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vintage bargains that are Fun to hear and look at?

Maybe this is the wrong forum for my questions... certainly some of this will sound sacreligious to some audiophiles. I appreciate that a truly accurate system will let great recordings rise to the top, and will make exciting but "crudely" recorded music sound... crudely recorded. But I just get distracted when Bootsy's bass is tastefully withdrawn and I can hear every particle of grit in the grooves of my records. So, maybe there are those of you who can help my search for a good looking, bargain vintage system that colors the music in a FUN way. PLEASE, no lectures...

I already have accurate (i.e. uninteresting) monitors (meyer HD1's) for my recording studio, and they're great for WORK. I want a FUN stereo for my living room (again, no lectures please). I like tight and deep bass, but overshooting the woofer can be fun! Of course, shrill high end or harsh midrange isnt good.

Also, modern speakers sound overly "open" to me. I'm not listening to classical music that calls for a 100 foot wide soundstage. I listen to soul & funk vinyl from the 1970's, and want it to sound engaging and warm. When there's a good bassline I want to feel it. When I crank up the volume, I want drums to sound punchy and bigger than on the record!

To me the most "forgiving" system is a boombox. But my buddy's KLH MONITOR 6s sound kinda cloudy. Also, it would be fun to have a vintage "hifi" setup that LOOKS impressive, like some setup I wish I could have afforded when i was in high school. Tower speakers would fit easily into my room layout, although smallish bookshelves on stands could work too.

Seems obvious I'd need a large woofer involved, and that I'm probably a dynamic speaker person. I'm thinking it might be enough to have one "colorful" sounding component in the chain.

I sure like the way the old b&w 802's look. KEF 104/2s would fit in my living room too. But online reviews suggest I'd find them dry? Maybe if I use a Dynaco tube amp and any decent solid state preamp?

Anyway, the challenge is how to accomplish this as cheaply as possible. I am also looking for suggestions about especially exotic and sexy looking components that are surprising bargains on the used market. Of course all of this is highly subjective, but any help would be appreciated.
fogcity
david99
1,467 posts
 
Dynaco A-1 speakers.
I bought a pair at the 'army'for $5/PAIR.
honest1
586 posts
 
You are not alone - look at Pass Labs' Rushmore speaker, and read the design philosophy - warm richj sound, art deco waterfall styling - exactly what you're talking about, only it costs $45,000. I am also in the process of putting together a fun system, something that will look and sound 1940's-ish. Audio physic Virgo IIs have warm bass. They were one of my favorite speakers, and I still might buy a pair someday. The combine warm bass with very revealing midrange, giving a combination of modern hi-end with a rich bass. I was not impressed with the Virgo IIIs though. Also, try the Linn Espeks. I really liked them, but they had too much bass for my room. If you can put them so they're not too close to corners, they are great fun! They have a distinctly modern look, though, and look much better from the back than the front. Not too high-end revealing. I've heard them in 2 stores and my house. One store they sounde like a pair of clock radios, I think because they were far from a back wall. I think their rear firing woofer needs to be a foot or 2 from the back wall and far from the sides.
Zingali horn speakers were also a lot of fun, especially on the big band music I like. They definitley introduced a coloration. I also once tried a Golden Tube aAudio SE40 that added a harmonic distortion that made stringed instruments sound fabulous, but which added the sheen of strings to everything they played, including vocals. Fun ijn a way, but best if you really like violin music.
fogcity OP
1 posts
 

Thanks for the responses thus far!

I have a friend with a pair of JBL L-100's ("centurys") and I haven't been too impressed with them. They have lots of low end (although it sounds like quantity over quality to me). My friend agrees, saying they are "beamy" in the mids. A dealer recommended JBL L-150's - big bass no doubt, but I think they'll have the same midrange and high end.

The Sony receiver probably sounds great, but I'm not a fan of that era of component design. Visually I like the raw looks of dynaco amps or the sleek look of bryston preamps.

Dynaco speakers do get mentioned around but apparently are impossible to find in usable condition?

As for the more expensive suggestions, I don't think I should have to spend $45k (or even $1k!!!) on used speakers that sound the way I described. Let's focus on a maximum of $1000 for used speakers, and $1000 for an amp/preamp combo.

Based on my online searches I am intrigued by the following:

- Luxman RV-103 / RV-105: Putting a window in the front panel to expose glowing tubes is considered a gimmic in recording studios, but I like the idea of a tube pre with solid state amp, and this seems a bargain.

- Antique Sound Lab: interested in the $250/PAIR monoblock tube amps.

- Spica TC-50 sounds like just what the doctor ordered except no bass.

- Vandersteen 2ce sounds VERY tempting ("especially listenable on poorly recorded material", "bass goes unusually low for its price point") but I also hear others say it just sounds veiled.

I found a pair of KEF 104/2's locally and am going to give them a shot. If I can find some Vandersteens for cheap maybe I'd get them and have a shootout... then sell off the loser.

Further suggestions on an integrated amp (with phono input) for those speakers, with my originally stated goals in mind?

Side note: any tube preamps made with bass and treble knobs? Heresy maybe, but fun!
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