Vintage Audiophile Speakers

[Racerbvd]

[Shaun @ Tru6]

I'm putting my Hafler Pro power amp on FBMP soon.

[pavulon]

So, a 1 year old McIntosh MA352 (hybrid tube pre and SS amplifier) is for sale within easy driving distance. I thought maybe it's a sign for me to upgrade and pass my consumer grade Sony receiver on. The guy has 3 amps and he is selling this one. He had it hooked up to a some Wharfedale Evo 5.3 speakers for demonstration purposes. It was heartbreakingly disappointing. Music sounded seriously watered down. Sad trombone.

[astrochex]

Originally Posted by pavulon

So, a 1 year old McIntosh MA352 (hybrid tube pre and SS amplifier) is for sale within easy driving distance. I thought maybe it's a sign for me to upgrade and pass my consumer grade Sony receiver on. The guy has 3 amps and he is selling this one. He had it hooked up to a some Wharfedale Evo 5.3 speakers for demonstration purposes. It was heartbreakingly disappointing. Music sounded seriously watered down. Sad trombone.

Maybe the source material was cr#p?

[pavulon]

Originally Posted by astrochex

Maybe the source material was cr#p?

Maybe. But it seems like the eponymous Boston CD should "sparkle" a little, no?

[Por_sha911]

Oops. OLD post

[908/930]

Originally Posted by pavulon

So, a 1 year old McIntosh MA352 (hybrid tube pre and SS amplifier) is for sale within easy driving distance. I thought maybe it's a sign for me to upgrade and pass my consumer grade Sony receiver on. The guy has 3 amps and he is selling this one. He had it hooked up to a some Wharfedale Evo 5.3 speakers for demonstration purposes. It was heartbreakingly disappointing. Music sounded seriously watered down. Sad trombone.

Most McIntosh amps use output transformers, and they add a lot of cost. That one does not use them so I would expect it to sound different to other McIntosh amps. As was already mentioned the CD player or disc could be a problem.

[pavulon]

I should have asked the owner to play the same CD though the same speakers using the amps that were also sitting there. I was there after a long few days of work but still. Fail. Yet, he says he's using the other amps and not the McIntosh--perhaps he's experiencing the same thing.

[908/930]

Looking at the manual for the MA352, that unit has a built in equalizer mode, are you sure it was turned off? Or just find a nice used Pass Labs INT-25.

[pavulon]

Originally Posted by 908/930

Looking at the manual for the MA352, that unit has a built in equalizer mode, are you sure it was turned off? Or just find a nice used Pass Labs INT-25.

I can't be sure of any operational finer points. Putting it kindly, the owner did not seem to be sure of much either. I can't bring my speakers to him and I really doubt he would let me demo it with them here. Maybe I need to familiarize myself with its operations via whatever means possible and make one more visit.

[ErVikingo]

Originally Posted by pavulon

So, a 1 year old McIntosh MA352 (hybrid tube pre and SS amplifier) is for sale within easy driving distance. I thought maybe it's a sign for me to upgrade and pass my consumer grade Sony receiver on. The guy has 3 amps and he is selling this one. He had it hooked up to a some Wharfedale Evo 5.3 speakers for demonstration purposes. It was heartbreakingly disappointing. Music sounded seriously watered down. Sad trombone.

Never underestimate the impacts of the room. Im not a Mc guy (my current preamp is an ALLNIC with Threshold and Manley amps) but havfe listened to systems with Mcs that sound glorious.

[Chocaholic]

Agree. I owned an MA-352 for about two years. The SQ was outstanding in our room with Revel speakers. Just what you’d expect from a properly set up Mac. Room, source equipment, cables and source material present too many variables for a proper assessment.

[IROC]

Reviving this thread briefly as I just bought a mint pair of Klipsch Quartet speakers off of FB Marketplace. I have always been a Klipsch fan (owned some kg 4s 20 years ago) but these have truly impressed me. It's as if I'm experiencing music for the first time again. I laughed out loud during one song as I could not believe what I was hearing. It was as if the band was sitting 20 feet in front of me...

Anyway, great speakers...

[Chocaholic]

Uh oh…you’ve been bitten by the bug. Lock your wallet in a safe now. Trust me on this.

[IROC]

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

Uh oh…you’ve been bitten by the bug. Lock your wallet in a safe now. Trust me on this.

Haha!! You're right. I would actually like to find a nice pair of Fortes, but it seems speaker prices have really gone crazy.

[911 Rod]

There is a pair of Klipsch Quartet speakers going for $750 here. Good deal?

[astrochex]

Originally Posted by IROC

It's as if I'm experiencing music for the first time again. I laughed out loud during one song as I could not believe what I was hearing. It was as if the band was sitting 20 feet in front of me...

Hearing new elements in familiar music is a great joy for me.

[Chocaholic]

It’s been a few years since I’d had tube amplification in the system. Have had this (Unison Reaearch Triode 25) for about 2 weeks. It’s been an eye opener. Solid state has come a long way but the texture, decay and warmth produced by a quality vacuum tube amp is just sublime. You hear the wood in Carla Bley’s piano, or the pluck of an acoustic bass. Ben Webster’s tenor is in the room with you…almost eerie. Really enjoying this.

[IROC]

Originally Posted by 911 Rod

There is a pair of Klipsch Quartet speakers going for $750 here. Good deal?

I paid $700. I have been watching the local (East TN, north GA, western NC) used speaker market (not just for Quartets) for over a year and I jumped on these at $700. There was another pair of Quartets locally a few months back for $850. I waited for the price to drop and they sold. So, when these came up I bought them immediately.

I bought my kg 4 speakers around 2005 for $400 in great condition. Same speakers now are $600-800 minimum. I have seen some pairs offered for over $1k. Reading old audio forum posts, evidently Quartets could be had for less than $500 a pair all day long back in the day, but since Covid it seems there has been a resurgence in vintage audio so great deals are very hard to find (at least in my corner of the world). I even checked eBay often but anything reasonably priced was either 'local pickup only' or they wanted $200 shipping (old Klipsch speakers are big and heavy).

I'm sure major metropolitan areas have better selection/pricing but around here you can't be too choosy.

So...I was very happy at $700. I would have been happy at $750.

[IROC]

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

It’s been a few years since I’d had tube amplification in the system. Have had this (Unison Reaearch Triode 25) for about 2 weeks. It’s been an eye opener. Solid state has come a long way but the texture, decay and warmth produced by a quality vacuum tube amp is just sublime. You hear the wood in Carla Bley’s piano, or the pluck of an acoustic bass. Ben Webster’s tenor is in the room with you…almost eerie. Really enjoying this.

I have not wandered into the tube world and probably won't. I also play guitar and own nothing but tube amps, so i certainly appreciate the character and dynamics that tubes have over SS, but am scared to go that route for audio.

Probably unlike many of you, I am a huge music fan, but have only ever been a "mid-fi" audio enthusiast at most. Strictly 2-channel. I own nothing fancy. I have a Denon receiver that I bought new in the 1980s (interesting note - I was likely the first person to buy a piece of Denon equipment in the state of Alabama). Anyway, even by today's standards it is pretty good (still have it - it's driving a pair of original Advent speakers in my bonus room). I now have a Yamaha RX-797 two-channel receiver that I bought about 15 years ago. 100 watts per channel and surprisingly good THD (.019%) and signal-to-noise (110 dB) two things that typically look for.