This list is comprised of ten emotional favorites, out of many hundreds of speakers I've experienced. So sure, many dozens of excellent speakers are left out.
For 70 years, every audiophile magazine promoted speakers that got better, more refined, and closer to "real music." Never do we arrive. As of 2023 are there any speakers that reproduce Mozart's Requiem or John Corigliano's 1st Symphony "exactly" as in the concert hall where it was recorded? No. Will music reproduction ever duplicate the exact sound of real music? No. We've had the brightest minds try as they might but we are still far, far away. I bet in a 100 years we won't be much further than we are now. I wish the audiophile community would be honest with themselves and ask, "Why?"
@davidhunternyc1 you're right, it doesn't sound close to the real thing. But it's a pleasant simulation. We are still using cones like they did 80 years ago. Electrostatic is an improvement for high frequencies. But not much is really new. We need a paradigm change. Or maybe a brain-player interface.
@edthesecond9772 Yes, that's exactly what I mean. Many of us have been reading audiophiles magazines for decades and with each new speaker they supposedly get better and closer to real live acoustic music but.... it never ever arrives. The can keeps getting kicked down the road. I too don't know the solution.
My grandfather has a pair of the Special 25's... Recently a driver went out on one of them and Dynaudio went all the way sorting it out for him. They, would you believe it, made a run of drivers just for him, with a few spare, and wouldn't take a penny as the 25 year warranty was still in force. Of course they gave him two drivers, one for each speaker, because the possibility of mismatched sound was out of the question. Great things, I'll inherit them one day, though I'd rather have my 100 year old grandfather.
@aaronkiska9620 Odd that you'd reply and I'd be reminded I posted that... Just a couple months ago he died at 100 years old and his whole sound system is sat in boxes havign just been moved. And you make a good point - Great to have it, cool system, but where on earth do I set 'em up?! The 25's are HUGE.
His breadth of experience is extensive. I'm guessing individuals may have more, ... but who? I mean selling, plus reviewing, for three or four decades ... it's a lot.
@alienígena You bring up a good point ... but there's not much up there. I've been recording, mixing, and mastering since the 70's ... I'm good to 12.5khz, can you share with me the importance of 13khz on up? You know there's no fundamentals up there, merely the very top some instruments overtones, air. Importance? 8khz to 16khz, is the same musical width of 20hz to 40hz, a single octave. It's ok, really. Youth, I'm afraid, ... is wasted on the young.
Back in the very early seventy's, I was privledged to listen to a pair of Klipsch Klipschorns driven by a modest MacIntosh amplifier. The music being played was Tommy, the Rock Opera by the Who. I was totally and completely blown away. To my mind and to this day, they were and still are the ultimate speakers for Rock and Roll. I will never forget the that experience.
A friend of mine built four Klipshorns using the Electrovoice plans. He built two for himself and two for a friend using Altec drivers and horns. They sounded amazing. He and the friend became roommates in college. They stacked two Klipshorns in two corners of their dorm room. The friend was dorm president, so they got away with it. They were also respectful to the other people in the dorm. One time during dead week, they opened the windows and cranked up Dreamboat Annie. The whole quad rocked. There was no distortion.
My father was a audiophile he also commercially repaired and manufactured his own equipment. we as young kids were child labour in the day lol. Where I got my love of audio I remember dad building copies of the Klipsch horns using peerless drivers that a customer ordered. He would tune every tunnel in his bass reflex cabinets separately to make them the same. He would use aircraft dope to tune the bass drivers so they had the exact wave guide using a home built valve amp oscilloscope and oscillator. Coming home from school and helping him wind crossover coils. I miss my dad his knowledge was exceptional. The equipment he built including speakers all still exist and work to this day. No wonder his business didn't do so well customers never came back to upgrade lol
I am 70 years old. I got into high end audio in my early 20s. I've own several speakers over the last 50 years. The speakers I fell in love with from the time they came out are the Dahlquist DQ 10. I bought a pair as soon as I could afford them. That was probably about 35 years ago and I still own those speakers. I just could never part with them. They are the only speakers I have owned that I can listen to all day without a hint of listening fatigue. I listen to those same speakers I bought all those years ago to this day.
As a 21-year-old college student, I scraped together the $700 for DQ 10 serial numbers 112 and 127. Enjoyed them for 15 years before finally upgrading to Infinity RS-1bs. Not really tempted by anything in between. (As far as I know, a friend of mine is still enjoying the old speakers.)
Oh, well if you like the 10s that well, you probably need to listen to the dq-12, 20 or 20i, or even the dq-8, all of those designs were done by Carl Marchisotto, the dq-10 was not, he's a too notch designer, you'll be blown away by those models, I have had the 10s also, but just wait until you try the others maybe one day.
I just saw a pair DQ 10's at good friend's home today.He had a pair of Adcom GFA 555 and nice pair of Klipsch Conwalls. I was also there to purchase a pair of JBL XPL 160's!💯😉
@ThomLieb I bought a pair of Dahlquist DQ-10s, back in the 1970s. A few years later, I started to hear about a way to get vore volume and "slam" out of the them: use STACKED Dahlquists, that is, TWO pair, one mounted on top of the other! Well, I wanted to know if this was really a good idea, or just more 'Audiophile Craziness'; and also, how best to mount the upper pair, etc. So I called Dahlquist, explained what I wanted to do, and a very nice person said, "Let me connect you to someone who has experience with that." A moment later, I heard, "Hi, this is Saul Marantz, how can I help you?" Stunned, I blurted out, "THE Saul Marantz?!?" He laughed, but it turned out that he himself was rocking Stacked Dahlquists at home, and had designed mounting frames for them. He mailed me full-scale paper templates for the frames, which I took to a local carpenter, and that was that. How did they sound? Like Dahlquists, only huge, and alive, and effortlessly dynamic. They sounded like the illegitimate offspring of a Dahlquist DQ-10 and an Altec-Lansing 'Voice of the Theater'. And THAT was fun!
Because of your review Steve, I own and love the Klipsch RP 600M. With a 10" sub it provides everything i need in all genres of music. For my ears it's perfect
I love love love my Klipsch heresy 4s. They sound so good with most every style of music. Plus they are super sensitive and will work with almost any amplifier which makes it fun for trying stuff.
Back around 1966, Audiophile was fairly few and far between. My brother ran into a guy who worked at Lafayette E. in Tallahassee who had built two big cabinets that each had nine speakers in them. He had also built two cabinets that each had a JBL D-130 guitar speaker. My brother and I played Fender electric guitars in a band, and he had us over one night to A/B the two systems. Somehow, we plugged both guitars (a 1960 Jazzmaster and a 1954 Stratocaster) into his system and all three much preferred the JBL's for both pre-recorded music and our guitars.
The late '50s was my introduction into audio. I had a friend in my 7th grade class whose father had this giant speaker in the corner which was a Klipschorn. He blew me away with it. Soon I was coming over to visit his father to learn more and he was a more than willing teacher. His name was Robert Wills. Turns out he was the same guy that later got Dave Wilson into audio. Dave was my neighbor and lifelong friend and I delivered a eulogy at his gravesite when he passed. I grew up with Dave and.we spent innumerable hours growing up in the early years of audio. A tip of the hat to Robert Wills and Dave Wilson.
I've been farting around with this stuff for 55 years. I never had speakers I really loved until finally, in my late Sixties, I built a pair, knowing what I was looking for. Zero percent "hi-fi" and a hundred percent "music". No ceramic anything except the subwoofer. Low crossover frequency because at 500 Hz the wave is half a foot long and phase is easy to manage. No enclosure above 500 Hz because because. A little Mylar in the crossover to keep it from being too detailed. Some MDF in the cabinets but mostly not. All body english and only necessary sliderule. No exaggerated frequencies. Dynamics. Bass all the way down to under the floor. It ended up a great triumph. A funky, human triumph (they don't match perfectly).
In 1970, while in the Navy, I bought a pair of Pioneer CS99A speakers from the BX. They sounded great! Solid Walnut cabinets, 12 in Woofer, beautiful mids and sparkling highs. I ran them on a Marantz 60 watt stereo amp, Sansui receiver and a Pioneer PL12A turntable. I also had (what everybody on the ship had) a Teac reel to reel recorder. Those speakers absolutely rocked! I played every genre through them and they rattled windows in every house I ever lived in! I still have the whole setup, minus the Teac recorder, today all these years later. They're hooked to my TV. They still rock Zeppelin, Dave Brubeck, Smokey, the Stones, Aretha, Dick Dale, Jimmy Buffet, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Verdi, you name it just like they did when new! Very good bargain back then indeed!
Vandersteen 2 c was a great sounding speaker, had a set with counterpoint pre amp and main amp, kimber cable, and a Planar turntable. Sweet and full awesomeness.
till you heard something different / better. Had the RF7 & other Klipsch Speaker and they have zero chance against a Neumann in every Section (maybe more SPL but for that you buy Subs & DSP). 90% of Klipsch is cheap Electronic Parts straight out of china. For me theyre way to overpriced because the Parts Klipsch uses on Crossover etc are pretty basic and often cheap
@1819-v8j the result is, klipsch speakers usually last 10+ years. Sound better than 90%, twice as expensive, competitors. yet you complain because the parts are cheap, the results must be bad. Instead of listening to the result? That is very audiophile though, it must be expensive 😂 (i know there are better speakers than Klipsch, currently replacing entry level klipsch set i used for years. But the new ones are FOUR times more expensive)
I too like what the RP6000F II's offer! With the right gear, they are superb mid-fi offerings! Better crossover parts, even better. EVERYONE ends up with different gear, system, and setup! Never let anyone tell you their options are better. That's always subjective and situational, at best
Bought a pair of Acoustic Research 93’s in 1981. Probably worlds away from what you guys listen to but they crushed my living room. Still have them today although they could use a refresh.
1:50 KEF LS50 (and LS50 Meta) 2:40 ZU Druid Mk IV (and Zu Dirty Weekend and DW6) 4:15 Dynaudio Special 25 (with REL britannia) 5:30 Gallo Nucleus Reference 6:33 TAD ME1 (and TAD reference) 7:44 Wilson Watt 3 Puppy 2 8:27 Snell Type A II 9:17 Klipsch RP600m (and mk II) 9:49 Klipsch Forte IV and Klipsch Cornwall IV 10:15 Vandersteen 2C (and 2Ce Sig III) 11:23 Magnepan LRS+ (and original LRS) 12:30 Pure Audio Project Duet 15
I could have guessed 10 of them before watching. Scratch my back the company said to the reviewer. Scratch my back the reviewer said to the company. This guy pays for nothing which = severe credibility issue.😮🤭🙄🤫😌😁😪🥺
I snagged a used pair of Vandersteen 3A signatures 2 years ago. Absolutely love them. Spoke with a guy at Vandersteen prior to purchase gave him the serial numbers to see what vintage they were etc. We had a nice conversation he said the 3A sig hasn't changed in over 20 years because there was no need lol. Mr. Vandersteen gave him a set as a wedding gift nearly 20 years ago and he still has them.
Maybe I’ve been in this industry too long? My first day working in the audio business a young guy pulled up to the shop in his beat-up Volvo station wagon and asked us to listen to the first speaker from his new company. The enthusiastic young guy was Sandy Gross and his new speaker was the Monitor 7 from his new company Polk Audio. 1975, I think. Over all these years selling and living with many of the major audiophile speakers, I agree with you and Andy, the Snell Type A II was the most satisfying speaker I have ever listened to. I don’t remember why I sold them. I can’t imagine what I could have thought might be better. And Peter Snell was such a wonderful person. Tragic that he passed away so young. Many of the other speakers you mentioned are exceptional, but none are as fulfilling as I remember the Snells.
My favorite speakers were a pair of Altec Lansing 19's. I purchased them in 1979 and had a large room 20'x28'. I just grooved out on the music of the day. I remember Ry Cooder's Bop 'til You Drop like it was yesterday. The clarity and power of those were incredible. Unfortunately, I had to sell them when I moved into a small apartment during college years. They were indeed monstrous in size and perhaps my memory is fuzzy, but I cannot recall ever being so impressed with sound.
My best memories to Altec Voice of Theatre for pop and rock music. IMPRESSIVE sensitivity and dynamism from 30 to 16,000 Hz with just a 15 inch and a compression driver, even if lacking very low frequency response down to 20Hz, nor all the way to 22,000. Massive sound with up to 137dB with 50 watts, spl was more than 120dB 1w at 4 feet, from a just a Marshall el34 50/50, a 50 plus 50w tube amplifier designed for two guitars, but covering at minus 3dB from 30Hz to more than 30,000. No other system that I have ever heard sounded with such an impressive personality.
Altec 19s are classic and I agree about their sound. Basically domestic versions of the VOT but with much superior refinement and a truly flat response. They compromised some efficiency in the 19s to make a better speaker but they are still quite efficient overall.
I bought a new pair of Altec Lansing model 15s in 1978, little brother to the 19s, 12" woofer and the same radial phase tangerine horn driver as found in the venerable 19s. They are a bit smaller, but not much at 26" x 22" x 16" in solid walnut. Best sounding speakers ever in my opinion, still listen to them every night.
@ I'm jealous. Having those speakers must be pure listening pleasure. My small rooms in my house just don't allow for a large speaker anymore. Large speakers like yours just move so much air. And, even though some folks don't like the sound of a horn, the clarity of the mid and high range has to be experienced.
There’s some love in this list. I’ve heard a few of these :-) Back when I heard the Vanderstein’s I was seriously auditioning the B&W 801 Matrix. Fond memories.
B&W 801 Matrix IV Unbelievable Sound! I remember hearing them being auditioned by some other people and I was standing to the side not even close to the sweet spot for stereo imaging and it seemed like I was not listening to a sound system but a fully immersive 3D holographic sound field. I owned some B&W DM series which were very good and affordable speakers which also used the same tweeter in the 801s! Amazing detail and extended high frequency response. Which it turns out is needed for musical realism to reproduce high frequency harmonics (an accurate copy of the harmonic envelope)of cymbals, pianos or flutes that extend beyond 20K hz. But this a tricky balance because it is also easy for that kind of frequency response to sound too hard or hot or have a lot of harsh irritating noise and hash in the high registers. Interestingly I think my NAD PE receiver (modestly powered but with good current output capacity and high peak power dynamic headroom tested with complex waveforms under real world load conditions)may have unexpectedly unintendedly helped in this area because it contained a special design feature of a soft clipping circuit!
I still have memories of the great speakers that brought me into this hobby. I worked in a stereo store as technician in the 60s and the speakers that blew me away were the JBL System 8 (AKA S8). If you know the L300, the S8 used similar components (JBL drivers 136A, LE85, 077) but in a larger cabinet (four feet wide) that used both the 15" woofer and a passive radiator, the PR15. The concept of a subwoofer hadn't been invented yet, and the bottom end on this guy was simply awesome compared to anything else at the time. The mid-range and tweeter are both horn designs and they sounded super and wonderfully transparent. I played every kind of music on these speakers and they responded beautifully to everything. The store was a McIntosh dealer, so I listened to these with the equally awesome MC275 amplifier. Of course I could never afford these speakers, or the amplifier either, but they still remain a fond memory!
I worked in a high-end stereo store in the 90's as a repair and sales guy. I got to hear many speakers like Thiels and B&W and Quad and Apogee. I prefered my home speakers (Acoustat X) to all of them but I appreciated what they could do.
I agree, to me there is nothing to compare with the experience, at the time, from a big JBL or Altec system of the 50's, 60", and 70's. Didn't matter if in a factory, home built or after-market cabinet. I even had a JBL Hartsfield corner horn once. Picked it up at a thrift store for $75 and flipped it for $2,000 many years ago. It sounded awesome even when powered by a little transistor radio.
@georgeb1364 Thanks for the reply George. Funny you would mention Altec --- the system I could manage to afford was an Altec 604E in a homemade JBL S8 cabinet with the PR15 passive radiator. It sounded really good, about as close I could get to the S8. My amp was a Dynaco Stereo 70, certainly a great amp to drive these efficient speakers! I still have fond memories of that system ....
Yes, joining the JBL fan club best sounding rock /jazz funk/ reggae speakers are the mighty JBL Lx66 huge towers. Consisting of a titanium tweeter , a mid range and a pair of 8’ woofers. Affordable 15:25 audiophile speakers I run mine through Sansui sx1130 amp… The butterflies never vacate you!
I'm still running my Yamaha NS-1000 Monitors from the late 70's I purchased in high school. Black cases weigh nearly 100 lbs. and still have original cloth front covers. Best speakers ever made in my opinion. Driven by my original Yamaha 2040 receiver. Hooked up to Sonos! Equipment is over 40 years old!!! Still use it all the time. Priceless!
Those are the only good speakers Yamaha ever made. I had NS40 three way, when a mid blew out and I had to wait 2 months, I put in a pr of Radioshack GM dash speakers and then they sounded great.
I haven't heard any of these but enjoyed this overview. I remember back in the late eighties buying the components that would make my vinyl only system and leaving the speakers until last. They were Townshend Glastonbury II's and were exceptional in every way, sound quality, appearance build and value. Sadly I had to sell them to raise a deposit for a house and always regretted it because they are rare as hens' teeth now. The only other speakers that I have enjoyed without compromise are JBL L100's, and Apogee Duetta Signatures
We've had a pair of Klipsch Chorus II's since 1998 (1996 models) Haven't changed since and still amaze me when doing serious listening. But ...living in the sticks of nowhere Montana, haven't listened to other speakers for so many years, so they are all we know now. We do have a Decware amp on order that looks to ship maybe December as we are finally on the of the first page with 180 in front of us..Your review did this to us Mr! 😉 You do a great job conveying quality of sound & reviewing. We enjoy your channel. All the very best to you and yours. Mike & Kathy
I loved when you said the word transparent. I went to a friend’s house twice and listen to his dads flat tall thin speakers. The sensation I felt was exactly that. Transparent. He played Dream On loud, it was also the first time I heard that song. I felt like I’ve entered another dimension. It was magical.
Sir you have a kinky list of favorite speakers. I am glad I came up with more classic vintage speakers. Haven't owned or heard anything you mentioned. You are out there in some esoteric space.
This is going back into Memory Lane much further than most will understand or believe. In 1957, the family moved to the SF Bay Area. I mention 1957 because that is the year James Gabbert and Gary Gielow brought online KPEN FM 101.3. I had had become an electronics hobbyist and loved music. In 1963(?) the Cow Palace hosted the HiFi Stereo Boat Show. I wanted to go because I wanted to see the Stereo equipment being released that year. Dad wanted to see the boats. Mom and Sis tagged along so neither Dad nor I would spend money. One of the booths was the JBL/Macintosh booth. Who should be having a Remote broadcast from the booth? KPEN. As we entered the booth of course there was music playing which was being broadcast by KPEN. My Mom was really interested in them music and was trying to look over the crowd. My Dad asked her "What are you looking for?" Mom answered "The Jazz combo of course" The set ended and the crowd moved on and as the room cleared my Mom asked "Where'd the Jazz combo go, where are the performers?" Dad - "It was recorded music and the speakers on the stage were making the music" Sitting in the middle of the stage was a JBL Paragon C44 speaker system along with several other pairs of speakers. I went into stereo sales also and in my 30 years in the industry I've never heard a more realistic and at the same time mellow speaker system as the JBL Paragon C44. Almost everything else that has come out is brash and harsh by comparison.
Yeah...a friend and i were in a shop and there was a triangle sound. It gave q 3d image in the room and you got the spinning modulation effect...unfortunatly i played music and never owned that quality of hifi...i often wish i listened instead of playing
I have many memories of the '60s hi-fi scene. I well remember KPEN, James Gabbert and Gary Gielow. Best fidelity and music on the FM band, way above everyone else. I lived in Sacramento, used the ARRL antenna book to make a 13 element yagi antenna optimized for 101.3 Mhz and I could always get KPEN. That was the golden era of FM. Now it's mostly junk.
Wow…to have walked your path and delved deeply into the sonic world, mercy! As a lifetime musician but a recent audiophile (and a fan of your approach…to thine out self be true…) it’s like me creating a top ten list of vintage instruments I have owned and played. Love it. Thanks .
I was getting a little nervous until the very end, I was counting on you including at least one of the magna planar models which have been my go to reference speaker for 40+ years.
Steve I really appreciate your reviews and commentary immensely. I’m sure I’m not alone in that appreciation. Question: will you consider doing an in-house review of the BACCH SP? It’s so amazing imo and I feel your audience would greatly appreciate your feedback on what is such a revolutionary technology…take care. :)
I laughed out loud when you finally got to the Magnepans. I'm still enjoying my MG-III's from the mid-80s (when I was working in a store). They were the first speakers with the 6' ribbon tweeter, and I still have trouble finding anything I like better. While they do like power, I find that a 200-watt Adcom GFA-535-II is able to (just barely) bottom them out right at the edge of clipping. The fact that they are natively (and best) bi-amped helps to make up for the fact that, as you said, they really like a _good_ amp. So I have always used reasonably-priced high-current amps (like Adcom) for the bottom, and something with more subtlety for the top, where 50 watts is really plenty, and even 30 is good (the NAD 3140 was lovely, while it lasted). I am as happy with them as I have always been, though I only use them for music, and have a "normal" 5-speaker setup (with 2 subs) for home theater. One thing I should mention: Magnepan has been great whenever I needed them. I had to replace the ribbon tweeters at around 20 years old: they sent directions for how to pack them with inexpensive materials from Home Depot, and re-built them (with the newer ribbon) and sent them back to me (in a really nice box) for $100 apiece, IIRC. They seem to enjoy taking care of their customers.
Had mg 3.3's. Rna them with a Bryston amp and Classe Audio preamp. They came unglued and Magnepan wanted 1700 to fixe them and 500 to ship to them....Had to let them go. Was a sad day.
Yeah! Some Zu LOVE! I own two pair, the Omen Dirty Weekends and the new DW6 Supremes, love them both! They are so much fun to listen to, just as Steve said.
Steve, could you please do a video of your favorite amplifiers that have passed by your way over the years? The models that just blew you away, regardless of their price tag?
B&W800, 801 would be on my list. Heard the Wilson top of the line speakers at vendor day at Stereophile show in LA in the 90s. I don’t remember the electronics… I’d recognize the name if I saw it. A Sebilius violin solo. I teared up it was so achingly beautiful.
I’ve had a lot of different bookshelf and floor standing speakers but have never been more relaxed and satisfied then when listening to my Boston A400’s. They need foam now and the cabinets are pretty banged up but still my favorites and I need to show them some love. Honorable mention to the JBL L112’s that I really wanted but couldn’t afford when I settled for the Boston’s. I drive the Boston’s with an old NAD 2200 and they just sound great.
In high school, somehow was able to save up enough to buy my first "real" stereo system, Pioneer SX1050 Receiver, Pioneer CTF9191 Cassette deck and the Pioneer CS 99A Speakers with the 15" Woofers, 4 and 5 inch midrange, Dual HF tweeters and tweeter horn. They were jamming as much into this cabinet as they could! Probably looked cooler than they sounded.
I still have a pair of AR 90 which I bought in Germany in 1981!!! Now in Australia 🇦🇺 still going strong powered by Harman and Kardon HK 990 Dual Mono power Amplifier 👍🇦🇺🦘☀️🇦🇺
Nice to see the Vandersteens and Maggies mentioned. My favourite ancient speaker is probably the Dahlquist DQ-10. I'm also a big fan of the British makes like ProAc and Rogers.
Awesome sharing. Bought Klipsch RP-600M partly because of your Mk1 review. Yes, it's a very dynamic and enjoyable speaker. However, can be a bit bright due to the physical room. Tone control or EQ will be beneficial to the setup. It's a very value for money speaker and worth it.
First time watching your video. I remember when I had my KEF 104s, with Macintosh mc275 and C28 preamp. Too bad I sold them long time ago. I still miss the sound.
Even if Steve were not the best reviewer on the planet, he would still get more viewers than anyone. It wouldn't matter if he were reviewing sox. He's like a Jay Leno of the audio world. The two of them are simply loved by everyone. Both are the human equivalent of comfort food🙂 I must add that Mrs. Audiophiliac is the perfect mate and a perfect Angel.
Me 2 😂 still have my OHM F's powered by Crown DC300A im sure they don't sound like they use to 50years ago, they have been rebuilt twice, but i know my ears don't work as well either.
Steve, I like the KEF LS50 Meta's especially for near-field listening. Small medium sized room, they where great, did I miss something in your video I thought you where a avid Magnepan fan. Lately I been reviewing and trying "Bang for your Buck" off the charts good stuff and I would say Triangle Borea 03 and newer LSR+ Magnepan knocked my socks off so much I recently bought a pair. I had several SP25 over the years, my current HT system is all Dynaudio's. Good stuff....
My peronal best was the Pioneer 4-way, 4-speaker sound systems from the early (1980s): I had the Pioneer CS-603 with 12-inch woofer, (5 inch) midrange driver , tweeter, and super tweeter. I used the system with a Sansui set up. Brilliant combo! Maybe you haven't sold the Pioneer series. I love this video, so I shared it on my twitter. Thank you so much!
In college, my next door neighbor (apartments) had a pair of the CS-603s. There was no telling him to turn them down as they always sounded great, even through the wall!
These are interesting choices. The LS50, Magnepan and Vanderstein speakers are the only ones I've listened to out of this group. I think I heard the large Snell's too, but I don't recall their sound. That's as near as a miss 😉 I like the ones I've heard in common with your list. I'm fascinated by the Zu speakers. I think I would like to own a pair. I already own too many speakers. I need to sell a few.
I'm going to go Zu too this year. Not sure if I'm going for the Union 6 or Union Supreme 6. I might go for the Soul as well, but I gotta find a way to get to Utah to hear them. I'm not into the 60 day try out thing. I always end up keeping what I get.
For me, it all starts with the speakers. Find the most expensive pair you that can eventually afford that give you emotional chills, and then start putting money aside until you can afford them. Or make interest free payments to the store under contract until you get them (that saves against a price climb). Buy once and slowly add a system. Speakers first, amplification second (separates or integrated - both are fabulous), and finally a source unit.
So you work backwards....................... O.K. fine. I'm a work from middle out. Buy the best volume control/pre-amp one can afford, then build out. I can't have just one pair of electrostatics or just one pair of horns. They're too different. But I can buy the pre-amp I'll likely be happy with forever.🔈🔉🔊
This is why this pursuit/hobby/passion is so great. There are numerous purchase approaches to meet individual interests and countless component choices to satisfy individual tastes. Tubes, solid state, and hybrid at almost every stop along the path from source to speakers. It's wonderful.
I absolutely agree with your method, buy first the element that will make the biggest difference in your system. 80% (if not more) of the sound we hear from a system come from the speakers and I don't understand that people can still argue about this.
The first speaker I fell in love with was the Pioneer HPM 1500 in the late '70s, playing "September" (Earth Wind & Fire). Sounded unbelievable. I was just a poor young man back then, never had a prayer of owning them. I wonder how they would compare with the one on your list.
My brother had those, he bought in Korea from the base exchange in the Air Force. Coolest speakers. But the US models were the 150s, not quite the same.
I bought the Carver Amazing Loud Speaker 3 awhile back. IMO, best speaker for the money, but needs a lot of power and a lot of room to make them shine.
This list is comprised of ten emotional favorites, out of many hundreds of speakers I've experienced. So sure, many dozens of excellent speakers are left out.
…one of which was Ohm. I was rooting for them to make the cut but alas no….
For 70 years, every audiophile magazine promoted speakers that got better, more refined, and closer to "real music." Never do we arrive. As of 2023 are there any speakers that reproduce Mozart's Requiem or John Corigliano's 1st Symphony "exactly" as in the concert hall where it was recorded? No. Will music reproduction ever duplicate the exact sound of real music? No. We've had the brightest minds try as they might but we are still far, far away. I bet in a 100 years we won't be much further than we are now. I wish the audiophile community would be honest with themselves and ask, "Why?"
Dude, do you live or work in Cobble Hill? I am almost positive I saw you on the phone in front of PS 29 today.
@davidhunternyc1 you're right, it doesn't sound close to the real thing. But it's a pleasant simulation. We are still using cones like they did 80 years ago. Electrostatic is an improvement for high frequencies. But not much is really new. We need a paradigm change. Or maybe a brain-player interface.
@edthesecond9772 Yes, that's exactly what I mean. Many of us have been reading audiophiles magazines for decades and with each new speaker they supposedly get better and closer to real live acoustic music but.... it never ever arrives. The can keeps getting kicked down the road. I too don't know the solution.
My grandfather has a pair of the Special 25's... Recently a driver went out on one of them and Dynaudio went all the way sorting it out for him. They, would you believe it, made a run of drivers just for him, with a few spare, and wouldn't take a penny as the 25 year warranty was still in force. Of course they gave him two drivers, one for each speaker, because the possibility of mismatched sound was out of the question.
Great things, I'll inherit them one day, though I'd rather have my 100 year old grandfather.
Say that after you had them an hour lol so kidding like when I inherited my uncles precious ford falcon cars cool but
@aaronkiska9620 Odd that you'd reply and I'd be reminded I posted that... Just a couple months ago he died at 100 years old and his whole sound system is sat in boxes havign just been moved. And you make a good point - Great to have it, cool system, but where on earth do I set 'em up?! The 25's are HUGE.
@yyams and if they butt heads they will sound like crap unfortunately
What a great post!
Awrsome service
No audio reviewer beats Steve’s wonderful enthusiasm and passion 👍
His breadth of experience is extensive.
I'm guessing individuals may have more, ... but who?
I mean selling, plus reviewing, for three or four decades ... it's a lot.
Andrew Robinson is not too shabby ..
@Hiluxtaco
Dig his work, ... but he's not had half the experience of Steve, no?
@FOH3663 Maybe he's not as experienced as Steve. I view him as just another perspective on this hobby...
@alienígena
You bring up a good point ... but there's not much up there.
I've been recording, mixing, and mastering since the 70's ... I'm good to 12.5khz, can you share with me the importance of 13khz on up?
You know there's no fundamentals up there, merely the very top some instruments overtones, air.
Importance?
8khz to 16khz, is the same musical width of 20hz to 40hz, a single octave.
It's ok, really.
Youth, I'm afraid, ... is wasted on the young.
Fav speakers until next week, omg it never ends!
Different amplifiers on the same speakers make a world a difference too
Back in the very early seventy's, I was privledged to listen to a pair of Klipsch Klipschorns driven by a modest MacIntosh amplifier. The music being played was Tommy, the Rock Opera by the Who. I was totally and completely blown away. To my mind and to this day, they were and still are the ultimate speakers for Rock and Roll. I will never forget the that experience.
Was the Mac tube or solid state?
@Random-kq4pz Great question.
A friend of mine built four Klipshorns using the Electrovoice plans. He built two for himself and two for a friend using Altec drivers and horns. They sounded amazing. He and the friend became roommates in college. They stacked two Klipshorns in two corners of their dorm room. The friend was dorm president, so they got away with it. They were also respectful to the other people in the dorm. One time during dead week, they opened the windows and cranked up Dreamboat Annie. The whole quad rocked. There was no distortion.
I'm a big Who fan 😃. What was it about those speakers that made them so great for Rock and Roll, scale? Dynamics?
I had that same experience around 1975, can't recall amp however.
Wow...you look wayyy different from police academy!!! Holy moly...
My father was a audiophile he also commercially repaired and manufactured his own equipment. we as young kids were child labour in the day lol. Where I got my love of audio I remember dad building copies of the Klipsch horns using peerless drivers that a customer ordered. He would tune every tunnel in his bass reflex cabinets separately to make them the same. He would use aircraft dope to tune the bass drivers so they had the exact wave guide using a home built valve amp oscilloscope and oscillator. Coming home from school and helping him wind crossover coils. I miss my dad his knowledge was exceptional. The equipment he built including speakers all still exist and work to this day. No wonder his business didn't do so well customers never came back to upgrade lol
I am 70 years old. I got into high end audio in my early 20s. I've own several speakers over the last 50 years. The speakers I fell in love with from the time they came out are the Dahlquist DQ 10. I bought a pair as soon as I could afford them. That was probably about 35 years ago and I still own those speakers. I just could never part with them. They are the only speakers I have owned that I can listen to all day without a hint of listening fatigue. I listen to those same speakers I bought all those years ago to this day.
As a 21-year-old college student, I scraped together the $700 for DQ 10 serial numbers 112 and 127. Enjoyed them for 15 years before finally upgrading to Infinity RS-1bs. Not really tempted by anything in between. (As far as I know, a friend of mine is still enjoying the old speakers.)
Oh, well if you like the 10s that well, you probably need to listen to the dq-12, 20 or 20i, or even the dq-8, all of those designs were done by Carl Marchisotto, the dq-10 was not, he's a too notch designer, you'll be blown away by those models, I have had the 10s also, but just wait until you try the others maybe one day.
@WattswithWayne I have a pair of Carl’s Alon/Nola speakers from 20 years ago that sound pretty fantastic.
I just saw a pair DQ 10's at good friend's home today.He had a pair of Adcom GFA 555 and nice pair of Klipsch Conwalls. I was also there to purchase a pair of JBL XPL 160's!💯😉
@ThomLieb I bought a pair of Dahlquist DQ-10s, back in the 1970s. A few years later, I started to hear about a way to get vore volume and "slam" out of the them: use STACKED Dahlquists, that is, TWO pair, one mounted on top of the other!
Well, I wanted to know if this was really a good idea, or just more 'Audiophile Craziness'; and also, how best to mount the upper pair, etc. So I called Dahlquist, explained what I wanted to do, and a very nice person said, "Let me connect you to someone who has experience with that." A moment later, I heard, "Hi, this is Saul Marantz, how can I help you?" Stunned, I blurted out, "THE Saul Marantz?!?" He laughed, but it turned out that he himself was rocking Stacked Dahlquists at home, and had designed mounting frames for them. He mailed me full-scale paper templates for the frames, which I took to a local carpenter, and that was that.
How did they sound? Like Dahlquists, only huge, and alive, and effortlessly dynamic. They sounded like the illegitimate offspring of a Dahlquist DQ-10 and an Altec-Lansing 'Voice of the Theater'. And THAT was fun!
Like beauty, audio is a personal preference
back in the day, i had watt 3 and puppy 2. It was incredible!
The Vandersteen 2 has always been one of the benchmark speakers in its price range.
my buddy had the 2c. I agree.
I had them, but I never really connected with them.. Traded for maggies 15 years ago. End game for me.
@flynow5614 Good that you found what you like.
Because of your review Steve, I own and love the Klipsch RP 600M. With a 10" sub it provides everything i need in all genres of music. For my ears it's perfect
I'm loving my Cornwall IVs!
I love love love my Klipsch heresy 4s. They sound so good with most every style of music. Plus they are super sensitive and will work with almost any amplifier which makes it fun for trying stuff.
Back around 1966, Audiophile was fairly few and far between. My brother ran into a guy who worked at Lafayette E. in Tallahassee who had built two big cabinets that each had nine speakers in them. He had also built two cabinets that each had a JBL D-130 guitar speaker. My brother and I played Fender electric guitars in a band, and he had us over one night to A/B the two systems. Somehow, we plugged both guitars (a 1960 Jazzmaster and a 1954 Stratocaster) into his system and all three much preferred the JBL's for both pre-recorded music and our guitars.
The late '50s was my introduction into audio. I had a friend in my 7th grade class whose father had this giant speaker in the corner which was a Klipschorn. He blew me away with it. Soon I was coming over to visit his father to learn more and he was a more than willing teacher. His name was Robert Wills. Turns out he was the same guy that later got Dave Wilson into audio. Dave was my neighbor and lifelong friend and I delivered a eulogy at his gravesite when he passed. I grew up with Dave and.we spent innumerable hours growing up in the early years of audio. A tip of the hat to Robert Wills and Dave Wilson.
I've been farting around with this stuff for 55 years. I never had speakers I really loved until finally, in my late Sixties, I built a pair, knowing what I was looking for. Zero percent "hi-fi" and a hundred percent "music". No ceramic anything except the subwoofer. Low crossover frequency because at 500 Hz the wave is half a foot long and phase is easy to manage. No enclosure above 500 Hz because because. A little Mylar in the crossover to keep it from being too detailed. Some MDF in the cabinets but mostly not. All body english and only necessary sliderule. No exaggerated frequencies. Dynamics. Bass all the way down to under the floor. It ended up a great triumph. A funky, human triumph (they don't match perfectly).
Oh my God, you brought the Vandersteen’s in on your list I had a pair of these. I love those speakers.
In 1970, while in the Navy, I bought a pair of Pioneer CS99A speakers from the BX. They sounded great! Solid Walnut cabinets, 12 in Woofer, beautiful mids and sparkling highs. I ran them on a Marantz 60 watt stereo amp, Sansui receiver and a Pioneer PL12A turntable. I also had (what everybody on the ship had) a Teac reel to reel recorder. Those speakers absolutely rocked! I played every genre through them and they rattled windows in every house I ever lived in!
I still have the whole setup, minus the Teac recorder, today all these years later. They're hooked to my TV. They still rock Zeppelin, Dave Brubeck, Smokey, the Stones, Aretha, Dick Dale, Jimmy Buffet, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Verdi, you name it just like they did when new!
Very good bargain back then indeed!
I bought a pair of Vandersteen 2C’s 40 years ago. Unreal then and unreal now
Absolutely fantastic content ..love it
Thanks Steve , the enthusiasm you had and still have for what you do is infectious
Keep em coming 👍
Advents from the early 70's i had a pair from 1974. I bought them for 20.00 in a thirft store in 2008/10
TY for the photo of yourself when you were a young sapling. I have followed you for decades, your writing, etc. Nice to see some groovy old photos.
Remember Beveridge, I used to work for Bev, another amazing speaker!
Steve your audio reviews are greatly appreciated! Thank you! 👍
Vandersteen 2 c was a great sounding speaker, had a set with counterpoint pre amp and main amp, kimber cable, and a Planar turntable. Sweet and full awesomeness.
Klipsch make phenomenal speakers for the money. Very happy with my RP 6000F II's
till you heard something different / better. Had the RF7 & other Klipsch Speaker and they have zero chance against a Neumann in every Section (maybe more SPL but for that you buy Subs & DSP). 90% of Klipsch is cheap Electronic Parts straight out of china. For me theyre way to overpriced because the Parts Klipsch uses on Crossover etc are pretty basic and often cheap
@1819-v8j the result is, klipsch speakers usually last 10+ years. Sound better than 90%, twice as expensive, competitors.
yet you complain because the parts are cheap, the results must be bad. Instead of listening to the result? That is very audiophile though, it must be expensive 😂
(i know there are better speakers than Klipsch, currently replacing entry level klipsch set i used for years. But the new ones are FOUR times more expensive)
I too like what the RP6000F II's offer! With the right gear, they are superb mid-fi offerings! Better crossover parts, even better.
EVERYONE ends up with different gear, system, and setup! Never let anyone tell you their options are better. That's always subjective and situational, at best
Bought a pair of Acoustic Research 93’s in 1981. Probably worlds away from what you guys listen to but they crushed my living room. Still have them today although they could use a refresh.
1:50 KEF LS50 (and LS50 Meta)
2:40 ZU Druid Mk IV (and Zu Dirty Weekend and DW6)
4:15 Dynaudio Special 25 (with REL britannia)
5:30 Gallo Nucleus Reference
6:33 TAD ME1 (and TAD reference)
7:44 Wilson Watt 3 Puppy 2
8:27 Snell Type A II
9:17 Klipsch RP600m (and mk II)
9:49 Klipsch Forte IV and Klipsch Cornwall IV
10:15 Vandersteen 2C (and 2Ce Sig III)
11:23 Magnepan LRS+ (and original LRS)
12:30 Pure Audio Project Duet 15
@kepplermission 😂😂😂😊
I could have guessed 10 of them before watching. Scratch my back the company said to the reviewer. Scratch my back the reviewer said to the company. This guy pays for nothing which = severe credibility issue.😮🤭🙄🤫😌😁😪🥺
God bless you, man. Thanks 😂
@stillaliveandwell5291 Then he’s lying, he did call out speakers he owned and bought. Now that’s not to say he didn’t get an insane discount.
How about MBL speakers ?
I snagged a used pair of Vandersteen 3A signatures 2 years ago. Absolutely love them.
Spoke with a guy at Vandersteen prior to purchase gave him the serial numbers to see what vintage they were etc. We had a nice conversation he said the 3A sig hasn't changed in over 20 years because there was no need lol. Mr. Vandersteen gave him a set as a wedding gift nearly 20 years ago and he still has them.
Maybe I’ve been in this industry too long? My first day working in the audio business a young guy pulled up to the shop in his beat-up Volvo station wagon and asked us to listen to the first speaker from his new company. The enthusiastic young guy was Sandy Gross and his new speaker was the Monitor 7 from his new company Polk Audio. 1975, I think.
Over all these years selling and living with many of the major audiophile speakers, I agree with you and Andy, the Snell Type A II was the most satisfying speaker I have ever listened to. I don’t remember why I sold them. I can’t imagine what I could have thought might be better. And Peter Snell was such a wonderful person. Tragic that he passed away so young.
Many of the other speakers you mentioned are exceptional, but none are as fulfilling as I remember the Snells.
My favorite speakers were a pair of Altec Lansing 19's. I purchased them in 1979 and had a large room 20'x28'. I just grooved out on the music of the day. I remember Ry Cooder's Bop 'til You Drop like it was yesterday. The clarity and power of those were incredible. Unfortunately, I had to sell them when I moved into a small apartment during college years. They were indeed monstrous in size and perhaps my memory is fuzzy, but I cannot recall ever being so impressed with sound.
My best memories to Altec Voice of Theatre for pop and rock music. IMPRESSIVE sensitivity and dynamism from 30 to 16,000 Hz with just a 15 inch and a compression driver, even if lacking very low frequency response down to 20Hz, nor all the way to 22,000.
Massive sound with up to 137dB with 50 watts, spl was more than 120dB 1w at 4 feet, from a just a Marshall el34 50/50, a 50 plus 50w tube amplifier designed for two guitars, but covering at minus 3dB from 30Hz to more than 30,000. No other system that I have ever heard sounded with such an impressive personality.
Altec 19s are classic and I agree about their sound. Basically domestic versions of the VOT but with much superior refinement and a truly flat response. They compromised some efficiency in the 19s to make a better speaker but they are still quite efficient overall.
And big enough to be buried in.
I bought a new pair of Altec Lansing model 15s in 1978, little brother to the 19s, 12" woofer and the same radial phase tangerine horn driver as found in the venerable 19s. They are a bit smaller, but not much at 26" x 22" x 16" in solid walnut. Best sounding speakers ever in my opinion, still listen to them every night.
@ I'm jealous. Having those speakers must be pure listening pleasure. My small rooms in my house just don't allow for a large speaker anymore. Large speakers like yours just move so much air. And, even though some folks don't like the sound of a horn, the clarity of the mid and high range has to be experienced.
There’s some love in this list. I’ve heard a few of these :-) Back when I heard the Vanderstein’s I was seriously auditioning the B&W 801 Matrix. Fond memories.
I see a long listening session with the LRS+ speakers in my future. Thanks for the excellent review, Steve.
I’ve been running Altec model 19’s for a few years. Keeping them until I end up in the diaper house.
never have forgotten and never have relinquished the Epi 100 ...
B&W 801 Matrix IV Unbelievable Sound! I remember hearing them being auditioned by some other people and I was standing to the side not even close to the sweet spot for stereo imaging and it seemed like I was not listening to a sound system but a fully immersive 3D holographic sound field. I owned some B&W DM series which were very good and affordable speakers which also used the same tweeter in the 801s! Amazing detail and extended high frequency response. Which it turns out is needed for musical realism to reproduce high frequency harmonics (an accurate copy of the harmonic envelope)of cymbals, pianos or flutes that extend beyond 20K hz. But this a tricky balance because it is also easy for that kind of frequency response to sound too hard or hot or have a lot of harsh irritating noise and hash in the high registers. Interestingly I think my NAD PE receiver (modestly powered but with good current output capacity and high peak power dynamic headroom tested with complex waveforms under real world load conditions)may have unexpectedly unintendedly helped in this area because it contained a special design feature of a soft clipping circuit!
During their time, the Snell speakers were the favorites of Peter Mitchell.
I still have memories of the great speakers that brought me into this hobby. I worked in a stereo store as technician in the 60s and the speakers that blew me away were the JBL System 8 (AKA S8). If you know the L300, the S8 used similar components (JBL drivers 136A, LE85, 077) but in a larger cabinet (four feet wide) that used both the 15" woofer and a passive radiator, the PR15. The concept of a subwoofer hadn't been invented yet, and the bottom end on this guy was simply awesome compared to anything else at the time. The mid-range and tweeter are both horn designs and they sounded super and wonderfully transparent. I played every kind of music on these speakers and they responded beautifully to everything. The store was a McIntosh dealer, so I listened to these with the equally awesome MC275 amplifier. Of course I could never afford these speakers, or the amplifier either, but they still remain a fond memory!
I had the L300s in my misspent youth. The bottom octave was where they were lacking.
I worked in a high-end stereo store in the 90's as a repair and sales guy. I got to hear many speakers like Thiels and B&W and Quad and Apogee. I prefered my home speakers (Acoustat X) to all of them but I appreciated what they could do.
I agree, to me there is nothing to compare with the experience, at the time, from a big JBL or Altec system of the 50's, 60", and 70's. Didn't matter if in a factory, home built or after-market cabinet. I even had a JBL Hartsfield corner horn once. Picked it up at a thrift store for $75 and flipped it for $2,000 many years ago. It sounded awesome even when powered by a little transistor radio.
@georgeb1364 Thanks for the reply George. Funny you would mention Altec --- the system I could manage to afford was an Altec 604E in a homemade JBL S8 cabinet with the PR15 passive radiator. It sounded really good, about as close I could get to the S8. My amp was a Dynaco Stereo 70, certainly a great amp to drive these efficient speakers! I still have fond memories of that system ....
Yes, joining the JBL fan club best sounding rock /jazz funk/ reggae speakers are the mighty JBL Lx66 huge towers. Consisting of a titanium tweeter , a mid range and a pair of 8’ woofers. Affordable 15:25 audiophile speakers I run mine through Sansui sx1130 amp…
The butterflies never vacate you!
I’ve heard hundreds of speakers and a few Danley Sound Labs designs are my favorite speakers I’ve ever used.
It’s speaker/amp synergy. Neither can be isolated in a vacuum.
I’m very attracted to those Snell speakers.
I'm still running my Yamaha NS-1000 Monitors from the late 70's I purchased in high school. Black cases weigh nearly 100 lbs. and still have original cloth front covers. Best speakers ever made in my opinion. Driven by my original Yamaha 2040 receiver. Hooked up to Sonos! Equipment is over 40 years old!!! Still use it all the time. Priceless!
The best speakers I nearly bought 🙄 gutted regretting it ever since 🫣
Yes I owned a pr for many yrs. they were great. Then I sold them & bought a pr of Legacy Focus speakers.
Those are the only good speakers Yamaha ever made. I had NS40 three way, when a mid blew out and I had to wait 2 months, I put in a pr of Radioshack GM dash speakers and then they sounded great.
Have heard those and I agree!!! Their sound is almost 100% like my favorite (JBL) speakers, along with professional Tannoy's.
i had a pair of Polk SDA 2s, theftproof due to weight.
All NEW Kroma Atelier CALLAS Speakers with Engstrom Tube Gear ! Holy Grail ?!...
I haven't heard any of these but enjoyed this overview. I remember back in the late eighties buying the components that would make my vinyl only system and leaving the speakers until last. They were Townshend Glastonbury II's and were exceptional in every way, sound quality, appearance build and value. Sadly I had to sell them to raise a deposit for a house and always regretted it because they are rare as hens' teeth now. The only other speakers that I have enjoyed without compromise are JBL L100's, and Apogee Duetta Signatures
Electro voice Interface A blew me away ! Had to get them!
We've had a pair of Klipsch Chorus II's since 1998 (1996 models) Haven't changed since and still amaze me when doing serious listening. But ...living in the sticks of nowhere Montana, haven't listened to other speakers for so many years, so they are all we know now. We do have a Decware amp on order that looks to ship maybe December as we are finally on the of the first page with 180 in front of us..Your review did this to us Mr! 😉 You do a great job conveying quality of sound & reviewing. We enjoy your channel. All the very best to you and yours. Mike & Kathy
Fantastic speaker and they should reproduce it again. And the KLF 3
I remember when you use to write for stereo review and high fi news.
I'm so glad you're still in the beautiful world of hi fi. ❤
The "original Advent DOUBLES" (a pair on each side). They were legendary.
Agreed. I had triples. driven by McIntosh.
Steve, You brought back some memories of those early days at sound by singer Lexington Ave and the magnificent Snell Type IIIa's
I loved when you said the word transparent. I went to a friend’s house twice and listen to his dads flat tall thin speakers. The sensation I felt was exactly that. Transparent. He played Dream On loud, it was also the first time I heard that song. I felt like I’ve entered another dimension. It was magical.
Bought my Heresy H100 in 1975, excellent sound today
Sir you have a kinky list of favorite speakers. I am glad I came up with more classic vintage speakers. Haven't owned or heard anything you mentioned. You are out there in some esoteric space.
Ditto.
My Sansui 5000X pushing my pair of Sansui 3500 speakers suits me just fine.
Gotta love those old vintage open back infinite baffle speahers,huge but that broad sound is excillent
This is going back into Memory Lane much further than most will understand or believe. In 1957, the family moved to the SF Bay Area. I mention 1957 because that is the year James Gabbert and Gary Gielow brought online KPEN FM 101.3. I had had become an electronics hobbyist and loved music. In 1963(?) the Cow Palace hosted the HiFi Stereo Boat Show. I wanted to go because I wanted to see the Stereo equipment being released that year. Dad wanted to see the boats. Mom and Sis tagged along so neither Dad nor I would spend money. One of the booths was the JBL/Macintosh booth. Who should be having a Remote broadcast from the booth? KPEN. As we entered the booth of course there was music playing which was being broadcast by KPEN. My Mom was really interested in them music and was trying to look over the crowd. My Dad asked her "What are you looking for?" Mom answered "The Jazz combo of course" The set ended and the crowd moved on and as the room cleared my Mom asked "Where'd the Jazz combo go, where are the performers?" Dad - "It was recorded music and the speakers on the stage were making the music" Sitting in the middle of the stage was a JBL Paragon C44 speaker system along with several other pairs of speakers. I went into stereo sales also and in my 30 years in the industry I've never heard a more realistic and at the same time mellow speaker system as the JBL Paragon C44. Almost everything else that has come out is brash and harsh by comparison.
Yeah...a friend and i were in a shop and there was a triangle sound. It gave q 3d image in the room and you got the spinning modulation effect...unfortunatly i played music and never owned that quality of hifi...i often wish i listened instead of playing
I have many memories of the '60s hi-fi scene. I well remember KPEN, James Gabbert and Gary Gielow. Best fidelity and music on the FM band, way above everyone else. I lived in Sacramento, used the ARRL antenna book to make a 13 element yagi antenna optimized for 101.3 Mhz and I could always get KPEN. That was the golden era of FM. Now it's mostly junk.
Great list. Surprised Ohm we’re not on the list.
Wow…to have walked your path and delved deeply into the sonic world, mercy! As a lifetime musician but a recent audiophile (and a fan of your approach…to thine out self be true…) it’s like me creating a top ten list of vintage instruments I have owned and played. Love it. Thanks .
I was getting a little nervous until the very end, I was counting on you including at least one of the magna planar models which have been my go to reference speaker for 40+ years.
Steve I really appreciate your reviews and commentary immensely. I’m sure I’m not alone in that appreciation. Question: will you consider doing an in-house review of the BACCH SP? It’s so amazing imo and I feel your audience would greatly appreciate your feedback on what is such a revolutionary technology…take care. :)
great nostalgia, great recap!!! Thanks Steve!!
I laughed out loud when you finally got to the Magnepans. I'm still enjoying my MG-III's from the mid-80s (when I was working in a store). They were the first speakers with the 6' ribbon tweeter, and I still have trouble finding anything I like better. While they do like power, I find that a 200-watt Adcom GFA-535-II is able to (just barely) bottom them out right at the edge of clipping. The fact that they are natively (and best) bi-amped helps to make up for the fact that, as you said, they really like a _good_ amp. So I have always used reasonably-priced high-current amps (like Adcom) for the bottom, and something with more subtlety for the top, where 50 watts is really plenty, and even 30 is good (the NAD 3140 was lovely, while it lasted). I am as happy with them as I have always been, though I only use them for music, and have a "normal" 5-speaker setup (with 2 subs) for home theater. One thing I should mention: Magnepan has been great whenever I needed them. I had to replace the ribbon tweeters at around 20 years old: they sent directions for how to pack them with inexpensive materials from Home Depot, and re-built them (with the newer ribbon) and sent them back to me (in a really nice box) for $100 apiece, IIRC. They seem to enjoy taking care of their customers.
Had mg 3.3's. Rna them with a Bryston amp and Classe Audio preamp. They came unglued and Magnepan wanted 1700 to fixe them and 500 to ship to them....Had to let them go. Was a sad day.
Yeah! Some Zu LOVE! I own two pair, the Omen Dirty Weekends and the new DW6 Supremes, love them both! They are so much fun to listen to, just as Steve said.
Steve, could you please do a video of your favorite amplifiers that have passed by your way over the years?
The models that just blew you away, regardless of their price tag?
Nice to see my Zu Dirty Weekends! Looking at their Union 6's... Loving me some Zu!
great video Mr Guttenberg thank you so much
B&W800, 801 would be on my list.
Heard the Wilson top of the line speakers at vendor day at Stereophile show in LA in the 90s. I don’t remember the electronics… I’d recognize the name if I saw it. A Sebilius violin solo. I teared up it was so achingly beautiful.
Thank you Steve The Jbl 4435 blueface blew my socks off ! One of my all time favs And Me a Kef lover as well ' imaging is so dam good
I preferred the 4355s.
A fraternity brother had a pair of Snell Type A II+ speakers in his setup and they were phenomenal!
Handsome cerwin Vega speakers in the 80s with big old woofers in them love them and then got Boston acoustics and really fell in love
I’ve had a lot of different bookshelf and floor standing speakers but have never been more relaxed and satisfied then when listening to my Boston A400’s. They need foam now and the cabinets are pretty banged up but still my favorites and I need to show them some love. Honorable mention to the JBL L112’s that I really wanted but couldn’t afford when I settled for the Boston’s. I drive the Boston’s with an old NAD 2200 and they just sound great.
Yes, I am not a big believer in best WRT audio gear but your "most memorable" resonates with me.
In high school, somehow was able to save up enough to buy my first "real" stereo system, Pioneer SX1050 Receiver, Pioneer CTF9191 Cassette deck and the Pioneer CS 99A Speakers with the 15" Woofers, 4 and 5 inch midrange, Dual HF tweeters and tweeter horn.
They were jamming as much into this cabinet as they could!
Probably looked cooler than they sounded.
They sounded good, don't short change your memory.
Got a set of them I use every week, they do not disappoint
I loved the early/mid 80's Acoustic Research speakers. Had the 58's and AR9Lsi's.
AR3
I still have a pair of AR 90 which I bought in Germany in 1981!!!
Now in Australia 🇦🇺 still going strong powered by Harman and Kardon HK 990 Dual Mono power Amplifier 👍🇦🇺🦘☀️🇦🇺
Havin a good time with my Linton 85's. Love your reviews Steve. Watchin from Mo.
Always wanted some Snell A’s. I’ve owned 3 pairs of E/III’s and use them currently. Love the old Snells..
i have E IV they are awesome!
Nice to see the Vandersteens and Maggies mentioned. My favourite ancient speaker is probably the Dahlquist DQ-10. I'm also a big fan of the British makes like ProAc and Rogers.
Awesome sharing. Bought Klipsch RP-600M partly because of your Mk1 review. Yes, it's a very dynamic and enjoyable speaker. However, can be a bit bright due to the physical room. Tone control or EQ will be beneficial to the setup. It's a very value for money speaker and worth it.
Go get the Klipsch nines, and you'll be done, that's all most will ever need, and yes, their that good, no need for anything else.
Very intersting list, my vote go to Magnepan LRS 👍
My all time faves were/are: Electro Voice Interface As, K Horns and Electro Voice Pi153s.
I was raised in Gananoque ont where the EV As and Bs were assembled. A's were the best. Friend still has his from mid 70s.
I love Maggie's too. Very curious about klipsch. And very much appreciate Paul Klipsch's contribution to the art.
Polk Audio SDA SRS's fantastic speakers
Right there with you brother.
Fun and relatable video! My main listening setup is Magneplanar MG IIIa, JBL B380 subwoofer, BX63 crossover driven by two Adcom GFA 555s.
Glad to see the LS-50 on the list. Amazing small speakers when paired with appropriate amp.
And what would the appropriate amp be ?
I got JBL L150's in 1980. Hooked them up to a giant Sansui receiver (9800?). I made me happy for a long time.
First time watching your video. I remember when I had my KEF 104s, with Macintosh mc275 and C28 preamp. Too bad I sold them long time ago. I still miss the sound.
Keg 104ab 😍
Outstanding! Thank you sir.
Even if Steve were not the best reviewer on the planet, he would still get more viewers than anyone. It wouldn't matter if he were reviewing sox. He's like a Jay Leno of the audio world. The two of them are simply loved by everyone. Both are the human equivalent of comfort food🙂 I must add that Mrs. Audiophiliac is the perfect mate and a perfect Angel.
who
Vandersteen 3 way 2ci's ! wonderful warm speakers for jazz!!🙏
I’m so old I can’t hear the difference anymore. 😂
The upside is you never need to upgrade your system.
Me 2 😂 still have my OHM F's powered by Crown DC300A im sure they don't sound like they use to 50years ago, they have been rebuilt twice, but i know my ears don't work as well either.
Steve, I like the KEF LS50 Meta's especially for near-field listening. Small medium sized room, they where great, did I miss something in your video I thought you where a avid Magnepan fan. Lately I been reviewing and trying "Bang for your Buck" off the charts good stuff and I would say Triangle Borea 03 and newer LSR+ Magnepan knocked my socks off so much I recently bought a pair. I had several SP25 over the years, my current HT system is all Dynaudio's. Good stuff....
The LRS and LRS+ made the list towards the end.
I have no idea why i'm watching this, but its awesome.
My peronal best was the Pioneer 4-way, 4-speaker sound systems from the early (1980s): I had the Pioneer CS-603 with 12-inch woofer, (5 inch) midrange driver , tweeter, and super tweeter. I used the system with a Sansui set up. Brilliant combo! Maybe you haven't sold the Pioneer series. I love this video, so I shared it on my twitter. Thank you so much!
In college, my next door neighbor (apartments) had a pair of the CS-603s. There was no telling him to turn them down as they always sounded great, even through the wall!
@slackymac2756 Thank you for sharing that story with me. It was really interesting!
Surprised not to see Alison speakers on this list. Great speakers and totally unique for the day.
These are interesting choices. The LS50, Magnepan and Vanderstein speakers are the only ones I've listened to out of this group. I think I heard the large Snell's too, but I don't recall their sound. That's as near as a miss 😉
I like the ones I've heard in common with your list. I'm fascinated by the Zu speakers. I think I would like to own a pair.
I already own too many speakers. I need to sell a few.
I'm going to go Zu too this year. Not sure if I'm going for the Union 6 or Union Supreme 6. I might go for the Soul as well, but I gotta find a way to get to Utah to hear them. I'm not into the 60 day try out thing. I always end up keeping what I get.
Completely happy with both
LS50's are a no-brainer - they are great now and they will be great three decades from now.. and I have owned Magnepan and most of the others
Might I ask you? How do the kef 105.2’s or 105.4’s compare to the ls50’s?
My personal favorite of all time are the KEF 107.2. First time I heard them I was blown away.
For me, it all starts with the speakers. Find the most expensive pair you that can eventually afford that give you emotional chills, and then start putting money aside until you can afford them. Or make interest free payments to the store under contract until you get them (that saves against a price climb). Buy once and slowly add a system. Speakers first, amplification second (separates or integrated - both are fabulous), and finally a source unit.
So you work backwards.......................
O.K. fine. I'm a work from middle out. Buy the best volume control/pre-amp
one can afford, then build out.
I can't have just one pair of electrostatics or just one pair of horns. They're too different. But I can buy the pre-amp I'll likely be happy with forever.🔈🔉🔊
This is why this pursuit/hobby/passion is so great. There are numerous purchase approaches to meet individual interests and countless component choices to satisfy individual tastes. Tubes, solid state, and hybrid at almost every stop along the path from source to speakers. It's wonderful.
@Tnapvrvideo Yes Indeed. 🔈🔉🔊
I absolutely agree with your method, buy first the element that will make the biggest difference in your system. 80% (if not more) of the sound we hear from a system come from the speakers and I don't understand that people can still argue about this.
I agree 👍
I just purchased the Magellan LRS plus and teamed it with the Legacy Mono block 2’s thanks for the recommendation sounds amazing.
The first speaker I fell in love with was the Pioneer HPM 1500 in the late '70s, playing "September" (Earth Wind & Fire). Sounded unbelievable. I was just a poor young man back then, never had a prayer of owning them. I wonder how they would compare with the one on your list.
Yep, that's an amazing speaker, I love the hpm-100s also, one of my favorites.
My brother had those, he bought in Korea from the base exchange in the Air Force. Coolest speakers. But the US models were the 150s, not quite the same.
I bought the Carver Amazing Loud Speaker 3 awhile back. IMO, best speaker for the money, but needs a lot of power and a lot of room to make them shine.
@patrickterry779 Haha, all my cool gear came from the USAF BX, also (Yokota AB, Japan).
@keplermission We couldn’t get the 1500s in the states, only the 150s.