Landmarks in speaker design have been few and far between. There are a few certain contenders: in the UK, the
original Quad Electrostatic and the
ESL-63 qualify, while the
Celestion SL600 scored a big point for all small monitors; the
Spendor BC1 changed forever the notion that cone speakers were always colored and that big boxes were essential for good sound. In the States, Apogee has taught us much with their surprising mid-treble
ribbon-based designs. Other technologies have shown promise but have not achieved real commercial success.