Vintage Audiophile Speakers
 

I scan Craig's List now and again for 10-20+ year old speakers that were amazing in their day but are now pennies on the dollar. Found a set of ADS L990s the other day fitting this description for the garage. Smaller B&Ws seem to be good value like the DM602s but older Nautilus hold their value.

Not sure if the above would be considered audiophile or not.

What are some great, audiophile quality, older speakers to look for on CL?

the thing to look for on older drivers, is the surround foam can be brittle or tired.


inspect them carefully.


you get what you pay for..

I inherited my uncle's system complete with ESS AMT-1 speakers. Yes, the foam surround was completely shot.

The good news is it's stupid simple to replace the foam surround. Go to simplyspeakers.com and you can find whatever you need, including very detailed instructions and videos. My repair went without a hitch. Do not pass on speakers just because the foam is wrecked - that's your bargaining chip. ;)

The Klipsch La Scala or Klipsch Heresy come immediately to mind. La Scalas are large so you'd better have some room, while the Heresys are more moderately sized.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1435171729.jpg
Before foam replacement. The deteriorated foam has already been scraped away with a utility knife.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1435171563.jpg
After foam replacement and installed back in the speaker cabinet.

Kit cost me $25 for the pair.

Klipsch Corner horns or Klipsch KG4. Though KG4 is probably not "audiophile" grade but they do sound VERY good. Vandersteens seem to come up pretty regularly as well.

I used to dabble in vintage pro sound (Altec, JBL, EV, EAW) and came up with some pretty amazing systems. These speakers were essentially designed to last forever and if well cared-for they would. Too big and heavy for me to drag around now and modern powered speakers are very good.

I still have a pair of high-end Electro-Voice 1" compression drivers and 400w xovers if anyone has a use for them.

Not sure I would describe them as 'audiophile', but vintage JBLs are great.

Orange County speaker can recone for you at a reasonable cost. Would not let that hold back an otherwise "good deal".

When I was looking for rear speakers for my home system I found a set of Infinity Infinitesimal Fours for cheap on C-list.
Bought 'em and took 'em to Orange County Speaker Works for re-edging. I'd re-edged my Infinity Column II's with their kits with huge success, but couldn't figure out how to get the drivers out of the Fours.
They worked great as rears but were replaced with some Polk Audio's so ended up in the garage.
Maybe not audiophile, but good enough for my tinny ears.
:)
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1435174376.jpg

For the garage, ideal would be a set that are cosmetically beat up so they are cheap, but mechanically sound. Other than that, the best are whatever sounds best to you. What will you use to drive them? I'd suggest finding a nice vintage 2-channel receiver, which would knock the socks off of any new cheap stuff out there.

JBL Paragon has to be the most beautiful speaker ever made.

I dont consider 10-20 year old speakers to be vintage at all. I bought the current set of Dynaudio speakers I have almost 20 years ago and consider them quite modern. In this context the usual suspects for older but modern speakers are: B&W, Thiel, Kef, Paradigm, Snell, Wilson, Sonus Faber, Proac, etc basically alot of the current industry leaders were around 20 years ago


I dont know as much about the older truly classic speakers like early Klipsches and Altecs. My dad has his original set of Altec voice of the theater speakers from the late 60s I believe. They don't sound that great to me though they are a collectors favorite.

I tell you one thing that dosent seam to show up very cheap on craigslist these days is better vintage turntables.

With the latest fad, everyone thinks thier current mid fi 1970s TT is worth 600$>


I still do periodic checks to try to nab a Linn, AR, or thorens.

Sure, but I've refoamed older Advents that turned out great. My taste moved from warm to bright so I've been into B&Ws a little.

But your point is well taken, just a matter of priorities. Nautilus 804s or Max Moritz pistons/cylinders for my 3.0 build? Easy choice only being able to afford one.

Thanks, the room is only 15x22 so I think a midsize speaker will work. Will look for the Heresys.

I have an old Hafler P230 power amp, Rotel pre-amp and Rotel tuner.

My main speakers are from the 70's. :) Been looked at/tested, still in great condition.

Altec Voice of the Theaters. Not "accurate" by any means, but damn they still give me goosebumps!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1435227658.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1435227774.jpg

I've got a pair of Advent/1s that my Dad bought brand new in 1978. Those are my main speakers in my old-school, 2-channel mid-fi kind of set up. I also have a pair of Klipsch kg4s that I lusted after for years, but in the end, I like the Advents better.

I've listened to a lot of speakers over the years and IMHO, these Advents will hold their own against a most of what is out there. Pure, two-way acoustic suspension bliss. Tight, but powerful bass and crisp highs that aren't fatiguing at all.