Has anyone considered rebuying a speaker you once owned??
I am curious if any one has ever considered buying a speaker previously owned and liked, but decided to either downsize or look for a "different" type of sound.
I ask because I purchased a pair of Acoustic Zen Adagios speakers about 5-6 years ago, and decided to downsize the system with a less heavy speaker that was easier to move around. The Adagios were 80 lbs each. I currently own a pair Golden Ear Technology model 7 speakers (purchased in 2014) which are smaller and lighter at 37 lbs each. The Adagios are 50 inches tall, and the GET 7's are 40inches with a slimmer profile.
I realize the Adagios are almost three and a half times more expensive than GET 7's. which are $1395. They can sound very good, but I have come to realize they are not in the same league sound quality wise as AZ Adagios. and may possibly be the best speaker I ever owned. Of course, hindsight or hindsound is a wonderful thing. Thanks, SJ
Miss my Carver Amazing Loudspeakers . Do to relocation and some downsizing and had to go to stand mounts instead of floor standers.I still dream of owning another pair someday .Listened to a lot of speakers and the Carvers just did it for me .
After literally decades of searching for the perfect speakers it finally occurred to me that there is no such thing. As such, I let logic play a role in my speaker selection and decided that what I would pursue would be the same speakers that were used to master some of my favorite recordings.
With my budget at the time, I couldn't jump right into the Nautilus 800s so I started on a lower rung and moved my way up through the entire product catalog over the years.
Although I'm very fortunate to have finally achieved my ultimate goal, there were two particular Bowers and Wilkins models over the progression that truly amazed me with what they were able to convey for so little money- And if I ever find myself in a situation that I need to downsize for financial reasons (knock on wood) I'd pursue these again:
DM604 Nautilus 703
Shockingly good for the money and literally put the smaller 800s to shame (803, 804, etc.)
So yeah - in a pinch? Definitely without hesitation.
I just keep them all. (or give them to close family members) Running out of room, so any new addition will require a subtraction. Also, it's getting to be a pain to drag the oldies out and play them for a few days to keep the surrounds spry. But I don't think I could ever part with my BA T-830s. They taught me so much. And from what I've seen on eBay, not many understand what a hidden gem the old Genesis Physics speakers are.
Yeah, ESS AMT, ESS LS5, EPI 500, EPI 350, EPI 250's. I really liked the original Heil driver and the EPI inverted dome 'air spring' tweeter. If you had the amplifier power (at the time I did) the EPI 350's could really cook..
I had to give up my Gallo Reference 3.1's back in 2007. In the interim, listened to mid level Paradigm, JBL and a pair of Meadowlark Shearwaters until last year when I found and bought a Gallo Ref 3.5's right here on Agon. I'll keep them until my hearing goes. I'm happy again. :)
I had a pair of MG2b's a long time ago. Then went to Vandersteen 2Ce's Still running them now. I sometimes think about trying the magnepan 3.6 or 3.7 but the Vandersteen's are quite nice
Glad I'm not alone. I sold my Revel F206 and replaced with Zu Druid. Then I sold the Zu and bought back the Revels. Now I want the Zu back also. (Just because I'm not alone here does not mean I'm not outta my mind however.) I loved the 206 before but love em even more now. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Interesting question. A few years back I was having dinner with my son and I mentioned that I missed my old JBL L112 speakers I bought in Japan. He says, I still have them. What? I had no idea you still had them as I'd moved multiple times, many overseas and just lost track of them. I picked them up and had the surrounds rebuilt and they are awesome! Glad he hung on to them all those years.
As I mentioned in the text of the thread above, I downsized from the AZ Adagios because of their size and weight. I did not necessarily expect to find something almost as good or equal to them in sound quality that was half their retail price ( which I did not pay) and, I looked and read for 6 months before selecting the Golden Ear Technology model 7's which the rave of CES 2012 and which sound very good. But as I said before, I have now come to realize their strengths and limitations, and it may be time to move on, or even back( to the Adagios) That I will have to decide what direction I want to go.
I did this before, downsizing from B&W Matrix 3 MK !! floor standers to Green Mountain "Europas" (bookshelf), and then to Vandersteen 1C's and Prelude I MK!! ( I forgot the brand name). Both were slim floor standers and excellent speakers. The Adagios followed and I quickly realized that their predecessors were not in the same league, but also less expensive (with the exception of B&W Matrix 3 MKII mentioned before).
I don't think..." not knowing what you are doing" is the reason other members sold speakers that they loved. Sometimes, it just circumstances or maybe thinking that the "grass is greener" with another brand of type of speaker. Even that reason is not misguided, naïve, or misinformed, but often the course some buyers take to learn more about the music they listen to which enhances their enjoyment and satisfaction.
I feel I have moved up in speaker performance in the last few years now owning Wilson Maxx II's. however a pair of Martin Logan CLSII's still resonate with me. The sound was so smooth, silky and seductive you would think your were on a first date. My Wilson Maxx IIs are incredible full range and deliver what the CLS's could not but still the CLS II's were special.
Triangle Celius 202s. My buddy has them now and wont sell them back to me. So I bought a new pair of Triangle Antal EZs. Someday I might wipe out my regret and buy a pair of Signature Alphas, that should do it.
I'd buy another pair of ESS AMT drivers, but only if I had the space worth putting them in. And then I'd have to set up the 'bottoms' for them, which would be yet another project that I can successfully put off...;)
misstl, I agree with your longing for a pair of 'current' F's. Nothing quite like them, except for the HHR's which is about as close as you can get now. But I have my own predilections on that subject...
I still dream of the musical enjoyment I had years ago when I ran a set of ProAc Response 2.5's still miss them to this day they just did something that sucked me into music. as well as the tablet 50's they were also lushes
I miss my infinity intermezzo 2.6s. I upgraded from them to b&w n804s and it wasn't really an upgrade. The infinities were better. I couldn't admit it at the time but even then I realized that there were things the infinities did better. I'm probably too uppity for them now. If I actually got them back I'd likely be disappointed. But I still want them back just for nostalgia.
Thank you to all who responded. Every response is interesting informative, and confirms I am not nuts.
Of all the replies, I think member "Prof" hits the nail on the head several times. Many of us including myself are driven by that desire to NOT only find a new sound, but also a better one. This is not immature or off the wall ,but I think a natural consequence of this audio hobby, avocation, or obsession.
In my own case I think I have lived with Golden Ear Technology model long enough to know their limitations and strengths. Tweaking with cables, or newer components would only yield so much improvement. Therefore, I guess I want to step up to something better, and not just marginally better. At the same time, I am not going to invest $8000 to $10,000 to find that difference ( mayber get close to that level buying used) , and if I have champagne tastes but a beer budget so be it.
However, that may seem absurd and self defeating. I have considered Magneplanar .7 and 1.7( there is an "I" version upgrade that should be released soon). But both speakers present placement and power obstacles which can be a deciding factor. I have 100RMS BAT amp and not sure that is enough power to drive either to the volume levels I play ( I don't mean crazy loud)
Nevertheless, some of us can rationalize that if I spend $26,000 for a car, why not kick in another 10K and buy a $36,000 audio system and that should (I guess) cover on my sonic or sound quality needs
To mgattmch, I remember Gale speakers; I auditioned the pair you mentioned in 1973. They were considered esoteric and high end caliber at the time.like the infamous Linn Isobariks
To Stereo5 Rectilinear 3A was fine speaker and a classic. You see them sometimes on e-bay but even the best look beat up. Thanks, SJ
If I haven't discovered KEF LS 5o's or Fritz Grove loudspeakers....my redundant purchase would be Vandersteen 1B, or Ci, Had them in college, and I still feel like the sound is state of the art even after 28 years....newer incarnations decades later and at double the original price....STILL worth every dime.
Yes. I regretted selling my Toninan TL-D1 speakers before I packed them up for shipping. After the money was transferred, I swapped out my sofa for some lounge chairs, freeing up space, dramatically improving the sound of the room. Big mistake. But a deal is a deal so I shipped them.
Right now they are for sale here on A'gon. I'm in a place now where I just can't justify buying them back but if anyone is interested in a great set of speakers, check out the ad. There is nothing wrong with them: the owner is getting an improved (and more costly) version. They are spooky good as is.
I miss my Ohm Fs which I bought back in 1974 and sold a couple of years later when I had to move. Tried the new Ohms a few years back and, in spite of the manufacturer's advertising, they just don't have the magic of the originals.
Unfortunately, the original Fs are well beyond their useful life so it wouldn't have done me any good to have hung on to them for over 40 years. And there are only a few newly manufactured true Walsh driver speakers available on the market and they are very expensive. But my current listening room isn't good for omni-directional speakers so it's pretty much a moot point.
I may be selling my current floor standers (Thiel 3.7s) for a smaller more mobile pair of speakers, and I can already sense that I will have to live with regret if I do it. In fact, the Thiels are a sort of return, insofar as I once had Thiel CS6's in my house and let them "get away." I always pined for that sound again. So I found my way back to big Thiels.
Problem with me is that, like too many of us, I can never be totally satisfied because of course no speaker (or component) is perfect and one will do things better than another. That's why I tend to have multiple speakers in the house at any one time, so if I get a bit to used to one I switch over to another for a while and re-appreciate them. Keeps things more fresh, but of course my wife will complain I have too many speakers (fair enough!).
My problem is I tend to regret selling whatever I sell. I miss that particular sound. Though I know one thing for absolute certain: I am never getting rid of my pair of MBL 121 monitors. I always lusted after MBL speakers but they were (and are) way out of my price range. I just lucked into a one of a kind deal to get these, and even if I don't listen to them all the time, I'm not letting them get away. (Unless I managed to get a pair of 120 to replace them somehow).
I had a Spendor S100, sold them, bought another S100, traded those in and finally got (and still own) a Spendor 9/1 (the floorstander version of the SP100). It's an OK loudspeaker.
jedinite24 Hmm... If I had the space and funds I would get a pair of restored KEF 104/2 speakers again. I had them but had to get rid of them due to downsizing to a different sound space. My father-in-law is enjoying the ones I had but I really do miss them.
My buddy has a pair if you still want them! He also has 105s, and a bunch of other vintage speakers. He recently picked up a pair of IMFs and they sound remarkable.
Yes! Spendor SP100s. I think that my current speakers are superior dynamically and in a couple of other ways, but I think of speakers in the same way I do people; they all have personalities with good and bad aspects. The Spendors are just great in many ways, and if I was "stuck" with them forever, I wouldn't be unhappy at all.
Hmm... If I had the space and funds I would get a pair of restored KEF 104/2 speakers again. I had them but had to get rid of them due to downsizing to a different sound space. My father-in-law is enjoying the ones I had but I really do miss them.
Yes, Yamaha NS1000M speakers, sold them 4 years ago and regretted the decision ever since. There is just something wonderful about the sound, and look, of these Japanese masterpieces. However, I believe Yamaha will be reissuing an updated version (believe the original design is 35 years old) this year.
Interestingly I have just acquired another old design masterpiece from 40 years ago, Gale GS401A speakers. Completely refurbished by David Smith at Vintage Gale in the UK. They sound and look new. The overall sound, from vinyl and computer audio, is outstanding. I could not be happier with these classic speakers.
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