Magnepan Magneplanar MG1.7i

High in resolution, low in distortion, with enough bass and treble (of superlatively high quality) to satisfy anyone save a headbanger, and a midrange that reproduces well-recorded voices and acoustic instruments with jaw-dropping realism, it is one of those “sweet-spot” wonders that pops up every decade or two.

The 1.7 gave you a generous taste of everything its bigger and more expensive Maggie brothers were capable of for a fraction of what you’d pay for the same wonderment in a top-line dynamic speaker.