25 ultimate audiophile speakers of all time …

[Bloom@83]

Like all lists- contentious, debatable , puzzling , ridiculous or justified depending on perspective.

The 25 Ultimate Audiophile Speakers of All Time

We picked the 25 absolute best audiophile speakers over $5,000. See how your speakers stack up.

audiophilereview.com

 

[vkalia]

They lost me when they left out Klipschorns. And no Vandersteens either? Weird.

That said, i always finds lists like this fun, if for no other reason than the spirited debate they cause

 

[arj]

They lost me when they left out Klipschorns. And no Vandersteens either? Weird.

That said, i always finds lists like this fun, if for no other reason than the spirited debate they cause

it says audiophile speakers..Klipschorns may not fall into a category like that but a legendary speaker no doubt

 

[liverpool_for_life]

it says audiophile speakers..

100 potential points for performance (however that was evaluated). Another 100 potential points for other stuff. Audiophile, indeed.

 

[Analogous]

it says audiophile speakers..Klipschorns may not fall into a category like that but a legendary speaker no doubt

I wonder how the distinction is made?
Are there any attributes and distinctive features that differentiate between audiophile and HiFi speakers that are popular?

 

[Bloom@83]

Yes I would too like to know this.

 

[Analogous]

On googling this question I found a few results. The differences seem to be subtle, subjective and dependent on the intent of the manufactures.

Audiophile vs. Pro Audio Gear

A simple question, but one for which I have found very little feedback on the web. The question is this - does anyone have real-world experience comparing high end audiophile gear to pro audio equipment, and if so, what were the results? Every now and then you see manufacturers that bridge the...

www.stereophile.com

 

[arj]

I wonder how the distinction is made?
Are there any attributes and distinctive features that differentiate between audiophile and HiFi speakers that are popular?

Not really it's more of a time frame thing ..you will find audiophile speakers will generally be newer ones and vintage speakers will not fall into that "generally"

Eg the pre 80s K horn, tannoy red or gold speakers, JBL 43 series, jbl paragon, pioneer tad horns, altec horns even the much rarer klangfield speakers or quad 57s

They still sound great but being old with limited availability and demand may not be a big considerations by buyers or sellers and since the market did not look for elements like separation, soundstage explicitly were designed with different considerations

 

[Analogous]

They still sound great but being old with limited availability and demand may not be a big considerations by buyers or sellers and since the market did not look for elements like separation, soundstage explicitly were designed with different considerations

So, presumably the older ones were tuned “by the ear” and more recent “audiophile” speakers were designed using measurements primarily (and fine tuned by the ear)?

Or is it that audiophilia itself is a more recent phenomenon?

 

[arj]

So, presumably the older ones were tuned “by the ear” and more recent “audiophile” speakers were designed using measurements primarily (and fine tuned by the ear)?

Or is it that audiophilia itself is a more recent phenomenon?

Perhaps we gave it a name now as in the past people wanted music as close to Live based on the recording quality then , since the reference was live un-amplified music for them and so it was for the designers. Being a relatively big market so many smart engineers got out of college to go into the audio business to develop cutting edge stuff in audio to do just that.

Just like in the past we had doctors..then we had specialisation into surgeons, then spine surgeons and now surgeons specializing only in C1-C4 .
I guess similarly before there was live music which was the test, then we started analysing and specialising it into different factors and now we have speakers with disappear the best, best soundstage, best bass, midrange kings, flat curve etc etc...
Maybe so have peoples tastes in music as well as we may want different things despite everyone claiming they want the best music, the paths they choose can be different.

 

[Analogous]

Perhaps we gave it a name now as in the past people wanted music as close to Live based on the recording quality then , since the reference was live un-amplified music for them and so it was for the designers. Being a relatively big market so many smart engineers got out of college to go into the audio business to develop cutting edge stuff in audio to do just that.

Just like in the past we had doctors..then we had specialisation into surgeons, then spine surgeons and now surgeons specializing only in C1-C4 .
I guess similarly before there was live music which was the test, then we started analysing and specialising it into different factors and now we have speakers with disappear the best, best soundstage, best bass, midrange kings, flat curve etc etc...
Maybe so have peoples tastes in music as well as we may want different things despite everyone claiming they want the best music the paths they choose can be different.

Specialisation does mean a higher degree of focus in a narrow area, but all specialists start as generalists? But the rigorous study and training does often narrow their field of vision. The audiophile/audio enthusiast is arguably a discerning specialist too. (Some are super specialists)
Incidentally I recently got this book (not started it yet)…hopefully I will find some clues that indirectly throw some light on this issue.

 

[vkalia]

it says audiophile speakers..Klipschorns may not fall into a category like that but a legendary speaker no doubt

Yup, good point.

 

[drlowmu]

They lost me when they left out Klipschorns. And no Vandersteens either? Weird.

That said, i always finds lists like this fun, if for no other reason than the spirited debate they cause

I do not like hearing the large Klipschorns, for a couple of very good reasons.

They have a good extreme bottom but the mid bass delivery to the lower midrange is all out of time. WHY ? Because we have an indirect rear firing 15 inch woofer into a rear- loaded horn. Terrible.

( As opposed to a direct front firing 15 inch woofer loaded into a front - firing horn. )

The later is much more direct sounding, and in better time to the music.

The second reason is that the vintage Klipsch drivers are cheaply made.

After spending a TON of money to buy the large vintage K-Horn, you must spend a few thousand USD $$$ more, just to upgrade the drivers, to better quality ones. After you do that, and spend all that money, you still have to listen to a rear firing INDIRECTLY horn loaded speaker !!

A well set up ALTEC A7-8 will eat the Klipsch products alive, is what I find, IMHO, YMMV.. Two way, front horn loaded, drivers directly front firing, and on time into the listening room. Set up of any A7/VOTT is critical, and I believe 99% are not very well done. The 1945-47 VOTT H-110 may be the best ALTEC of all, ( the 288 is smooth sounding, and virtually perfect sound up to 13K ) but it is big, needs a large space . A7-8 is more practical, can play in a one car garage !

Jeff

 

[drlowmu]

Have you ever heard of a 1980 to 1987 Fulton Premiere speaker. ?

It was ( and possibly still is ) the widest band speaker perhaps ever made. Plus or minus 2 dB from 12 Hz to 80 kHz, a seven to nine way inefficient design.

Mr. Fulton was an audio engineer and musician. He recorded and made excellent LPs also. He had a good ear.

Bottom was two 12s, slot loaded into a patented enclosure, crossed over low, seem to recall 24 hZ. . A 12 inch alnico mid woofer, and a 10 inch upper woofer in it's own separated internal enclosure. A 5 or 8 inch midrange, and a five way tweeter, that usually measured out to 110 kHz.. Each range user adjustable. Model numbers during that time I am aware of were P-1 to P-22.

Here is a tweeter module :




I only do high efficiency now. I believe the power amps, and not the speakers, are most in need of coming up to snuff.

Jeff

 

[arj]

I do not like hearing the large Klipschorns, for a couple of very good reasons.

I guess your hearing is far more evolved than mine..someone I trust a lot and with much higher hearing than me recommends it so till I do get there the Klipschorn will remain in my list

The Altecs A5 and above are great no doubt but somehow never floated my boat , and lets not even talk of how it looks, so actually preferred tannoys ( with their imperfections) over it.

Perhaps the one speaker which could tempt me over that would either be the Vitavox CN-191 or better still the JBL Hartsfield both being too big/unwieldy/above budget for me...( yes I love Corner Horns)

 

[drlowmu]

I guess your hearing is far more evolved than mine..someone I trust a lot and with much higher hearing than me recommends it so till I do get there the Klipschorn will remain in my list

The Altecs A5 and above are great no doubt but somehow never floated my boat , and lets not even talk of how it looks, so actually preferred tannoys ( with their imperfections) over it.

Perhaps the one speaker which could tempt me over that would either be the Vitavox CN-191 or better still the JBL Hartsfield both being too big/unwieldy/above budget for me...( yes I love Corner Horns)

I have K-Horn experience. ALTECS normally don't float my boat either. AND that is why I wrote herein 99% are not well set up. ( AND why I got kicked off the ALTEC Forum, LOL ). It TAKES an amp such as I build, to do justice to any ALTEC, in my experience.

My very first purchased speaker out of college in 1969 was a Tannoy Monitor Gold 15 inch in a GRF factory enclosure. IMHO, my current ALTEC A7-8 as I have it set up, KILLS the Tannoys. And I did not like the sound of the ultra big Tannoy ( Autograph ) horn loaded models either. Colored and out of time, detached from reality.

I find there is nothing I have yet experienced ( and have not heard all ) as a front firing 15 inch, partially front horn loaded, with a compression driver on top, also horn loaded. Simple two way. But it takes a two stage DC SE amp, with L.S.E.S. power supply, multiple film cap bypassing, and zero NFB, and good audio wiring throughout, to pull it off. You were simply hearing the crummy amp, wiring, and set-up, powering the ALTEC !!!

 

[vkalia]

I do not like hearing the large Klipschorns, for a couple of very good reasons.

They have a good extreme bottom but the mid bass delivery to the lower midrange is all out of time. WHY ? Because we have an indirect rear firing 15 inch woofer into a rear- loaded horn. Terrible.

( As opposed to a direct front firing 15 inch woofer loaded into a front - firing horn. )

The later is much more direct sounding, and in better time to the music.

The second reason is that the vintage Klipsch drivers are cheaply made.

After spending a TON of money to buy the large vintage K-Horn, you must spend a few thousand USD $$$ more, just to upgrade the drivers, to better quality ones. After you do that, and spend all that money, you still have to listen to a rear firing INDIRECTLY horn loaded speaker !!

A well set up ALTEC A7-8 will eat the Klipsch products alive, is what I find, IMHO, YMMV.. Two way, front horn loaded, drivers directly front firing, and on time into the listening room. Set up of any A7/VOTT is critical, and I believe 99% are not very well done. The 1945-47 VOTT H-110 may be the best ALTEC of all, ( the 288 is smooth sounding, and virtually perfect sound up to 13K ) but it is big, needs a large space . A7-8 is more practical, can play in a one car garage !

Jeff

That’s fair enough.

I, on the other hand, liked listening to Klipschorns because they sounded amazing and made live instruments sound like live instruments when driven by a singe ended triode amp.

 

[drlowmu]

That’s fair enough.

I, on the other hand, liked listening to Klipschorns because they sounded amazing and made live instruments sound like live instruments when driven by a singe ended triode amp.

Understand you , fine. You are speaking honestly to the limits of your direct experience. Very good !!

My two-part critique is still valid IMHO.

I have direct listening and ownership experience, since 1969, with Tannoy, Klipsch and ALTEC.

With the best possible SE two-stage DC tube amplification available, only ALTEC of these three is satisfactory to me personally. YMMV .

REGARDS,

Jeff

 

[grindstone]

To @Analogous and @Bloom@83, IMO, "audiophile" speakers have come to mean obsessive about staging and depth. If you see that word for speakers, it usually means pretty, costs a lot, and deep staging via tall/skinny forms. I didn't see that word much until the 70's maybe (?), but it's been around the trade press at least since the '50's. When applied to a person, I've come to believe it's more about the really segmented and regional market differences that support an outlet for people to express their individuality--a lot like super-high-end automobiles. "Audiophile" people's rigs are individual statements of identity and creativity, just like a person's building full of high-end collector cars, etc. In both examples, proponents laud performance attributes, but I think really it's an outlet for a somebody's individuality expression.

The earnest & sincere inquiry about attributes for each classification deserves a bit more. There's piece of high-end audio that's functionally (even if unintentionally) a "confidence game" where they win when we think we're missing-out. Hearing preferences are as personal as food preferences. Words about sound are always in the way. Trust your ears (seek food you like). By all means listen to everything and anything, but be confident in your own assessments of sound if you should doubt your own capabilities. None of us would expect everyone to like the food we like or say our food is the only way to go, so it is with audio.

We're human--the only things I know All of us like is serotonin and dopamine. If we know we're chasing "new" to chase new, we can smile and celebrate our own humanity vs. endless gear-flipping and blind-alley investigating couched as technical improvement crusades. If you know what you like and your rig does it, there's nothing wrong with wanting "new", but contentment comes from knowing enough about your own preferences to be able to separate chasing dopamine from rig performance priorities.

One pedantic bit re khorns--they're front-loaded horns, too--they just rear-fire. The only rear-loaded horns PWK ever hatched were Shorthorns/Rebels, and of those, only the short-lived Rebel1 was a long horn.

 

[drlowmu]

Grindstone, they are front loaded, I stand corrected. Clumsily written.

Except ............ for my very first anti-K-Horn post, where I wrote :


" ( As opposed to a direct front firing 15 inch woofer loaded into a front- firing horn. )

The later is much more direct sounding, and in better time to the music. "


I SHOULD have said it as I meant it - in the later post - which you picked up on : specifying it as " Directly radiating into one's listening room. "

See the difference. ?? A K-Horn's 15 never is directly radiating into the listening room. Nor is a Jubilee, for $50K ??

NO comparison, when listening to to speakers I much prefer and own that are directly radiating into the listening area, AND also front horn loaded ( even if partially ) on the 15 inch.

Capish ? It's really so much fun to hear with excellent performing SE DC tube amps.

Jeff