Need some speaker suggestions....

You should really try to listen to any speakers you're thinking about buying. If there are that many on CL, forget about ebay and go demo some speakers from buyers who are willing to have them set up and playing. You can take your own music, have them set the tone controls flat or however sounds good to you, and see if you like them.

Speakers have more variability in sound, in the same price range, than any other audio component. They're like sneakers: if you don't try them on, there's a fair chance they won't fit right.
 
Nat said:
I tend to agree with your opinion about most CVs. But I'm curious why you would like a pair of HD770s. Have you heard and fallen in love with a pair, or are you going off someone else's opinion? If it is the latter, note that plenty of people have offered opinions here you didn't agree with, so how do you know you'll like the Marantzes?
As far as I can tell, the Marantzes, seem to command a relatively high price (based somewhat, I guess, on their cool looks), and my view is that there are plenty of speakers that might please you mightly for less money. And they may be found more easily.
Click to expand...

Nat, those are the speakers the seller demo'd the amp with for me. It wasn't based on the looks because I only saw them with the grills on when he was playing them, and I thought they looked "so so" at best. It was definitely the sound of them that caught my attention. I would not say that they are the absolute best speakers I have ever heard, but good enough to make me say, "wow, wanna sell those speakers with your amp"? But ya, I agree, there are probably plenty of great speakers for less money, and easier to find. I guess the reason I am saying I would like to find a set is because i do know what they sound like with my amp, I really like the sound, and finding a set right off would end my hunt for a pair of speakers. But hey, I am flexible. lol
 
I didn't realize that finding a pair of speakers was going to be so much work. I would like to stay in the same time period, somewhat....70-80's. Anything I seem to find in the local are area are either too small (60-75w), or they are beat to crap and have been modified with who knows what for parts. Anything I find on Ebay ...well, the shipping is the deal breaker. Oh well....eventually I will find something. lol
 
Question.....I know JBL are great speakers, at least some of the models. Does anyone know off hand any specific models that might pair well with the Kenwood KR-9600?
 
Well, having heard them and liked them is an excellent reason for wanting them. Keep in mind, of course, that the room and the rest of the system may be part of what you liked. I've bought speakers that I was stunned by only to get home with them and find that they sound more like other speakers I've had since the my room hadn't changed.
Don't be put off by speaker power ratings - what matters is how loud they go. An inefficient speaker may have to soak up many watts to put out the same amount of sound as an efficient speaker might with a watt or two. Granted, the inefficient speaker may have become inefficient in the process of designing out peaks in the response, so it might have better response (or not), but by the same token, if may be somewhat less lively for the same reason. If you are really into headbanging, what you should be looking for is the combination of efficiency and high power handling. In that regard, JBLs are a fine choice, but so are Altecs, and CVs. The better ones will have smoother response than the lesser models, which will be more prone to the ills you don't like in the CVs you've heard.
You have enough power that you might look at speakers like the ARs mentioned above. Another fine choice might be Vandersteens.
There are so many choices out there, and it sounds like you have just started looking, so it might be a good move not to look for your final speakers just yet - use what you have until you know what you really want out of the enormous range of choice that is out there.
 
Raven50 said:
Question.....I know JBL are great speakers, at least some of the models. Does anyone know off hand any specific models that might pair well with the Kenwood KR-9600?
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It would be a long list...tell us what you can find in your area and price range then we can help give some advice.

4410 or 4412 are in your price range, as are L5 and maybe even L7 if you stretch a bit.

jblnut
 
Try not to let the lower wattage rating of older speakers deter you too much, it really doesn't mean much. If you want some speakers from that era that gobble up current, sound good and are not too difficult to find start looking at Infinity. Lots of models to choose from, gotta be something you will love.
 
Of course there is a long list of great speakers, but how easily will you find them near you?
In my experience, stacked Large Advents are the easiest to get and best sounding among abundant speakers. I've seen plenty of $100/pair large advents floating around.
 
Cerwins are built to do exactly what you're saying you want, and they do it well. Can't blame the speaker when someone turns everything up so all you get is distortion.
 
teal'c said:
Cerwins are built to do exactly what you're saying you want, and they do it well. Can't blame the speaker when someone turns everything up so all you get is distortion.
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That ^^^^ "rep" CV speakers have is almost entirely due to people under-powering them thus driving their amps into clipping.
File that deal under >>> operator error <<< (or more precisely operator ignorance).

Just because some CV speakers are listed as 8Ω & typically have high sensitivity dB.s does'nt necessarily mean they're an "easy" load.
Some people seem to think any old 20-40wpc receiver can drive them to high SPL's properly.
Just not so folks,,,and that deal gets worse with any CV's that are < 8Ω...

Me,I wont use anything less than 100wpc for my 12" woofer CV's.
And even at that wpc it needs to be a high current amp,preferably something like my Adcom GFA-545 Mk1 or similar.
Heck even my 110wpc JVC receiver (RX-318bk) could'nt drive my CV E-712 properly.
So ask me I'll say the more power one feeds them,the better they're gonna sound.
I feed mine with a SOLID 200 wpc from an Adcom GFA-555 Mk1.
It's like night & day compared to that JVC receiver.

FWIW ~ JSFFT

Bret P.
 
Before you hook any speakers to your monster amp scroe, you'll want to look at this thread. I'd hate to see you find some awesome vintage speakers only to blow them up.

Now that we've got that out of the way, if you see any DCM Time Windows or Time Frames go give them a listen. They are great for rock and decent at just about anything.
 
xero-D-hero said:
That ^^^^ "rep" CV speakers have is almost entirely due to people under-powering them thus driving their amps into clipping.
File that deal under >>> operator error <<< (or more precisely operator ignorance).

Just because some CV speakers are listed as 8Ω & typically have high sensitivity dB.s does'nt necessarily mean they're an "easy" load.
Some people seem to think any old 20-40wpc receiver can drive them to high SPL's properly.
Just not so folks,,,and that deal gets worse with any CV's that are < 8Ω...

Me,I wont use anything less than 100wpc for my 12" woofer CV's.
And even at that wpc it needs to be a high current amp,preferably something like my Adcom GFA-545 Mk1 or similar.
Heck even my 110wpc JVC receiver (RX-318bk) could'nt drive my CV E-712 properly.
So ask me I'll say the more power one feeds them,the better they're gonna sound.
I feed mine with a SOLID 200 wpc from an Adcom GFA-555 Mk1.
It's like night & day compared to that JVC receiver.

FWIW ~ JSFFT

Bret P.
Click to expand...

I totally agree, and power is not a problem for me. My KR-9600 has plenty of that.


Ok guys, here is what I have found locally that may be of interest, or not, depending on your opinions. Although one man's garbage might be another's treasure, I am not into garbage, period. lol

Oh, and don't worry too much about the prices being asked. That is how the frenchmen work up here.....they will ask wayyyy more than anything is worth, but after a week or two without selling, they almost give them away. My Kenwood KR-9600 had an asking price of $1300 CDN when I first came across it. I ended up getting it for $850 CDN, which is about $635 US. Considering that they are asking much more on Ebay, and not being nearly as mint as mine, I figure I stole it.

Anyway, not a hell of lot real close by, but these are some that I came across that are close enough to go listen to.

1) Radford Auditorium Monitor M90. Anyone heard of them? I haven't. Junk or worth looking into?

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1352413251&requestSource=b

2) Klarity.....250w 4 ways, and that is all I have for info. Didn't find much on google. For $100 I guerss they would make good garage speakers. lol

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1400605435&requestSource=b

3) Having owned a set of Yamaha speakers decades ago, and being really happy with them, these have my attention. DSS-9. Not crazy about the asking price, but like I said, that is how the frenchmen roll and there is a good chance I can knock it down quite a bit. I find them visually appealing for sure, but have no idea how they sound. It's a 2 hour drive to go listen to them, so is it worth it?

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1403311180&requestSource=b

4) Realistic.....not really a fan of Realistic, but apparently some of their speakers were made by sourcing fro higher end speaker manufacturers. I like the looks and they seem to have a nice solid wood cabinet, so, thoughts?

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?adId=1400452495&requestSource=b

5) Realistic Mach 1's. Heard good things about them, but hey, heard the same thing about some of the women in my life, that I wish I never bothered with. lol

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-haut-parleu...ne/1403568814?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

I do have a few more options, but these are the 5 that I know absolutely nothing about, hence my need of opinions. Thanks.
 
Forget the Klaritys.
The Radfords might be very good - Radford is known for very good equipment, though these aren't transmission lines like their most admired speakers.
The Yamahas are actually Pioneers. They have a very good reputation, but the woofers are physically fragile - the carbon fiber cones will crack if tapped hard (that's the downside of rigidity) - and they are very hard to find replacements for. (Patching may be an acceptable interim solution.) I don't think that playing them hard is hazardous, but don't have any experience of their volume capabilities.
I think your description of the Mach 1s is just about right. And the T 200s are not as sought after as the Mach 1s, so that should tell you something.
 
Nat said:
Forget the Klaritys.
The Radfords might be very good - Radford is known for very good equipment, though these aren't transmission lines like their most admired speakers.
The Yamahas are actually Pioneers. They have a very good reputation, but the woofers are physically fragile - the carbon fiber cones will crack if tapped hard (that's the downside of rigidity) - and they are very hard to find replacements for. (Patching may be an acceptable interim solution.) I don't think that playing them hard is hazardous, but don't have any experience of their volume capabilities.
I think your description of the Mach 1s is just about right. And the T 200s are not as sought after as the Mach 1s, so that should tell you something.
Click to expand...

Doh! I meant Pioneer, not Yamaha. I was looking at a set of Yamahas and got my wires crossed. As for the rest, thanks for the input. It's right about on par with what my gut and research has me thinking.
 
I had a KA-8006 and Kenwoods from that era were not bright sounding amps. An imperfect word to use would be "darker" sounding. I had mine paired with Pioneer CS-700's and it wasn't a good match. My brother had the same amp but with JBL Century 100's and it was a totally different and excellent sounding system. And I'm no JBL fan. The interaction of a darker sounding amp and bright speakers made for an excellent listening experience. To go along with that while visiting different stereo stores and trading stories two salesman in two different stores both said exactly the same thing. That those Kenwood's were made to be mated with JBL Century 100's. If that's the amp that I was going to use that's what I'd be looking for.
 
The robot heads are PA amps, and aren't exactly in the domestic vein acoustically or visually. I don't know if you have a partner, but if you do, and you bring those speakers home, no jury would convict.
 
As CV's go the E-310's would be one of the better choices IMHO.
I have E-712's and enjoy them a lot,I bought them new years ago (2004 or so IIRC).

Those have soft dome tweeters and mid/high attenuators so they can be dialed in to better suit one's listening preferences.
Keep in mind that they're rear ported & the ports move a LOT of air so you dont wanna push them right up against the wall or such.
And they'll sound better if they're up off the floor just a bit as well,also avoid shoving them back into the corners as well.

In other words try to avoid "boundry reinforcement" locations as those tend to make any speaker like a CV sound "boomy".

JM2¢

Bret P.
 
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