands of dollars on fancy KEF monitors (Stirling 3/5a's and 3/6's) to the traditional full range British monitor. And I've heard several of them. But I'm biased, I bought a pair!

Don't forget the Tannoy monitors of the 90's and 2000's. They are excellent.

Infinity Renaissance 90 - 4 way speakers with a planar midrange and tweeter. These are the best sounding speakers I can ever remember listening too. Mind bogglingly detailed like the Kappa 8.1s but without the harshness / tinyness. They were perfectly balanced but we're tough to drive. I spent about 6 hours with them driven by 2 Carver TFM 35's and was in love but at an MSRP of $3800 in 1994 with an incremental need of two monster power amps, I could never afford them. I had to settle for the Kappa 8.1s which were wonderful but that electrostatic tweeter always made me yearn for the Renaissance 90s.

Carver AL-III Ribbons - Delivered a very similar sound to the Renaissance's at almost half the price. Decidedly warm with a monstrous level of detail and bigger than life Bass. Power hogs but brilliant sound. I loved these speakers but I couldn't transport them.

Carver Amazings - the name says it all. When people think of Bob Carver, I think most folks think of amplifiers but he designed some of the best speakers I have ever heard and continued that tradition with Sunfire. Bob Carver consistently has delivered great products at reasonable prices.

Plug a pair of DX9's into a vintage Pioneer SX-950 and leave this world behind! I'm into solid state and have paired many receivers and speakers, the list too long... Sansui, Kenwood, Fisher, Marantz, JBL, HPM, Klipsch, RSL, Bose, Yamaha, etc... To my ears, ALL genres, loud or soft, sitting near or far, are pure magic with this combination. I feel lucky to have found this match after only ten years of trial and error. FWIW

I would never denigrate any one else' choice for favorite speakers as we are all individuals with different listening tastes. But to me, I will never give up my pair of CV DX-9 speakers that I bought back in the mid 1990s. The power and the clarity of these monsters appeal to my own ears like no other speaker that I have ever listened to has ever been able to match. But, like I said, this is for my ears and not necessarily for the ears of others. And in twenty years, I have had the woofers re-foamed once and they still sound just as sweet to me as the day I first purchased them.