Personal speaker evolution


OK, so here is a thread I haven't ever seen here: What speakers have you owned? starting with the earliest, price paid, new/used, and perhaps the models that really impressed you (for the price) in CAPS.

Rat Shack Something or others, $120, new
Fisher Something or others, $280, new
ADS L710's, $550, new
Snell A2i's, $1100, used
BEVERIDGE SYSTEM 3'S, $1000, used
Martin Logan CLS, $1400, used
MARTIN LOGAN SL3'S, $2300, used
pmwoodward
Oh, I can't really remember that far back. My father owned two audio installation and service companies after he left Hi-Fi Associates in Miami. My father always gave my younger brother and me a lot of audio equipment. (I got first dibs, since I was older.) Sometimes the equipment was from trade-ins or older pieces that customers abandoned. I absconded with a lot of equipment from the abandoned pile, including two Dyna ST-70's, a Dyna PAS 3 (PAS 3X, IIRC), an HK Citation 16, and a Hafler pre-amp (a kit that the original owner couldn't assemble; with only two inputs wired, the power supply mounted externally, and some of the controls by-passed, it was a nice little pre-amp). When I moved in the mid-80's, I gave those five pieces of equipment to two of my friends, and they continue to pump out some very good sound to this day.

The speakers that I remember owning from thirty-five to twenty-five years ago were several pairs of AR's, including a set of double AR's (I can't remember the model number; maybe the AR 3's), a large Infinity (jumbo bookshelf or small floor-stander) with a ribbon-type tweeter (not great), and a pair of DCM Time Windows (worse than the Infinitys). I think that I even used the AR's in a quadraphonic system for a while.

My father had a pair of JR 149 speakers, a cylindrical aluminium speaker built by Rogers. They had wood tops and bottoms and a foam grill, IIRC. I really became hooked on their sound, and years later, in 1987, I purchased a pair of used KEF 101 Reference Series, which continue to be the best speaker that I have owned, despite their lack of low end. Recently, on audiogon, primarily as backups for my KEF's, I purchased a pair of Linn Tukans and a pair of Spendor S3/5's. I like the Spendors, but they are not as open as the KEF's, IMO.

This week, a friend gave me a pair of KEF C-65's. They are a small vinyl-covered floor-stander with active and passive woofers. They have a weak high-end, a muffled mid-range, and a boomy low-end. They were not one of KEF's better offerings (they retailed for $700.00; it's really a shame). My wife and 12 year old daughter like them. M daughter thinks that they are going in her room.
And in addition, some Advents. And a pair of Bose 301. A pair of ADS, too (with a metal cabinet, I believe). I'll stop now, or every few minutes I'll remember another pair of speakers.

It's been a long, fun trip.
I think I have an obvious theme in here somewhere?!?

Kenwood 15" woofer lattice grill spkrs - 1976 - 1978
Infinity 2.5's (didn't realize how good they were till later) 1978 till present
Infinity RS2's - 1998 -2003
PSB Goldi's - 2005
Infinity Kappa 9.1 II's - 2005 - 2006 (What a rocker!)
Infinty Kappa 7.1's - 2005 to present
Infinity RSIIb's - great speaker 2006 - 2007
Infinty 4.5's - 2007 to present (enjoying with tubes on top)
Subs - Klipsch 12" Reference - 1998 - 2006
- SVS Plus/2 - 2006 to present
Center Channel - various and now Paradigm 450 (great center channel spkr)

Speakers done (for now) - on to electronics!
A pair of Small Advents in 1978.
A pair of Koss 1020's in 1982.
A pair of JM Lab's in 1996,to
a pair of Kirksaeter 220 in
2002. Found a pair of Advents
and restored them in 2006. A
pair of LSA 2 speakers in 2007.
I loved the JM Labs, you listin
to them for days! The Advents had
some much power. I think I had
two sub-woofer also. MK and Totem
for the smaller speakers used.
I've just upgraded to what will probably be the last speaker I buy for a long, long time. Vandersteen 3A Signature, in mohogany. Very nice!

Cerwin Vega used
Design Acoustic PS-10 new $300ish
Klipsch Forte new $800
KEF 101's? new $600 w/stands
Linn Keilidh used $1100
Martin-Logan Arieus new $2100
Magnepan 1.5 used $800
Vandersteen 2ce Sig new $1500
Vandersteen 3A used $900
Vandersteen 3A Signature