At a given price point, better to go late vintage or modern?

I own Vandersteen.....and had Thiel 3.6....also great.   I don't know your amp, but would say either speaker could use better electronics.

Vandersteen 1ci new w stands, still in production at your budget. Easy to drive 2 way that plays pretty low. I am prevoius Thiel owner, much more demanding to drive speaker but design principles and build quality excellent. We have Vandersteen Treo in out getaway place, 7’s at home..count me as biased.

Jim

if you go vintage it is not just the purchase cost but also the cost to maintain and repair (rotten driver surrounds, bulging caps in crossovers etc) so one shd bear that in mind

i would say unless you are a serious hobbyist with repair skills or deep wallet and patience for the unexpected, it is better stay with newer gear

@jjss49 your surround and cap scenerio exactly describes the history of my old AR9's.

@tomic601 Jim. Your are biased, agreed.  Common theme it seems, that is, had Thiel and moved on, settled on Vandy's.  Good to know.  I wasn't even aware that the 1Ci was even still in production, I'll research for a local dealer.

@stringreen probably blow the dust off an old Hacker 220 amp and preamp that's been resting first.  Everything discussed so far on this thread plays nice with SS electronics, right?

Thanks

I have a better idea…
What is in the non-vacation house?

I have Vandersteen 2Cs, and would suggest that the Treos might be better.
And the 2c should be better than 1Cs… depending on age/model, room size, etc.

If you upgraded the house and moved the house system to the vacation house then maybe that makes sense?

I dunno...

Vacation home is under construction, it's naked.  The listening room would be overpowered by the AR9's I fear.   

The vacation home will be 2.0 or 2.1, a critical music room, not home theater.  At this point we do not have plans to have a 5.1 at the vacation home.  Although, those stinking Jones SP-FS52 Pioneers would probably work great work there as front speakers.

I forgot to add congrats on the vacation home ! it’s an interesting first world problem maintaining great systems both locales, especially 1,200 miles apart. The Hafler 220 works great w Vandy. I would venture to say the 2’s left most dealerships with a DH 200/220, a PSE, Amber , B and K, Apt Holman, Audionics of Oregon or similar 100 isg WPC SS amp. i worked at a Vandy dealer back in the day.  Best to you on your musical journey, enjoy tge getaway in excellent health !

Jim

Here is link to my vintage toybox ( third system ).. There are 1ci in there, ESL63, Apogee Stage, Cornwall, Theil 2.3, …etc… 

I consider vintage (but not modern) Thiels and modern GE excessively bright and hard on my ears.

Vandersteen sometimes too laid back.

So to my ears, you are really picking among two very different schools of thought and sound quality and there shouldn't be any doubt in your mind which is right for you.

So to my ears, you are really picking among two very different schools of thought
…

They are both designed as time and phase correct,
They are more similar than dissimilar (IMO).

So one should be able to DSP there way to taste, or the room’s brightness may play a role.

Holmz, I agree.  Not two different schools of thought but different designer sound signatures.  That is, at least with my limited experience.  The Vandy's I have the most time with were 2's, not sure what generation.  They were definitely sort of bland, could listen to those for hours without fatigue.  Sort of had their own loudness compensation to my ears.  

My only time  with Thiels was mid 80's when two friends were deciding whether the Thiel's were up to the task against the original large Advents.  I was partial to the Advents as my later college years had stacked Advents in the house.  Still miss those...

The Thiel's were in your face when pushed.  No clear winner that night except when playing Floyd where the Advents, to my biased ear, better conveyed their concert presence.  

Tomic:

Yes sir, Shure cartridge, Grace arm, Thorens turntable, Apt Holman preamp (still my favorite), DH500 Hafler and the AR9's since the late 80's.

Thanks for the link, one solo listening chair, who's the boss?

AT ANY GIVEN PRICE POINT, the decision varies by individual piece of equipment.  Some equipment was overpriced and not a value even at half price.  Other equipment is a great value even at twice its retail price.  

Only YOUR ears can make the call.

Indeed.

The original question was to seek consensus, generally, if say $6,000 speakers that have now devalued to $2,000 would be superior to younger models at the same $2,000 price of admission.

This whole thought has its origin in my H.T. front 2019 Pioneer FS52 mini towers which for pocket change are more than remarkable, actually stunning.  

I have heard these in person…

https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/march_audio_sointuva/

They have an Olive score of 6.7,

The 2C have an Olive score of 4.4, which is pretty remarkable for speakers in that vintage.

I don’t think you can go too wrong with either.
One long time friend has some Spikas along with Maggies, and another fellow I have known maybe decade is Dunlavy or Dunytech, so we all sort of are in the time/phase aligned group.

OP, I think in your speaker case almost no question that the older speakers would sound better… assuming they were of the same sound family (so you are not deciding on a different kind of sound). Construction is very important in speaker implementation and $6K vs $2K is a whole different category.

If you get into audiophile equipment, they are so well designed and constructed they are going to far outperform mid-fi stuff almost forever. I bought a top of the line Onkyo (mid-fi) tape deck in 1980… After a while I took home a first generation Nakamichi (first of the cassette decks ever made)… it was 8 years old (ancient in the rapidly evolving new tape deck market). The Nakamichi was so much better than the incredibly well reviewed and celebrated Onkyo it was as if it was a completely different technology.

This is largely the reason that high end equipment has no new model every years… thoughtful designs with outstanding components. A twenty year gap is too big, but under ten, older high end will likely best new, in expensive.

The technology of drivers has advanced so much that new is ALWAYS better if its a properly designed speaker. There are a lot of price oriented product, as people always want a deal, always want better for less, but there are very high end drivers out there at the top of the market. ATC, Manger, a lot more.

The technology of drivers has advanced so much that new is ALWAYS better if its a properly designed speaker. There are a lot of price oriented product, as people always want a deal, always want better for less, but there are very high end drivers out there at the top of the market. ATC, Manger, a lot more.

I would Ike to think so, but many speakers use the chest drivers that they can, and also have resonances etc.

So “ALWAYS” seems like it is possibly too stronger of a word.

Generally I agree that the speakers should be better now, and the older amplifiers should be fine.

There have been so many great speakers made in the past, and it is tempting to go that route. I do know that if I were in your situation, a good quality kit would also make an impression. I have built many speakers over the decades and damned glad that I did. Even a knock down kit might a way to consider. Yes, and just like anything else out there for sale, new or used, a chance is taken that it won't meet your expectations. At your price level though, it is certainly worth a look.