Interesting call on the 1200's, I used those for years as a DJ in a campus pub, but cannot speak to their sound quality, I have never had one hooked up to anything but a PA. Certainly they were a robust TT, that could handle a good beating...
As for the best I have heard, I have a 2 way tie.
The first time I heard sound that I could not believe was not actually IN the room was a Maggie (sorry was a Noob at the time, and do not recall the model, but they were floor standing, and at least 5'8, and around 2+ feet wide) driven by YBA components. Rebecca Pidgeon was in the room, breathing on my face...
The second time, and since they were more than 10 years apart it is impossible to judge which was better, was the Dyn Temptations (those are the multiway, tall floorstanders right?) driven by VTL monoblocks, and a Cary cd player. This time it was Leonard Cohen, who absolutely refused to not be exactly between the speakers, even when I was WAY out of the sweet spot.
In both cases, I cannot comment on what it was in the system that afforded such overwhelmingly tangible sound, but had I had the 100K either time...
Mark in Canada