Speakers to hang on for life

[StevenSurprenant]

I've had three different speaker brands which have left a major impact on my life. I was wondering what speakers others have had or still have that have left a life long impression on you.

For me, and in order of when I owned them...

Phase Linear Andromeda/Phase III
Quad ESL 63
DIY Newform Tweeter R45 with SEAS woofers

All of these excelled in transparency and naturalness. The Newform/SEAS have the best soundstaging (by a huge margin) compared to the other two speakers I've owned.

The first two are dipoles and the last one sounds like a dipole with dynamics.

The best I've heard, but didn't own are...

Avalon's flagship model ($70,000) with Spectral gear- These actually fooled me into thinking someone was in the room with me. Amazing soundstaging.

Wilson Watt/Puppy with Pass Labs 45watt amp - This system went over the top with soundstaging. The space between each performer was so distinct that every performer was in their own space. The Avalon's did this too, but the Wilson's seemed to take it a little too far. The music didn't blend into one song, rather it seemed like each performer was playing something different because they were too separated, (Hard to explain). Still, Very impressive! I should also mention that I heard these same speakers with different electronics and they were less than captivating, more wall paper than 3D in that system.

Third would be a pair of Magnepan 2.0 (I believe) that blew my socks off. I'm not sure what electronics were used, but the clarity and soundstaging were very good. I heard these same speakers at other stores with different electronics and room setups and they always sounded lackluster, but not here. I should also mention that Magnepans rarely sound good in stores. Rarely are they set up right with the right equipment. My take on these is that they have great potential but great care has to be taken with room placement and electronics.

I really like the higher end Martin Logans too even though they never had a 3D soundstage to the extent as the speakers mentioned above. They sounded much like the Quad ESL's and the Quad's, at least in my home were not 3D soundstage champs. However, they sounded smooth, detailed, and very natural. I loved the Quads!

There are others, but this is the top of my list for speakers that have grabbed my attention and left a permanent impression in my mind.

Anyway, what floats your boat?