best speakers in the world? opinions?

I would have to agree with the Quads. The 57's were amazing. Paul, were the restored ones you heard placed on the floor or on stands? The reason I ask was I must admit to fancying trying a pair of them mounted on top of my subs, with the Bryston 10b performing crossover duties.

Width seems OK, but the subs are 21" high.

 

Tannoy Westminsters.

 

Easy to answer


Pro-ac D100's best I,ve heard




Alon lotus elite sig ......best I,ve had in my room....by a long way

 

Living Voice AirScout

So sensitive you could drive them with a portable cdp

 

my old Celestion Kingstons were absolutely stunning speakers and i'd say amongst the best standmounters in the world. Haven't 'heard' a soundstage so open and precisely detailed ever before. More musical than Quad '63s IME. Shame they weren't coloured enough for me.

 

MINE

can't comment on any better ones as personally I haven't heard any yet,(don't do hifi shows, and don't ask my dealer to let me hear models I can't afford), by the way I am not saying that there aren't better sounding speakers out there it's just that I haven't heard them.

On that note, has anyone other than me heard the ART expression 3 ways. Have you seen the write up the Skibos got in HFN, can you imagine what their bigger brothers sound like, didn't bother listening to the Impressions as couldn't fit one 6' speaker in my room never mind two, Oh! and they cost £25K go on you owe it to yourself to give these a listen, hurry up before the secret is out and they put the prices up!

Paul

 

ESL 57's, last one's I heard were stacked three hi left and right. The whole orchestra was in the room too, or so it seemed.

 

Siemens Eurodyn or Altec 604... or my Harbeths. No choice more personal than speakers I think.
FWIW, the Altec 604 is a driver and needs to be mounted into an appropriate cabinet.

 

I want those LV's lee!! may be a bit sensitive for my 18 watts tho.

 

Agreed. Peter Walker got it right in 1957, at best anything achieved by anyone else since is 'different'.

Tony.

 

Hi Merlin,

The Quads are used on stands, about 12" high, which looks a little too high but in practice works very well. One of the things we found is that the floor is as much a boundary as a wall and the bass really comes on when they are well away from it.

I bet you could have many happy hours adjusting those subs to blend seamlessly with the electrostatic bass, One thing that occurs to me is that if you use the original feet, the speaker would be very well decoupled from the subs. You could then experiment with tilt angle simply by putting rubber washers or whatever under the back foot. We found that they sounded best when absolutely straight rather than tilted back as they were used originally. This might vary with room and distance from the speakers however.

 

For those of you who like the Tannoy15" DC drivers, how about 2 in an ever bigger body?

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/speakerlust/utopiagraph.jpg

Or the 15 incher in a "less ugly" body?

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/speakerlust/churchill.jpg

I'll seek help

 

I would put forward Apogees and the big meadowlarks (Blue Heron 2 and Nightingale).

Electrostatics have some extremely endearing qualities, but the lack of bottom end means that to me, they're not the best (that doesn't mean that they're not extremely good indeed, but this thread is best speakers in the world). I'm sure that the big wilsons and the top living voices are stunning, but I've not heard them so I can't comment.

 

The best I have heard are Wilson Watt/Puppy 7 and Sonus Faber Stradivari...

 

That's my problem Paul - I'd need to have them 22" high, and be able to tilt them downwards. I also cannot try it befoe I buy, which makes me nervous. The idea was to use the new McIntosh MA2275 to power the Quads, whilst the Crown/JBL setup handled bass duties. I was also considering adding some of Max's supertweeters. Mmmm, if only I knew someone who'd got ESL57's and fancied trying it out.

The other thing holding me back is of course that they'd destroy the aestetics of the room

 

They are supposed to be stunning, never heard them, but I know where there is a pair for sale.

Scroll to the bottom of the page when you get there.

http://www.lintone.co.uk/used_speakers.htm

 

Of all the speakesr that are in the 'Dogs bollox league' the Wilsons, have about as much appeal as a dose of cold turkey, on a mild night in Oslo
I've heard them quite a few times, and to be honest, not a hope.
Maybe for large american rooms they may well gel.

 

I have heard them in large rooms, of course...

 

Have heard as much from someone who has heard them, but as a reviewer if you were getting a pair for next to nothing, what would you say!

 

Its a fair Question, my answer would be, please don't leave too long after I'd reviewed them, to me they are that uneventful