The BEST sounding speaker in the world ?

[RacerXtreme]

I know that's a loaded question with no definitive answer. Of course it's a matter of personal preference and a host of other variables. Just out of curiosity, what's YOUR answer? Anyone ever listened to a pair of JBL Hartsfield cabinets? Thinking about building some if I can find the blueprints.
Authentic Hartsfields (I think) sell for between $25,000 and $40,000 a pair if you can find them. I met a guy years ago that had an original pair. He sells copies - in your choice of wood - for around $10,000 - $12,000. I still remember them as incredible sounding speakers. Inbetween the Hartsfields he had an original JBL Paragon.
Another unbelievable sounding speaker. The strangest thing about the Hartsfields and the Paragon was that they were of 1957 vintage. 1957!!! They had been updated somewhat with more modern drivers. He had OVER $100,000 in electronics running all his different systems. Mark Levinson, vintage Mac, you name it. Money didn't seem to matter to him.

What do you think? What's your idea of the ultimate speaker? (If money is not an issue).

[AL-TEC]

Well, I just cannot answer your question. In fact it cannot be answered. There is NO ONE BEST sounding loudspeaker system. I do know this though, there are SO many speakers to listen to. Ones from years back I enjoyed, and newer ones today I just like to hear. When I sit and enjoy listening to a favorite loudspeaker (mostly all Altec's), that is the fun of it. To listen to the inherent qualities of that particular sound it puts out. If it's JBL, it has a characturistic sound. If it's EV, or Altec, or another brand,.....the same.(Each speaker's own inherent qualities.)
I may myself rather listen to just a pair of Altec 604's as I have many times and may perfer listening to these with certain music sources over using a multi..$ multi...$ outragesly costing system someone spent lots of money on.
It is all up to the listener, what he/she hears, and likes to hear when it comes to loudspeakers no matter what kind, or how exspensive they are. The room and application of a speaker is also a consideration.

AL-TEC

[Roland N R]

A million dollar question which could have a million dollar answer. But it really depends on the right speaker in the right room with the right amp. Add personal likes and type of music listened to.

A 12"-15" biflex XO at 9K to cone tweet.
A 604 with a modded 800 cycle horn and Xover biamped....either of above in medium size or smaller rooms is good.

For full blast sound reinforcement try four Labhorn subs per side ideally corner placed XO at 80Hz to 4-6 SPL TD1s/side.

In between those two try a modded A5-7 with built in subwoof.

[AllanCT]

Mine is the Altec 9848.

JBL studio monitor series speakers over many years also sound very good in a prepped listening room.

I do prefer the Altecs however.

[homme_de_terre]

What about a 604 with a modified 811 horn?
Actually, I've been considering a mod like that myself, not with an 811 but with a MR horn.
Well, to come back to the topic, I just love my 604-8Ks since I'm convinced of the coaxial concept.
The 604s put up a sound stage I haven't heard from any other speaker yet. I've never listened to a Paragon though.

Manfred

[jnorv]

When the Hi-Zoot audio store in SF opened a store in the South bay, they brought in a pair of Dynaudio Evidence Masters, and drove them with a pair of Krell 1KW class A mono blocks. For $350K, they sounded pretty good. I don?t think they sold too many of them after the Dot Com bubble burst.

[homme_de_terre]

I have heard the Evidences too, on the "Funkausstellung" in Berlin 4 years ago. They were driven by some monstrous Accuphase power amps. They sounded excellent indeed. But are they cabable of shaking the house? I don't know...;-)

[Mirrophonic Sound System]

As far as direct radiator type speakers go, I think
the SoundLab 'Ultimate 1' Electrostatic is the best
but these are 6'10" high and very expensive.

As for horn systems, all post-WWII systems were seriously
flawed - JBL,Altec,EV,Klipsch,University etc.- though
JBL & Altec used good drivers and good horn systems
can be made with these drivers (provided you have
plenty of space!).

The best commercial horn system was from 1936,that
being the Western Electric Mirrophonic - post-war
efforts from Altec & RCA with their smaller bass
horns and thumpy reflex-loaded woofers were inferior (A7,A4,A2 etc.)

[Todd W. White]

The Mirrorphonic had serious flaws, too - Dr. John K. Hilliard, then working in the Sound Dept. at MGM, found a horrific time delay problem between the LF and HF horns in the system. When he told the folks at WE, they didn't believe him!

This was one of the main concerns he had when he and his cohorts were designing the MGM systems....

Also, I have this - a folded bass horn, the Mirrorphonic exhibited the problems one would expect with such a device (something Klipsch has YET to admit).

It was also limited in bandwidth on the extremities.

BUT, that is NOT to say that it wasn't a GREAT loudspeaker!

The BEST sounding loudspeaker system?

Why the one you just bought, of course!

Especially if it cost LOTS of money!

[Mirrophonic Sound System]

The system Hilliard was refering to was the Western Electric
WIDE RANGE or "W" system of 1933 using the type 16 or 17
horn (ERPI manual #477, June 1934). This would have
had a delay 10 to 15 ms @ 300hz region (crossover).
Apparently this was audible with certain program material.

By contrast, the later MIRROPHONIC system had the drivers
in almost perfect alignment as the bass enclosure was
a low depth "W" style (this being a compromise as
space behind screens was often limited). Nevertheless
The Mirrophonic had the lowest bass cut-off of any
commercial bass horn I know of (see Compendium of
Western Electric Loudspeakers & Horns by B. Nadel
for illustrations & dimensions)>