I know this thread is old, but I just had to post, because this is a topic that I find so very interesting. There are a handful of hi-fi experiences in my life that are totally memorable and that I always go back to as proof of the realism that great systems can achieve. Plus, I hope to one day have a system of my own that achieves this level of performance.
So let me start with the absolute pinnacle of anything and everything I've heard in my life: The Martin Logan Statement system that was on display at one of the Stereophile shows in NYC (right around 1990). This is the highest model that ML has ever produced and they were composed of 4 cabinets; combining 3' wide x 7' tall electrostatic panels, with huge dynamic woofer cabinets. They were driven by all Threshold amplification -- 4 amps, not sure which models (fully class A, I think). Don't remember exactly what the the source component was, but it was a extreme high end CDP that I think was from Wadia (remember them?).
The sound was so incredibly open and real-to-life that it was shocking. The spacial separation of each distinct instrument and voice was the most amazing trait -- the ambience was beyond anything I have ever heard. The sound was behind you, below you, above you -- everywhere. During the demo they played a recording of a farm yard with animal sounds and it was really and truly as if you were right there on the farm. It was literally like you could reach out and touch them. And this was _with_ the room filled with 40 human bodies, screwing up the acoustics! (It was standing room only for this demo room.)
Price for the Statements was somewhere north of $50k. They are no longer made. If I were to become filthy rich, it's likely that I would have an uncontrollable urge to seek out a set for myself. Oh, and the electronics in that room must have easily been worth another $50k.
Going one notch down from that level of ultimate realism, but still being absolutely amazing would be the speaker of that name from Carver. The Amazings have all the resolution of an electrostatic, but the true-to-life visceral impact that comes from dynamic woofers. I don't remember what the electronics were, but it was definitely high-end stuff. The result was that the Amazings sounded... effortless.
At the same quality level, but with slightly less "feel it in your body" impact were some top models from Apogee Acoustics (don't remember which one). Like the amazings, they were driven by some suitably magical electronics, which I don't recall. As someone else said in this thread, the problem with Apogees is that you have a VERY narrow sweet spot. You move your head 1 foot and the sound changes drastically. Totally impractical for most homes/rooms.
The most realistic presentation of rock music I have heard was through a friend's Cornwall II's being driven by Aragon electronics (200wpc). The CDP was Yamaha's pinnacle player (in the early 90's). They sounded was effortless yet powerful. I could feel it in my chest, but not due to thumping bass, just pure impact. I had never heard a pair of horn speakers sound so open prior to that day (always previously found them dry, analytical and horribly forward sounding).
I don't know if that Cornwall listening experience would hold up today, if I were to hear it, however. It could have been entirely influenced by the right recordings, the perfect room and a few drinks under my belt.
Lastly, here's a list of speakers I have always wanted to hear, but never have:
Infinity TOTL Reference towers
Pair of Allison Ones back to back
The best Ohm Walsh model ever made
The best Magnepan model made
Acoustic Research Magic Speaker
In the case of the Infinitys, I'm thinking of the 8 foot tall, 4 tower model that had 6 woofers and something like 30 tweeters per side. I really would like to hear these before I die. Anybody care to speculate as to how many of these there are out in the world?
The Allison Ones would be nice to hear, but I was truly intrigued by was this bipolar configuration shown in a reader profile article in the 80's. Some guy had 2 pairs of these in his Manhattan apartment, positioned back to back, in the middle of the room. As I recall Stereo Review actually made a comment on how good the sound was. You know that if they went out of their way to actually offer an opinion (something they were always reticent to do), that it had to sound amazing.
I think I heard a pair of Ohm Walsh speakers once, years ago in a Tech Hi-Fi store. But I wouldn't swear to it, and I have no recollection of the sound (I was probably 13). With all the Ohm fans on AK, I know that they must be something worth witnessing. I'd love to get a chance to hear them properly someday.
Likewise, Magnepan has a lot of fans on AK and they have certainly had their share of great reviews of the past 20 years. Yet, I have never heard a pair. I'd like to hear what they can do.
Lastly, the AR "Magic" speaker... I'd be curious to know how few of these speakers they produced, because I have never seen them on display anywhere, or for sale used in the past 20 years. So I suspect they were built in very low quantities. These are supposed to be the pinnacle of AR's engineering and the reviews at the time made it sound like they were truly transcendent transducers. I'd like to hear for myself.
So that's my "best speakers ever" list. Hope you found it interesting.
f course the AR 10pi's sounded good too.
