Seeking Speaker Recommendations


Greetings,

I've been away from the hobby for quite a while, but am now ready to slowly edge my way back in.  Many moons ago I sold my Altec Model 19's, and have never been able to find a replacement for them.  Their dynamics, their liveliness, their punch, the way they recreated the music on a grand scale.  Even at lower volumes their dynamic swings were amazing.  They sounded so lifelike.  I'm sure their measured performance was likely abysmal, but the sound they generated, to my ears, was like sitting at a performance.

Having been to the CES/Comdex show many, many times years ago, I had seen and listened to hundreds of speakers by hundreds of manufacturers.  What I liked was significantly out of my price range.  I've personally owned systems by Thiel, Von Schweikert, Martin Logan, Magnepan, Legacy, Focal, and the list goes on.  I even went to great expense and custom built a pair of Altec 604 based speakers.  All have left me wanting my old Altec 19's back.

I know they can be had today, and you can even build a "new" pair with the cabinets and drivers available, but I can no longer house a pair of speakers larger than a washer/dryer!  What I'm looking for is a small to medium sized floor-standing speaker, preferably under $3,000/pair, that will recreate that Altec Model 19 magic.  I assume it would have to be high efficiency and horn based.

Can anyone kindly recommend a system that might come close to what I'm seeking?

Thanks!!
seadweller

Showing 3 responses by roberjerman

Checkout the review by Peter Aczel in the Audio Critic (1977)! "Here's a speaker that is worth 20 years subscription to TAC". List price then was $660 a pair - which I paid for pair no. 1.Forget about Tekton! The TW's are far more neutral and revealing of the source - analog or digital! I really missed them after selling pair no.2. Now that I have pair no.3 I am happy again!
How about a real classic: the DCM Time Windows 1A, the 3 and the 7! I have owned the 1A's for 40 years (now on pair no. 3!) and keep coming back to them for that SOUND! Truly a GREAT design by Steve Eberbach of Michigan! And I own Quad 57's (two pairs!)). Along with various vintage Altecs and JBL's! Dynamic range and 3-D imaging to die for! And my current pair only cost $219 + shipping (in excellent condition, too!). How can ANY present-day speaker beat that!
dorkwad:  Regarding the dynamic range of the TW's: Steve Eberbach tested them by using a bridged pair of Ampzilla's (800 watts) and dropping a tonearm/cartridge onto an LP at FULL gain!