EPI-Epicure Speakers
my first set of speakers~1979
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Verity audio …..Thiel audio
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Aiwa cassette decks. Sounded better than my nak cr-7.
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Creek is still in business. They advertise here.
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What happened to Creek? Stereophile "A" and rode off into the sunset of oblivion.
Also:
Platinum Audio
and
Audio Sector
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Teres Audio, no idea if they were out of business, I like their turntable, I hope they still provide parts and supports.
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Cello Music and Film Systems.
Also agree with Apogee Acoustics, Nakamichi, and Threshold. |
Norman Laboratories and Phase Linear speakers. |
Speaker Art, Bob Gross designed some of the best 2 ways I’ve ever heard but he was a horrible businessman. |
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Shahinian is still around making pretty much the same speakers they have been making for the longest time. If you got the right formula, no reason to make a change just to appear to be making progress. |
My favorite former companies (I hate to say defunct because I'm still running their 30 year old products) : Kinergetics KPA-1 pre-amp and KBA-75 amp. Apt Holman pre-amp and Apt amp.
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Anyone mention Shahinian Speakers? Saw them at Chicago CES in the Nineties. Wish I could have heard them in my home. BTW, I was using the crossover vestibule in the Hilton and bumped into J. Gordon Holt smoking a fag. Always regretted not "bumming" one and saying "hello". Coincidentally, rode in an elevator with Mr. Julian Hirsch at the same show. Everyone disses JH but I had great respect for him.
Anyone mention S.U.M.O. electronics? Big in the Eighties... |
Dunlavy
Gold Ribbon Concepts |
New York Audio Labs. As much for it's owner, Harvey Rosenberg, as for it's products. Characters like Harvey aren't common in business. |
JSE Model 1's great speakers for the price.
Spectro Acoustics 217 Preamp had a full Spectro
Acoustics system in 1980 maybe 81 loved the Preamp.
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None come to mind i guess ill still get buy. |
I miss Counterpoint and E.S.S . |
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I have no problems with reviews and people relying on reviews to be informed about a product. I do find it a bit odd that once people hear something for themselves, they don't trust their own judgment. It is pretty simple to me, if you like something better than another thing, it IS better to YOU, and your preference is the only one that ultimately matters.
Can I "trust" my own ears after just an hour of listening on unfamiliar gear? No not really, but, I certainly trust my own ears in that circumstance more than I do any reviews. In such circumstances, I give something sounding "bad" the benefit of the doubt; if something sounds good under those circumstances, I know that the speakers are good (given the right equipment and environment).
There are FAR too many positive reviews of gear I have heard and don't like for me to trust any kind of "rave review." I at least know what I like, it comes with experience, which is not the case of everyone looking for gear. |
Larryi:
The thing about reviews is a person, who cares enough about audio to actually make it their career, has listened to something you want for months. They bring a huge experience base (can compare to lots of other similar functioning products) before rendering their conclusion.
Now assuming altruistic motivations (i.e. they have not been bribed by the manufacturer), they can have insight that I may not have the time or judgment to acquire.
Of course, your ears should be the final arbiter, but can you trust them after a 1 hour demo in unfamiliar surroundings with equipment you don't own? |
Thanks for the information Al. I would also add to my list a small, local to me (Northern Va.) speaker company named Metaphor. They made speakers to compete with the likes of Thiel, but, to me, they sounded more natural than the equivalent Thiel. Unfortunately, even in my area they did not sell well because a lot of prospective buyers NEED the reassurance of positive reviews and reputation. I was at a dealership that sold both Metaphor and Thiel and watched a couple making a buying decision. They both loved the Metaphor and thought it was better than the Thiel, but, they bought the Thiel instead because they just didn't "know" about the Metaphor. I suppose this is valid for someone who is concerned with resale value, service, etc., but, I would personally go with the better sound. |
Signature Technologies.
This Milwaukee company produced tubed preamps, amps and dynamic speakers under the names Nobis and Signature. Brian Bienfang and his wife Michelle operated the company during the heyday of local entrepreneurial electronics repair and product manufacture. In my early audio adventures, Brian became a source for both equipment and Sound Investments a friendly place to hang out and converse about audio and life. Products of note that I still own today are the SRp-7 tubed preamp, SRd-20 tube buffered CD player, SRa-8 70 watt EL34 mono, SRa-9 200 watt 6550 mono, SRM2.1 2 way speaker and the flagship monolithic SRM.7. Some are still in use in a secondary system, others are idle.
All the electronic components could be characterized by their tube prevailing influence, and the speakers by an honest, full bodied sound.
Alas, as time moves on, Signature also has become part of the "cottage" industry lore. How many manufacturers will address a blown tube circuit while you wait and /or watch the owner at the repare bench? Fortunately, we have a very competent repair shop, Audio Ventures who is familiar with Brian' s designs and has rescued me when needed.
Signature Technologies - another "out of business" but not totally forgotten. |
P.S. to my previous post: To clarify, the 1951 prices I mentioned were per monoblock.
Best regards,
-- Al
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Yes, that's right Larry. As far as I am aware Brook was the only manufacturer (or at least the only USA manufacturer) of directly heated triode audio amplifiers intended for use in the home (the Western Electric/Northern Electric products being theatre-oriented, of course) prior to the resurgence of interest in such things in the last few decades (and subsequent to the 1930's when companies such as E. H. Scott and McMurdo Silver offered certain high end multi-chassis "radios" which used 2A3 power tubes).
I had a Brooks (not Brook) mono FM tuner ca. 1954 for a while during the 1990's. A reasonably nice unit of its kind, which I think I sold for something like $50. In contrast, I suspect that a nice pair of top-of-the-line Brook 10C monoblocks (which as you no doubt realize were supplied with a choice of 2A3 or 300B power tubes, in a push-pull configuration) would go for well upwards of $20K today. It wasn't cheap in its day, either, selling for $315 (list price $525) according to a 1951 Allied Radio catalog I have.
Best regards,
-- Al
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I think you might be correct. I am thinking of the 1950s tube amps. I also like amps by the Canadian affiliate of Western Electric (Northern Electric). By the way, I also like the Ohm speakers that Lincoln Walsh developed. |
A minor correction to Larryi's excellent list, if I may: Undoubtedly you meant to refer to Brook (Lincoln Walsh's Brook Electronics Company). Not to Brooks, which was an unrelated, less well known, and less highly regarded manufacturer of tube tuners in approximately the same early 1950s era.
Best regards,
-- Al
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I don't know about "love" but, I sort of miss the following:
Western Electric
Brooks
Melos
Vacuum State
Joule
Acoustat
Apogee |
Sounds like the Hales might have a lot in common with Marten Speakers(which I need to demo). |
At one point I was pretty familiar with just about every well known speaker in the market, but not now. Home Theater diverted my energies for quite a while. So I can't help you much.
I'm trying to get hold of some Thiel 3.7 speakers, and from what I'm told by a current Hales T-8 owner who had the 3.7s on demo, they are *very* similar to the Hales. Though I think the Hales would come across as still more relaxed. (I don't mean laid back though - the Hales have almost an electrostatic quality for transients, but they are so smooth sounding and full bodied I'd think they'd be overall more relaxing to listen to than the Thiels).
I'm going to try and warm up the Thiels with a bit of tubes :-) |
Prof-THX for the insight. With the cost of current near SOTA speakers newer vintage(10-15 years old) might be worth the risk. Is there any current speaker(s) you would compare the T-5 or T-8 with? |
Dayglow,
My first encounters with Hales were the T-8s at my local dealer, years ago, and I was always transfixed by how "right" they sounded in terms of tonality.
Way back at CES2000 I was trying to discern which system sounded the most "real." I'd come from watching shows of live musicians, unamplified, in the off-time. And during the show I'd judge how convincing it sounded from outside the room - "could that be live music, and if not what's different about it?" I'd pay attention to the voices of people in the room with voices coming through the system to note what the reproduction was missing from real life sound, etc. Not surprisingly, just about every system came up quite short, one of the most prominent failings IMO being a "one note" quality to the timbre of voices and instruments through each sound system - each seemed to put real sound through it's own blanching process, and then reproduce it with a single tone - the speaker's sonic signature. I pretty much despaired of finding any system no matter how expensive that could reproduce the gorgeous rainbow of timbres I was hearing in real life.
Then right at the end I heard some startlingly convincing big band playing in a room. I stood outside and marveled at how convincing it was tonally. Walking inside, there were the Hales T-8s playing the music! (Loud! With little strain). I played some selections on the T-8s and was really astonished at how many convincing timbral colors were coming from those speakers. Vocals in particular had easily the most consonant reproduction, comparing remarkably well with voices of people in the room in terms of the sense of organic quality, ease, and "human" timbral tone.
It made quite an impression on me :-)
I later ended up with Hales T-5s for quite a while, and they did indeed impress me much like the T-8s, though nothing quite does it like the T-8s. Sadly, I don't have the room for T-8s.
The other thing Hales did for me was put to bed this idea of metal drivers sounding metallic or harsh or fatiguing.
Paul Hales was a wizard at rendering lush, grain-free, unfatiguing sound from those metal drivers. I still use Hales Transcendence monitors for both home theater and some music listening, and as someone with very sensitive ears I find them to be the smoothest, most ear-fatigue-free speakers I know of.
I know most T-8 owners get the upgrade itch like any other audiophile, but almost all of them seem to have immense troubles finding anything else that is such a complete package in terms of clarity, timbral realism, soundstaging, dynamics and smooth sound. |
Prof-Great choices. Have heard Dunlavy and Meadowlark speakers but never Hales. The Hales Transcendence 8 has always been on my "wanted" vintage speaker list due to the rave reviews and build quality. |
Hales - One of the most "musical" (rich, full, tonally colorful) speaker lines ever IMO. (I still use some Hales speakers in my set up).
Meadowlark - They had that illusive combination of detail, airiness and timbral warmth.
Dunlavy - for reasons others have given. Stunning nutrality at generally sane prices.
Thiel :-(
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I really liked MUSE products. |
I have owned and still own many pairs of ads speakers. Just gave my daughter a pair with my old NAD integrated amp. She no longer listens to ear buds :) |
Phase Linear speakers (which were made by Pioneer) |
Another for the ads line, after buying some l810' s in 1977, I fell in love with their warmth and accuracy.
Sadly I parted with them, and settled for other speakers for a couple decades.. In the last few years due to the advent of ebay and CL. I have been acquiring vintage ads speakers as sort of a hobby. I guess I am not alone from other people I have met. Fortunately we can still get repairs and replacement parts still through Mr. So. |
i loved my stacked advents with a 100 watt mcintosh amplifier. advent is still in business but not as they were in the 70s |
I have to add to the Dunlavy fan club. I bought a pair of SC 3's in 1998. And I still have them. Everything else has changed down the line, but not my treasured Dunlavys. They just sound fantastic: clear, clean, precise, quick, revealing; those speakers just ooze magic. I'll never sell them unless the cross-overs burn up or an act of god destroys them, heaven forbid.
RIP John Dunlavy |
Apogee is the only company I truly miss. I don't think the void has been filled by other companies. |
Dynaco(David Hafler was an electronic artist) and California Audio Labs. Their CDPs and DACs were outstanding, for their era. |
Ryan Acoustics- Thought they would be the next Vandersteen. |
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Vero Research/Soundwave. I'm using them now for 5 channels of my 7.4 HT setup and they are excellent speakers. Not real easy to find, but they seem to go for pennies on the dollar now because no one remembers them. |
From the Seventies, I remember fondly the
Sonus Blue phono cartridges,IMF,Sonab,Fried and TDL speakers, Fulton speakers and cables, Dual turntables, Connoisseur turntables, Audionics of Oregon,ESS Speakers with their Heil Air Motion transformer drivers,Dahlquist,Cizek,and Luxman. Mostly, I miss the pair of Audioanalyst M6 Phase Matrix speakers I owned back in the day. They were a 1977 vintage 3-way speaker that the manufacturer claimed were time and phase correct.
From the eighties, Threshold, Apogee, Forte'(Threshold's second line), Counterpoint, Synthesis speakers, and most of all Spica. Too bad John Bau didn't stick with designing high-end speakers. I still consider the TC-50 an inspired work.
More recently Cal Audio Labs,EAD, and Melos. |
Proton anyone? Anyone love Proton? Can't beleive i almost bought that stuff.
Sounds like you didn't love them, but I did. Their greatest product was probably their clock radio. Still made under the Sangean label, but the last one I got had a hum problem I couldn't solve. Wonderful sound. I also had a Proton tape deck in a car back in the 80's and it was terrific. Finally, I bought a Proton TV in the 80s. Actually, that was probably a mistake. It was pretty good but not completely reliable. |
Acoustic Electronics Air 2.2 power amp from the early 80's. I believe a fellow by the name of Roger Paul designed these amps. John Iverson Electron Kinetics Eagle amps and David Berning amps all designed during the 80's. |
Tandberg is the only home audio company I can think of that I really miss and wish still carried on.
Aiwa made some very good cassette decks early on.
I had a Nakamichi car stereo once. I miss those. |
