I haven't had too many years in the audiophile space yet but here were my speakers:
Epos Epic 5 Floorstanders - These British speakers were my first foray into the audio world. They sounded amazing to me. The range of sound coming out of these small floorstanders made me realize what was possible with a proper setup for listening to music. I used them in my apartment setup and they really served their purpose well. However, when I moved to my home, I sold these and got the following...
Focal Aria 936 - These were a big, BIG step up from my Epos speakers. Much more extension in the highs and lows. I wouldn't call the Aria's bass heavy and they didn't pack much of a punch but they were dynamic to my ears. They were also aesthetically something else. The use of leather and walnut veneer really hooked me on first sight. I got them on a huge discount on Musicdirect. The problem was that I was continuing to do research on speakers at the time. With Musicdirect offering a 60 day trial policy and the other speaker brand that I was considering offering a 30 day policy, I decided to bring home another speaker to test.
Ascend Acoustics Sierra Towers with RAAL Ribbon Tweeters - Anyone who hasn't heard these speakers really should (if you're in the market for speakers in and around the $2-$5k range). These cost $2,800 new but I have heard speakers up to $10,000 and I still preferred these. Needless to say, these stayed with me and the Focal's were sent back. I kept these for over 3 years until the itch came and I got myself the...
Spendor D9 - These are still in the process of break-in but initial thoughts are that these have everything that the Ascend's did best and much more of that midrange bloom and extension in the highs and lows. There was no degradation of details even compared to the excellent ribbon tweeter on the Ascend's. While I was in the search for new speakers, I listened to a bunch including the Sonus Faber Olympica III's, Focal Sopra 2's, Magico A3's, Daedalus Argos, Harbeth 40.1s and the Spendors won out for me.
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