Speakers to hang on to for LIFE

Avid 103 and Proac Super Tablettes
I have lurked in this forum and audioasylum for about 8 months. But had to respond to this thread. I own a pair of Avid 103's purchased in 1974 from a dealer in Connecticut and Super Tablettes since 1987. The Avid's I lent to my son and he used them for about 3 years. I now have them back. No there not great but not bad either. The Proac's are light on base but image wonderfully.
Recently I purchased B&W N805's, which really opened my eyes to what I may have been missing. I love these speakers. The main reason for these speakers is I wanted to buy from a company that will be around for a long time (this is important to me). Some companies are here today and gone tomorrow, they may be good, but I feel no conection with them.
Vinny

I've owned the original Newform Research R8-2-30's from Sep/93. Several times I've threathened to sell them but I've resisted the urge. There are handsomer speakers but these things just make music. Stereokarter, I hear what you"re saying. Regards.

Me 2, but what does that have to do with anything?

Wvick, I hope your life is longer than 2 years :-)

I'll let you know in 2 years:-)

Wvick,
How about the "8", which should be released in about 2 years.

Richard

Wison Audio Watt Puppy 7

I have a pair of Polk Monitor 10B's that I bought in 1984. Still like them. I also have 3 sets of PSB speakers- the Stratus Bronze, the Century 600i, and the Image 2B. I love the quality and value of PSB and will buy again.

Hang on to for life, that could be a long haul.I tend to keep the speakers that I can't recoupe my money from unless I sell them cheap. Makes them easier to keep and use in another area and with great benefit.
Room is my only issue I have found revisting a speaker I thought was not great actually sounded better with other front ends that came into my ownership.So they became "new"
over and over.
Your point was more about a set of loudspeakers in the same system long term ,I can see that,so far Every speaker I have had and have sound different.This quandry makes me like most of them for one reason or another.What I will add is that many people are into the hobby for hobbies sake but not so much for music.Let me say guilty as charged(hand up waving).To really get to know audio and music We have must ease up on the hobby aspect and tilt toward more listening sessions.
See if you subtract the time you use to afford,research,
shop,compare,break-in,system tweak,then our time here is short,really.People tend to get the most bang from thier 1st autos,more memories adventures,excitement with later aquisitions becoming more expensive and more statement then
practical,emotion and wallet playing a larger role.
Every speaker tends to have its own sound,I like many out there,can't own them all so your point is very valid.
Some take longer to figure it that way I suppose.
I put one old small set under eaves of house they have lasted several years there so far saved me laying out $ for new outdoor ones.Others run in less used systems but which carry certain strengths.

I am still using a pair of JBL L-50's that I purchased used in about 1979. I think they were 5 years old when I bought them. I have been totally satisfied with them and my old (1978) Onkyo reciever until about a year ago when I began thinking about an upgrade. Obviously I am not an upgrade nut, but I think something about those speakers made me hold off much longer than I should have. I just didn't see the need to get anything else. After doing some reading and listening the last year I can see how far behind I have fallen in the audio world and I am excited about upgrading. I will however miss those old JBL's, that have survived 6 moves and four states with me, when I finally let them go. I wont have the room to keep them- so they will go, but they should get an award for their years of service. MB

~~~~Had folded horns, jbl's, Infinity RS2, RS1, and RS1b. It's a tie between the RS1 and the RS1b. They will do what you ask as they disappear from the room. Detailed, authoritive bottom end, and the highs always show you a new part of the music you had not noticed before. Never get tired of listening to them. Always magical! Everyone who hears them for the first time gets the same look on their face. Mouth open, eyes bugged out, head tilted to the side in amazement, motioning with their arms in various directions. When they finally speak it's "Whoa, where did you get, WOW this is, did you hear that, ... They never fail to take me on a new adventure.

Just The Facts
BY

I had Polk Monitor 10 for ten years. That was my third upgrade. Now I upgraded to B&W Matrix 802s3. Probably keep them for the next 10 years. Just trying to upgrade the home theater to all Matrix speakers. Then Just upgrade the 'tronics. Click on system for the rest.

Hands down...JBL L100. I purchased mine new in 1977 and they still work and look like new. The drivers are "bullet proof" and will without-a-doubt out-live me. The woofers used accordian surrounds that will never need reconing...a big plus. The magnets on the drivers are huge and handle anything I throw at em. The walnut cabinets are timeless and I rub them down a couple times a year with Old Gold polish and the finish looks beautiful. I currently have a Proton D1200 Dual Mono Power Amp run through a Nakamichi CA-7A Pre Amp that pushes upwards of 500 watts and the 100's never blink. And for the purists...no they are not the most accurate speakers out there....but I don't give a damn...CSN, Hendrix, The Who, etc... never intended the music they made to be "accurate". I am currently listening to Todd Rundgrens's Something/Anything? on CD and the 100,s reproduce it to perfection. I read somewhere that if produced today, the 100's would cost approx. $4,000.00. A true bargain.

Mcne, like you, I'm a big fan of Dynaudio. Especially bird eyes maple, I ordered that for my Dynaudio Contour 1.8MKII too and absolutely loved it. I am into this hobby to locate for components that I can hold on and enjoy for a long time. Goal is to eventually get surround for HT with my Dyn (all bird eyes maple), higher on the list though is to save up for a Syrah preamp. Danes don't lie, I really like that motto. I know this is one investment that I do not regret eventhough it exceeded my initial budget by 100% :). I believe I will do well on the Syrah preamp. Haven't have much luck with the amplifier (started with the Denon 3802..... and now the stock SLA-1 .. yikes!!). So the amp and CD player are my continual search. This is just my story, all the best.

I've had the Acoustic Research AR Hi-Res center(AR2C) * mains(AR1) * surrounds(AR15-purchased from Malhance) for less than six months, but I can assure you that I have every intention on keeping this set for as long as they last. Man I love these speakers!

I can't agree with SteveAllen and some other posters that newer = better technology = more accurate reproduction.

Speaker technology has not changed that much since the 1920s. Manufacturing processes and materials may have, but even then it doesn't mean that a given manufacturer applies these new techniques.

My case may not be representative, but it may be instructive. I was heavily into audio in the early and mid- 1970s. Ended up with Tannoy Monitor Golds in big plywood boxes, Crown and SAE amplification and unremarkable turntable and cartridge.

Then spent many years moving around and travelling a lot and made do with nothing more than a clock radio. In the late 1990s, my finances started to improve and I decided to put together a decent system once again. Spent a lot of hours visiting various high end shops and found that the cost of good audio equipment had increased astronomically. Anyway, listened to a lot of $10-30K systems.

Eventually spent about $10K on 10 to 25 year old used equipment: Altecs from 1982 (604-8K), Tannoys from 1993 (System 15 DMT II), turntable from late 1970s (SP-10 MK II),
amplifiers from 1989 (Meitner PA-6i, MTR-101), etc.

Since then, I've heard a lot of systems in shops, at friends' houses, etc., but haven't heard anything remotely close to what I paid that, for me anyway, comes close to the musical enjoyment I get with my "old" technology. Plus I've converted several friends to high sensitivity coaxial horn-loaded speakers. Can you imagine dumping $25K Wilsons in favour of old coaxes that cost $2K including new cabinets?

It's a weird business. Main thing, though, is to enjoy the hobby and, especially, the music!

I just got my dream speakers.A modified set of NEAR M50's.They have newly made Metal drivers with outboard XO's that allows me to upgrade the components without having to take the speakers apart.

The Wiring is 47Labs OTA Cryo'd.I also have a set of Modified M15's that are being reworkes and I need to get the XO's to the M50's finalized as far as what values might work best then get the Caps for the M15's which I shall use for my rear speakers in my HT system.

The last touch is to get a modified set of NEAR M10's which I shall be using as my CC speaker to round out the system.

These shall be the only speakers in the world.No others that I am aware of anyways.

This will be the last system I will ever own I think.Really is great to have a one of a kind type of speaker system.Now if I can get the right amps that I do not need to sell a house to drive them.

My Dynaudio 1.3se's.
They are going in to the Bird's eye maple casket that I am purchasing.

I have had my Mirage M3 speakers for 14 years now and can't find anything better in my room for staging, depth, and fullness. The rest of the speakers sound like I am taking a shower, while the Mirages submerge me entirely in a liquidy abyss. I have Classe power that seems to compliment them the best. I have added the i tweeters and re-ran the wires with Kimber PBJ soldered directly to the drivers and boards with pure silver solder. If they ever come out with anything better, I will surely try. Z

I have had the same speakers since 1983. A pair of Dick Sequerra's Met7's with a Met8W. I paid $450 bucks for the set used. I know the Met7s have been improved on several times and I always consider upgrading or trying something new. But I am really satisfied with the imaging and neutral qualities (especially midrange) of these. With decent amplification, the Met8W really fills out the bottom nicely. Sure, the Met7s are inefficient (87db) and drop off a bit off axis, but from my favorite listening chair, they always put a smile on my face. If I really looked, I could probalby find something I like better, but I doubt it would be as good a bargain. And if I did get something else, I don't think I would let go of these.

I have owned Acoustic Energy 2 speakers(AE-2's) for the past 14 years. The decision was between thiel 3.5's and the AE-2's and the AE-2's one out. I purchased them with my then girl friend. She bought one, I bought the other if you can believe that. Yes were married now so the speakers where never "seperated". They have truely been a wonderful part of our lives. Currently, I am finally considering making a change. No, not a change in wives, speakers. Considerations are Merlin VSM's, Spendor....Its always fun. Happy listening fellow audiogoner's

I have had my Apogee Duetta Signatures since '87, I think. I even paid a ridiculous amount for bi-cabled Transparent Audio speaker cables to bring out the best in the Duettas. They lack the lowest bass, but I still get a satisfying buzz from my music when I listen to my Apogees.

Original Quad ESL's if you can find them. Easily driven by low powered tubes. Best midrange ever! Aural heaven on earth!

Aerial 10Ts are a VERY good speaker, even 10 years old.

I have owned two pair of speakers in my life. The first pair were MacIntosh ML1's bought in 1973. I used the Macs until I bought a pair of B&W 801 Matrix II about 10 years ago. I just keep thinking I am going to upgrade my speakers, but I find better components instead. When I settle into the new component, I seem to rediscover the magic of my speakers again. This process seems to happen over and over again. So I guess you can say I have built a system around my speakers which I can't seem to upgrade.

Nrenter 3/8/03, hits it right on. I do plan on purchasing more speakers in my audio quest but I will do not plan on giving up my N805's. Either loved or not I cannot believe the performance of these small units. I believe they are one of the most versitile speakers around in almost any room. I do believe if you spend some time on placement and stands they will more often give you what you want with little comprimise. Yes, they won't rock your house down at 120db, but I'm really happy at 95 with good solid bass, not perfect bass but impressive nontheless. I will keep my Cherry 805's.

I have had Altec-19,s since 1976. There are better sounding speakers made,but these have always been a pleasure to listen to.

I have Apogee Centaur Major for the last 14 years. I would admit that after I listen Schntillas I fallen in love with Apogees, but at the time could not afford them, including very demanding amplifiers, so I settled for my speakers. I would not change them unless I can get Scintillas, which is doubtfull. But in my system, Stereo/HT set up there are the best in my opinion.

While older designs may not be able to beat the best of today's speakers, who can afford them? Having said that, I'd put my eighteen year old Apogee Scintillas up against all comers, new or old. I should add, Ken Kessler, the reviewer, does just that.

I recently moved my Martin Logan SL3s to make room for a pair of Sonas Faber Cremona. WOW! They are staying right where they are. Well, except for the small repositioning during the upcoming Sumiko speaker setup. I have heard the Amati & although the Cremona are not Amati, they are astounding. I will have these for a long, long time.

Interesting post. I support two of the points made here, first older speakers probably cannot beat the (best of the) newer speakers, and second, the "best" manufacturers (designers) seem to come out with the designs having the most longevity. I owned ADS L810's for 17 years and wish I hadn't sold them. They were designed (I believe) by Michael Kelly of Aerial fame. I currently have Alon V MkII's (an open baffle MF/HF-enclosed LF design) and really enjoy the detailed, open, yet dynamic sound. Since the basic sound quality is what I like, I plan to keep them and upgrade drivers with Alnico magnet models from Alon. These were designed by Carl Marchisotto, who also designed the Dahlquist DQ20's (mentioned several times on this post), and continues to gain fame with his new Exotica Grand Reference ($125,000)and Lotus Elite Signatures, both also open baffle designs, with lineage to the DQ20's. I know less about the ProAcs, but weren't these mostly designed by the same guy (a Stewart Tyler?). Also Isreal Blume-Coincident and Alan Yun-Silverline, and others. Some guys just know what they are doing.

I will hang onto my Proac Super Tabs.. I've had these for maybe 15 yrs. This was some of the best 500 I ever spent. I'm looking for speakers right now and I will find another use for the proacs. I recently upgraded to CJ tube gear and they sound great. I'm also using a velodyne sub with them but it is had to get attached to a sub.

It funny, I just purchased some speakers (Snell K.5mkII)for HT and have been swapping back and forth. They are both great in there own way but have a different flavor. The Snell are merlot with the Proacs are a pinot noir.. I like the taste of both.. Now to find a nice cab..

Kharma Ceramique 1 , have had them in my system for last 4 years. I have heard many other dynamic speakers but these are the best period, they're keepers. The other 2 speakers that I would keep for ever are the Soundlabs and the Avantgarde.

N.E.A.R Speaker's for myself.I have modified sets,but some manufactures I have talked to still use them for some of their reference speaker's which is quite amazing considering they have been out of production for a few years.
That being a drawback and the the crossover's should be brought up to date with new components.

Both the M15's and M50's are great speaker's that I will probably hang onto till my last days unless I hit the lottery and can buy another system for one of my mansion's.

There are other speaker system's that are better of course,but not for the $$ and to my ears.

I was going to bring up the flexibility and elegance of my N805s, but Nrenter pretty much covered everything I had to say, right down to the natural cherry preference.

I think I'll always have a use for these speakers. In a few years they'll be "out of style". After that, they'll be forever "classics".

B&W Nautilus 805s...and here's why:

This response takes this topic in a slightly different direction. Most of the responses are in the vein of "I really, really like speaker X and can't see myself upgrading." I see this topic really asking the question "What speaker would you never get rid of?" There is a difference.

Is the Nautilus 805 the *best* sounding speaker out there? Of course not. However, I will *never* get rid of my (4) Nautilus 805s because I will *always* have a use for them.

What audio enthusiast doesn't have a use for a great sounding, great looking monitor / bookshelf sized speaker? Even if they are not part of my primary system, they would be great in a den, a living room, bedroom, or even an office. They will work in a one-bedroom apartment as well as they would integrate into a room of a 12,000 sq ft mansion.

It's tough to deny the beauty and craftsmanship of the Nautilus 805s (especially in natural cherry). If you can help the wife get past the "microphone" on the top, you can probably integrate these speakers into the decor of most any room.

Some may not care for the signature B&W sound, but these speakers are undeniablly respectable. The measure well (as long as you are not a dog) and are nearly time aligned. They aren't too picky about placement, but given sufficient breathing room, can "disappear" into the music.

They are easy to drive, and work with high-powered solid state amps as well as tube setups (probably not SET, but I've never tried it). The 805s rolloff nicely such that integration with a sub (especially a REL Strata III) is a breeze.

My next speaker will probably be the Vandersteen 3A sigs + (2) 2Wq subs. However, I won't feel the same loyalty to that setup as I do for my 805 / Strata III combo. Why? One word - flexibility.

I look forward to my next upgrade, but I will not be selling my 805s to do so. For they are speakers I will hold onto for life.

What a wonderful question! Also a great reminder that it is not about the equipment, it is about the music. With that said, I could be happy with any of the following;

Avantgarde's (any model)
Quad ESL's (any model)
Thiel CS-1's
Magnapan MG 1's or 2's
LS3/5A's

All of these have very different characteristics, but they all do an excellent job of what they were designed to do.

Any made LS3/5A. No others can match in terms of mid range sweetness, at the price range.

I can't believe Sonus Faber Amati, Extrema, Guarneri Homage, Electa Amator, and Minima Amator haven't been nominated. In addition to good sound, they are masterpiece of modern art and deserved to be in every collectors' hands.

I think that a dixi cup and string are hard to beat for cost/sound ratios.

My vote goes to LS3/5a's. I have the Chartwell 15 Ohm version in Rosewood. My son (now 13) will inherit it! He was thrilled when he heard it first time.

I think the Klipschorns or other Heritage models fit this topic altough some tend to drift towards a more neutral sounding speaker with age. The Klipsch Heritage speakers have been relative unchanged for decades and still have a fanatic following. 1970's/80's and older models are frequently listed on this site.

I have a pair of 1976 Klipsch Cornwalls & 1976 Heresys. They are great for home theater, but I'm considering something that is more pleasing or not as "harsh" for music. I restored a Dynaco ST-70 with some mods but still need a tube pre-amp to see if that tames the Cornwalls more to my liking or if I should look at something else.

This is very interesting because you can buy many of these vintage speakers and achieve perhaps better value than new. In addition if you do choose to upgrade they often hold their price or even appreciate.

Oris 150 horn speakers you can buy now and keep upgrading drivers and such for probley decades,Allways seems to be new full range drivers coming out ,lots of choices ,plus you can upgrade or repair them yourself ,no need to worry about manufacter suport ,If the finish gets dinged up just repaint .I dont think any other speaker system can compare with the sound and value of an oris horn ,plus you get to build them yourself [easy to do].Way better than martin logans or avalons or avantgarde etc .trio

Apogee Scintilla. The 1 0hm one. If you haven't heard one properly powered, and the bet's on you haven't, you will never know perfection.

I will never ever, ever get rid of my Dahlquist 20i speakers. I have heard many other speaker setups, some of them costing as much as $100,000, and am still satisfied with these speakers. I'm sure there are speakers out there that have better this or that than the Dahlquists, but as a whole, I am completely satisfied with them. Even if I get rich, (not if, but when)I will still keep them.

Köchel K300 horns for me. They effortlessly pass through whatever they are fed. They suit my tastes perfectly and provide a stable base to build upon. Every change to my system is immediately discernable. Occasionally an upgrade brings about the need to address another area due to the sensitivity and transparency. A good problem to have though, in my opinion. I couldn't be happier with their performance.

Although I've only had them a little over a year, the Vandersteen 5s will be my LAST speaker. Cheers. Craig

Don't know how i missed this thread for so long, but i did. As Macdonj observed above, i have a tendency to hang onto gear. That is, if i like it and think it retains an endearing quality over time. On the other hand, there is some gear that i've had come in my door and leave within the time frame of a week or two. I know that some of you can relate as you've stated so above : )

Having said that, i'll never get rid of my Ohm F's. There is something about an omni-directional point source ( one driver per channel that radiates 360* horizontally ) that covers the entire frequency range that is incomparable to what one gets out of any other type of speaker system. It is so very different that one must experience it for themselves to know what i am refering to. On a good recording, the soundstage is literally "dense as thick fog". You can literally stand in it and walk around with the feeling of complete immersion. The first words that came out of my brothers' mouth were "f**king AWESOME" after experiencing this type of "music reproduction". It was "awesome" because it was no longer just "music reproduction" so much as it was experiencing the "dimensionality" and "atmosphere" of the recording. It was / is experiences like this that make one re-think what a system should sound like and be capable of. After you experience something like this, you'll never look at / listen to a "box" speaker in the same fashion.

Bare in mind that it took me somewhere around a year to really get the F's working decently. Finding suitable amplifiers was a REAL task. We are talking about speakers that average about three ohms across most of their operating range. As if bass does not require enough current to do correctly, these speakers drop to below 2 ohms at low frequencies. Tack on the fact that they are very low in sensitivity, something like 82 - 83 dB's, and you've got one helluva load to try and drive. As such, i don't think that there were really ANY amps made that could do these speakers justice when they were in production. Sure, there were plenty of BIG wattage SS amps back then, but the quality just wasn't there as a general rule. As such, many people wrote off these speakers due to the lack of suitable electronics to drive them. Between the very seamless and revealing nature of the speaker ( no crossovers, multiple drivers or baffle to deal with ), the lack of suitable amplifiers and the fact that there were several engineering flaws designed in from the factory that one would have to overcome BEFORE these speakers would really sing, they faded into the past quite a while ago.

Once i was able to find suitable amplification and tweak the speakers quite a bit, i liked them so much that i drove to Boston ( from Chicago ) to pick up another set to have as spares. As most of you know, the "real" Walsh drivers are only getting older and harder to find due to deteriorating with age. As such, finding a pair that is in good shape and / or been properly repaired and maintained is pretty tough. I've seen way too many Walsh drivers that were damaged beyond repair and / or repaired but not working properly.

With that in mind, looking for and finding a pair of F's worth tinkering with can be a task in itself, let alone putting in the work to really make them sing. If you think that you are going to drop these ( or ANY speaker worth keeping ) into a room, hook them up to an amp and be done with it, think again. I don't know of any "simple" speaker that can do what these or other "highly involved" speaker systems give you when properly set-up. You'll never get the results or the enjoyment that ANY speaker is capable of without putting in a great amount of effort on your part. Sean
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Infinity IRS Betas. They need careful matching with big tube amps on the planars and kilowatt solid state amps on the woofers (IMHO), lots of room, and patience to get set up just right, but when you do, WOW!