What is your speaker ownership history since 1995?
I do plan to upgrade the speakers within the next five-seven years. What would it be? Don't know. But I just might ask Michael Green to make me custom or semi-custom speakers. I don't think I would be able to afford, say, even used Lansche or Kharma or something like that. But for now I am alright with what I have. |
roxy54, Looking at it from this angle, you are certainly right. Of all things, even with solid funds, buying speakers would probably be for me the most difficult undertaking. Not only within audio. Well, another thing may be good furniture. I like to keep speakers for a long time. I think, many good speakers are capable of much more than they seem. Just give them the right input. My speakers sound incomparably better than ten and even five years ago because of changes in source, amplification and cabling. Give your speakers a chance. |
@bsimpson Well, before some thankful guy beats me to it, Thank You! to the OP from all of us who may be wanting to upgrade to a new speaker or system and need to get others on-board with the change. I can show this to my wife and she'll think she's got it pretty good. Since 1970s Several different MCS speakers (JC Penny) -1970s KHS? Two-ways. Got two pairs from my Uncle. - 1970s Bose 601s (bought at very good deal in the military) 1985-1988ish M&K - Top of the line satellites and sub - 1988-89ish to 2007ish Martin Logan Vantage (last ten years - really like these) I've gotten the itch over the past four years or so as I've been to THE Show at Newport all but the first year, the recent Los Angeles Audio Show, and many many get-togethers and have heard some speakers I'm very interested in. Mainly Mbl, then Wilson Audio Sabrina, and more recently Marten Django. I keep coming back to Mbl with their electronics line and I am thinking about going that way. So, thanks again to the OP. I'm gonna use this thread in my presentation to my wife on why I need a new system! |
I haven't made nearly as many changes. Each time I have "upgraded" speakers it seems as if they became the strongest part of my system. I then lived with them for a while and enjoyed them until I felt like there was an opportunity to grow. I feel like I've made good choices given my budgetary constraints over the years and have felt like in order to "upgrade" it would usually take a significant investment to make the change worthwhile. Up to 96 Polk Audio sda-1 96-2007 Vandersteen 3a Sig's 2007-2015 Vandersteen Wood Quattro sig 2 2015+ Zellaton Concerts I honestly can't imagine changing out of these for a long time. To my ears, they are spectacular. If I switched I think I'd build another system around them. |
Hi tubegroover. Like you, I have always been looking for speakers that presented the music in a way that was truthful to my ears and mind, and my curiosity was about different technologies, and also what strengths in a particular speaker were most important to me. In the beginning, I bought Klipschorns, and there was something that I absolutely loved about them, even though they had some deficits. Next came the small Celestions, and I was really taken with the imaging, which was new to me. My point is, as I went through the speakers that followed, I realized that as much as I loved aspects of each of these speakers, especially the Spendor SP100s, what was most important to me was realistic dynamics. That is what made reproduced music more authentic for me. I think it takes time and experimentation to find your own personal sweet spot, unless of course you have the funds to afford speakers that do it all. |
Shadorne while I certainly don’t agree with you on everything with reference to your audio experiences/philosophy, your point about change for audible improvements rather than different SOUNDS is "right on" to my goals as well. This hobby to me is attaining true fidelity to what my understanding/impression of that is, not "different flavors", I want to be engaged in the music and performance/message. I am and have always been completely uninterested in change for change sake. I guess there are many differences in what defines being an "audiophile". My goal is that the music being faithfully reproduced, is the ultimate goal. Flavors? I personally prefer vanilla with chocolate a strong second but it depends on my mood and what my palate wants at a given time. As always, YMMV, enjoy the music! I am really impressed at the number of speakers some have owned in a given time frame, WOW! PS to your point about curiosity Roxy, I suppose that point is valid but if you change too often, don't you at times become confused, or is that even revelant? |
@dougsat Either people don't really know what they are looking for or they are more interested in just having fun by trying out different gear and a multitude of sounds. My approach is quite different but I am of a tiny minority. I am open to change for audible improvements but not for change's sake. |
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I'm sure that I'm forgetting a couple, but here goes. Klipschorn Celestion Sl6s Celestion Sl700 Celestion Sl6si TDL Monitors Dahlquist DQ 20 Spendor SP100 Focus Audio 777 Reference 3a de Capo Spendor 9/1 Nestorovic 5as TDL Monitor (again) Dahlquist Compact Monitor Klipsch Epic CF 4 (9 years and counting) Duevel Venus (recent aquisition) I enjoyed all of them, some more than others (except for the Reference 3a de Capo, which I really disliked), and learned from each one more about what is important to me in a speaker. No regrets. |
Seems I have owned precious few speakers over the past 30+ years 😉
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Prof, Life circumstances made me change some speakers(divorce, moving to a bigger or smaller house, living/family room versus dedicated listening room, and yes sometimes because of the desire to improve on what I had contributed to why I sold some of the speakers I’ve owned. I'm in a happy place right now! |
This is quite interesting seeing how various people progressed from one speaker to another. So many questions arise "why did you ditch that speaker for the next one?" It also tends to underline the cliche that we audiophiles can never be happy with what we have (for too long). I will never believe any audiophile who, upon purchasing a new pair of speakers, says "This is it, I've found THE ONE for me!" That's what we all tend to think at first, but give it a year, or two, or whatever, and we are getting the itch again. |
AR90 something M&K S-1B + Sub Monitor Audio Silver 6 Focal Profile 918’s Now: Custom with german AMT’s, danish woofers, english caps Hsu VTF-15H Mk 2, minDSP on the sub. Center channel is a cheapie DIY, design is here: https://speakermakersjourney.blogspot.com/2016/03/introducing-lm-1c.html |
Good thread. If anything, just for documentation. 1995 - Packard bell computer speakers. 2000 - Various computer speakers 2004 and onwards Axiom M22ti bookshelves Sonus Faber Concertino Bookshelves Polk LSi7 bookshelves Polk LSi9 bookshelves Martin Logan Mosaic Martin Logan Vantage Martin Logan Summit 2008 --- hiatus, took a break, sold everything --- 2014 --- came back, stronger than ever --- BW 802D2 Sonus Faber Stradivari Rockport Avior BW 802D3 BW 800D3 .... then back to.... BW 802D3. Happy. Non-main rig speakers, in chronological order: AV123 Strata Mini Speakers Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor Sonus Faber Olympica III BW PM1 BW CM10S2 |
Started in 1999, just out of highschool and still living at home. Through one apartment and two houses, in various systems: KEF 103/3 Decware Radial JM Reynaud Twin Sig Harbeth SHL5 JM Reynaud Cantabile Sig JM Reynaud Offrande IV JM Reynaud Offrande Supreme V2 Trenner & Friedl Ella Audio Note K Trenner & Friedl Pharoah Trenner & Friedl Stone Art Harbeth 30.1 JM Reynaud Abscisse Audio Note E/SPe HE Tocaro 40e Quad ESL |
1st speaker Energy Pro 22 ca. 1983 (still own today) 2nd speaker Bose Acoustimass (for rental condo while overseas as expat) 3rd ATC SCM 20 ca. 1995 4th ATC SCM 100 ca. 2005 5th ATC EL150ASL 2015 Apart from the Bose and my studio gear (Genelec and JBLs) - all the speakers sound identical except for improved bass response in the larger models and better mid range in the three ways. In essence the speakers have no sound at all. ATC are the most clear, accurate and natural sounding speaker I have been able to find. I would be delighted to find something better and will keep looking and auditioning until I die. Hopefully one day some designer can improve on ATC (which have made incremental improvements but largely remain the same in design and concept for 30+ years.) So far others have only come close - unfortunately always falling short in one or two characteristics in sound quality although often delivering better value (pretty good sound for much less money). |
Klipsch La-Scala Klipsch Cornwall Audio Physics Virgo III Von Schwerkert VR4jr (Sucked) B&W 801 III Vandersteen 2ce Magnepan MMg Magnepan mgiiia Magnepan MG3.6 with Mye stands Revel F52's (Best speaker for the money and then some) Snell EII ATC SCM19v2 Quad rebuilt ESL's Fostex f206 in a BLH cabinet Mission 770's ADS L910 Cizak III Tangent RS2 EV 12b in a Carlson corner Cabinet Green Mountain Calisto's (great monitor) Bozak 302's Spendor sp1/2e Wilson Watt 8's (Current and favorate) |
WOW!!! - I'm really having feelings of inadequacy ! Here's my very meager list - since 1982 - Magnat Ribbon 5's (2 Channel) had them for 33 years - re foamed + rebuilt the crossover and tweaked the bass port - B & W - small ones for L/R + Rear + Center Channel (Surround) - Tannoy Mecury F4, F2 and Center Channel (Surround) - Gershman Acoustics Sonogram (2 Channel) Never found anything to replace the Magnat's until the Sonograms came along i.e. that were in my "snack bracket" And since then - I have only found one pair that impressed me from Avantgarde, but at $35000 - they'll have to wait until I sell the boat Unfortunately for audio - I have other expensive hobbies - Photography, Boating, Skiing and travel. So for me - it's all about spreading the wealth :-) |
Wow, bsimpson's list actually makes me feel sane ;-) My audiophile genes were formed listening to my Dad's Kef 105 speakers with a Carver Sonic Holography amp, in the 80's. Mine, since mid 90's (and I'm going to include speakers that, even if I didn't end up owning, spent months in my system): Thiel 02 monitors Quad ESL 63 Quad ESL 63 w Gradient Subwoofers Von Schweikert VR 4 Gen 2 Shun Mook Bella Voce Waveform Mach Solo Audio Physic Libra Thiel CS6 Hales Transcendence 5 Meadowlark Blue Heron Meadowlark Swallow Hales Transcendence T1 monitors Audio Physic Scorpio Waveform Mach MC monitors MBL radialstrahler 121 Thiel CS 3.7 Harbeth Super HL5 Plus Thiel 2.7 ---------------- Currently own: Hales Transcendence L/C/R speakers (mostly use them for home theater now). Waveform Mach MC monitors Thiel 02 (too wonderful to ever let them go). MBL radialstrahler 121 Thiel 3.7 Thiel 2.7 |
WOW!!!! That's quite a list of speakers in a 20 year span. I didn't care to look at any other brand since 2005 :-) Technics - Don't remember the model (1991-1997) Dantax STR800 (1997-2005) B&W 703/704/705/HTM7 (2005-2008) B&W 803s (2008-2017) B&W 804s/HTM3s (2008-2015) B&W SCMS (2011-current) B&W 800D2/HTM2D2 (2015-current) B&W HTM4D2 (2015-2017) B&W 804D2 (2017-current) |
A time for reflection. I have purchased all my speakers new. I separated from my first wife in 1990, which is where I start the counting of my hard-core membership in Audio HiFi. For brevity sakes, I will only include 2 of my 3 systems, though the 3rd system usually gets the hand me downs from the other two systems. Main System (Living Room) KEF Q55 (1990 - 1995) EPOS 11 (1995 - 1998) Acoustic Research 302 (1999 - 2007) Opera Platea (2007 - current) Second Bedroom/ Den System Bose 101 (1987 - 1992) Polk Monitor 4 (1992 - 1996) Optimus Pro LX5 (1997 - 1999) EPOS 11 (1999 - 2002) Omega Loudspeakers Super 3i (2002 -2006) NHT SB2 (2006 - 2008) Rega Aras (2008 - 2010) Spendor SA1 (2010 - 2010) Totem Mites (2011 - 2011) Ascend Acoustics Sierra 1 (2012 - 2015) Omega Loudspeakers Super 7MK2 (2015 - current) Rich |
