Audiophiles - Speaker Recs?

[kach22i]

Originally posted by Brother
You won't get a good set of Martin Logan's new for $2000 unless prices have changed a lot.

Used:
http://www.martinloganowners.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=14

Used-2 (type in Martin Logan):
http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/srch_fs.pl

[jyl]

I'm over 40, how dare you ask?

Keep going, this is giving me great ideas.

I've been reading about horn designs. Some of the rear-loaded horns using a small full-range driver seem reasonably sized, practical to build, and certainly interesting. They do seem to roll off in the high end, above 13-15K or so. I suppose a tweeter could be added (a horn tweeter, natch). And I could use a flea-power amp. Anyone play with these? Something like a DIY Buschhorn.

http://www.apah69.dsl.pipex.com/buschhorns/buschorns.htm

http://melhuish.org/audio/index.html

[kach22i]

Originally posted by jyl
I looked at some online reviews of Martin Logan speakers circa 5 years ago and they seemed much richer, cosmetically-speaking, than the current line. Has the company been cost-cutting the products? Or is it simply a style shift?

Current Products:
http://www.martinlogan.com/

I'm not a huge fan of some of the gear styling from 1995-2005 either. I think the home-theater/cinema craze took some of the talent and resources away and they forgot that the speakers should look as good as they sound.

Some of that old stuff is just classic and will age well, better than the trendy "look at me" stuff.

The new Vantage/Summit series is getting back to the simple 2-channel beauty and styling but updated. Although at $5,000 and $10,000 it will be a long time before I pick them up used.

Martin/Logan is coming out with a non-powered woofer version of the Vantage, but even that will be just over $3,000.

Think used, just like a Porsche M/L is about performance and beauty, and it takes someone special to appreciate those qualities.

You should be able to pick up a good pair of used Aerius-i speakers for about $1,000. Use the extra grand on your source (CD player/Turntable) or amplification, you will not be sorry.

[Dave L]

Originally posted by Brother
Are you over the age of 40?

If yes then B&W.

I bought my B&W 602's when I was 26. For the budget they work very well and am still very happy with them.

As someone else mentioned you need to get into a nice higher end store and listen.

[Seahawk]

Timely thread...I just sold a pair of Altec Lansing Carmel cabinet speakers my father bought in 1964/5, and I am looking to replace them.

We are remodeling and wanted a smaller speaker footprint. Thanks for all the ideas.

[1973911s]

AVS Forum

This is the Pelican Parts of the Audio world.

Michael

[kach22i]

Originally posted by 1973911s
AVS Forum

This is the Pelican Parts of the Audio world.

Michael

That might be a nice forum, but my eyes started to hurt from the format within seconds.

The below is a good forum, many categories and a good search engine.

http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/general/bbs.html

[azasadny]

Call me old fashioned (or worse), but I have 2 pair of Bose 501 (old style with wood veneer cabinet). They sound good to me and they double as end tables in the family room and living room. I'm a drummer and like jazz, blues and classic rock, so the Bose are good for me. I don't like the "newer" speakers on the market as well as the good old bass reflex speakers.

[1973911s]

Originally posted by kach22i
That might be a nice forum, but my eyes started to hurt from the format within seconds.

The below is a good forum, many categories and a good search engine.

http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/general/bbs.html

You can change the format that you view it in.

Michael

[jyl]

Getting interesting . . .













these are all horn diy's using full-range drivers, well all but one.

[pwd72s]

The PVC pipe one looked interesting...some hack saw work, some glue, and it's done!

[nostatic]

i'm telling you...find a music/pro audio place and listen to some A.D.A.M. speakers. The ribbon tweeter is amazing.

I'm not a big fan of horns. For shimmer without harshness, I don't think you can beat a ribbon design.

B&W was always a bit nasal to me...nice though but very "british" sound. Wanted to like Klipsch but never did. Most planar speakers require lots of power.

Many years ago I had a pair of these and they were great...don't know about these days though:

http://www.energy-speakers.com/v2/

[pwd72s]

Speakers must be a lot like Porsches. There are those who prefer the old stuff...then there are those who prefer the new stuff...then there are those who prefer to build their own. jyl? To check out the new stuff, get your butt to the shop I mentioned earlier. For the other options? You're on your own, but I will admit that nostatic is a professional listener....

[jyl]

I will visit Chelsea's.

What will they say when I ask where's the PVC pipe speakers?

[plain fan]

Really the link to the AVS forum is the one you need to go to and you can definitely get it off that default purple/blue/black/yellow scheme. My viewing is gray/blue/white/black.

One word for a recommendation: NHT (www.nhthifi.com)

Seek them out and listen. I've been purposefully staying away from my dealer to avoid buying their new digital speaker system.

[pwd72s]

Originally posted by jyl
I will visit Chelsea's.

What will they say when I ask where's the PVC pipe speakers?

HOOT!

[Brother]

Well, Dunlavy's are the best I've ever heard bar none. The namesake is dead as of a few years ago, but I'm sure there might be a few people who would part with them.

He was a cool old guy. He gave my friend and I a tour of his factory/shop in Colorado Springs. Awesome place. The test chamber that he built was a trip to stand in with the door closed. Complete dark and no sound whatsoever. Freaky.

Now that I'm moving into a much smaller house, I'm thinking of selling my Linn Classik, Velodyne sub, and Paradigm Reference Studio 40's. Where is the best place to sell this stuff? How would you go about pricing it out?

[Eric Coffey]

Originally posted by jyl
I'm looking for a set of living room speakers. It's been a long time since I was an audiophile, so I know what I want but not what's available....

If you are looking for a true "audiophile" level loudspeaker, you still have some research & listening to do, IMO. If one of your primary concerns is accurate high freq. reproduction, there aren't many that can match Dynaudio, particularly their "Esotar" and "Esotec" drivers (found on their higher-end models, and supplied to other super high-end Co's). Their mid-bass & low freq. units are second to none as well.

If you are limited to $2000, I would seriously consider finding something pre-owned. Personally, I would rather have a pair of "excellent" used (but well taken care of) loudspeakers, than a new set of "good" ones.


A few Mfg. I would consider searching for on the used market:

Wilson Audio
Dynaudio
JM Labs (aka Focal)
Revel
Kharma
Eggleston
Merlin
Verity
Totem Acoustic (use Dynaudio drivers)
Sonus Farber
Meadowlark
Von Schweikert

I'd stay away from any of the "quasi" high end stuff like:
Kef, Polk, Infinity, Bose, etc.

There are a few decent offerings from Definitive Technology, which I would consider to be a happy medium between the above two categories.

[1973911s]

Originally posted by plain fan
Really the link to the AVS forum is the one you need to go to and you can definitely get it off that default purple/blue/black/yellow scheme. My viewing is gray/blue/white/black.

One word for a recommendation: NHT (www.nhthifi.com)

Seek them out and listen. I've been purposefully staying away from my dealer to avoid buying their new digital speaker system.

I currently have a full set up with seven NHT speakers, and they are great for Home Theater, but I think they lack detail for good music.

I have been using them for over 10 years, and would be hard pressed to find a set up under 7K that could match them.

Michael

[sand_man]

My current speakers, Harbeth 7ES-2, have been the most satisfying in my current rig. They seem to do all things well. The workmanship is top notch and Harbeth manufactures their own drivers. These are the quintessential British monitors and come from a company well known for producing incredibly accurate studio monitors. I do believe that there is a certain synergy with various audio components and right now I think I've found a happy place...a rare thing to find when infected with the audio nervosa sickness!!!
After buying and selling god only knows how many components, I'm using my tried and true "backup" system and couldn't be happier:
-Amp: Conrad Johnson Premier 11A running matched Svetlana KT88 output tubes.
-Preamp: Conrad Johnson Premier 10B running vintage GE and Telefunken tubes
-CD Player: Audio Research CD3 MK2

I also had good experiences with ProAc speakers (another Britsish monitor). Vandersteen was another satisfying brand!!! Good luck!