How old is too old ?....


Over the last year I've been updating my system,that was long over due.
Replaced a 16 year old cd player..mission DAD 7000
Hafler 110 pre..Blue Circle 3.1
Hafler DH 500...Bryston 4B ST( currently replacing again)
Various cables,too numerous to mention.
However I still have my old speakers Kef 104.2 and continue to like the sound.
These speakers are 16 years old.
My question...has technology marched on and left me and my Kefs behind?
I will replace at some time but for now I would like to keep these.
What improvement can I expect with newer speakers..a little ..alot....WOW...
Am I upgrading in the right order?
I've been told that all the upgrades ,to date,are wasted unless I replace the speakers ..VERY SOON.
Is a true statement?
thefalls1117
FYI

About a dozen years ago I compared, side-by-side, the then top of the line KEF107 to the B&W801. The KEF sounded vailed, lacking detail compared to the B&W. The current B&W's surpass the previous models in virtually all cases. If you follow my logic, you will come up with the following order of the speakers that I mention, best to worst:

B&W now
B&W then
KEF107
KEF104

I am not saying what speaker to buy, but YES you can make dramatic impovements with the right new speaker.

Have fun looking anmd listening,
Richard
I would ask you, did you hear an improvement when you added the front end changes? If so, then they are not "wasted". Are they? So much for the opinion given you by the speaker zealot. I have regularly had systems where the speaker was the least expensive item in the chain. My systems consistently outperform many of my friend's systems who have way more $$ in their speakers than I do. How can this be? We all know that speakers are the only "real" component in the system, and that everything else is just a "necessary evil" that takes up money that you could have spent on more expensive speakers, right? But, somehow those old KEF's let you hear the difference in your front end, didn't they? I wonder how that happened? Perhaps you live in the Bermuda Triangle like I do. Where the "assumed" rules of audio are changed, and speakers only reproduce most of what they are given by the amp, which reproduces only most of what is given it by the preamp, etc. But these rules don't apply in the rest of the world. In the rest of the world, speakers make the music. Just like all those mid-fi salesmen told everyone they did.(Because profit margin is higher on speakers than any other audio item). Shhhhh! You're not supposed to know this. I may be hunted down by the profit mavens for my disgressions.

Rant over. Since you have nicer front end gear now, you may go out and audition some speakers that could sound better on your gear. Just remember that it is a system that provides the music, not just the speakers.
Yes, there was an unbelieveable improvement.
One that I would not have believed if I didn't hear it with my own ears.
I am very satisfied with the sound now but since I have spent considerable (I think anyway)amt of $$$$ and time researching every piece of equipment and am now enjoying the fruits of my labour,should I stop here or reach for another apple.
So the profit margin is very high on speakers,eh!!!!!!!
Kinda makes used speakers look pretty good,doesn't it?
Thanks for the info......much appreciated!!!!
Tom: "My systems consistently outperform many of my friend's systems who have way more $$ in their speakers than I do. How can this be?"

I'll take a stab at telling you. Are you talking about your homemade Voigt/Lowthers? If you bought something like that retail instead of building, designing and tweaking it yourself how much would they cost. Egads!!!

Just joking.

Cheers
I remain,
Thefalls1117, glad to hear that you are enjoying your new system. My $.02, relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor (and expenditure). Is there better stuff out there? Absolutely! Swapping equipment is a hobby for many of us. I am curious, what replaced the Kef's?

Happy listening, Paul