I vote for the Vandersteens, 2C perhaps. IMO they possess the attributes you're looking for.
Happy hunting!
Happy hunting!
Best of old model speakers under $1800 vs my Alons
I am looking for low cost speakers that were good when they were new but are now older today and in the price range of $1800 and less. I currently own Alon V MKIIs and was looking into the Viper series but my financial situation is currently limited so spending $3K and above is not an option now. I started thinking about older speaker models that I could enjoy and get by with for now. I am looking for input with 2 channel systems only. What is important to me is the sound. The sound should be musical, have frequency extension, air, focus, defined bass, soundstage, imaging, etc. I do really like the sound on my Alons but I need new tweeters so that is what has taken me down this path. While the Alons gave me a big soundstage, open sound, imaging, good bass, the tweeters were always a compromise as far as air and recessed sounding. The upgrade to Alnico tweeters is $1800 a pair! The bass on the Alons is powerful but slightly wooly sounding overall and at the slower side of bass response. My speakers went through a modification with Miller Sound which was a big step in the right direction. I am still considering another pair of Alons especially for the used prices but I am open to comments and suggestions. I do not like speakers that are not open or where you can hear the box. I'd like to stay at $1800 or less. Please also include information on getting replacement drivers or how substitute replacement drivers worked out. I can do any cross-over upgrades or driver surround repairs myself if you have those kinds of suggestions or Miller Sound can repair drivers as another option. My current system is Sony 707 APL HiFi modified transport into John Wright modified Museatex Bidat, Counterpoint SA-220 hybrid modified by Mike Elliott and myself or Museatex CAS-10 or Lafayette KT-550 power amps, and custom made Direct heated triode transformer coupled, transformer volume control 26 tube preamp (will be for sale commercially next month).
Some of the speakers I thought about considering are:
B&W 801s
Aerial 10Ts
Kef 107 - 107/2
Kef 105s
Kef 104/2
Alons
Vandersteen (while open I find them to be soft sounding in direct comparison to the Alons).
Meadowlark Heron, Heron i, Blue Heron, etc.
Thanks for your input and happy listening!
Some of the speakers I thought about considering are:
B&W 801s
Aerial 10Ts
Kef 107 - 107/2
Kef 105s
Kef 104/2
Alons
Vandersteen (while open I find them to be soft sounding in direct comparison to the Alons).
Meadowlark Heron, Heron i, Blue Heron, etc.
Thanks for your input and happy listening!
16 responses Add your response
I would recommend the Philharmonic 1s. They are only $1600 new. They are easily the best speaker under $10k that I have heard. If you can stretch to $2k then you can get them with a RAAL tweeter instead of the standard Fountek. A problem is that it might be very hard to review them. Only a few have been sold so far. Another issue is that they are pseudo open baffle and you would need to be willing to play with position and dampening material with them to get them to their potential. They are totally transparent when set up properly. http://philharmonicaudio.com/ Bob |
I hsve alon v Mkii's. I drive them with a cary slp 88 pre-amp and a pair of cary v12s that are used to bi-amp the speakers. I have always been happy with the speakers and chose them over the B&W 801.(even though the B&W was what I had been saving up to buy) I also considered the Vamdersteen 2Ce or i ( whatever was current at the time) at the time I purchased the alon v's. Of course we all know that on an individual basis there is a lot of subjectivity in our choices. I would proceed cautiously as it would be easy to end up being less happy than you are now. |
I've enjoyed a pair of KEF 104/2s for more than a decade. They would seem to satisfy your criteria: they image well, provide fine timbre representation with a sense of air and transparency, and sufficient LF response to track a jazz bass convincingly. They do not have the LF response to reproduce the pedal notes of a pipe organ. I use a pair of Velodyne HGS-15s crossed at 60 Hz to supplement the 104/2s LF response. Finally, they are very efficient and present an easy load for amps. db |
Of the speakers you listed the Aerial 10T's are my top choice. When set up right the Aerial's are world class speakers even when compared with current standards. I'm not a B&W 801 expert but I do realize there are many models in that series. Some models could equal or exceed the Aerials in some respects. The final decision can be answered with which speaker mates the best with your current equipment, and which is the most cost effective to repair. |
