I see a lot of support here for the Dynaco A25s, they were my first hifi speakers, very good in their day and still quite listenable. Decades later I had inherited another pair and I put them to use as a stopgap passive subwoofer. To my surprise, two of them placed side by side on the floor were able to output formidable bass down to 30hz! For JBL-like tonality and dynamics, the old Klipsch KG1.0/1.2/1.5 models are still common, and replacement tweeter diaphragms are readily available and easy to install. Or you can pimp them with titanium diaphragms!
The Dynaco's A25 were a great speaker for the money,I paid $150. a pair in the mid 70's,they had incredible bass but didn't take up space,the sound belittled their size,one of my favorite bookshelf speakers along with my Rectilinear mini 3's.
I'm glad you put bose on your list. It earned you a new subscriber. I'm not a Bose fan, though my first pair of speakers were 201s. The reason I'm glad you included it is because it shows you're not an "audiophile", which is a latin word for 'stuck up'. I always tell people that they should own what they like, and like what they own. If you have some 301s and a cheap receiver and like the sound, then listen to that setup as much as you can and enjoy life!
Totally agree. I never had the money to be an "audiophile". However, I did the best I could. When I went to college I purchased a pair of Bose 301 and 201. Running these with a JVC receiver and CD player the sound was amazing. I remember sitting in the room listening to various songs, artists. It created an incredible 3D effect if you were in the center of the room with both pairs of speakers going. I have heard a lot of hate about Bose over the years. I have graduated to better speakers since then. However, for the time and the cost they were great.
The sad thing about Bose is that folks could buy far better sounding speakers for the same or less money. Bose spends far more money on marketing and litigation than they spend on product design and component parts. Bose won't publish their specs for good reason. Independent testers have used standard measurement techniques and Bose speakers test out poorly. Yes, there is a correlation between specs and performance.
Fine choices for vintage budget speakers. I liked the EPI-70's as replacements for the model 60. In the mid 1970's EPI offered the 70 as a car speaker as the LS70. The satellite/subwoofer craze of later 1970's was a change from the big amp, big speakers mindset. Still like my EPI-100's better. Don't think Advent ever built a "bad" speaker. This Baby Advent, Advent 2, Original Large Advent, New Advent and the 5002 were all fine systems. The B/A A-40's are really boss. I got a pair several years back and dig the sweet high end and reasonable bass. Use them in my 900+ cu/ft kitchen powered by an SX-434 receiver. Impressive stereo imaging and sound so good I sometimes forget just how bass shy they are. I think that the EPI-100 was one of the best bang-for-buck budget speakers in the 1970's. Even though it was introduced in 1970, thank you very much Mr. Winslow Burhoe.
Wow! Minimus 7s! Actually Optimus Pro 77s. I use those to this very day as my desktop speakers. They sound fantastic with my Aiyima A07 amp and Douk Audio P1 pre. And yes, dead drivers have been replaced.
I absolutely loved my Bose 301 series II speakers! I used them for over 20 years with a Pioneer SX-3700, and Technics SL-D303 turntable, and I wish I still had them. All of which were the first major purchases I made when I started working in my teens. Never got into the whole audiophile thing of chasing the greatest sound. I was perfectly happy with my setup. Guitar amps were another story...
Thank you so much for this truthful video! After leaving the military (1974) I worked for a Hi Fi Fo Fum in KCMO. That's where my real musical journey began. We carried the whole spectrum of equipment from Pioneer's 450 rec. to the full line of Mac's. We also had an A/B switcher which allowed comparisons of speakers. That's where I first discovered the Advent speaker line. It was very difficult to discern the difference between the large and small Advents. I owned the Bose 501's and later switched to the "Stacked Advent" system. Fast forward many years after 20 years in the computer industry, I worked for Buzz Jensen's Audio Advice in Phoenix, AZ. Buzz was the first retailer, that I knew of, that would allow clients to take speakers home for a real-life test drive. You were exactly right...what speakers sound like in your environment is the game changer! You've also landed a client for life!
I'm one of those minimus 7 guys. What i really like them for is tv not home theater but just plain stereo tv. If you like that kind of sound, you might like old cantons or a/d/s speakers for music. If you can find canton mini plus s speakers, they're like the gourmet version of the minimus 7 especially with the matching canton sub.
My wife got a pair of ADS bookshelf speakers in 1978, I couldn’t tell you the specific model, but they were the best sounding speakers of that size I’ve ever heard. They weren’t very large, but great sound, great bass. Also, I had (and still have) some Mini Advents with the matching subwoofer (which eventually fell apart). I refoamed them and they still sound great!
Love the video. Some great choices. There are a bunch of good bookshelf speakers out there. I know ADS may be on the upper end of $200. But I have some B7's that sound great and should be around $200 to buy. I also have some L-200's that blow away the Minimus 7's. I also have some small B&W's I just found for $75 with stands. Those may be from the early 90's though.
I watched this just days after I purchased a pair of baby Advent bookshelf speakers ! Made me smile when you said a good #1 pick for bookshelf , I also have been looking fore Bose 301 series II
I remember the Acoustic Research AR18s being a great set! Driven by a Kenwood Trio KA-6000 they were good for just about everything I listened to. I can remember the cymbols in Fleetwood Mac's dreams trailing off and the Bass drop in Heart's "Magic Man" rattling the walls. Voices were open and clear. Loved those speakers! I definately have to mention the Infinity Infinitesimals as well, although they're not in this price range.
I've still got some AR18S in my stash, ran them for a few months at the end of '21, tremendous speaker, sealed box bass speed and a ridiculously good tweeter, you can hear why so many studios had them on the meter bridge..
@@markpreston3406 Totally awesome speaker. I think they were left off because he is talking about what the speakers cost now instead of what they cost when they were introduced. A good pair of 18s today cost over 300, and that is on the low side.
To [mis]quote Yoda: Once down the Minimus7 path you start, forever will it dominate your destiny. 😀 Got a couple pair of 'em floating around the house.
Cerwin vega 201 my pair is 44 yrs old, and I listen to them everyday. They are from stansbury stereo in Baltimore. Cica1978. My 40yr old jvc receiver and cd1669-2 cassette deck are still rocking as I turn 70. Still crazy after all these year
Thanks to you guys posting good vintage speakers to look out for, I present my current bookshelf speakers in rotation. Fortunately this is an affordable hobby unlike my vintage telescope collection. Bose 201 DCM Timepiece Bose 141 Advent Baby II refoamed Paradigm Titan refoamed Advent 2002 DCM Macrophone
I've been using a pair of 1980's Advent bookshelf speakers for a while and they continue to impress with the sound quality I'm getting. They're inexpensive, easy to re-foam and I like the wood cabinet look. I think they're a good choice for anyone just looking to upgrade a bit in this age of $30 digitized-plasticized speakers.
They are kinda hard to find. In the past 20 years I've managed to find a pair of the small advents. I got em for 25$ needing refoam. However I have 3 pairs of the large advents. I run four of them thru a marantz 2238b sounds awesome
Great list. I started my audiophile journey in the mid 80's with EPI 100s. They were great for a college dorm room. Upgraded to ADS L570s which I still have and love to death.
Ding, ding, ding!!! Your explanation about how a speaker will sound to someone else in their listening environment, and with their equipment, is spot on. It took me a long time to understand that magic in sound is subjective, and is many times pure luck.
ADS a/d/s Braun - amazing speaker line. Any of their late 70’s thru 80’s line with their 1 in. tweeter - the “206-0116” one - will blow your mind. Some I can immediately think of are the L470/2’s, the L400e’s, and the L570/2’s. Incredible speakers. All with butyl rubber surrounds vs foam, which rarely need replacement. The L400’s are often on the Bay in the low $100’s. If you have the space, get the small floor standers of this period, the L690’s. Same 1 in. magical tweeter in all these ADS/Braun speakers listed but the larger sound box of the L690 created a giant killer. In fact, in ‘84 NAD had a/d/s build an L690 clone with the NAD branding to market. Incredible line of speakers and all found in vintage shops under $200. Seek and ye shall find and smile!
Have owned a lot of Braun ADS speakers. I would never sell any of them for under $200. That's one reason I didn't include them. The other reason is that they are way more rare, at least around here, than any other speaker on the list.
@@skylabsaudio 👍🏼You’re probably right about most being over $200, at least in shops. eBay deals do come up, if there is time for patience. Happy I found your channel. Digging it very much!
I have several sets of ADS Including some L-200's, B7's and 710's and agree they are great. It's possible on Craig's list or local direct sellers to get under $200 for some of the lower line ADS, probably not from a store where they need to make a profit and stand behind their products.
Love it: I only just refoamed my BA A40's that I bought new in 1984 (I believe). They shifted around the house doing dining room duty at first and ending up on my desk. They even went to work with me for my personal office for a few years. They just so suited my listening habits and preferences to a T. I was devastated when the woofer foam crumbled and they started to buzz. Sob! So happy when I discovered foam kits -- who knew? I have a pair of Videoton Minimax II bookshelf speakers made by a Hungarian company in around 1978. Amazingly they still work like new and need no refoaming (non-trad surround material?). They were heavily sold in England at the time and competed well against much pricier names. The same importer (I think) showed up at consumer shows here in Canada and they were sold in some numbers here too. I got my pair at Ring Audio who had a fondness for carrying audiophile Brit imports like Rega turntables. I'm making brand new grill covers for them as I realized a month ago while testing them that the circular holes cut into the original fibre board covers actually screw up the tweeter dispersion and make the sweet spot really small and finicky to locate.
Spot on, we can listen to people talking about this and that, but in the end it's about me and my own room, the best one can do is to try and get those speakers on a loan from an audio shop and see if they fit in the room and if they sound good in the room (and this is subjective from person to person). Try it before you buy it, that's all I keep saying
A year ago I bought a pair of Monitor Audio MA301 small bookshelf speakers off eBay for $120 to use in my office desktop system, and they are outstanding. 20 years ago my parents asked me to shop for a home theater system for my sister and at one stereo store the salesman asked me to listen to a pair of $600 MA301s, knowing that was above my price range, just to see my surprise at what a full sound and superb soundstage one could obtain from a speaker that was only 10.5 inches high. One of my local shops had a used Paradigm system for $400 that was too good of a value to pass up for my sister, but I definitely was extremely impressed with the MA301s. Fast forward to 2020 when I began working at home at the start of the pandemic. A little Bluetooth speaker lasted about two hours on my desk before I started wanting better fidelity. I remembered I had an old Panasonic compact system I had bought my wife years ago that had since been stored in our basement, I pulled that out, and was initially pleasantly surprised at how good it sounded. But I kept thinking how much better it would sound with better speakers, and started shopping on eBay. I checked out the usual suspects, KEF, B & W, Mission, and some rarer ones like Mordaunt Short and Castle, before remembering the MA301s. After a few weeks of waiting I spotted an auction and bought my little Monitor Audios for 80% off their MSRP. I have replaced the Panasonic electronics with a Cambridge Audio integrated amplifier, a Sony DVD changer as a transport, and a pair external DAC‘s (one an Emotiva Little Ego+ USB DAC on my laptop that at $39.10, might be the very best value in all of hi-fi, the other a 1Mii Bluetooth receiver that has an ESS Saber DAC chip and an optical input that I use as my DAC for listening to CDs or Bluetooth). I have some vague thoughts of eventually upgrading the Cambridge Audio with a Rotel, and possibly replacing my pair of inexpensive DACs with a Geshelli Labs J2. But I have no thoughts of replacing my MA301s. Sitting on a pair of concrete blocks on my desk in the middle of the room to bring them to ear-height, 8 feet from a wall, they still have surprisingly deep bass and pinpoint imaging.
Rogers LS1s I'm running 7s. a little too large for bookshelf. but I have heard the 1s and they are very good. If you find a pair for under 200 grab them and run!!!
I recently picked up both the Baby Advent II's and the Boston Acoustics A60's, based on your recommendation. I'm honestly floored by how good these sound, and I paid $150 total for both sets. Ridiculous! If either are available in your area, go get em!!
You are so lucky! When I saw the title for this video I immediately thought: Baby Advent. It was so satisfying, being an audio nerd, seeing them as top pick. Also, IMHO, absolutely worthy of this title amongst others.
I have a pair of Jensen SBC65 bookshelf speakers that I picked up at a second hand store many years ago and they are a perfect match paired with my Technics SA5170 receiver.
I have a pair of the 7's in the basement shop/pool room 28'x40'. They sit in the upper corners of the space. Everyone always asks where the speakers are. They always say wow, I can't believe that. They fill the room so nice. I have had those and the Kenwood amp for 47 years. Bought these when I was in the Army back in the late 70's. They still work awesome. In my mind they were the best bang for the buck back.
I put a set of Polk audio monitor 40 series 2 and a set of KLH 900b in parallel in a very small room. Connected to a Sansui 800 and the sound I get is actually a head scratcher. It sounds better than it has a right to. If I hook either sets by themselves at 8 ohms they both sound like bookshelf speakers. But the magic happens when I parallel them and the result is amazing. I found both sets of these for under $10 for the pair. I would never seek this configuration out but for stumbling across them it really works well. And I have had the 301 series 3 that I could get amazing sound out of.
Picked up a pair of mint Kef 101/3 from a thrift shop for $130. The best bookshelf speakers I’ve had.
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Back in the day I bought a pair of Boston Acoustics A70s for one room, and a pair of A40s for a smaller room. I still have them, and both sound great after replacing the foam around the woofers. (I can also recommend the A60 from hearing them in other systems.) You will almost certainly need to refoam the woofers if you find a pair (unless the previous owner did it), but it's not a difficult operation and doesn't cost a lot. (You do have to break them in a bit after refoaming; they will sound very thin at first.) The larger models will probably cost more than $200/pair if you have to get them shipped, but if you can find a clean local pair they won't be too expensive. I also have a couple of pairs of Minimus 7s bought back when they were new, and mine haven't been abused so they still work. They're not my choice for filling a room, but they are great near field speakers to set up on a computer desk. Pair them with a vintage receiver, or with a cheap amplifier like a LePai, and you've got a nice computer sound system for short money. You don't need a lot of power in that application; 20w/channel or even less is ample. Unlike the Boston Acoustics speakers, they don't seem to suffer from foam that deteriorates.
A small bookshelf in the class here that you overlooked is the Mission 70 MkII. Less than 0.4 cu. ft. volume. 70-20000 Hz. 88db/w/m 6.5" woofer. 3/4" tweeter. 3800 Hz xover. British. Acoustic suspension. Very attractive though budget vinyl. Very linear and accurate. Amazing with a sub.
Just two weeks ago I found a pair of A40s At the thrift store for $4 each. They needed a new foam, otherwise great shape! The next day I happen to see an ad in my neighborhood for a second pair of A40s for $30. I asked the neighbor if he could send me a photo with the grills off - they needed foam so he offered them to me for free! Unbelievable luck, and I’ll have at least one awesome set of bookshelf’s out of the flock.
ADS 200's. killer speakers. had them in the car and now have them in the house. they are 50 years old now. sound as good as they did new. the tweeter is as accurate as any i've heard. LOVE THEM !!!
Thanks for the list. I always buy Minimus 7's if I see them. Still have a working pair from the 80's in my workshop. I'm sure you cost me money, just logged into CL for Boston's and Advent's...
My Sony SSK 30ED are still amazing. About 15 years ago Sont went for high end, this one with 6.5" kevlar driver and 1" extended definition. I got them for $150. on clearance from CC, nobody bought them, and they all missed out, because they were $329. a pair. They still sound amazing today and are one of my top 2 sets. The other being my home build full range single driver floor speakers.
I'm glad you included the Bose 301s with the caveat that placement is super important. The direct reflecting needs to be in a corner to work right. When set up right, they sound very good. I wouldn't call them accurate, but rather pleasing. Positioning also helps with bass. Re: the Minimus 7s, I suggest the ebay crossover upgrade kit; completely improves the sound quality - gets rid of the hiss and increases the transparency. You are correct, almost no bass so a sub will liven them up. My $.02
I found my Minimus 7s at a yard sale years ago. Probably paid $20 , if that. I think the guy was divorcing and they were his wife's stuff so he was practically giving everything away. (Been there twice, so I know the look, lol.) I use them for my rear speakers in my living room setup. Front speakers are (sit down, now...) re-foamed Fisher 56-S 8-inch 2-ways which I bought brand new in 1974 for $55 each (I believe SaveMart was the store). And....the receiver is a Pioneer VSX D608 A/V receiver (100 watts X 5) which I bought in the early 2000's for (still sitting?..) $50! The guy was relocating and selling everything cheap, (including an AIWA sub-woofer ($50) AND a set of JBL 8-inch 2 way studio monitors($50)!
@@bsmith9506 I love that Pioneer VSX line... I found a VSX-9300 (early '90s, I think) at a thrift store for maybe $40 about ten years ago, and the thing is bulletproof; I've driven a 2 ohm load at clipping levels with this thing at a parking lot party and it didn't bat an eye. It's currently driving ADS L880s in my office, and it's keeping schmancier amps in storage.
@@willgibson7478 The fact that these receivers are still kicking arse today is a true testament to how things are built today and how they were built back in the day...things were made to last! Now everything is disposable, not made to last and definitely not made to be repaired. Recently the motor on my 1995 Whirlpool dryer went bad. My sister said "buy a new one". I chose to repair it. Pricey, yes. Almost the cost of a new one. The repairman said 90% of his calls are for newer machines. I'll probably get another 27 years out of it...he installed a rebuilt motor and took my old motor to rebuild it. I told him "see you in 27 years" jokingly.
Back in the mid 80s to the Early 90s I was the manager for the Regional Service facility for Circuit City in Louisville KY. All our stores used the Audio Authority comparator systems made in Lexington KY.
My late father in law gave me a pair of KLH bookshelf speakers from the 80’s. 6” woofer with 1” tweeter, ported in rear. At first I didn’t think much about them because of the 90’s KLH junk that was everywhere. When I hooked them up to an old Sony receiver for a garage setup, wow! Even my buddies who come in to my garage were impressed. “Open sounding” was said a few times.
After almost 17 years with my Infinity beta 20 still love the sound. Tried to replace them but... they are so well built and sound quality is amazing. I had some JBL's and loved them too.
Wow I’m really kicking myself after having the chance to buy a pair for 30 bucks. I saw them at the thrift store and put them in my cart but something unrelated made me to depressed to buy anything that day so I handed them to someone else who luckily wasn’t going to just resell them. Seeing the smile on their face when I handed them over and told them how nice they were was a good feeling. BUT ID TAKE ALL THAT HAPPINESS BACK IF I COULD TO BACK TO THAT MOMENT. lol. Later found a pair of Mirage OM 10 for the same price and a pair of KLH model 17 not long after but no number of speakers is ever enough, you know how it goes. I hope. Lament me with how much I’m missing out on for passing those up. There’s such little info on the web regarding those specific infinity’s that it’s hard to gauge if I’m missing out on a lot. I’ve been looking for a pair of infinity’s ever since. Seems to be a underrated brand like phase tech. At least I have a pair of EPI that he mentions in another video on best bookshelf speakers.
Nice video. I had those same Boston a40’s. I loved them. I turned upside down and covered the front with felt, kinda softened them a little. After those I had the first edition of Celestion 3 which were pretty good as well.
Great vid and agree with 99%! As a fellow speaker junkie, I must add the Boston cr6-9's (6's scale well), Klh 21" tall mtm design (no model#), and Yamaha ns636 8" 3way all bring smiles when I put them into the mix! Of course with most any bkshelf, subs are a must for the big picture. Thanks
Boston A40 series 2..... got in a trade probably 12 years ago....my first re - foam, completely worth it. They sound excellent. Your comment about being a total speaker fanatic, rings true with me. Celestion, KEF, Wharfedale, MB Quart, JBL, Boston Acoustics. The way different ones compliment different styles of music is genuine, thanks for pointing that out Kevin!!!
I bought a pair of B&W DM110's in the late 80's and only recently had to rebuild them. Great budget speaker at the time. I don't see many around though.
I clicked on this video, stopped it at 00:01 (before watching it), to chime in with a simple "Dynaco A25" answer. I've had several pair, and they are just sublime.
Thanks for the video most informative from a professionals opion . I just picked up a pair of Bang and Olfsen, Beovox S45-2 for 100$ 3 way speakers 8" woofer. Wow moved the 90's Klipsch KG3's up stairs. From 1978 till 1982. Book shelf speakers . I reed they where considered one of the companies reference speakers. I would put them up against a pair of KEF 50's, that cost 1500$ all day long. Thanks
For me, bigger turned out to be perfection. First was the aDs L810s, and then I was extremely fortunate to have a pair of immaculate aDs 910s practically drop in my lap. The L810s have dual-8" bass drivers and the 910s have dual-10.5" drivers, installed into their own separate bass enclosures inside the cabinets, thus the 130lb/each speaker, including the original stands. The 910s are my end-game loudspeakers.
Yes, totally agree on these speakers. I have the L810 too. Was given these in 2018 by a friend and they have without been the best I've ever had. Balanced and deep bass with a lot of detail. Shortly after I got them set up, played Fleetwood Mac's Rumours and never heard Nick's drums sound so good and full before (on vinyl at that) and they have not disappointed me yet. Very natural at that for a speaker that was built in 1979, so are still the series I versions so no ferrifluid for the tweeters and they still sound fantastic. I run them with a vintage NAD 7240 receiver from the early 90's and that's a fantastic combo, lively, punchy and while the receiver looks diminutive, they are very punchy and shoot way above their weight.
@@johnhpalmer6098 I'm using an Emotiva balanced preamp/DAC with a NAD 208 thx balanced power amp to gas up the 910s and they gulp up every bit of current thrown at them, even at 93db efficiency. I love my l810s, but if you get the chance, listen to a pair of 910s to find out just how great they are. When I crank up TOOL's "Chocolate Chip Trip" the dual-10" bass drivers make me think the foundation is going to crack. The drivers are the same mids/tweets but with a much larger cabinet they sound different in the 910s. I thought I knew what they'd sound like after a year of the l810s but they're completely different beasts. One day I'd love to find another l810 or even an l710 to use as a center channel, with the 910s as mains and the l810s performing outrageously beautiful surround duties.
One other thing I bet you've noticed as well; the larger aDs series three-ways ( I've never heard the smaller two-ways so, even though I've heard great things about them I don't know enough to say ) they make every genre of music sound incredible. I'm now a believer that great loudspeakers do not have a particular genre they excel at. They just play the stuff they're fed, perfectly.
@@trog69 Agree, I play mostly classic and vintage rock, and vintage Jazz, they all sound great. One thing I've read is some don't like the 810's, too boomy in the bass, but I suspect they may have been placed directly on the floor. Most speakers will do this, raise them up about 12-15 inches on stands, and the bass tightens up, usually. I've done that with these, and the bass is nearly perfect. They also have incredible soundstage depth as one day I had to go through my living room and "felt" daggers were shooting past me as the sound was in front of the speakers, at the speakers, and behind them, uncanny as I had never had a pair that did that so obviously.
@@johnhpalmer6098 Yes, indeed; those original stands are as rare as hen's teeth and I wonder how many thought they sounded boomy because they didn't buy the optional stands. I would love to have some welded for me. My go-to guy for welding is now as broken as I am, so I'll have to look elsewhere. There are some people making them for sale, but with the added shipping costs they're a bit expensive, especially since I got mine ( the l810s, not the stands ) two years before the pandemic, so they cost $300 and another $100 for the best built shipping boxes I've ever seen, from Minn. to S. Arizona. ( It was also a stroke of lightning-grade lucky that I found a seller of the 910s only two hours away. He was about to close the sale due to so many low-ballers and trolls, so when he got my message and realized I knew their worth and was willing to pay it, he lowered price by half ( to $900 ) and, he drove the two-hour+/each way to deliver them to my house, as he was worried about the veneers and stands being damaged in shipment. I am eternally grateful to that very generous man! )
I bought a pair of DLK Model 1 speakers when I was in college (40+ years ago)... their sound still holds up pretty well with a good preamp/amp and relatively small room.
Speaker Lab 6 inch,made them myself used heavy particle board and walnut veneer bare speakers,very heavy and for 40+ years they are used in a wood lined room,ceiling too so the effect people tell me it's like being there.no drapes on the windows,very private home,to muffle the sound.these get much more use than Sansui sp 2000 in the living room.
Agree on the Minimus 7...I have 2 pr - 1 bad tweet & 3 bad woofers so they sit in a closet...I bought an NOS pr of Minimus 11 on ebay about 10 yrs ago...I wish they had the 7 tweeter but they still sound pretty good
My Favorite are my 1971 Pro series Voice of Music model 91 two ways. sound beautiful. 8" woofer and 3" extended range tweeter second order crossed at 2kHz. goes down to 55Hz at 3db down. second choice is the B&W DM110 Speakers.
JBL TLX12 (1989-92) is an amazing sounding bookshelf speaker. My first speaker bought new in 92 which I still own. I picked up a second set about 3 years back for $75. Very detailed and clear bass. These punch well above their weight. The second pair I picked up were a little rough on the vinyl wrap so I removed it and put on a walnut veneer....they look incredible. Type: 2 way, 2 driver loudspeaker system Recommended Amplifier: 10 to 75W Crossover Frequency: 3200Hz Impedance: 8Ω Sensitivity: 90dB Bass: 1 x 165mm polymer laminate cone Tweeter: 1 x 25mm titanium dome Finish: black Dimensions: 380 x 230 x 242mm Weight: 16kg Year: 1989
Thank you for the time and effort you put into making quality reviews. I’m going to look into these speakers. I’m currently looking for a pair and was looking into getting a pair of pioneers elite TX-7’s
Still rocking 5 pairs of epi's. Two pairs of 180's stacked in my living room system powered by dual Harman Kardon hk-770 twin toroidal amps. Gold ring tweeters on all my speakers. My basement system consists of a Technics SA-700 receiver pushing a pair of epi 400 towers and a pair of epi 100 bookshelf speakers. Yes, I know it has the fiberboard, but I love it's sound and has no troubles pushing a steady 4 ohm load. And my garage system is just a cheap Onkyo surround receiver pushing another pair of epi 100's. I grew up on the epi sound. My dad had a pair of epi 100's pushed by a Pioneer sx-727 receiver and I always loved the sound. He later sold the epi's and got a pair of Klipsch Chorus speakers. Yeah, they can play loud and that's about it. Imo, the little epi's sound more accurate from top to bottom.
I have a pair of AR-3a speakers that I bought in 1970. These were billed at the time as "bookshelf speakers" even though, I have never seen a bookcase that will accommodate them. They have been re-foamed twice, and are working fine after about 52 years.
Any speaker that didn't have a base incorporated into the cabinet was considered a bookshelf back then. Kinda funny. I love AR speakers. Henry Kloss was the man!
I restored my 'bought new' AR-28s speakers. Refoamed and had to replace both Teledyne tweeters, thanks to Simply Speakers. Refinished the faux vinyl wood with a piano black finish. I think they are selling at about $400, but a nice complement to a vintage setup.
I have a soft spot for the AR-3a. I have seen them classified as bookshelves, but that would be a mighty shelf for sure. The AR-7s however always impressed me in my many visits to Wheaton HiFi.
I just replaced my Wharfdale Diamonds on my secondary system in a small backroom with Celestion 2's - very rich and accurate and more musical and I paid $40!!!
Although I think they were released in 1991, the JBL L1 bookshelf is a stout performer. It has a 6 1/2” woofer and a titanium dome tweeter in a rear ported cabinet. Not only do they pack quite a punch for their size, they also can handle a good bit of power (200 watts RMS per speaker). The entire line of the L series of this timeframe were the last that were designed by JBL before they were acquired by Harmon. They are all well regarded and can be found fairly easy on the second hand market. The L5 and L7 floor standers are considered among the best bargains for audiophiles available today. The only drawbacks are you need ample power to drive either of them and room placement for the top of the line L7 can be tricky due to the side firing 12” passive subwoofer. Also the L7 is pretty much an actual full range speaker. Their bass reproduction is as good as any modest priced powered subwoofer provided you feed them enough power.
Found a pair of the L1's in near new condition at a local resale shop for $20 pair about 10 years ago. Was stunned at how good they sounded. Still going strong in my son's home studio today. I have to admit, I was nervous to put them up against my Polk LSi-9's in an A/B comparison. Not quite as refined as the Polks, but the Polks certainly didn't run away with the show either.
@@joelabbe6185 You stole them for $20 a pair. Depending on what type of music you listen to they should have a powered sub to hit the lowest frequencies under 50HZ. I use one as a center channel in a 5.1 set up and cross it at 100HZ. If you can find any of the L series in this line at a good price I’d recommend them. The only one I don’t own or haven’t heard is the L3. The L5 is very good but would recommend a high quality powered sub with them also for room shaking bass. The L7 is fine on its own as long as you have enough power to drive them properly. 200 clean watts per channel is the very minimum to wake them up. Placement can be difficult. These are one of the few speakers that passive bi-amping (connecting 2 amplifiers to each speaker using the internal crossover) is effective since 1 channel drives strictly the sub and crosses at about 180HZ. Both amp channels get used to about their maximum capacity. I use 2 amps rated at 200 watts to drive each one. They still sound amazing to me after 20+ years. The louder you play them the better they sound.
Mike E: I'm primarily a contemporary jazz nut, and they are well-suited to that genre. Have used the L1's with a couple sub set ups: a pair of Miller and Kreisel V125's ( in stereo; left channel to one sub, left rear of room and R to twin sub right rear of room) and a Velodyne F1200. Properly tweaked, these combos didn't disappoint. A friend's dad has a pair of L7's sitting in his garage doing nothing for years now. He knows what they are, and so far hasn't budged on making them disappear. I have this problem lately of not NEEDING one more fine pieces, but cannot help myself when something presents itself at a good price. I think it was easier to stop drinking 8 years ago, than to stop collecting. ;-)
Used a pair of Design Acoustics PS-9's in my second system for years, finally replaced them with some Cizek model 2's. But pretty much everyone that heard them loved PS-9's. I did recap the crossovers though
you know I knew it I knew it I knew it. I knew I recognized you because I've actually been in your shop. And I knew it because when you showed off that speaker comparator I was like I've seen one of those before. I used to work for a company called TMC and I drove a truck over the road after I left the bicycle repair business. And TMC is located not too far down from where you guys are at in Des Moines. And I remember I was at their facility and looked up Hi-Fi shops in the area and you guys popped up. And I came in there and I think you guys had a really sweet older Harman kardon that was just fantastic sounding that I wanted to pick up but I didn't because I didn't have any space to keep it with me at the time. I then walked across the street to a little cafe and got like a smoothie or something. And this was only like a couple years ago. yeah I had never been to Des Moines before that and that little shopping area there where you guys are located I remember having a lot of neat little stores and then had a really cool antique store like right across the street from you guys that was really cool. I really did enjoy the area and the one thing that was nice about it other than where I live is people seem to lot more genuinely friendly. oh by the way I remember you guys being real pleasant real friendly and just seems like really nice people to work with.
4 1/2 years ago I bought a pair of 18 year old PSB Image 2b... only paid $190 for them. They may not be audiophile quality by any means. That aside they were so beautiful sounding even with the 49 hrz roll off. They are imo flawless for the price, build quality, the ability to nicely fill a 10×13 room withoutneeding a sub... for some reason they rolled off lower & lower over time... actually looking for another pair. Nothing perfect about them however for me again flawless.
I picked up for $30 a pair of Panasonic 1971 speakers used in a restaurant to announce seating parties. Paper cone and tweeter. Recapped and sound excellent but need volume down as 50 yo paper tweeters won't survive at loud levels. They have that vintage 70s Pioneer thatch grill. Look incredible. Sound good. Great find after recap with Solen.
Just finished restoring a pair of Infinity Reference One's. Might just be the best sounding small bookshelf speakers I've heard. If you run across a set, give 'em a listen.
2:13 I have a set, similar to those. The Infinity Reference 1, they have the Polycell but they are 2 way speakers, so they are shorter than those displayed. I have found several things, nothing outright definite about those. In the ?rear there is an circular cap, with the push tab connectors, and there is sticker with what I take as a serial number, production number, something. Besides that &”Reference 1” is raised, molded into the cup with the connectors. I have seen something about the Reference 1 betas, along with Reference 1 several different names. The thing is that I see the ones I have, except the Polycell is switched with another tweeter, they are 3 wqy, orhers are floor mount, but all others seem to pop up repeatedly, and I will need to scroll deep, and change my search several more times, just to find a picture, click and find out that it was a different picture from the search, or the information doesn’t give me enough, or it will direct me to the same list as I was searching through already, or simply Reference 1 with Polycell might be mentioned. Does someone happen to know Reference 1 ______, or some way I can get more information, without the Reference 1 everything else? I switched them out with the 201 series 2, mainly because they need new surrounds. What is known about Paradigm Phantom v.2? A while back they began to sound like they were needed for new surroundings. From what I found. The covers are attached, so the back needs to be accessed and disassembled to get to the speakers. Yeah those Reference 1 has me wandering at times. I have multiple pdf files, pictures, documents, and many other files on everything including some on others that I help with issues that others have. Crazy thing is remote manuals, and remotes also.
Nice initial group. Being a tad older, your comments at 2:46 + were on point. I was 17 in 1973. I wore out "Brandy" and "Going Mobile" The WHO with my bookshelf set of Jensens. The day I had to get rid of them I opened them up to see they were Model 6. I wanted that to find another set of them! Life got in the way...
Kevin, the best small cabinet speaker I've ever heard is the NHT Superone (not Superzero). Not sure if it's old enough to be called vintage. From around 1990 and available for a lot less than $200/pair. The deep tight bass from the sealed 11.6″ Tall x 7.25″ Wide x 8.5″ Deep cabinet will amaze you. 6" woofer. If you've never listened to them, I sincerely suggest you do.
Had I been able to watch your videos about fifteen years ago I still have a love for audio equipment but don't have near what I used to thanks for the videos keep em coming
Hahaha! Minimus 7's! Had a pair. For a while, actually. Back then, if you were a 16 or 17 year old kid, you prolly shot your wad on a receiver and turntable. The Minimus 7 was a great "get you through" pair of speakers. The Minimus 11 had a bit more bass, but IMHO the 7 beat them in overall sound. Thanks for the walk down memory lane. Hadn't thought about my Minimus 7's in years! Though not really vintage, I've been rocking a pair of Paradigm Studio 20 v.1's since '01. Bought them from a coworker during his divorce sale. Three years old, paid the same for them as a pair of new Mini Monitors I was going to buy.
I think the allure of the Minimus 7 was their affordability and generally more robust sound compared to like-size speakers. Made/make great shop and garage speakers being able to be pushed by even low powered receivers. Not great speakers but great for their price.
Thought I had a minimus 7 as rear speaker only had one so I put a single Jamo also rated at 70 watts well the Jamo has a dead woofer now and was mistaken about the minimus that turned out to bean Optimus Pro 77 in a metal cabinet rated at 70 watts. I suspect it's a bit more robust. Certainly more than the Jamo I seem to remember the other Jamo had a dead woofer too. That Pro 77 has a poly cap now good vocals.
The comparator was brilliant. I remember switching back and for in the dealer. It was a lot easier than waiting for the little man to swap. You would forget what you had just heard.
I have been enjoying all the videos in this channel, I really like the sincere approach to the reviews, and the fact that you actually work and repair the equipment.
Minimus 7 with mods can make great satellites. Great cabinets,decent drivers, need proper crossovers and connectors. Hard to beat solid metal cabinets, just deaden them. Canton, ADS,Braun,Bang and Olufsen c30,40,50, BA micro all nice tiny speakers.
Haha, biased audio folk?....say it ain't so. I ran with EPI's and then Advent's in the late 70's into the 90's when I got some Vienna Acoustics which I still have. Great list there and I'd be happy with any of 'em. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.
I have a set of "Larger Advents" and "Advent 400s" the larger are great, not meant to be super efficient. The 400s are the 2 way small white plastic case bookshelf speakers. These sound amazing considering the size. BOTH are mid 70s vintage.
Acoustic Research AR18. Spectacular small bookshelfs from the 70s, I have one paired with a Hegel H80. I have other speakers, JBL 4311, 4429, Avalon Mixing Monitors, Hedd Type 20s, etc, the ARs get the most playtime.
The older B&W DM series speakers from the early 1990's can be found for under $200 a pair and punch way above their weight. They're also very durable and unlike many older speakers, do not have foam surrounds.
My media room is 12 1/2’X15’ and I have a pair of 40 year old Bose 301 II speakers as my fronts for my 7.1 system. It’s my avatar. The system subwoofer is not used for music. I have the Sheffield/A2 Test Disc (Apple Music) with tones from 20 Hz to 19 Khz. The speakers do respond at 20 Hz, but not as loud as the others test tones. They create spatial audio on their own. Play some of the old QSound albums like Sting’s Soul Cages or Amused To Death, and wow!
A little newer than most of what's on your list (these came out in the early 90s), but I'm consistently impressed with my good old NHT SuperZeroes. They are lacking in low bass, but they sound like they should cost way more than they do. Heck, they're still made today!
I found a perfect pair of KLH 900Bs 8 years ago in a thrift store for $40.00. After airing out the stink of tobacco for two days, they have operated flawlessly during daily use. A graphic equalizer I found smooths out the frequencies. Paired with a Pioneer amplifier, I couldn’t ask for more.
If I had the chance to buy a set of bookshelf speakers..I just saw these about 6 months ago...I'm a big fan of boston acoustics audio...If I could afford to pull the trigger,with the Sony cs ss5 , countless others on yt I've listened to and heard...Ones I fell in.love with were the boston acoustics,vmr 50/60 series....They look and ofc boston acoustics, you know they sound great...yeaahh nan
Nice list of vintage speakers. Another hard to find but was so much fun to crank up was the Bose Bravura bookshelf speaker. Back in the day I owned series 3 901's and series 3 501's but the Bravura was my favorite Bose that I ever owned in the late 70's. In the mid 80's moved on to Boston Acoustics A60. Too bad for me that I did not know about refoaming as the A60's foam disintegrated rather fast so I parted ways with them.
![If you can't hear this then you're not an audiophile [See description for link to followup video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/48PxwspDvrE/mqdefault.jpg)
I see a lot of support here for the Dynaco A25s, they were my first hifi speakers, very good in their day and still quite listenable. Decades later I had inherited another pair and I put them to use as a stopgap passive subwoofer. To my surprise, two of them placed side by side on the floor were able to output formidable bass down to 30hz! For JBL-like tonality and dynamics, the old Klipsch KG1.0/1.2/1.5 models are still common, and replacement tweeter diaphragms are readily available and easy to install. Or you can pimp them with titanium diaphragms!
The Dynaco's A25 were a great speaker for the money,I paid $150. a pair in the mid 70's,they had incredible bass but didn't take up space,the sound belittled their size,one of my favorite bookshelf speakers along with my Rectilinear mini 3's.
I'm glad you put bose on your list. It earned you a new subscriber. I'm not a Bose fan, though my first pair of speakers were 201s. The reason I'm glad you included it is because it shows you're not an "audiophile", which is a latin word for 'stuck up'.
I always tell people that they should own what they like, and like what they own. If you have some 301s and a cheap receiver and like the sound, then listen to that setup as much as you can and enjoy life!
201's we're my first speakers I ever had in highschool , with a pioneer receiver , that system sounded so good and I played them for 10 years
Totally agree. I never had the money to be an "audiophile". However, I did the best I could. When I went to college I purchased a pair of Bose 301 and 201. Running these with a JVC receiver and CD player the sound was amazing. I remember sitting in the room listening to various songs, artists. It created an incredible 3D effect if you were in the center of the room with both pairs of speakers going. I have heard a lot of hate about Bose over the years. I have graduated to better speakers since then. However, for the time and the cost they were great.
The sad thing about Bose is that folks could buy far better sounding speakers for the same or less money. Bose spends far more money on marketing and litigation than they spend on product design and component parts. Bose won't publish their specs for good reason. Independent testers have used standard measurement techniques and Bose speakers test out poorly. Yes, there is a correlation between specs and performance.
Yes. I like Cerwin Vega speakers. I had an audiophile turn his nose up at them.
Fine choices for vintage budget speakers. I liked the EPI-70's as replacements for the model 60. In the mid 1970's EPI offered the 70 as a car speaker as the LS70. The satellite/subwoofer craze of later 1970's was a change from the big amp, big speakers mindset. Still like my EPI-100's better. Don't think Advent ever built a "bad" speaker. This Baby Advent, Advent 2, Original Large Advent, New Advent and the 5002 were all fine systems. The B/A A-40's are really boss. I got a pair several years back and dig the sweet high end and reasonable bass. Use them in my 900+ cu/ft kitchen powered by an SX-434 receiver. Impressive stereo imaging and sound so good I sometimes forget just how bass shy they are. I think that the EPI-100 was one of the best bang-for-buck budget speakers in the 1970's. Even though it was introduced in 1970, thank you very much Mr. Winslow Burhoe.
Wow! Minimus 7s! Actually Optimus Pro 77s. I use those to this very day as my desktop speakers. They sound fantastic with my Aiyima A07 amp and Douk Audio P1 pre. And yes, dead drivers have been replaced.
I absolutely loved my Bose 301 series II speakers! I used them for over 20 years with a Pioneer SX-3700, and Technics SL-D303 turntable, and I wish I still had them. All of which were the first major purchases I made when I started working in my teens. Never got into the whole audiophile thing of chasing the greatest sound. I was perfectly happy with my setup. Guitar amps were another story...
Thank you so much for this truthful video! After leaving the military (1974) I worked for a Hi Fi Fo Fum in KCMO. That's where my real musical journey began. We carried the whole spectrum of equipment from Pioneer's 450 rec. to the full line of Mac's. We also had an A/B switcher which allowed comparisons of speakers. That's where I first discovered the Advent speaker line. It was very difficult to discern the difference between the large and small Advents. I owned the Bose 501's and later switched to the "Stacked Advent" system. Fast forward many years after 20 years in the computer industry, I worked for Buzz Jensen's Audio Advice in Phoenix, AZ. Buzz was the first retailer, that I knew of, that would allow clients to take speakers home for a real-life test drive. You were exactly right...what speakers sound like in your environment is the game changer! You've also landed a client for life!
Thank you so much for the kind words! Appreciate it!
I'm one of those minimus 7 guys. What i really like them for is tv not home theater but just plain stereo tv. If you like that kind of sound, you might like old cantons or a/d/s speakers for music. If you can find canton mini plus s speakers, they're like the gourmet version of the minimus 7 especially with the matching canton sub.
Although a bit before this time period, the Dynaco A25 was always a favorite for sound and value.
Don't forget the A25 XL's!
Never heard of it till now. I want to hear a pair.
I bought a pair of A25s at an estate sale for ... well, let's just say Not Much.
Haven't heard them yet, but I expect they will be good.
I still listen to the A25 powered by a Marantz 2230 receiver… very smooth and open sound… has the adjustable frequency crossover.
@@MH-fb5kr what other speakers have you owned?
my brother had a set of 301s and I was amazed at the output of these bookshelf speakers.
My wife got a pair of ADS bookshelf speakers in 1978, I couldn’t tell you the specific model, but they were the best sounding speakers of that size I’ve ever heard. They weren’t very large, but great sound, great bass. Also, I had (and still have) some Mini Advents with the matching subwoofer (which eventually fell apart). I refoamed them and they still sound great!
I have a pair of ADS 810s that I will never sell. They made incredible speakers.
I’ve got L710s. ADS was an awesome brand.
ADS bookshelves are the sh*t, disappointed they weren't mentioned here.
Love the video. Some great choices. There are a bunch of good bookshelf speakers out there. I know ADS may be on the upper end of $200. But I have some B7's that sound great and should be around $200 to buy. I also have some L-200's that blow away the Minimus 7's. I also have some small B&W's I just found for $75 with stands. Those may be from the early 90's though.
I still have a pair of ADS L570s from my college years in the mid 80s. I love 'em.
BIC with venturi port. I remember them as bright and punchy
I watched this just days after I purchased a pair of baby Advent bookshelf speakers ! Made me smile when you said a good #1 pick for bookshelf , I also have been looking fore Bose 301 series II
I remember the Acoustic Research AR18s being a great set! Driven by a Kenwood Trio KA-6000 they were good for just about everything I listened to. I can remember the cymbols in Fleetwood Mac's dreams trailing off and the Bass drop in Heart's "Magic Man" rattling the walls. Voices were open and clear. Loved those speakers!
I definately have to mention the Infinity Infinitesimals as well, although they're not in this price range.
Those AR-18 were very good on their price
I've still got some AR18S in my stash, ran them for a few months at the end of '21, tremendous speaker, sealed box bass speed and a ridiculously good tweeter, you can hear why so many studios had them on the meter bridge..
@@markpreston3406 Totally awesome speaker. I think they were left off because he is talking about what the speakers cost now instead of what they cost when they were introduced. A good pair of 18s today cost over 300, and that is on the low side.
Loved the minimus 7’s back in the day… had them in our kitchen, equalized them a bit and they were great…especially for the $$$.
Cheers
To [mis]quote Yoda: Once down the Minimus7 path you start, forever will it dominate your destiny. 😀 Got a couple pair of 'em floating around the house.
Cerwin vega 201 my pair is 44 yrs old, and I listen to them everyday. They are from stansbury stereo in Baltimore. Cica1978. My 40yr old jvc receiver and cd1669-2 cassette deck are still rocking as I turn 70. Still crazy after all these year
Loved your comment...I'm 75 and still crazy after all these years.
Thanks to you guys posting good vintage speakers to look out for, I present my current bookshelf speakers in rotation. Fortunately this is an affordable hobby unlike my vintage telescope collection.
Bose 201
DCM Timepiece
Bose 141
Advent Baby II refoamed
Paradigm Titan refoamed
Advent 2002
DCM Macrophone
I've been using a pair of 1980's Advent bookshelf speakers for a while and they continue to impress with the sound quality I'm getting. They're inexpensive, easy to re-foam and I like the wood cabinet look. I think they're a good choice for anyone just looking to upgrade a bit in this age of $30 digitized-plasticized speakers.
They are kinda hard to find. In the past 20 years I've managed to find a pair of the small advents. I got em for 25$ needing refoam. However I have 3 pairs of the large advents. I run four of them thru a marantz 2238b sounds awesome
@@marshallgibson8872 Yes, and the prices have been going up on them too. Growing up in the 80's, the Advents are a sentimental favorite.
Great list. I started my audiophile journey in the mid 80's with EPI 100s. They were great for a college dorm room. Upgraded to ADS L570s which I still have and love to death.
I had the A/D/S L810. VERY tightly engineered speakers. They were really the best thing for the price.
@@scottlowell493 I'm amazed that they're still like new. It's pretty crazy.
congratulations on not blowing them. or more accurately perhaps to say congratulations on not having a friend blow them when you weren't in the room.
to be clear, that was a commentary on college parties, not the speakers. 😅
EPI 100's are awesome speakers!
Ding, ding, ding!!! Your explanation about how a speaker will sound to someone else in their listening environment, and with their equipment, is spot on. It took me a long time to understand that magic in sound is subjective, and is many times pure luck.
ADS a/d/s Braun - amazing speaker line. Any of their late 70’s thru 80’s line with their 1 in. tweeter - the “206-0116” one - will blow your mind. Some I can immediately think of are the L470/2’s, the L400e’s, and the L570/2’s. Incredible speakers. All with butyl rubber surrounds vs foam, which rarely need replacement. The L400’s are often on the Bay in the low $100’s. If you have the space, get the small floor standers of this period, the L690’s. Same 1 in. magical tweeter in all these ADS/Braun speakers listed but the larger sound box of the L690 created a giant killer. In fact, in ‘84 NAD had a/d/s build an L690 clone with the NAD branding to market. Incredible line of speakers and all found in vintage shops under $200. Seek and ye shall find and smile!
Have owned a lot of Braun ADS speakers. I would never sell any of them for under $200. That's one reason I didn't include them. The other reason is that they are way more rare, at least around here, than any other speaker on the list.
@@skylabsaudio 👍🏼You’re probably right about most being over $200, at least in shops. eBay deals do come up, if there is time for patience. Happy I found your channel. Digging it very much!
I have several sets of ADS Including some L-200's, B7's and 710's and agree they are great. It's possible on Craig's list or local direct sellers to get under $200 for some of the lower line ADS, probably not from a store where they need to make a profit and stand behind their products.
Love it: I only just refoamed my BA A40's that I bought new in 1984 (I believe). They shifted around the house doing dining room duty at first and ending up on my desk. They even went to work with me for my personal office for a few years. They just so suited my listening habits and preferences to a T. I was devastated when the woofer foam crumbled and they started to buzz. Sob! So happy when I discovered foam kits -- who knew?
I have a pair of Videoton Minimax II bookshelf speakers made by a Hungarian company in around 1978. Amazingly they still work like new and need no refoaming (non-trad surround material?). They were heavily sold in England at the time and competed well against much pricier names. The same importer (I think) showed up at consumer shows here in Canada and they were sold in some numbers here too. I got my pair at Ring Audio who had a fondness for carrying audiophile Brit imports like Rega turntables. I'm making brand new grill covers for them as I realized a month ago while testing them that the circular holes cut into the original fibre board covers actually screw up the tweeter dispersion and make the sweet spot really small and finicky to locate.
My 101 year old neighbor passed away recently. Her daughter gave me the stereo. It included a pristine pair of Allison Model 5s. Wow! They are great 😌
I had a pair of Bose 301’s while in high school and early career. I have fond memories of them. They were my first real stereo speakers…😀
I've had the Bose bookshelves since the 80's and love em. I've had them so loud the were pumping air at a foot away. Bullet proof with great sound.
Spot on, we can listen to people talking about this and that, but in the end it's about me and my own room, the best one can do is to try and get those speakers on a loan from an audio shop and see if they fit in the room and if they sound good in the room (and this is subjective from person to person). Try it before you buy it, that's all I keep saying
A year ago I bought a pair of Monitor Audio MA301 small bookshelf speakers off eBay for $120 to use in my office desktop system, and they are outstanding.
20 years ago my parents asked me to shop for a home theater system for my sister and at one stereo store the salesman asked me to listen to a pair of $600 MA301s, knowing that was above my price range, just to see my surprise at what a full sound and superb soundstage one could obtain from a speaker that was only 10.5 inches high. One of my local shops had a used Paradigm system for $400 that was too good of a value to pass up for my sister, but I definitely was extremely impressed with the MA301s.
Fast forward to 2020 when I began working at home at the start of the pandemic. A little Bluetooth speaker lasted about two hours on my desk before I started wanting better fidelity. I remembered I had an old Panasonic compact system I had bought my wife years ago that had since been stored in our basement, I pulled that out, and was initially pleasantly surprised at how good it sounded.
But I kept thinking how much better it would sound with better speakers, and started shopping on eBay. I checked out the usual suspects, KEF, B & W, Mission, and some rarer ones like Mordaunt Short and Castle, before remembering the MA301s. After a few weeks of waiting I spotted an auction and bought my little Monitor Audios for 80% off their MSRP.
I have replaced the Panasonic electronics with a Cambridge Audio integrated amplifier, a Sony DVD changer as a transport, and a pair external DAC‘s (one an Emotiva Little Ego+ USB DAC on my laptop that at $39.10, might be the very best value in all of hi-fi, the other a 1Mii Bluetooth receiver that has an ESS Saber DAC chip and an optical input that I use as my DAC for listening to CDs or Bluetooth). I have some vague thoughts of eventually upgrading the Cambridge Audio with a Rotel, and possibly replacing my pair of inexpensive DACs with a Geshelli Labs J2.
But I have no thoughts of replacing my MA301s. Sitting on a pair of concrete blocks on my desk in the middle of the room to bring them to ear-height, 8 feet from a wall, they still have surprisingly deep bass and pinpoint imaging.
Rogers LS1s I'm running 7s. a little too large for bookshelf. but I have heard the 1s and they are very good. If you find a pair for under 200 grab them and run!!!
Advent Baby 2s! Replaced my Large Advents. Still got ‘em, still like ‘em. Always fun to swap in when I get the urge.
I recently picked up both the Baby Advent II's and the Boston Acoustics A60's, based on your recommendation. I'm honestly floored by how good these sound, and I paid $150 total for both sets. Ridiculous! If either are available in your area, go get em!!
You are so lucky! When I saw the title for this video I immediately thought: Baby Advent. It was so satisfying, being an audio nerd, seeing them as top pick. Also, IMHO, absolutely worthy of this title amongst others.
I have a pair of Jensen SBC65 bookshelf speakers that I picked up at a second hand store many years ago and they are a perfect match paired with my Technics SA5170 receiver.
I have a pair of the 7's in the basement shop/pool room 28'x40'. They sit in the upper corners of the space. Everyone always asks where the speakers are. They always say wow, I can't believe that. They fill the room so nice. I have had those and the Kenwood amp for 47 years. Bought these when I was in the Army back in the late 70's. They still work awesome. In my mind they were the best bang for the buck back.
I put a set of Polk audio monitor 40 series 2 and a set of KLH 900b in parallel in a very small room. Connected to a Sansui 800 and the sound I get is actually a head scratcher. It sounds better than it has a right to. If I hook either sets by themselves at 8 ohms they both sound like bookshelf speakers. But the magic happens when I parallel them and the result is amazing. I found both sets of these for under $10 for the pair. I would never seek this configuration out but for stumbling across them it really works well. And I have had the 301 series 3 that I could get amazing sound out of.
have a pair of ditton by celestion they sound great for bookself
Picked up a pair of mint Kef 101/3 from a thrift shop for $130. The best bookshelf speakers I’ve had.
Back in the day I bought a pair of Boston Acoustics A70s for one room, and a pair of A40s for a smaller room. I still have them, and both sound great after replacing the foam around the woofers. (I can also recommend the A60 from hearing them in other systems.) You will almost certainly need to refoam the woofers if you find a pair (unless the previous owner did it), but it's not a difficult operation and doesn't cost a lot. (You do have to break them in a bit after refoaming; they will sound very thin at first.) The larger models will probably cost more than $200/pair if you have to get them shipped, but if you can find a clean local pair they won't be too expensive.
I also have a couple of pairs of Minimus 7s bought back when they were new, and mine haven't been abused so they still work. They're not my choice for filling a room, but they are great near field speakers to set up on a computer desk. Pair them with a vintage receiver, or with a cheap amplifier like a LePai, and you've got a nice computer sound system for short money. You don't need a lot of power in that application; 20w/channel or even less is ample. Unlike the Boston Acoustics speakers, they don't seem to suffer from foam that deteriorates.
I have 2 pairs of Dynaco A-10's. One set I inherited and the other pair I purchased for $90. Great bookshelf speakers driven by my Yamaha CR-2020.
A small bookshelf in the class here that you overlooked is the Mission 70 MkII. Less than 0.4 cu. ft. volume. 70-20000 Hz. 88db/w/m 6.5" woofer. 3/4" tweeter. 3800 Hz xover. British. Acoustic suspension. Very attractive though budget vinyl. Very linear and accurate. Amazing with a sub.
Also very uncommon around here anyway. Have liked every Misson speaker I have ever heard.
Just two weeks ago I found a pair of A40s At the thrift store for $4 each. They needed a new foam, otherwise great shape! The next day I happen to see an ad in my neighborhood for a second pair of A40s for $30. I asked the neighbor if he could send me a photo with the grills off - they needed foam so he offered them to me for free! Unbelievable luck, and I’ll have at least one awesome set of bookshelf’s out of the flock.
ADS 200's. killer speakers. had them in the car and now have them in the house. they are 50 years old now. sound as good as they did new. the tweeter is as accurate as any i've heard. LOVE THEM !!!
I got a set of 301s mine were made in 1972 still work awesome with my sansui amp and equalizer 👍👍
Thanks for the list. I always buy Minimus 7's if I see them. Still have a working pair from the 80's in my workshop. I'm sure you cost me money, just logged into CL for Boston's and Advent's...
My Sony SSK 30ED are still amazing. About 15 years ago Sont went for high end, this one with 6.5" kevlar driver and 1" extended definition. I got them for $150. on clearance from CC, nobody bought them, and they all missed out, because they were $329. a pair. They still sound amazing today and are one of my top 2 sets. The other being my home build full range single driver floor speakers.
I'm glad you included the Bose 301s with the caveat that placement is super important. The direct reflecting needs to be in a corner to work right. When set up right, they sound very good. I wouldn't call them accurate, but rather pleasing. Positioning also helps with bass. Re: the Minimus 7s, I suggest the ebay crossover upgrade kit; completely improves the sound quality - gets rid of the hiss and increases the transparency. You are correct, almost no bass so a sub will liven them up. My $.02
I found my Minimus 7s at a yard sale years ago. Probably paid $20 , if that. I think the guy was divorcing and they were his wife's stuff so he was practically giving everything away. (Been there twice, so I know the look, lol.) I use them for my rear speakers in my living room setup. Front speakers are (sit down, now...) re-foamed Fisher 56-S 8-inch 2-ways which I bought brand new in 1974 for $55 each (I believe SaveMart was the store). And....the receiver is a Pioneer VSX D608 A/V receiver (100 watts X 5) which I bought in the early 2000's for (still sitting?..) $50! The guy was relocating and selling everything cheap, (including an AIWA sub-woofer ($50) AND a set of JBL 8-inch 2 way studio monitors($50)!
@@bsmith9506 I love that Pioneer VSX line... I found a VSX-9300 (early '90s, I think) at a thrift store for maybe $40 about ten years ago, and the thing is bulletproof; I've driven a 2 ohm load at clipping levels with this thing at a parking lot party and it didn't bat an eye. It's currently driving ADS L880s in my office, and it's keeping schmancier amps in storage.
@@willgibson7478 The fact that these receivers are still kicking arse today is a true testament to how things are built today and how they were built back in the day...things were made to last! Now everything is disposable, not made to last and definitely not made to be repaired. Recently the motor on my 1995 Whirlpool dryer went bad. My sister said "buy a new one". I chose to repair it. Pricey, yes. Almost the cost of a new one. The repairman said 90% of his calls are for newer machines. I'll probably get another 27 years out of it...he installed a rebuilt motor and took my old motor to rebuild it. I told him "see you in 27 years" jokingly.
I bought Bose 301s for my first system, over 30 years ago. They are now in my garage and still sound really good out there as well!
Infinity Qe speakers were really great bookshelf speakers. Had a pair and sold a bunch of them to friends who heard mine.
Back in the mid 80s to the Early 90s I was the manager for the Regional Service facility for Circuit City in Louisville KY. All our stores used the Audio Authority comparator systems made in Lexington KY.
My late father in law gave me a pair of KLH bookshelf speakers from the 80’s. 6” woofer with 1” tweeter, ported in rear. At first I didn’t think much about them because of the 90’s KLH junk that was everywhere.
When I hooked them up to an old Sony receiver for a garage setup, wow! Even my buddies who come in to my garage were impressed. “Open sounding” was said a few times.
After almost 17 years with my Infinity beta 20 still love the sound. Tried to replace them but... they are so well built and sound quality is amazing.
I had some JBL's and loved them too.
Wow I’m really kicking myself after having the chance to buy a pair for 30 bucks. I saw them at the thrift store and put them in my cart but something unrelated made me to depressed to buy anything that day so I handed them to someone else who luckily wasn’t going to just resell them. Seeing the smile on their face when I handed them over and told them how nice they were was a good feeling. BUT ID TAKE ALL THAT HAPPINESS BACK IF I COULD TO BACK TO THAT MOMENT. lol. Later found a pair of Mirage OM 10 for the same price and a pair of KLH model 17 not long after but no number of speakers is ever enough, you know how it goes. I hope.
Lament me with how much I’m missing out on for passing those up. There’s such little info on the web regarding those specific infinity’s that it’s hard to gauge if I’m missing out on a lot. I’ve been looking for a pair of infinity’s ever since. Seems to be a underrated brand like phase tech. At least I have a pair of EPI that he mentions in another video on best bookshelf speakers.
Nice video. I had those same Boston a40’s. I loved them. I turned upside down and covered the front with felt, kinda softened them a little. After those I had the first edition of Celestion 3 which were pretty good as well.
Great vid and agree with 99%! As a fellow speaker junkie, I must add the Boston cr6-9's (6's scale well), Klh 21" tall mtm design (no model#), and Yamaha ns636 8" 3way all bring smiles when I put them into the mix! Of course with most any bkshelf, subs are a must for the big picture. Thanks
Boston A40 series 2..... got in a trade probably 12 years ago....my first re - foam, completely worth it. They sound excellent. Your comment about being a total speaker fanatic, rings true with me. Celestion, KEF, Wharfedale, MB Quart, JBL, Boston Acoustics. The way different ones compliment different styles of music is genuine, thanks for pointing that out Kevin!!!
I bought a pair of B&W DM110's in the late 80's and only recently had to rebuild them. Great budget speaker at the time. I don't see many around though.
I clicked on this video, stopped it at 00:01 (before watching it), to chime in with a simple "Dynaco A25" answer. I've had several pair, and they are just sublime.
Thanks for the video most informative from a professionals opion . I just picked up a pair of Bang and Olfsen, Beovox S45-2 for 100$
3 way speakers 8" woofer. Wow moved the 90's Klipsch KG3's up stairs. From 1978 till 1982. Book shelf speakers . I reed they where
considered one of the companies reference speakers. I would put them up against a pair of KEF 50's, that cost 1500$ all day long.
Thanks
For me, bigger turned out to be perfection. First was the aDs L810s, and then I was extremely fortunate to have a pair of immaculate aDs 910s practically drop in my lap. The L810s have dual-8" bass drivers and the 910s have dual-10.5" drivers, installed into their own separate bass enclosures inside the cabinets, thus the 130lb/each speaker, including the original stands. The 910s are my end-game loudspeakers.
Yes, totally agree on these speakers. I have the L810 too. Was given these in 2018 by a friend and they have without been the best I've ever had. Balanced and deep bass with a lot of detail. Shortly after I got them set up, played Fleetwood Mac's Rumours and never heard Nick's drums sound so good and full before (on vinyl at that) and they have not disappointed me yet. Very natural at that for a speaker that was built in 1979, so are still the series I versions so no ferrifluid for the tweeters and they still sound fantastic. I run them with a vintage NAD 7240 receiver from the early 90's and that's a fantastic combo, lively, punchy and while the receiver looks diminutive, they are very punchy and shoot way above their weight.
@@johnhpalmer6098 I'm using an Emotiva balanced preamp/DAC with a NAD 208 thx balanced power amp to gas up the 910s and they gulp up every bit of current thrown at them, even at 93db efficiency.
I love my l810s, but if you get the chance, listen to a pair of 910s to find out just how great they are. When I crank up TOOL's "Chocolate Chip Trip" the dual-10" bass drivers make me think the foundation is going to crack. The drivers are the same mids/tweets but with a much larger cabinet they sound different in the 910s. I thought I knew what they'd sound like after a year of the l810s but they're completely different beasts.
One day I'd love to find another l810 or even an l710 to use as a center channel, with the 910s as mains and the l810s performing outrageously beautiful surround duties.
One other thing I bet you've noticed as well; the larger aDs series three-ways ( I've never heard the smaller two-ways so, even though I've heard great things about them I don't know enough to say ) they make every genre of music sound incredible. I'm now a believer that great loudspeakers do not have a particular genre they excel at. They just play the stuff they're fed, perfectly.
@@trog69 Agree, I play mostly classic and vintage rock, and vintage Jazz, they all sound great. One thing I've read is some don't like the 810's, too boomy in the bass, but I suspect they may have been placed directly on the floor. Most speakers will do this, raise them up about 12-15 inches on stands, and the bass tightens up, usually. I've done that with these, and the bass is nearly perfect. They also have incredible soundstage depth as one day I had to go through my living room and "felt" daggers were shooting past me as the sound was in front of the speakers, at the speakers, and behind them, uncanny as I had never had a pair that did that so obviously.
@@johnhpalmer6098 Yes, indeed; those original stands are as rare as hen's teeth and I wonder how many thought they sounded boomy because they didn't buy the optional stands. I would love to have some welded for me. My go-to guy for welding is now as broken as I am, so I'll have to look elsewhere. There are some people making them for sale, but with the added shipping costs they're a bit expensive, especially since I got mine ( the l810s, not the stands ) two years before the pandemic, so they cost $300 and another $100 for the best built shipping boxes I've ever seen, from Minn. to S. Arizona. ( It was also a stroke of lightning-grade lucky that I found a seller of the 910s only two hours away. He was about to close the sale due to so many low-ballers and trolls, so when he got my message and realized I knew their worth and was willing to pay it, he lowered price by half ( to $900 ) and, he drove the two-hour+/each way to deliver them to my house, as he was worried about the veneers and stands being damaged in shipment. I am eternally grateful to that very generous man! )
I bought a pair of DLK Model 1 speakers when I was in college (40+ years ago)... their sound still holds up pretty well with a good preamp/amp and relatively small room.
Speaker Lab 6 inch,made them myself used heavy particle board and walnut veneer
bare speakers,very heavy and for 40+ years they are used in a wood lined room,ceiling too so the effect people tell me it's like being there.no drapes on the windows,very private home,to muffle the sound.these get much more use than Sansui sp 2000 in the living room.
Agree on the Minimus 7...I have 2 pr - 1 bad tweet & 3 bad woofers so they sit in a closet...I bought an NOS pr of Minimus 11 on ebay about 10 yrs ago...I wish they had the 7 tweeter but they still sound pretty good
My Favorite are my 1971 Pro series Voice of Music model 91 two ways. sound beautiful. 8" woofer and 3" extended range tweeter second order crossed at 2kHz. goes down to 55Hz at 3db down. second choice is the B&W DM110 Speakers.
JBL TLX12 (1989-92) is an amazing sounding bookshelf speaker. My first speaker bought new in 92 which I still own. I picked up a second set about 3 years back for $75. Very detailed and clear bass. These punch well above their weight. The second pair I picked up were a little rough on the vinyl wrap so I removed it and put on a walnut veneer....they look incredible.
Type: 2 way, 2 driver loudspeaker system
Recommended Amplifier: 10 to 75W
Crossover Frequency: 3200Hz
Impedance: 8Ω
Sensitivity: 90dB
Bass: 1 x 165mm polymer laminate cone
Tweeter: 1 x 25mm titanium dome
Finish: black
Dimensions: 380 x 230 x 242mm
Weight: 16kg
Year: 1989
Thank you for the time and effort you put into making quality reviews. I’m going to look into these speakers. I’m currently looking for a pair and was looking into getting a pair of pioneers elite TX-7’s
My pleasure!
Still rocking 5 pairs of epi's.
Two pairs of 180's stacked in my living room system powered by dual Harman Kardon hk-770 twin toroidal amps. Gold ring tweeters on all my speakers.
My basement system consists of a Technics SA-700 receiver pushing a pair of epi 400 towers and a pair of epi 100 bookshelf speakers. Yes, I know it has the fiberboard, but I love it's sound and has no troubles pushing a steady 4 ohm load.
And my garage system is just a cheap Onkyo surround receiver pushing another pair of epi 100's.
I grew up on the epi sound. My dad had a pair of epi 100's pushed by a Pioneer sx-727 receiver and I always loved the sound. He later sold the epi's and got a pair of Klipsch Chorus speakers. Yeah, they can play loud and that's about it. Imo, the little epi's sound more accurate from top to bottom.
I agree. I'd take the Dynacos over the Klipsch. Just my personal opinion. :)
Have 2 pairs of 100's :)
I have a pair of AR-3a speakers that I bought in 1970. These were billed at the time as "bookshelf speakers" even though, I have never seen a bookcase that will accommodate them. They have been re-foamed twice, and are working fine after about 52 years.
Any speaker that didn't have a base incorporated into the cabinet was considered a bookshelf back then. Kinda funny. I love AR speakers. Henry Kloss was the man!
I restored my 'bought new' AR-28s speakers. Refoamed and had to replace both Teledyne tweeters, thanks to Simply Speakers. Refinished the faux vinyl wood with a piano black finish. I think they are selling at about $400, but a nice complement to a vintage setup.
They aren't going for $200 or less these days.
@@andykeena8767 Fully restored? I did a quick search and I don't see any for sale in the US.
@@leonarddaneman810 I saw a few on ebay for $1,350-$1,999
I have a soft spot for the AR-3a. I have seen them classified as bookshelves, but that would be a mighty shelf for sure. The AR-7s however always impressed me in my many visits to Wheaton HiFi.
I just replaced my Wharfdale Diamonds on my secondary system in a small backroom with Celestion 2's - very rich and accurate and more musical and I paid $40!!!
Although I think they were released in 1991, the JBL L1 bookshelf is a stout performer. It has a 6 1/2” woofer and a titanium dome tweeter in a rear ported cabinet. Not only do they pack quite a punch for their size, they also can handle a good bit of power (200 watts RMS per speaker). The entire line of the L series of this timeframe were the last that were designed by JBL before they were acquired by Harmon. They are all well regarded and can be found fairly easy on the second hand market. The L5 and L7 floor standers are considered among the best bargains for audiophiles available today. The only drawbacks are you need ample power to drive either of them and room placement for the top of the line L7 can be tricky due to the side firing 12” passive subwoofer. Also the L7 is pretty much an actual full range speaker. Their bass reproduction is as good as any modest priced powered subwoofer provided you feed them enough power.
Had the L1's with a Sony powered sub connected to a vintage Marants. GREAT set up
Found a pair of the L1's in near new condition at a local resale shop for $20 pair about 10 years ago. Was stunned at how good they sounded. Still going strong in my son's home studio today. I have to admit, I was nervous to put them up against my Polk LSi-9's in an A/B comparison. Not quite as refined as the Polks, but the Polks certainly didn't run away with the show either.
@@joelabbe6185 You stole them for $20 a pair. Depending on what type of music you listen to they should have a powered sub to hit the lowest frequencies under 50HZ. I use one as a center channel in a 5.1 set up and cross it at 100HZ. If you can find any of the L series in this line at a good price I’d recommend them. The only one I don’t own or haven’t heard is the L3. The L5 is very good but would recommend a high quality powered sub with them also for room shaking bass. The L7 is fine on its own as long as you have enough power to drive them properly. 200 clean watts per channel is the very minimum to wake them up. Placement can be difficult. These are one of the few speakers that passive bi-amping (connecting 2 amplifiers to each speaker using the internal crossover) is effective since 1 channel drives strictly the sub and crosses at about 180HZ. Both amp channels get used to about their maximum capacity. I use 2 amps rated at 200 watts to drive each one. They still sound amazing to me after 20+ years. The louder you play them the better they sound.
Mike E: I'm primarily a contemporary jazz nut, and they are well-suited to that genre. Have used the L1's with a couple sub set ups: a pair of Miller and Kreisel V125's ( in stereo; left channel to one sub, left rear of room and R to twin sub right rear of room) and a Velodyne F1200. Properly tweaked, these combos didn't disappoint. A friend's dad has a pair of L7's sitting in his garage doing nothing for years now. He knows what they are, and so far hasn't budged on making them disappear. I have this problem lately of not NEEDING one more fine pieces, but cannot help myself when something presents itself at a good price. I think it was easier to stop drinking 8 years ago, than to stop collecting. ;-)
Used a pair of Design Acoustics PS-9's in my second system for years, finally replaced them with some Cizek model 2's. But pretty much everyone that heard them loved PS-9's. I did recap the crossovers though
you know I knew it I knew it I knew it. I knew I recognized you because I've actually been in your shop. And I knew it because when you showed off that speaker comparator I was like I've seen one of those before.
I used to work for a company called TMC and I drove a truck over the road after I left the bicycle repair business. And TMC is located not too far down from where you guys are at in Des Moines. And I remember I was at their facility and looked up Hi-Fi shops in the area and you guys popped up. And I came in there and I think you guys had a really sweet older Harman kardon that was just fantastic sounding that I wanted to pick up but I didn't because I didn't have any space to keep it with me at the time. I then walked across the street to a little cafe and got like a smoothie or something. And this was only like a couple years ago.
yeah I had never been to Des Moines before that and that little shopping area there where you guys are located I remember having a lot of neat little stores and then had a really cool antique store like right across the street from you guys that was really cool. I really did enjoy the area and the one thing that was nice about it other than where I live is people seem to lot more genuinely friendly.
oh by the way I remember you guys being real pleasant real friendly and just seems like really nice people to work with.
Acoustic Research TSW 210. Owned them for a while in college. During my, new speaker every semester phase. Also owned the 610 later on down the road.
4 1/2 years ago I bought a pair of 18 year old PSB Image 2b... only paid $190 for them. They may not be audiophile quality by any means. That aside they were so beautiful sounding even with the 49 hrz roll off. They are imo flawless for the price, build quality, the ability to nicely fill a 10×13 room withoutneeding a sub... for some reason they rolled off lower & lower over time... actually looking for another pair. Nothing perfect about them however for me again flawless.
I picked up for $30 a pair of Panasonic 1971 speakers used in a restaurant to announce seating parties. Paper cone and tweeter. Recapped and sound excellent but need volume down as 50 yo paper tweeters won't survive at loud levels.
They have that vintage 70s Pioneer thatch grill. Look incredible.
Sound good.
Great find after recap with Solen.
Just finished restoring a pair of Infinity Reference One's. Might just be the best sounding small bookshelf speakers I've heard. If you run across a set, give 'em a listen.
Dynaco A 25 is a beast sound superb with anything.
2:13 I have a set, similar to those. The Infinity Reference 1, they have the Polycell but they are 2 way speakers, so they are shorter than those displayed. I have found several things, nothing outright definite about those. In the ?rear there is an circular cap, with the push tab connectors, and there is sticker with what I take as a serial number, production number, something. Besides that &”Reference 1” is raised, molded into the cup with the connectors.
I have seen something about the Reference 1 betas, along with Reference 1 several different names.
The thing is that I see the ones I have, except the Polycell is switched with another tweeter, they are 3 wqy, orhers are floor mount, but all others seem to pop up repeatedly, and I will need to scroll deep, and change my search several more times, just to find a picture, click and find out that it was a different picture from the search, or the information doesn’t give me enough, or it will direct me to the same list as I was searching through already, or simply Reference 1 with Polycell might be mentioned.
Does someone happen to know Reference 1 ______, or some way I can get more information, without the Reference 1 everything else? I switched them out with the 201 series 2, mainly because they need new surrounds.
What is known about Paradigm Phantom v.2? A while back they began to sound like they were needed for new surroundings. From what I found. The covers are attached, so the back needs to be accessed and disassembled to get to the speakers.
Yeah those Reference 1 has me wandering at times. I have multiple pdf files, pictures, documents, and many other files on everything including some on others that I help with issues that others have. Crazy thing is remote manuals, and remotes also.
Nice initial group. Being a tad older, your comments at 2:46 + were on point. I was 17 in 1973. I wore out "Brandy" and "Going Mobile" The WHO with my bookshelf set of Jensens. The day I had to get rid of them I opened them up to see they were Model 6. I wanted that to find another set of them! Life got in the way...
Kevin, the best small cabinet speaker I've ever heard is the NHT Superone (not Superzero). Not sure if it's old enough to be called vintage. From around 1990 and available for a lot less than $200/pair. The deep tight bass from the sealed 11.6″ Tall x 7.25″ Wide x 8.5″ Deep cabinet will amaze you. 6" woofer. If you've never listened to them, I sincerely suggest you do.
Had I been able to watch your videos about fifteen years ago I still have a love for audio equipment but don't have near what I used to thanks for the videos keep em coming
Hahaha! Minimus 7's! Had a pair. For a while, actually. Back then, if you were a 16 or 17 year old kid, you prolly shot your wad on a receiver and turntable. The Minimus 7 was a great "get you through" pair of speakers. The Minimus 11 had a bit more bass, but IMHO the 7 beat them in overall sound. Thanks for the walk down memory lane. Hadn't thought about my Minimus 7's in years! Though not really vintage, I've been rocking a pair of Paradigm Studio 20 v.1's since '01. Bought them from a coworker during his divorce sale. Three years old, paid the same for them as a pair of new Mini Monitors I was going to buy.
I've always liked the Realistic Nova-15 speakers from the mid-80s.
I think the allure of the Minimus 7 was their affordability and generally more robust sound compared to like-size speakers. Made/make great shop and garage speakers being able to be pushed by even low powered receivers. Not great speakers but great for their price.
Thought I had a minimus 7 as rear speaker only had one so I put a single Jamo also rated at 70 watts well the Jamo has a dead woofer now and was mistaken about the minimus that turned out to bean Optimus Pro 77 in a metal cabinet rated at 70 watts. I suspect it's a bit more robust. Certainly more than the Jamo I seem to remember the other Jamo had a dead woofer too. That Pro 77 has a poly cap now good vocals.
I really liked my Realistic - Optimus bookshelf speakers. They sounded great and had real walnut veneer cabinets
The comparator was brilliant. I remember switching back and for in the dealer. It was a lot easier than waiting for the little man to swap. You would forget what you had just heard.
The Bose 301’s & the Advents are excellent choices for small bedrooms or dens.
I have been enjoying all the videos in this channel, I really like the sincere approach to the reviews, and the fact that you actually work and repair the equipment.
Thank you, Alex! Appreciate it!
Minimus 7 with mods can make great satellites. Great cabinets,decent drivers, need proper crossovers and connectors. Hard to beat solid metal cabinets, just deaden them. Canton, ADS,Braun,Bang and Olufsen c30,40,50, BA micro all nice tiny speakers.
What inductor/resistor do you use?
Haha, biased audio folk?....say it ain't so. I ran with EPI's and then Advent's in the late 70's into the 90's when I got some Vienna Acoustics which I still have. Great list there and I'd be happy with any of 'em. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.
I have a set of "Larger Advents" and "Advent 400s" the larger are great, not meant to be super efficient. The 400s are the 2 way small white plastic case bookshelf speakers. These sound amazing considering the size. BOTH are mid 70s vintage.
High school friend asked if i wanted her old 301 series II's. Took them home and was pleasantly surprised.
Acoustic Research AR18. Spectacular small bookshelfs from the 70s, I have one paired with a Hegel H80. I have other speakers, JBL 4311, 4429, Avalon Mixing Monitors, Hedd Type 20s, etc, the ARs get the most playtime.
The older B&W DM series speakers from the early 1990's can be found for under $200 a pair and punch way above their weight. They're also very durable and unlike many older speakers, do not have foam surrounds.
I had a pair of DM-570's and really liked them.
I have two pairs of the Dynaco A-25 speakers - I'd be interested in your comments on that in another video. Thanks for the good info.
The JBL 216 were my first speakers! As they say, you never forget your first. Great memories; wish I hadn't sold them.
I had the Minimus speakers. I mounted them on some compact photo tripods. Looked cool and sounded good for the money.
Upgrade your capacitor on the tweeter and you will be pleasantly surprised.
My media room is 12 1/2’X15’ and I have a pair of 40 year old Bose 301 II speakers as my fronts for my 7.1 system. It’s my avatar. The system subwoofer is not used for music. I have the Sheffield/A2 Test Disc (Apple Music) with tones from 20 Hz to 19 Khz. The speakers do respond at 20 Hz, but not as loud as the others test tones. They create spatial audio on their own. Play some of the old QSound albums like Sting’s Soul Cages or Amused To Death, and wow!
A little newer than most of what's on your list (these came out in the early 90s), but I'm consistently impressed with my good old NHT SuperZeroes. They are lacking in low bass, but they sound like they should cost way more than they do. Heck, they're still made today!
I found a perfect pair of KLH 900Bs 8 years ago in a thrift store for $40.00. After airing out the stink of tobacco for two days, they have operated flawlessly during daily use. A graphic equalizer I found smooths out the frequencies. Paired with a Pioneer amplifier, I couldn’t ask for more.
If I had the chance to buy a set of bookshelf speakers..I just saw these about 6 months ago...I'm a big fan of boston acoustics audio...If I could afford to pull the trigger,with the Sony cs ss5 , countless others on yt I've listened to and heard...Ones I fell in.love with were the boston acoustics,vmr 50/60 series....They look and ofc boston acoustics, you know they sound great...yeaahh nan
Nice list of vintage speakers. Another hard to find but was so much fun to crank up was the Bose Bravura bookshelf speaker. Back in the day I owned series 3 901's and series 3 501's but the Bravura was my favorite Bose that I ever owned in the late 70's. In the mid 80's moved on to Boston Acoustics A60. Too bad for me that I did not know about refoaming as the A60's foam disintegrated rather fast so I parted ways with them.
I love my bose 301. Have a quad set up, captain chair in the middle. They crush