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Searching for the ideal vintage bookshelf speakers.

Greetings Gentlemen. I am looking for the ideal pair of vintage bookshelf speakers. My "listening room" doubles as library and design studio. It is approximately 12 x 30 x 8 feet with wood floors, one small rug, several wooden cases lining the walls, and no drapes.

The speakers will sit horizontally atop two bookcases which are against one of the 12-foot wide walls. Maximum speaker dimensions: 31h x 16w x 12d inches. I will not be buying a subwoofer, so I want speakers that can deliver the broadest and clearest dynamic range possible.

My preference is for sealed box or front vented three-way speakers. I have selected the following prospects: Altec 874A Segovia, Acoustic Research 11, Harbeth Super HL5, KLH Model 5, Rogers Export Monitor, Allison Four and Spendor SP-1.

If you have direct experience with these speakers, I would highly value your thoughts regarding 1) quality of cabinet construction 2) clarity and naturalness of sound 3) warmth vs brightness of tones 4) open vs tight sonic image 5) listener fatigue value and 6) speaker preference for tube or solid state amplification.

I listen to a wide variety of music: medieval, renaissance, swing, beebop, blues, Scandinavian folk, Celtic, organ, opera and orchestral, and a good helping of classic rock.

Many thanks for your ideas. Best wishes.
unclechoppy

Showing 1 response by paraneer

paraneer's avatar
paraneer
818 posts
 
If you have direct experience with these speakers, I would highly value your thoughts

Yeah, about 40 years of experience with my first pair of speakers being KLH 17’s.

I agree 100% with akg_ca’s post above. Why vintage speakers? Of all the components from the so called golden age of HiFi in the 70’s, speakers by far have come along the farthest. A vintage speaker is the last component I would want in my current system. Besides you haven’t told us what amp you have and vintage speakers, especially sealed ones, were fairly inefficient back in the day. You will find far better sound looking at todays offerings.

But if this is nostalgia or styling thing, then you may want to look at the some of the DIY kits being offered with modern drivers based on classics from yesteryear like the Dynaco A25. Good luck.

I love the above vintage wine analogy!

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