Another speaker that I personally never liked but was nonetheless (and continue to be) successful is the BW 801 ... The English sound but with cojones ... Rather a significant speaker wouldn't you say?
I liked the B&W 801 Series III enough (while attending the first HK Hi-End Audio show in the early90s) to actually ordering a pair from the local dealer here. I had heard both the Series 1 & 2, and though they were good, the APOC protection circuit had always been the caveat in its design as I had read from its reviews. This protection ironically limits the power from the amp and made even a 250 watt FM Acoustic amp gasp in driving the Series 2. The S3 did away with the APOC and the result was a very open and dynamic sound. Yes, they had 'cojones', and lots of it. LOL They are virtually indestructible with any material from Telarc and they were fun to listen to and listen to with confidence; something I couldn't say with the Spica TC 50s even with their own powered woofers. What I liked most about them is the ability of their mid/high 'head' units to swivel in or out for best toe-in adjustment while maintaining the bass unit to be 'fixed' or firing straight. This works beautifully in recreating a nice soundstage and focused imaging.. The provided metal stands are a must (some friends confirmed this with me as well) for lesser bass boom though I admit they look better without them. Since a lot of recording studios in the UK used them as 'monitors', I guess their design would be 'significant' as well in the history of loudspeakers.