Which brand makes the best quality loudspeakers?

[William Lemmerhirt]

Anything by Lirpa labs.

 

[VonMagnum]

We'd like to get your opinion on who you feel makes the best built and best sounding loudspeakers in consumer audio. Your opinion should be based primarily on sound quality followed by build quality and durability. This choice should be based on the overall product line of a particular company and not just one or two products that may excel.

If you find a particular brand on this list lacking, please indicate why.

Give us reasons why you chose a particular brand or why you feel that particular brand shines above the others on this list. If your brand isn't listed here (sorry only 10 polling options allowed), please post the brand name in the thread along with your experiences.

It seems moot, IMO. Most people rarely hear more than a handful of brands in a quality room and it's getting harder to do so with far less shops than 20 years ago. Even then, you were limited by what they carry and it's hard to tell how much their room affects the results. Most people will pick their own brand or some famous brand they read about in a magazine they think they trust. I see Klipsch scored high (popular due to reasonable price, decent quality, easy to drive, and easy availability at Best Buy (Polk similar). B&W is the overpriced darling of high end rags....

I picked PSB because the Stratus Gold was my second favorite preview after the Carver ribbons I ended up buying so I went back to them when I bought a new house to have a dedicated home theater. I like how most of their lineup is +/- 1dB instead of the more typical 3dB (up to 6B louder/quieter at some frequencies is nothing to brag about, IMO). It's impractical to say if I would have liked another setup in my room without trying them.

 

[Doge]

My Watkins Generation 4 are the best speakers I have ever owned.
The quality is unlike any I have heard before. Wish they were in the poll! Listening to music and my huge classical vinyl collection is how I unwind after work. www.watkinsaudio.com

I got a pair Monday March 25, 2019. I return a lot of stuff and I get 14 days. The claims were big. As good as 3X the cost. I don't buy $8K speakers, but I've heard a few of them. I do not have golden ears. I think the <$3K price was a deal. They sit on stands on my desk. I'd like to hear them in a bigger room, with more power, farther away. that won't happen for a while. I run them about 70dBA with them 1m from me. I have an REL sub which I am re-thinking needing. The sub goes lower and as an old guy, I can detect to lows better than the highs, but the clarity of these is different than what I've heard. I kinda like the electrostatic MLs when I sit just right but they are too big for my desk. I want to try some Magnepan's - but also too big for my desk. So for near field, lower power - music. Never heard anything so clear and full. I'm a tube amp guy (15W/ch 300B),so you can discount my opinion.

I have my ML Motion 35XTs sitting on the floor looking for a re-purpose. I was looking at the ProAc Tablettes. I have not heard them, won't bother now. I may put these in my big room, which is really too big, but the sound feels like they would have no issues. I would change the amp.

 

[Phase 2]

The ones your happy with.

 

[Mikado463]

The ones your happy with.

I'm happy with mine yet I'm sure there are better out there, just haven't heard them yet ..........

 

[Doge]

I'm happy with mine yet I'm sure there are better out there, just haven't heard them yet ..........

What are they?

 

[Mikado463]

What are they?

Revel Studio 2's

 

[3db]

The popularity poll is still alive and well I see

 

[davidscott]

The popularity poll is still alive and well I see

Yep probably should be reset with more choices.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The ones your happy with.

Hey, Klipsch is in 3rd place. Not bad. :

 

[David Bookman]

That's okay. I like rare speakers better anyway. Mystery is good.

I agree!

 

[Phase 2]

Yep probably should be reset with more choices.

Yeah, where's those virtual speakers.

 

[davidscott]

Anything by Lirpa labs.

I really liked the Lirpa labs phono cartridge review back in the 80s published in Audio magazine if I recall correctly. Sort of like an automobile tire review for phono tracking.

 

[i_luv_pitza]

I'm surprised Bose is not on this list

 

[Mikado463]

I'm surprised Bose is not on this list

now that's laughable !!

 

[Phase 2]

I'm surprised Bose is not on this list

Uhu? What? Bose, ..lol

 

[i_luv_pitza]

Uhu? What? Bose, ..lol

Yea, like their RMU series speakers .. Their professional stuff is much better

 

[dvgeek]

None in the list. No mention of Golden Ear & Definitive. IMHO - this looks like more of a poll of budget/popular speakers and not audiophile quality speakers...

If have to choose from this list only - Polk, Paradigm, Martin Logan, JBL/Revel make some speakers that could be considered for voting...

 

[KenM10759]

While I wouldn't put Definitive Technology in the garbage can, nor would I consider them to be "audiophile quality." Perhaps better than some on the list, I do give them demerits for the long history of publishing test graphs that no independent reviewer seems to be able to replicate or even verify.

There are at least a dozen good makers of speakers that aren't on the list. The poll seemingly was created to generate discussion. It's been successful in that.

 

[dvgeek]

As someone suggested earlier in the thread, it would have been more meaningful to categorize the poll by price range... That could help newbies and others to pick a range they are comfortable with and then check out the brands...