How old is too old ?....

Craig, you're giving away all my secrets! By the way, you really need to build a set of these. They are awesome. And that "comb filter" thing is way, way overstated. Walking bass lines are no problem, amigo. I have no urge to make other cabinets at this time.

Will, just for clarification, I was suggesting that Clueless build the Lowther Voigt Pipes, since we had talked about that at one time. I was not drawing any sonic parallels between the KEFs and the Lowthers. I guess I got a little off topic.

I would ask you, did you hear an improvement when you added the front end changes? If so, then they are not "wasted". Are they? So much for the opinion given you by the speaker zealot. I have regularly had systems where the speaker was the least expensive item in the chain. My systems consistently outperform many of my friend's systems who have way more $$ in their speakers than I do. How can this be? We all know that speakers are the only "real" component in the system, and that everything else is just a "necessary evil" that takes up money that you could have spent on more expensive speakers, right? But, somehow those old KEF's let you hear the difference in your front end, didn't they? I wonder how that happened? Perhaps you live in the Bermuda Triangle like I do. Where the "assumed" rules of audio are changed, and speakers only reproduce most of what they are given by the amp, which reproduces only most of what is given it by the preamp, etc. But these rules don't apply in the rest of the world. In the rest of the world, speakers make the music. Just like all those mid-fi salesmen told everyone they did.(Because profit margin is higher on speakers than any other audio item). Shhhhh! You're not supposed to know this. I may be hunted down by the profit mavens for my disgressions.

Rant over. Since you have nicer front end gear now, you may go out and audition some speakers that could sound better on your gear. Just remember that it is a system that provides the music, not just the speakers.

If you want good sound for the money, check out the Meadowlark line. The new Swifts are running hot competition for the highly regarded Kestrel Hot Rods that many Audiogoners have liked. The Swifts are only $995 a pair. They are alot like a Voigt Pipe with a tweeter added. You may be able to get a pair shipped to you with a money back auditioning guarantee. This is not the "ultimate" speaker, but it is a very good musical value for the money. A lot of folks have used the Meadowlark Kestrel Hot Rods in some pretty expensive systems, and the Swift is very close to them. Some even like the Swift better. It uses their latest design that will eventually be used in the other speakers in their lineup. Also, they are all wood, and have a nice look to them. Check out their website.