I was re-reading Revrob's original post.
I purchased my last pair of speakers 3 months ago and they are over 10 years old (original Verity Parsifals). In fact, the design probably dates to the mid-90's. After numerous monitors (Harbeth, Spendors etc) it was first full-range with a small enough footprint not to "over-power the living room" (my wife's word's). Admittedly, I was a little reluctant to invest in an older speaker and design. But, wow can these things sing. My previous speaker was a Harbeth M30; a truly excellent monitor with vocals and amazing midrange, which btw I thoroughly enjoyed (as did my wife listening to Maria Callas or Diana Krall sacd). My point, there are some high end products of the past that can be accessed for a reasonable price today. Could I have done better with a another more recent design speaker (used) for the same dollar amount? I don't know. Possibly? Clearly, there are newer iterations (evolution) of the Parsifals which sound better over this time-frame.
To Revrob's second point, the sonics of the M30s did improve every time I upgraded the electronics, especially the amplification. It was very noticeable, from better defined (and lower) bass to a smoother high end that was more detailed. This surprised me a little. The M30s were capable of more when coupled with better electronics.
anyway, my 2c worth.......
I purchased my last pair of speakers 3 months ago and they are over 10 years old (original Verity Parsifals). In fact, the design probably dates to the mid-90's. After numerous monitors (Harbeth, Spendors etc) it was first full-range with a small enough footprint not to "over-power the living room" (my wife's word's). Admittedly, I was a little reluctant to invest in an older speaker and design. But, wow can these things sing. My previous speaker was a Harbeth M30; a truly excellent monitor with vocals and amazing midrange, which btw I thoroughly enjoyed (as did my wife listening to Maria Callas or Diana Krall sacd). My point, there are some high end products of the past that can be accessed for a reasonable price today. Could I have done better with a another more recent design speaker (used) for the same dollar amount? I don't know. Possibly? Clearly, there are newer iterations (evolution) of the Parsifals which sound better over this time-frame.
To Revrob's second point, the sonics of the M30s did improve every time I upgraded the electronics, especially the amplification. It was very noticeable, from better defined (and lower) bass to a smoother high end that was more detailed. This surprised me a little. The M30s were capable of more when coupled with better electronics.
anyway, my 2c worth.......