The Allison Six - first heard in the early '80s, a huge sound with great bass too from such a small discreet and inexpensive box. Why this speaker, or something similar is not made today, I just don’t know - just a simple cube and a pair of drivers and a crossover. Still brilliant, but like any speaker that relies on careful boundary placement, likely to be room dependant.
Heybrook HB2 - first heard in the ‘80s on the end of a Sondek with a Quantum pre/power. Grace Jones’ Slave to Rhythm has just been released and was spinning on the Sondek. What a great sound from such small speakers.
The Linn Sara - back in the '80s, these were on the end of a Sondek/Ittok/Asak and a NAC32/SNAPS/NAP250. I initially thought these were ugly as hell but once I started listening that was forgotten. I just wanted to keep spinning LPs, many I didn’t know, but it didn’t seem to matter.
DBL - no introduction needed here. To hear a pair of DBLs, well set up, in a great room, driven actively…
JBL 4343 - all these needed were a Naim CD player and a Nait to get the hairs on my arms prickling like never before while listening to Neil Young’s Sleeps With Angels. WOW!
My mate’s Dad had what I would call the first ‘proper’ HiFi I ever heard. I’m not sure of the electronics but I will never forget listening to Paul Simon’s Graceland through Linn Isobariks. A physical experience, and genuinely revelatory. I had no idea music could feel like this!
Audiovector R3,R8
Kudos 606
Kudos super20a
Bowers Wilkins 705 Signature
Harbeth 30.2XD (which I previously owned as well I did it as a reference-to refresh my memory)
Audioplan Kantata
KLH Model 5
Borresen 01
Fyne Audio F1-8
Dynaudio Heritage Special
Of the speakers above my favourite was the Borresen 01 which is too expensive for me. My second favourite was the Dynaudio Heritage Special which considering the price is a clear winner in my book.
Please note I also prefer standmount speakers to floorstanders for the sound that they reproduce (not practicality)
Also I may have missed a few. I’ve demoed so many speakers and gear this year. I think other components especially amps are more important than speakers. If I started from scratch, I would spend the least money on speakers. Simply because excellent gear can make most speakers that suit your personal criteria sound amazing
When I first heard Linn Kans I knew they would be soon mine and I kept them for several years, until a partner wanted a speaker with more bass, for the sake of domestic harmony I sold them for her and got something that made her reggae sound better. Following the split, the speakers were soon sold and Rega Ela Mk1 were auditioned and bought second-hand.
Sara’s were a speaker I lusted after around the time of buying the Kan but were a stretch too far, especially as my 42/110 would really have been up to driving them.
Big ATCs always sound great to me, if money and space allowed I would trade up my SCM40s for the 100 or 150s.
Naim DBL. Can’t hundred percent remember what was upstream, save a for a lovely LP12 and a CDS2, but I think amps were either 52 & 135s or 250s, but it was active, that I do remember. IRRC, I seem to remember being pinned to my seat, and then requiring smelling salts.
Totem Arros, but the criteria for praise here was just how good this all sounded as a system that just played music wonderfully well - speakers were paired with a Rega Brio, a Rega Planar 3, and alternatively, switching with an LP12. Astonishingly good for the money.
A long long time ago. Pre-Naim for me. I went to a new dealer and said that I would like to listen to some speakers. My budget was discussed and then I went to the demo room. I had an open mind and said that I would listen to anything but please keep it to 3 or 4 speakers. The second pair were Neat Petites. They were new on the market at the time. No reviews. No word of mouth. I listened to a third and fourth pair and then went back to the Petites. For an extra hour, all I did was listen to them play different music. And that is what they did, some of the others may have been more technically correct but they were easily the most musical. Eventually, I went Naim and the Petites survived quite a few upgrades. I still have them 30 something years later - they provide surround duties in my second system.
The ones that blew me away, surprisingly, were the little Naim IBLs. Had big Ditton 66s before I got into, and stayed with, Naim amplification. Hearing Paul Simon’s Graceland on the IBLs was a revelation. Such amazing clarity and instrument placement. Not a great deal of good bass though, so fairly soon I moved on to SBLs and then SL2s, eventually running them actively with 500 kit. They give me the intense musical satisfaction I want, so I won’t be changing.
Tannoy Westminster, which I heard in an all Quad system at the Bristol show one year. The sound was exceptionally good, but they’d need a large room and one which could accommodate the beautiful joinery.
Naim NBL first heard at the Bristol show when initially introduced. A couple of years later I purchased a pair, which I lived with for 20 years until March this year.
Naim DBL - once heard, never forgotten. However, having read all the posts about driver replacement (and seen some of the pictures), I’m glad I never actually purchased a pair.
PMC Fact 12, again at the Bristol show, this on the end of Bryston electronics. These could have worked at home and might have displaced the NBLs , had I not heard the Kudos Titan 808, which aren’t so much ‘Wow’, rather more just right.
Going back a few years i was looking to substantially upgrade my speakers . At the time i was using Rega RS10s and having heard PMC Fact 8 and Fact 12 i really liked them but felt there was something missing.
After a bit of research i was interested in listening to the PMC MB2se. On speaking to my dealer {Tony @ Basically Sound } about a demo , i can vividly recall his response ‘Well i didn’t see that one coming !’
Although he is a PMC dealer that wasn’t a model he stocked , not surprisingly. Also PMC didn’t have a demo pair or any ready built. But within a few days they built a new pair , which Tony then collected from PMCs factory and delivered them to my home and set them up. They were left with me for a week to try with no obligation to buy.
My reaction to them was simply ’ YESSS that’s what i’m looking for ’ They never left my room from that day on and i very much doubt they ever will.
Brilliant service from both Basically Sound and PMC.
My dealer was pushing those PMC’s but I just couldn’t get them past my wife. Best speakers I’ve heard but very big and imposing in my lounge and not the best looking speakers in the world.