Quad ESL 57...
Which pair of speakers changed your Hifi life?
*** I am not trying to create a debate or a quarrel with anyone. My discussions are purely having a talks and to express one's experiences. Also to learn fellow audio lovers passion. Please do not disrespect with hurtful words or expressions. Please be more forgiving and understanding in this discussion thread. Thank you." ***
Hopefully one day, someone would say "Mon Acoustic speakers were the turning point in my Hifi life". 😃
My 2ch-audio journey began when my uncle bought his BOSE system at his home (don't even know the model or never really heard it) in early 90s. Bose was rear and expensive in Korea(South) back then. So I started my own system with Bose Cinematics 2.1. Then moved on to Goldenear Triton 3, then to Triton 1. But more utilizing the speakers for AV set ups, not 2 ch stereo.
When I had my first house, I bought a pair of Revel M105 speakers and I think these are the pair that really changed my audio life. My initial paring with M105 was Yamaha receiver. Then I tried goofie set up with center speaker 3.1 to see if it improves vocal in the songs I liked. We went through many combinations of system set up. I ended up with Chord Electronics set up.
I still own them. Always struggle time to time, whether to sell them or not due to the number of pairs I own(out of a guilt). I cannot argue how many pairs of shoes my wife owns. I pair them with NAD M10 (version 1) for my bedroom since my wife likes the warm and well rounded sound, and 80% its white design aspect.
So what are the speakers that have impacted your life?
228 responses Add your response
Game changer for me was the Bose 901’s. They were a true eye opener into the power of marketing and hype. Any manufacture who can commit time, money, and a Theory into a concept can start people talking and turn a turd into a filet mignon. Even when their sound was garbage people had to have them as in the day Bose was a status symbol that people would listen to music and instead of getting enjoyment you would spend all your time telling your self they have to sound good they are Bose 901’s and I have been told they sound good. Then the day comes you hear a real speaker and you wake up to the fact you have been lied to through the power of marketing and lies. |
The first was a pair of Infinity RSIIb’s I purchased in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Fantastic speakers, running a Phase Linear amp on the low end and a McIntosh MC2120 on the mids/top end. Sadly, they were damaged badly in a move. For the next 29 years I had the Infinity Modulus satellites and servo-controlled subwoofer. Last fall, I replaced them with Fyne Audio F702 speakers, which are fantastic. Great clarity, imaging, three-dimensional soundstage, and what I suspect are the harmonics produced by different instruments, etc. they are driven by a Rogue Audio RP-1 preamp and a Benchmark AHB2 power amp I recently purchased. This combo provides the best sound I have heard in anywhere near this price range. My wife and I can sit and listen for hours w/o listening fatigue. |
http://www.audioheritage.org/html/profiles/lmco/shearer.htm Made me realize that we haven’t made much progress in overall sound quality since its invention. It’s still a world-class sounding loudspeaker and it’s over 83 years old. I’ve had anti-horn jaded audio designers and studio professionals over who had to rethink their work and opinions on vintage and horns after hearing a proper Shearer. |
EPI 180's When I was 16, around 1980, I saved my minimum wage dollars ($2.85 and hour- remember that?!?) and marched into a stereo store. At the time, the fashion was huge 15"woofers and multiple midrange and tweeters jammed into a box. The salesman showed me these EPI speakers. They seemed so unimpressive to my uneducated eye. A pair of 6" woofers coupled with a pair of ferrofluid inverted dome tweeters. The salesman explained to be that two 6" driver's were the " same" as a 12 woofer but faster. It made sense to me and being 16, I wasn't about to argue with a " grown-up " 20-something salesman. I bought them along with a Pioneer integrated amp and a Technics turntable. Well, seems the sales guy steered me right. I enjoyed those EPI speakers for a good 10 years before throwing them in the burn pile (nothing wrong with them, I just replaced them with something way more expensive. Can't believe how stupid I was when I was young!). I wish that 35 years later, I could, just for maybe an hour, hear them again. They were so much better than I ever realized. Anyway, when other boys my age were saving for a car, I was saving for my first system. Some things never change 🙂 |
Infinity Modulus 90 Sub/Sat system. 1992. Followed closely by B&O Beolab 8000 as my theater fronts.Fosgate Model 3 processor. 3 Adcom 545 Mark II amps ordered in all white to match the white high gloss backside of the B&O TV built with largest RCA Pro tube in existence. KEF Center, B&O TV, rotating remote control B&O stand and matching all white B&O S-VHS VCR with built in Faroudja line doubler. The combo was chosen by MOMA as a permanent fixture for the Museum of Modern Art. I used the Infinity with the Krell KSA-100S for the digital 2 channel side, other wise, they were the back speakers in the Fosgate THX system. I went from trying to buy a Bose speaker set one at Circuit City (they laughed and got me to repeat it to other salesman so they could also laugh as well) to audio Nirvana in the blink of an eye. Even had my ‘58 Chevy done with a competition sound system (JL audio, 3 Punch amps on a custom vertical amp rack and a stealth 30 CD changing system. Had the best of both worlds there for awhile. Of course, I added to it and still am.
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Gale GS401A, I bought a pair instead of a second hand car and got my first taste of real high end audio. More open midrange than Spendor and they could Rock ! Took them round to an ESL57 owner and it was immediately apparent what had been used to voice them. Fantastic speakers, wish I had kept them… |
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Like others here, Apogees .. in my case Slant 6's. Was working in LA for a few weeks in th early 80's and went into a hifi shop, was a pair of 8's being played, blew me away on how good they sounded Couldn't afford them but they had 6's which were also awesome, so accurate and fast, and I duly brought a pair and shipped them back to Australia. Added a pair of Class A Sugden C51/P51 and they changed my world for ever until eventually the 6's ribbons went. After a decade in my garage I found a brilliant guy who makes them in Australia so had new ribbons fitted and the bass speakers reconed, magnificent sounding on my bedroom system, 2 years ago I picked up a pair of 8's very cheap. The 8's are on par with my Dynaudio C2 Plats, but not quite with my Harbeth 40.2's. |
Horns Mummy by Autotech, followed by Horns Atmosphere MK2. Similar to Danager, I didn't realize the potential of horns (when done right). With the Mummy's, I learned what a large soundstage is all about, along with HF clarity, clean bass, speed, etc. With the Atmosphere, I realized how soft and detailed horns can really be, albeit for a smaller space. Previously, I had HPM-100, Pioneer (Andrew Jones), various Klipsch models, Definitive Technology, Elac, and Sonus Faber. |
IMF Studio transmission line speakers. Not only were they a step up from my original AR2a(modded to the x version) but because of them I got to know the man they were named for, Bud Fried and we became life long pals and later through him I got to know Gordon Holt the founder of Stereophile and the current style of reviewing. |
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Focal Aria 906s —not because they are super special speakers; they are not. But they are good speakers. They let me try amps, preamps, integrated amps; I heard the differences. When I settled on my amp and preamp, I could see that maybe other speakers would be better in some ways, but I reached the point at which I can concentrate on the music, getting more than enough of its sounds from my system. Sometimes I remind myself that if I were in a concert hall or a night club, there would be hall noises and my good or bad luck with the seating.
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Wilson Audio Sabrina . . . After a long hiatus, I made a list of speakers I wanted to hear. Sabrina was not on the list. I traveled to Chicago, because many of the speakers could be found there. Visiting a shop to hear Focal, I asked to hear the Sabrina. Even though they are/were Wilson’s entry level floorstanding, their house sound was mesmerizing to me. Driving away, I realized they were being driven by $100K+ in gear. I called the next day, to ask to audition them with more realistic components. They still sounded incredible. That was 2018. |
It was 1983 when I purchased a new pair of JBL 4430 monitors. I hooked them up to my Luxman B-12 mono block amps and Luxman CL-32 preamp and WOW! All the lies about horn speakers not imaging and not being high fidelity soon disappeared. My previous speakers were JBL L65 and JBL 4315 monitors. I currently own JBL 4435’s. 😎 Mike |
A pair of Fisher 101 bookshelf speakers I bought in 1972. Combined with a Fisher 222 Studio Standard receiver and Dual 1225 turntable. As I recall, the local dealer had a special where you bought one speaker for $99 and the other was a penny. This was when vinyl was still “in” before it went “out” and came back “in”. Used those speakers all the way through college and a bunch of years thereafter. |
