Magnepan 20.1s. Probably the last speakers I'll ever buy.
What is the most FUN pair of speakers you've ever had and why?
Not the most expensive, not the best reviewed, not the biggest, but the most FUN. You know, that ONE that just makes you throw on some more music and keep listening, the one that makes your toes tap, your head bob, your ass move the most. The one that makes you think to yourself "damn, why doesn't everyone have a pair of these?" Let 'er rip.
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Richopp, did you sell the ARK Label LP's Bob Fulton recorded? Fantastic sound quality, as good as direct-to-disk! Fantastic transparency and inner detail (you can hear every single voice in the Minnesota church choirs he recorded), natural organic timbre, and deep, deep bass (the "shuddery" notes made by the pipes of the lowest organ bass pedals move my walls!). I have about a half dozen. I never blew a single RTR tweeter, but I powered the Fulton J's with an ARC D-75. I have some spares of that great RTR tweeter, got them with the ESS Transtatic I loudspeakers (which had three in each) I bought used in '82. One speaker had a replacement woofer, not the correct KEF B139 (also used by Wilson in his WAMM). I called ESS, and got the last one they had in stock! I still have the speakers. I'm really looking forward to hearing the new dual-dipole Magnepan "project" loudspeaker. Hope the tour comes to town. |
@douglas_schroeder and bdp24: Thanks for the mentions. Yes, it is kind of fun out here. As a former dealer, I had the opportunity to listen to pretty much everything back then, so I was in a better position than most. As for today, I leave that to the new group of dealers and buyers. What I did learn, however, is that boxes have limits and Maggies do not seem to have the same ones, but different ones that rely more on quality equipment and ROOM placement, etc. Fun times, indeed! Regarding the Fulton J setup, we listened at length (when you own the shop, you get to do things like this) to the individual components by themselves and together. Certainly the 80's and 100's were similar in sound and the larger woofer was helpful. I would buy either one today for a workshop room or a system in a non-central listening room. However, I am certain that others have improved even on those today; I simply don't get around any more in this world and rely on posters here to provide suggestions. (I have no intention of buying any speakers--I have two pair of Tympani I-C's--one still in the boxes after a complete redo at the factory--so I am good.) As for the J components, the RTR's broke a lot--we had a stack of individual "panels"--the electrostatic panels that made up the array--so we could replace them when they blew--at high volume, of course, but we were younger and crazier at the time--I think they were black in some models, but a LONG time ago, so... https://www.ebay.com/itm/Crown-Electrostatic-Speaker-Panels-NOS-HF150-RTR/263423519137?hash=item3d5543e9a1:g:BIsAAOSw~AVYplb4 https://www.ebay.com/itm/RTR-HF100-Electrostatic-Speaker-Panel-NOS-Janszen-130-ESS-Infinity-SAE/263423519138?hash=item3d5543e9a2:g:fN0AAOSwjXRXYeT3 https://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/vt.mpl?f=vintage&m=238523 (Scroll down to see the speaker...) The Model 80's were wonderful in any situation, and the huge "J" woofers reminded me of the ones we made for the crazy Levinson HQD systems back then. (We also made some of the dual-Quad ESL-57's/Decca Ribbon stands for them as well--full disclosure.) http://www.vintagehificlub.com/mark-levinson-hqd-system-11/ The J was a great idea, but pretty pricey and difficult to move around and set up. Magges were SO MUCH easier even given their quirks, etc. We loved Mr. Fulton--he was a great guy to us--and were pleased to handle anything FMI created--great recordings and, I think, a tonearm and cables, of course, and other stuff. He was pretty good at what he did, right? Gone way too soon...RIP. The issue with ALL electrostatic's is listening fatigue, which you do not get with Maggies. So, in spite of the initial "WOW" factor from such systems--Wilson as well--over time and many hours of listening to all genre's of music from every possible source--once again a dealer privilege (and obligation)--it was obvious that one was not going to stay in front of any of these other than the Maggies for extended periods. And finally, the drive to "tall" speakers seemed to start with the success of Magnepan and has been copied by all the big (expensive) companies now. Interesting, right? Cheers, and happy listening! |
A pair of Altec Valencia's. Home version of the VOTT. Man, could those things rock! On my 22nd. birthday I had my pair behind my house facing a lake. Had all my friends over, with two lovely ladies. One in each arm and a cold draft beer in front of me. Those speakers, (and the two ladies) made for the greatest birthday party I ever had.... sigh...... |
@jaytor *L* + on the 1B's...I had a pair of those....became an amt driver fan to the point of buying a pair of Just the drivers. Didn't bother with what was underneath them.... ;) An amazing device... 'Most fun'? Mmm...dialing the Wayback machine....a pair of Bose 901v2's, driven by a Marantz 2270 with an AR tt. Think it had a Stanton cart on it, but that's where memory fades.... But I do remember how the 901's could drown out conscious thought *L* If I felt the need to rattle anything not bolted down or too heavy to vibrate, the 2270 could drive them until the bass line made the pilot lights dim to the beat... At that point, better judgement prevailed before heat cooked it... ;) All items survived that era and moved on to others, as I did. *S* |
For me it's the first speaker I ever bought without hearing it. The Soliloquy 6.3 2003 model closeout with the square cut corners and silk dome tweeter. This was the Phil Jones design. Good review here. https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Soliloquy+Model+6.3+loudspeakers.-a097823139 No matter what changes I have thrown at them, amps, pre-amps, other speakers, universal players(I like the Burr Brown ladder dac), power cords and cables . I feel I heard a difference. Still my primary speaker. |
bpoletti1,066 posts12-27-2019 9:49pmOh boy, that takes me back. Bozak Concert Grands. Yup I don't know what can compare to those. A beautiful(refridgerator) wall of sound. If you have a good handle on building a 'like sound' of those B410's could you pm me.? Probably be a fun project. |
@richopp, I replaced my Magneplanar Tympani T-I's with Fulton Model J's (which used the Model 80 as it's midrange. The 80 had an 8" woofer, the 100 a 10"), wanting their deeper bass (transmissionline-loaded woofers) and greater transparency (the Model J contained six RTR ESL tweeters per speaker, the same ones Wilson later used in his WAMM). I soon regretted it, and went back to planars. |
Everyone here knows I am a Magneplanar bigot and believe that any other speaker is nowhere near as revealing or accurate. PERIOD, end of discussion (given quality source electronics and material). HOWEVER, if you ever heard a pair of Fulton 100's, you would like them very much for what they do given they are boxes. Robert Fulton, along with many other pioneers in the industry, was able to almost create that illusion we all seek of being in the room when the music is being played live. Other than that, the old Radio Shack Minimus 1 speakers were pretty good for the money when used in small environments for background music, etc., like a dorm room. Today, there are probably MANY other small speakers that are better, but this is about the past, so... Cheers! |
For me it would be the Klipsch KPT-904. Great clean bass and articulate highs and no one wants to leave when you fire them up. 2" horn top with a two 15" woofer bass bin and 105 db efficient and even small amps would deliver more sound than you could handle and the drivers did not have to work to do it. Cello to heavy metal they did it all superbly. |
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 )) |
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!! |
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. |
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! |
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. |
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. |
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? |
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. |
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. |