When I listen to my speakers from the 1970s, I have to suspend modern experieces.

IMO, 70's speakers are kind of like tubes and vinyl. They are inferior by just about every measurable parameter, but sweeten up the sound and are preferred by a lot of audiophiles. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

(I'll probably catch hell for that analogy. Come at me bro.) :uzi:

:scratch2: Wasn't 70's music mixed on 70's speakers? :yes: Remember when CD's first came out and the old (made for LP) mixes just didn't sound right on them? Some things don't sound better in their naked glory.
AM radio still sounds way better on a AM radio than your hi-fi. I think a lot of the preference (at least to me) between old and new speakers has to do with the music and media that we listen to.

Good point.

Okay, a direct comparison. HPM-150s compared to Focal Chorus 836s. The HPMs definitely have more bottom end. It ends there. I fully agree with systems being "period specific" and therefore it's probably not fair to compare them. Any reputable Hi-Fi magazine reviewer would laugh at the thought.

savatage1973 said:

I view it as a matter of "period pieces". I don't know if any of you are familiar with The Academy Of Ancient Music--they do performances of classical music with museum "period piece" instruments that were built and in use at the time the music was originally scored and performed--sounds dramatically different than a modern orchestra with modern instruments.

I feel the same way about my audio gear--I prefer "period pieces". If it was recorded in the 60's-70's-80's, I prefer to listen to it on gear from that era--as that is how it was intended to sound (good or bad), that's just the way it was.

I had set up a killer highly resolving system, and ended up selling the bulk of it and downgrading a bit, because all of that resolution brought out all of the flaws/shortcomings of the older recordings that I really enjoyed--rendering them less than enjoyable. Sometimes "perfect" isn't "perfect".

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Yes. Absolutely. I refer to it as "era equivalency". My personal favorite era is the early to mid '60's in terms of looks, but many of the speakers and amps/receivers from that era are equally-good with '70's music, which I listen to as much as '60's stuff I'm listening to "All Things Must Pass" right now, and I wouldn't want modern gear for that album. Give me my vintage tube-era setup anyday. It reveals every voice and instrument on "Isn't It A Pity" while remaining smooth as silk on top and not overcooked. I listen to new stuff too, like modern electronic music as well as blues-based stuff from the past 20 years, and my old setup handles that stuff a lot better than I ever expected it would. Mid to late '80's rock and pop is my system's Achilles heel, it seems, but most of that stuff is just not that great-sounding IMO. I never liked the sound of "Brothers In Arms". I think it's a perfect album, but the drums sound like cardboard. Damn digital recordings. "The Nightfly" sounds great, but they were still trying to emulate analog tape at that point. However, with BIA, they were all caught up in that ultra-bright mid '80's sound, which just sounds horrid through my system compared to most other stuff. But Harrison's "Let It Down" from ATMP sounds delightful, and yet most people probably regard that as a bad-sounding recording.

It really is not possible to speak in such generalities. A friend of mine recently acquired a pair of very clean Altec A7s. Here's a guy that has been a professional in the audio industry for his entire adult life. He tells me, "Hands down these are the best speakers I've heard. Ever." [Totally stock mind you.]. Now when he tells me that I know he has heard the likes of Wilson, B&W, Martin Logan's best efforts and has never liked any of them. He IS the JBL Everest sales rep. He says the A7s reproduce the human voice with an unmatched accuracy. I have to agree as my Altecs use the very same driver and horn.

Now he's got 1005 horns with TAD drivers and is actively bi amped. He spent weeks dialing the crossover points, slope, and Q to achieve the best results. Even better he says - er ... opines. I know he knows what good sound is as he has some of the best critical listening skills of anyone I know. He has located a single 1505 and is looking for another to step the game up even further.

If you love a certain type of music, you may find it interesting to know what speakers the recording engineers used to make the album. Guess what - none of those speakers will be found in a HiFi shop today unless of course they're used and vintage. That doesn't mean modern speakers don't perform well it just means that not all vintage speakers are outperformed by modern designs. I recently heard some $70,000 MBLs that I thought were remarkable but my fiancé pointed out to me that she preferred the vocal presentation from my old Altecs.

valvenator said:

:scratch2: Wasn't 70's music mixed on 70's speakers? :yes: Remember when CD's first came out and the old (made for LP) mixes just didn't sound right on them? Some things don't sound better in their naked glory.
AM radio still sounds way better on a AM radio than your hi-fi. I think a lot of the preference (at least to me) between old and new speakers has to do with the music and media that we listen to.

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A good percentage of the US music industry relied on the Altec Duplex, in large part because most sound engineers knew that driver so well (and how to mix & master with it and make a great-sounding album with it). "Abbey Road" was done with the 604 Duplex from what I read. And I imagine the same effect was true over on the other side of the Atlantic, where Tannoy's Dual-Concentric was apparently the studio king.

Wow, I guess I've had the music going for quite a while tonight. I felt the two smaller transformers on my Fisher just now, and they're as hot as they were back in December when I was breaking in my 6ohm/86dB Denton reissues. My W90's are 8ohm and WAY-easier to drive, so I must have been running them at a good clip to get the transformers noticeably-hot like this. They're fine, it's just that my Fisher 800C usually runs nice and cool. It's uncomfortably-hot out tonight though, so that's part of it (I'm running a fan in the room right now). I have a lamp behind the Fisher, which doesn't help. I think I'll move that or turn it off in hot weather, as I'm sure that adds quite a bit of extra BTU's (I'm new to this tube thing).

"When I listen to a York Peppermint Patty, I get the sensation of a cool mountain stream... running between both ears."

pognoot said:

Damnit.. FU advances in audio technology! I absolutely LOVE the look and feel of 1970s vintage speakers, but DAMNIT. I listen to a song on my 1970s speakers, and then listen to the same song on my NEW rig... and Jesus.. the new system sounds SO. MUCH. BETTER.

But but.. but... the old ones LOOK so much more kickass!!

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I was won over by newer speakers too. I have owned Dynaco A25, Advent, Ohm H large bookshelf, JBL. Have listened at length to Klipsch, AR 3a, and more. But as I migrated to newer speakers, I lost my interest in the vintage ones. Sold off all of them. They were still okay, but just didn't bring the music alive. My current speakers are large, I have plenty of room for large speakers, so that isn't a limitation.

savatage1973 said:

I view it as a matter of "period pieces". I don't know if any of you are familiar with The Academy Of Ancient Music--they do performances of classical music with museum "period piece" instruments that were built and in use at the time the music was originally scored and performed--sounds dramatically different than a modern orchestra with modern instruments.

I feel the same way about my audio gear--I prefer "period pieces". If it was recorded in the 60's-70's-80's, I prefer to listen to it on gear from that era--as that is how it was intended to sound (good or bad), that's just the way it was.

I had set up a killer highly resolving system, and ended up selling the bulk of it and downgrading a bit, because all of that resolution brought out all of the flaws/shortcomings of the older recordings that I really enjoyed--rendering them less than enjoyable. Sometimes "perfect" isn't "perfect".

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Other than having a highly resolving system that's how I feel.None of my 70s or 80s speakers do 50s Duke Ellington like my 1959 Bozaks.I have no high end new speakers but have heard quite a few.Most sounded pretty good but just didn't have the sound that I am used to.I guess my listening pleasure is not that refined.Would I turn a pair down?No.

No doubt if one's not feeling lucky enough, too impatient, clueless or just plain contrary to the idea to score some vintage speakers that sound good to ones ears, it's a moot point that finding new ones is the last and only resort.
Enjoy.

savatage1973 said:

I feel the same way about my audio gear--I prefer "period pieces". If it was recorded in the 60's-70's-80's, I prefer to listen to it on gear from that era--as that is how it was intended to sound (good or bad), that's just the way it was.

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That opens up a can with a whole lot of worms in it. What's the "experience" you want to recreate? The sound of the Boston Symphony in its home concert hall? The Beatles at Shea Stadium? Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock? Frank Sinatra at the Dunes in Vegas? An IMAX theater? Or the sound of your bedroom back when you were in high school?

I'm with savatage1973.Not trying to recreate any experience but for some this type of matchups are what we prefer whether or not one "gets it".

When I listen to MY speakers from the 1970s, I think modern started in 1957!

pognoot said:

Damnit.. FU advances in audio technology! I absolutely LOVE the look and feel of 1970s vintage speakers, but DAMNIT. I listen to a song on my 1970s speakers, and then listen to the same song on my NEW rig... and Jesus.. the new system sounds SO. MUCH. BETTER.

But but.. but... the old ones LOOK so much more kickass!!

It's like wanting a 1978 Trans Am that performs like a 2015 Tesla Model S.

Ugh!! You I guess ya gotta appreciate them on their own level.

Not a new vs old rant. Just an honest experience!

Cheers to all the AK music lovers. It's all great. I think I've had one too many whiskeys. Bottom line, I love music!

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I love music, too! It is possible to have it both ways. Cheers!