Vintage speaker advice please!

Stabone454

Stabone454

Member
hello everyone!
I am looking for a pair of vintage speakers for between $100-$150 that deliver good bass and clean highs. I will be running them with a harman Kardon 330 or a NIKKO nr 619. Also something that's not too hard to find. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
 
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Hey,

What kind of music do you listen to and how large is your listening space? You could also check your local CL and list maybe 5 choices that you think may be appropriate. That way, maybe someone can narrow down the suggestions.

Biggles
 
Your listening tastes are like mine, and I find that style of music needs good top end dynamics. Main thing I look for is a soft or metal dome tweeter - when I see a paper cone, I typically avoid a pair. Unless it is a special paper cone on a set of high end speakers, I find they make upper guitar dynamics and cymbals sound a bit "splashy".

Some brands that have good, plentiful, and affordable vintage speakers are Energy, Boston, Paradigm, PSB and Polk. Try to listen to some of them, and determine which suit your ears better.
 
Quick glance at Hartford Craigslist shows some AR2ax and Rectilinear IIIs within your budget...
 
There are as many vintage speakers out there as there are opinions. I would focus on companies that just made speakers as opposed to speakers by the likes of Kenwood, Sansui and a few others. That's not to say they are all terrible, but the good ones are much rarer. Advent, Boston Acoustics, Polk, JBL and so on are names to keep an eye out for. Right now I'm spinning up some Metallica on my loft system with some Advent Loudspeakers and this room is rocking :) Well, to be honest I am stacking the 4 Advents but that's another story as you get more involved in the hobby ;)
 
The most important thing is to listen to them before buying if you possibly can. Take the grilles off and verify all drivers are present, original and working.
 
Oh, and read down through this forum for many other threads along the lines of 'which speakers should I buy?' :biggrin:
 
I'm curious, too, how old you are. As an oldster, I can tell you that I recommend slightly different gear for wide variances in age. I think it's pretty simple to see that an older guy like me will feel right at home on gear made during their prime years - the years when musical appreciation really blooms. Tell us which specific records and/or performers still remained in rotation for all these many years.

GeeDeeEmm
 
For hard rock and metal, keep an eye out for some CVs(no, they are not as bad as some people would have you believe), if you feel the need to peel some paint and piss off the neighbors
 
dzkfraser said:
For hard rock and metal, keep an eye out for some CVs(no, they are not as bad as some people would have you believe), if you feel the need to peel some paint and piss off the neighbors
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Indeed they aren't bad at all. For rock, metal and anything else very bass heavy they are just the ticket. IMO they are much maligned as party speakers but sound pretty darn good.
 
My vintage favorites in the stated price range would be:
Boston Acoustics A70 or A100 (original series)
EPI 100 or 180
Polk Monitor 7
ADS L520 or L620 (one of the 3-way models would be better but harder to find within the budget)
KLH Model Six
 
My favorite rock speakers are the Marantz Imperial 6. They can really fill a room with powerful but articulate bass. And while the treble is a little laid back I find that's a good thing- I can play my rock n roll louder and longer with little ear fatigue.
 
crazy-in-az said:
My favorite rock speakers are the Marantz Imperial 6. They can really fill a room with powerful but articulate bass. And while the treble is a little laid back I find that's a good thing- I can play my rock n roll louder and longer with little ear fatigue.
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Ditto. They put any Cerwin Vega I have heard to shame.
 
I would say some polk monitro 10's, pioneer hpm-900's, ads l-810, if you can find a pair of sound dynamic speakers that would fit the bill. Of course klipsch kg-4, 4.2, 5.2 or 5.5. Some might be more expensive than others if you can find them used but all of these I have found in that price range in the past. Good luck
 
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