Studio Monitor 120

I purchased a pair of Studio Montior 120 used from my brothers friend about 20 years ago which have always (when in my possession) been powered by a Bearnig TF-10 preamp and a Dynaco ST-70. I admit that I have cranked them up from time to time (who doesn't) but it seems that the bass response has diminshed over the years. After I restored the Dynaco I began to look into the Infinity's and found the speaker surrounds are falling apart. I have cleaned the tweeter and midrange control pots, and both tweeters and midrange sound fine. I believe that the tubes have protected the fragile traces as discussed in other posts since tubes get "dirty" but do not clip like SS when pushed to the limits of sanity. Finally the questions: What are / were these speakers worth? What cautions should I be aware of when I get into replacing the surrounds on the polimer cone speakers? Any other tips, I want to keep these speakers, I like the look and the sound (I realize there is better out there but this is what I have.) Thanks, Dr Olds

Ok so I didn't see the other SM 120 post untill after this was posted. I understand that there are better speakers out there but these are what I have. I have been considering a pair of 901's (series 1 or 2) but I have been unable to find another ST-70 to restore then use as 2 mono amps to power them. Where should I look for deals on high end speakers, I cruse all the second hand stores / swap meets / garage sales / estate sales for 100 miles around looking for vintage SS gear but have never encountered any high end equipment at any price. Thanks, Dr Olds

Dr. there are countless speaker choices that will out perform your 120's. What types of music do you listen to? How large is your listening area and what is your budget?

cubdog

I listen to all types of music, since I grew up in the late 60's and through the 70's and I am a rock & roller. I have about 300 records and a pretty good turntable (hence the tube amp) but the Allman bros and Carlos Santana would be my favorite bands. Ac/Dc, Dio, Jimi, the Dead, Garth Brooks and Bluegrass, Motown and Zappa would about round things out. I went to every concert from the mid-70's through the 90's and always felt like that "concert hall" type sound would be nice which is why I thought the 901's with the direct / reflecting sound would be nice. The room where the speakers live is 20 ft X 40 ft with the speakers on the 20 ft wall facing the 40 ft opening. The budget is limited but I do what I can, what are those Pioneer HPM speakers with the back tops all about? Thanks for listening, Dr Olds

I had a pair. Frankly, they were NOT bad for rock. Too many "audiophiles" tend to dump a speaker system if it sounds crappy on jazz/classical, etc... My maggies are nice on jazz/classical/etc., but for taking The Ramones out by the pool, it was hard to beat my SM-120s... Plus the things are efficient enough that you can actually get some real volume out of them with a 30 watt receiver. (My girlfriend's sister now has mine, with a 50 watter...)

They're basically hybrid speaks... Part home speak, part pro speak... I'd get the woofs refoamed (Orange County can do it), and you can get new mids at Madisound.

As for the screecher, hey, the things have dual lpads... You can somewhat dial in to taste...

I had a pair of SM-122's, which followed the SM-120's. Drivers and cab were nearly identical. They are very efficient and can produce thunderous volume. I measured 114 dB out of the 122's from an 85 watt amp without distortion. However, for easy to moderate listening, there are much better choices out there. Kind of boomy and muddy for my taste.

Klipsch KG4's can be had for $150. A step up would be Fortes for maybe $350. Both are effiecent and would be an improvement over the Infinities IMO.

cubdog