The best imaging loudspeakers and soundstage champs

The best imaging/soundstage that I've heard has come from speakers do that pull off constant directivity very well. Very good waveguide systems with constant coverage, for instance. The CBT arrays that Tom mentioned earlier are excellent examples of speakers with constant directivity without the waveguides. The Gedlee Summas were among the best I've heard, as well. Best yet, both of these speakers have excellent imaging and soundstage nearly anywhere in the room.
 
The best imaging/soundstage that I've heard has come from speakers do that pull off constant directivity very well. Very good waveguide systems with constant coverage, for instance. The CBT arrays that Tom mentioned earlier are excellent examples. The Gedlee Summas were among the best I've heard, as well. Best yet, both of these speakers have excellent imaging and soundstage nearly anywhere in the room.

Bingo, hence my vote for the Beveridge's.
 
I'm guessing these?

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:thmbsp::D

(fantastic bass response i might add with bottomless extension imo)
 
The CBT arrays that Tom mentioned earlier are excellent examples of speakers with constant directivity without the waveguides.

And that array was designed by Don Keele, generally considered the father of the modern CD horn. Paul "EV King" Eizik and I heard them at the Axpona show a couple of years ago and the image was unusually stable regardless of your position in the room--you could walk up to them, around them, behind them and the image just kind of followed you around. They were most impressive. Keele's a sharp cookie.

 
And that array was designed by Don Keele, generally considered the father of the modern CD horn. Paul "EV King" Eizik and I heard them at the Axpona show a couple of years ago and the image was unusually stable regardless of your position in the room--you could walk up to them, around them, behind them and the image just kind of followed you around. They were most impressive. Keele's a sharp cookie.

There was a small version at the last AKfest made by Rick Craig of Selah Audio. Even at half the size of the big ones, the attributes were all there. Remarkable ability to sound the same everywhere.

In my system, when I can move the furniture in a way that optimizes the sound, I get a similar effect in my room. At a SMAC meet that I hosted, someone was sitting at the midpoint of the side wall, right against the wall. "How can the image be right in the middle!?" He moved to the sweetspot and basically said that if there was a difference, it was really minor. I knew I got something right at that moment.
 
The B&W Nautilus 801 are contenders.
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IMEO my Fried T-line satellite and subwoofers are also worthy candidates.

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I have been very lucky finding some great vintage speakers.

Own both dahlquist dq10's and polk srs 3.1tl's.

Both are true imaging champs. It's actually hard to decide which are better.

The polk's are very forward, much louder, and go deeper (better punch on the low end). Yet, the dahlquist are smooth, balanced, layed back, and pleasant.
 
I think many of the older large Infinity systems are better at soundstage than they are at imaging. Seems the OP has quite a list to choose from.:scratch2:
 
No lie, those things could make a huge bubble and let you hear deep into the music. Best damned ARs I ever heard.

What is it about those little things? I could never figure it out. Is it the point-source imaging of the tweeter and mid being so close? Or something else?

By the way, how about the little Goodmans Maxim, which some feel are the best-sounding bookshelf speaker ever made?
 
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Once my problem neighbors are gone (The eviction process is the only thing left at this point), I plan to do all kinds of experimenting with the speakers in my collection, and one thing I plan to try is putting the W90's on their sides. This will mean putting them a few inches higher off the floor than they already are (Right now, they're 10" off the floor, so maybe 15", since they're about 4-5" taller than they are wide. The original W90 brochure states that they can be placed vertical as well as horizontal, just like the W60 variations, and I'm thinking that the horizontal row of tweeter/midwoofer/midwoofer/tweeter (which can be seen in the picture, running left to right in that open area above the woofer enclosures) might be better if you change it to a VERTICAL array. I tried it when I first got them, but they were just sitting on the floor, which I think was the problem. I figure I just have to put them high enough so the right tweeter (which is now up top when you flip the speaker onto it's left side) is at eye/ear-level and the left tweeter would now be on the bottom. If it works though, it could really up the ante for this model. The soundstage would be wider, plus TALLER as well, but like I said, I still need to try that. They look so good standing upright though.
 
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minimus 7s, when on stands and away from walls, will suspend an incredible sound image

Yeah, I love the old 7's for that. Plus, I recall them being very-musical. Haven't heard a pair in quite a while, but that's what I seem to recall most. They had a musicality that I later recalled with MB Quart car stereo speakers. Not necessarily warm, just musical and engaging, you know? I finally get the small box thing. It's easier to get a fast, lively, nicely-imaging response out of a small box than it is with a big enclosure.


One small model I would LOVE to own is the Goodmans Maxim. Supposed to be the mother of all vintage small-bookshelf-sized speakers. Something tells me this model works well placed on it's side. Gotta' love early '60's British hi-fi.
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Harbeth Monitor 40.1's blew me away with soundstage depth and placement of instruments within the listening environment. What amazed me even more was that the effect was preserved even with extreme off angle listening, had me grinning like a fool.
 
I always thought my Sonus Faber Guarneri Homages were excellent in the soundstage dept but was quite surprised a few years ago when someone "special" gave me a set of custom crossovers for my Magnepan 3.6's.

I always loved the Maggie "dipole" sound and tone is what attracts me most when I build a system. I enjoyed the Maggies for several years but when I got these custom x/o's, the sound stage really improved.

On one particular recording of a solo piano, I could hear the low notes coming from left center and the high notes over to the right like if I was sitting at, or in(?) the piano. Same thing with a harp solo, it was like the harp was a few feet in front of me...high notes were a little to the right and as the performer drew his hand closer to him, I could follow the strings go from a little right to the center. Kinda scary :yikes:
 
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Being that imaging is part of the image ination. I will go on record by stating that to my imagination the ADS series L 980 paired with the ADS L 880 is imaging the crap out of me right now.
 
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