Acoustat 2+2s with DIY JBL 18" subwoofers. I still regret selling the stats.
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Early in my experience I had some Altec 19s. Big boxes - big sound. Stupidly I sold them and up graded to small boxes. If I had a room for a 2nd system big enough I'd get another pair. |
The most "fun" speaker I have are my JBL 4319 monitors, which are way bigger than what most think of with monitors. Right out of the box they brought a smile that's been forever fixed on my face. I don't see myself ever selling them.
All the best,
Nonoise |
Charney Audio Companion!
Full-range single driver designed on the Tractrix theory! Very engaging experience that draws me into the music and lifts my soul!
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Odyssey Kismet Reference floorstanding speakers(original). Had them set up and listened to every day for 7 years. Loved them, always extremely musical and zero complaints. Wanted a floorstanding speaker that could go against the wall an got burned. I am now running Golden Ear Triton Reference speakers which I love but miss the Kismets to this day. I only sold them because wifey was constantly on my case saying “you told me you would sell the 3 other pairs of speakers to get some of your money back.” The speakers went for $3600.00 new and I bought them from a guy in Texas for I believe $1500.00 which were only 2 months old. I sold them for $1400.00. Miss them to this day. |
Linaeum Model 10, 10" 2-way with the Linauem tweeter, a unique dipole made from two tweeters mounted back to back, with the cones replaced with a ribbon of some kind of thin plastic. The idea being the coil starts the sound wave which then travels along the ribbon, relieving the coil from having to move the entire mass all at once like in a cone design. So in other words thinking back it was a different approach to the same mass problem Tekton has addressed in their very successful designs. Anyway the Linauems were warm in the bass but nobody cared because the sound stage was to die for! Like one of the most critical guys to ever hear my system said, "You are swimming in it!" Soundstage champs. The voice coil could overheat the ribbon, the upgraded tweeter was a Frankenstein, and the bass hump got to be annoying. But the feeling of being right there in it, wow.
How I miss those speakers. The first wife, who took them, not so much. But the speakers! I still search from time to time. Never seen one. Anyone of you ever gets the chance, go for it. (The speakers, I mean.) |
Klipsch KLF-30s with replacement mid and tweeter diaphragms from Bob Crites and also his crossover networks. I still have them, but they're stuck in my bedroom where they can't really sing like they should. My Legacy Audio Focus 20/20 (which I no longer have) were more refined, but not as much fun as the Klipsch. I replaced those with Harbeth Super HL5 Plus which are in another league in terms of sound quality and imaging, but not as much "fun factor". |
my own custom tuned proprietary speaker designs. They gave me more pleasure than mega expensive speakers that were tuned incorrectly. Most audiophiles are tone deaf
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And of course Kenjit has superior hearing. “ Most audiophiles are tone deaf”. That’s quite a generalization, did you think that up all by yourself? You are quite the narcissist. Good idea not to answer you in the future. |
Since I've been notified of my tone deafness,I will from this day forward listen to only talk radio on a transistor radio. I was foolish to think I was getting any enjoyment from my substandard system. My deepest and humble apologies.
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I'm with stereo5, I have owned the Kismet monitors for about 3 years and have tried 4 or 5 different monitors. These are the ones that are staying! Being tone deaf is a wonderful thing... |
Acoustat Monitor 3's and believe it or not a pair of Kef 104ab's i had a long time ago that were so pleasing to me back then. I ran them with a Hafler DH 100 and the original Hafler Preamp. Monster cable and a Thorens turntable.+ A cheap Grado cartridge. i did not know enough to not be happy with them I suppose. It was throw another album on. |
Klipsch Forte iii -definitely FUN to listen to.
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When i was younger. I loved my cerwin vega 10inch speakers. Ive had 4 pair or more since and i miss them. I lived in a condo and fuck did everyone hate me. Rock n club music. Didnt need a sub the bass was so dam good. Fuse in back so you could never blow the speaker. I went to try n buy them again 6 months ago n cerwin got rid of the 10 inch. DUMB. incredible speakers. Miss them. I lost them after moving out of state or id still have them today. INCREDIBLE SPEAKERS. NO SUB NEEDED |
AR-308HO, I own 2 pairs of these and they stand up to any bookshelf speaker on the market under 4K, they are very smooth with the mids and very detailed on the highs without sounding extreme, also for only an 8" woofer offer exceptional bass with their side firing woofer, and 93db rating also very efficient.Pair these with a tube amp or integrated tube amp and they will keep you listening all night and have you come back the next day for more.
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Dahlquist DQ10 - They were big bold and a lot of fun. |
Great thread. I second the Klipsch Forte III. Really had the boogie factor. I will also say my Klipsch Heresy III were fun as well. Alas, life throws us curve balls and things change. I'd take the Forte III's back in a heartbeat.. |
Sound Lab Quantum
Excellent electrostatic hybrid
great integration with otl amps |
Legacy Whisper. I had more lengthy listening sessions with them than anything I have owned. |
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@csmgolf even though they werent custom tuned to your ears or played in a state of the art custom made listening room? |
Community Light and Sound fiberglass stage monitors stuffed with JBL raw components.... Breakfast in America at 110 db clear as a bell and could shred icing off a cake.... |
Absolutely. Who in this hobby has either or both of those things? Does not having those things mean that I can't sit and have extended, very enjoyable listening sessions with them? You know, enjoy the musical performances of music that I like in the best way that I can with the constraints placed on all of this by the rest of my life. No, I take that back, you don't know and I feel sorry for you. |
Over forty years ago I purchased a pair of JBL century L100s great fun ,travelled many a mile as I moved around , bullet proof !!! I gave them to a dear friend and she says the still hoot !! |
+1 genesis777
My DQ10's ( had 2 sets ) paired with a pair of DQ1 subs and crossover were a helluva LOT of fun . Large and in charge and still crankin on over at one of the ex's house. |
Quad ESL 57s totally restored by Wayne Piquet. Transparency and presence. Listening to the Immortal Performances remastering of the 1940 Toscanini Verdi Requiem makes me think I am in Carnegie Hall. With the new Pass INT 25 I felt as if I was in Düsseldorf tonight hearing Adam Fischer conducting the Mahler 4th. Listening to Ella and Louie was like having them
in my living room last week.
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I’ve only owned 2 sets of speakers ever. As much as I loved the little 2-way Infinity RS-3000 on cinder block stands in college, after blowing out the woofers and having to replace them, I knew my next speakers would need to be bigger. Since I still listen to the Dynaudio Audience 82 daily nearly 20 years later I’m guessing they win. I’ve been thinking about upgrading, but that’s what second systems are for, right? |
Vandersteen 3A Signatures. They always sounded more alive than anything else I listened to. Bought them instead of the 5As at the time for that reason. Everything I ever read told me the 5s were better, but my ears said differently, so I went with my ears. |
My Dahlquist DQ10’s.....I can listen for hours. Just about any genre. And they CRANK when I feel the need.....that's 3 votes for the 10's! |
@willeva ya man, the 104ab !!! I built a set from Kefkits, mdf cabinet inside of red Oak cabinets, CJ electronics , Thorens deck with a high output Audioquest AQ-104
fulton wire..... so musical |
My first pair of Magneplanars---the Tympani T-I. Finally, life-size images and scale (grand pianos are huge, piccolos tiny), singer's voices at true-to-life height (five feet off the floor), wide open sound, and great depth and height (if the recording contains such. The triangle at the rear of the orchestra in Boult's EMI recording of Holtz's The Planets sounded further away than the wall behind the Tympanis, and positioned higher than the closer instruments. The percussion section of orchestras are often standing on raised platforms.). After hearing them, the images produced by other loudspeakers sounded miniaturized, like those in a child's doll house. And the large venue in which the recording was made also shrunken. |
@speedbump1 how far is the back of your 3 from the wall ? |
Still have and love: Dahlquist DQ-10 and Acoustat 2+2.
Wished I hadn't sold: Infinity Betas and Snell AIII. |
ESS AMT monitors were my choice back in the day - paired with an all Phase Linear setup (Bob Carver) 3 amps, pre, time delay, cassette deck, tuner & linear turntable - Boy did my neighbors live me! Kept it all for about 15 years. |
I more or less reverse engineered Dennis Murphy's Philharmonic 2 speakers. Which was fun in and or itself. But the listening was just plain, well like music to my ears! |
My Magnepan 3.7i simply wonderful sound. Visitors can't believe they are speakers or the sound stage and definition they produce.
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A/D/S/ L1530. I wish I could find and afford a mint pair again. Soundstage was magnificent and they had that magic combination of detailed but forgiving. Second place is my Paradigm Studio 60s. Detailed, but so forgiving. |
IMF TLS80What's not to like about a big box, 4 way, Transmission Line speaker with response down to 20 hz?!Bought them used in the 80's, and still have them in my cave! Powered by vintage Marantz separates from the same era. They still make me smile.
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I had a set of JBL hp520 when i was about 20 years old they were over a grand each back then. $1400can . They were hexagonal and tall . With a radiation vent all the way around the top with an isobaric bandpass 8” inside . Those really cooked , were my pride and joy for some years until my ex buggered off with all my stuff. I can still hear how awesome they were in my head. They actually sound very similar to my L7s and L100t3s which i still have. |
Great post. Looking to make a change so very useful. As a side note, how did @ tblanka reply get through the moderator? Seems confusing about what is allowable and what is not! |
Peavey QW4Fs...
Peavey QW 4F 15" Cabinet Speaker, 50Hz-18kHz Frequency Response, 100dB Sensitivity, 5600W Peak Power, 137dB Maximum SPL, Single
These speakers are intended for PA systems, but I had a chance to pick up some used at a good price from a church that was upgrading. They aren't the traditional "audiophile" type speaker, but they gave me the greatest pleasure of any speaker I've owned when I handled the sound for Your Mamma's Big Fat Booty Band when they played at my home in 2103. Fine times! |
BD-Designs Orphean horns. Unlimited dynamics with spot on tonal accuracy, zero honk or cupped hands syndrome. Bert is also an awesome person! |
Dahlquist DQ10 - They were big bold and a lot of fun.+1
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TheApogee mini grands.
these True ribbon speakers were very fast as well as dynamic
plus the Sub system in a seperate enclosure run On a seperate Amplifier. Still one of the best speakers of all time .these put to shame many $20k + today and were only $6k. Itis too bad they went out of business. |
Oh boy, that takes me back. Bozak Concert Grands. Late 70s / early 80s. Tri-amped with a pair of Dyna ST70s and a Hafler DH-100 driven by a modded Hafler DH-101. ARC tube electronic crossover. AR table modded with a Grace 707 arm and a Shure V-15 something or the other (current model). Dynamic and big. What fun they were. Midranges had a slight tendency toward breakup, but what great
Had fun with a pair of Acoustat Model 4's. Fast, bass shy. A bit thin sounding but great rhythm.
Now having fun with a home built speaker system. Trying to capture the fun of the Bozaks along with the precision of modern drivers.
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In the early 70's I bought the 901's everyone said were so amazing.
A few months later a friend took me to a new place called Speaker Lab.
I bought the kit version of their top model -a Klipsch corner horn clone.
All in under $500 assuming many hours of free labor cutting up the 2 sheets each of particle board that went into the interior folded horn.
I kept those bad boys for many moves and eventually they went to guy
whose phone number had the last for digits that spelled ROCK!!
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My current speaker, Cube audio nenuphar, coupled with a SET tube amplifier!
I have had many speakers with various amps, including focal Aria 936, Wilson sabrinas, german physiks unlimited, kef reference 5s.
The ease of flow, the dynamics, the emotional connection, the realism are unparalleled. Truly addictive.
A good SET tube amp pairing is a must to get the best out of these efficient, crossover-less speakers (or a low power class A Solid state).
Highly recommend. I believe i have landed my final speaker with this one )) |
