[ecramer]

Vandersteen 5A's 
Kaiser Kawero
Art Loudspeakers’ three-way DECO 20 loudspeakers with the new SystemDek 3D Reference turntable.
Merlin vsm
Proac Response D38 quicksilver ms 190
Salk ht3  at Joe btrio

Not really in any order but these are the ones that stand out in my mind

[IanVan]

Dunlavy SC-IV/A.
Dunlavy Aletha.

[marvda1]

norman labs bookshelfs.

[rajesh]

Cadence Arista towers. I have them. Their ESL panels are similar to Siltech Pentheons probably because both are owned by Mr. Shirke. Check this: http://www.6moons.com/industryfeatures/siltech/pantheon.html

[James Romeyn]

Infinity IRS III (12x servo-digital amp powered 12s), large dedicated listening room with approximately 10' ceiling, in the home of the Landmark Greeting Cards/Calendars principal in Corte Madera CA, Onkyo M-504 powered the 7' line array planar mids/tweeters, Telarc's Firebird Suite on Sony DAT deck.

Regarding the DAT source: Decades ago Peter McGrath brought two software into CES at the old Riviera Hotel, both the same recording he engineered, huge symphonic piece, one he mastered to DAT, the other he mastered to CD.  We played both recordings on 6' towers flat to sub-20 Hz: CD on Sony ES deck, DAT on Peter's portable pro Sony, both into Theta DAC. 

To say the DAT blew away the CD is a huge understatement.  All of the luminaries present (I'm not a luminary, though I concurred) said the two software sounded like different recordings, different performances.  IIRC none volunteered a reason explaining the observed differences.  All agreed the optical format had kinks to iron out.   

Huge MBL Radialstrahler at CES a close second, but too diffuse imaging for my taste, plus the Germans crank up too much midbass...though it is like nothing you've heard, technicolor audiophile. 

Only because of the "pair" qualifier I omitted Kimber's Iso-Mic 4.0 system, one speaker per corner, proprietary 4-ch recordings require huge venues, preferred Roger West's huge Soundlab electrostatics (never to be displayed again) over the Andrew Jones TAD Reference 1 display...another superlative multi-channel system is Andrew Jones' 5.0 TAD Reference 1s with proprietary recording/playback software, Pacific Microsonics ADC/DAC.

Both the Kimber and Jones displays make stereo sound arcane.  Stereo, like its inventor Alan Blumlein said, has problems...the ghost/phantom quality of the center image being foremost.  I'd never chose to return to stereo since opting for pure analog Trinaural.       

[Chops]

The Quad ESL-63

When I worked at a ultra high end hifi shop years ago, one of the clients was a composer/conductor and had loads upon loads of excellent orchestral music in his library. At any rate, he had a pair of Quad ESL-63's that we were there to service. I can't remember exactly, but there was a wire in the base of both units that had to be reconnected or wired into a different location on the PC board.

After the repairs were made, we also swapped out his current Audio Research amp with a couple of gold plated mono block tube amps. I can not remember what these amps were, but they were special ordered and took months to get. All I remember about them is that each one weighed 200 lbs, was gold plated and produced 250 watts each.

It was my job to hook everything up and dial in the system which consisted of a Wadia CD player as the source and preamp which was directly wired to the two mono block amps via very short and stout balanced cables, then Transparent Audio's TOTL speaker cables to the 63's. No subwoofers here, just the ESL-63's mounted up on their metal stands.

What I heard was a full 120 piece orchestra right there in this gentleman's house, at full tilt no less! Even without closing your eyes, you could swear that you could just get up and walk in between all of the musicians. It was so dynamic, so natural, so lifelike and with plenty of tight, detailed bass. I will never forget that system for as long as I live, and I have heard plenty of systems over the years. This one tops them all!

One day, I'll own a pair of those ESL-63's...

[HAL]

Infinity IRS III (12x servo-digital amp powered 12s), large dedicated listening room with approximately 10' ceiling, in the home of the Landmark Greeting Cards/Calendars principal in Corte Madera CA, Onkyo M-504 powered the 7' line array planar mids/tweeters, Telarc's Firebird Suite on Sony DAT deck.

Regarding the DAT source: Decades ago Peter McGrath brought two software into CES at the old Riviera Hotel, both the same recording he engineered, huge symphonic piece, one he mastered to DAT, the other he mastered to CD.  We played both recordings on 6' towers flat to sub-20 Hz: CD on Sony ES deck, DAT on Peter's portable pro Sony, both into Theta DAC. 

To say the DAT blew away the CD is a huge understatement.  All of the luminaries present (I'm not a luminary, though I concurred) said the two software sounded like different recordings, different performances.  IIRC none volunteered a reason explaining the observed differences.  All agreed the optical format had kinks to iron out.   

Huge MBL Radialstrahler at CES a close second, but too diffuse imaging for my taste, plus the Germans crank up too much midbass...though it is like nothing you've heard, technicolor audiophile. 

Only because of the "pair" qualifier I omitted Kimber's Iso-Mic 4.0 system, one speaker per corner, proprietary 4-ch recordings require huge venues, preferred Roger West's huge Soundlab electrostatics (never to be displayed again) over the Andrew Jones TAD Reference 1 display...another superlative multi-channel system is Andrew Jones' 5.0 TAD Reference 1s with proprietary recording/playback software, Pacific Microsonics ADC/DAC.

Both the Kimber and Jones displays make stereo sound arcane.  Stereo, like its inventor Alan Blumlein said, has problems...the ghost/phantom quality of the center image being foremost.  I'd never chose to return to stereo since opting for pure analog Trinaural.       

OT, but the CD is 44100Hz sample rate and the DAT is 48000Hz sample rate.  The early versions of transcoding software for the sample rate change was not very good.  Same issue with Telarc's Soundstream recordings done at 50000Hz sample rate and going to CD.  The other issue was with 16 bit processing of the data during the transcoding. 

That is my understanding of the problem.

Back to speakers.

[JBLMVBC]

A demo at the Paris "Festival du Son" in 1976:

A pair of JBL 4343 with 76cm/s stereo 1 inch master tape source... After hearing JBL pro large studio monitors, there is no going back!

[JackD201]

JBL .....any year to date ( not the cheap crap but the pro )

Sounds like sacrilege but for the really old, I'll take Altec and for the new, Meyer. (Pro)

[Russell Dawkins]

OT, but the CD is 44100Hz sample rate and the DAT is 48000Hz sample rate.  The early versions of transcoding software for the sample rate change was not very good.  Same issue with Telarc's Soundstream recordings done at 50000Hz sample rate and going to CD.  The other issue was with 16 bit processing of the data during the transcoding. 

That is my understanding of the problem.

Back to speakers.

Good point, if that's what happened - a 48k recording sample rate converted to 44.1k with older equipment can sound distinctly inferior. That's why I always recorded at 44.1k when I was using DATs to record onto, if the destination was CD. The only occasion when 48k made sense was when the recording was for DVD, or when I knew I was going to process in the analog domain in post production; then it was just good engineering practice to take advantage of the higher sampling rate.
Another possible factor; there was a time when CDs, in the process of manufacture (not "burning", but molding), were routinely passed through an DAAD process en route to the glass mastering for various practical reasons. This was not widely discussed, nor was the fact that there could be multiple AD and DA conversions associated with post production with no requirement to say other than "DDD" on the disc, which most people took to mean that the digital domain was never exited. Not so.

[JDarby - Stereomojo.com]

Energy 22 Connoisseur References (with built in pedestals) circa 1988.
Infinity Kappa 9 (at the same saloon)

both of them driven by Sumo Andromeda II mosfet amplifier and Sumo Athena I preamplifier with a large, Denon CDP.

Funny, I still my pair of these. They are serving as a lamp stand in my small listening room. They were great for their day, though. They would not compete with today's best.

[geowak]

Bose Wave Radio.........but a close second were Wilson Audio Duettes. The finest bookshelf speaker I have heard.

The B&W PM-1 was the best affordable bookshelf speaker.

[rimshot]

I would have to say Magico Q7's with Soulution Audio mono blocks. They're match made in heaven.

[minimus]

I only noticed this thread today.  I am pleasantly surprised that a number of others here share my opinion of the Kaiser Kawero.  Their "Classic" speaker was being demo'd by LessLoss at the New York Audio Show earlier this year, and I have to say, it was the best speaker I have ever heard...just amazingly lifelike, musical, and enthralling.  If I ever had the space for them (I don't living in a standard NYC shoebox 2 bedroom), I would convince myself to spend the money on them.

The Coincident Pure Reference Extreme and the Sehring 703s would be the second and third best on my list, but they are not in the same league as the Kawero.

[James Romeyn]

I would have to say Magico Q7's with Soulution Audio mono blocks. They're match made in heaven.

Heard them at CES few years ago.  Wow, as nice sounding as the designer's ego is large. 

For anyone who has heard them and is also familiar with Duntech Sovereign 2000: did you hear similar "drama," density, and spatial qualities? 

Magico likely much higher refined, being decades newer.  OTOH, 2000s driven by Soulution mono blocs would more closely approximate Magico refinement.  I presume Soulution mono blocs are light years ahead of whatever I heard drive the 2000s.   

The 2000s grabbed the center of your cortex and didn't let go till the music stopped or you left the room. 

[rbbert]

Heard them at CES few years ago.  Wow, as nice sounding as the designer's ego is large. 

IIRC, the Q7's debuted this year at CES.

[James Romeyn]

IIRC, the Q7's debuted this year at CES.

OK.  Earlier model then recently released, apparently Q5. 

Is the 7 much better? 

Magico had music server playback only, no CD transport.  He asked what music I brought on CD, said he didn't have it, so ergo it wasn't worth listening to.  Very nice.  He forgot to look at my shoes to see how much I spent (cost less than his, for sure). 

I recommend you bring SCBA if you visit his room.  The problem is finding a suitably quiet SCBA, apparently as common as the proverbial "hens teeth."

[rbbert]

OK.  Earlier model then recently released, apparently Q5. 

Is the 7 much better? 

Supposedly like "night and day".  I haven't heard them; The Absolute Sound editor called them the most impressive product he had ever reviewed, or something similar.

[kevin360]

I went to a show specifically to hear the MBL 101E Radialstrahlers. They did not disappoint and I was equally impressed with the rest of the MBL system. However, I truly fell in love with a different system. If money were no object, I would have the Scaena loudspeaker system and the big VACs.

[James Romeyn]

Supposedly like "night and day".  I haven't heard them; The Absolute Sound editor called them the most impressive product he had ever reviewed, or something similar.

Directed to the above mentioned TAS author, not the messenger rbbert.  My favorite and only favorable words ever from Modanna come to mind, "And maybe monkeys will fly out my butt."