Vintage Speaker shopping suggestions?

[rjbell]

We are doing our house up at the moment and picking up vintage 60's/70's scandinavian furniture. I would like a pair of vintage speakers which would set the lounge off perfectly. A pair of B&W DM2 have caught my eye close by on ebay. How do the compare to a £200-£300 pair of modern speakers?

Can anyone recommend some more speakers i should look out for on gumtree and ebay?

They will be running on a t-amp so need to be sensitive.

 

[Al ears]

We are doing our house up at the moment and picking up vintage 60's/70's scandinavian furniture. I would like a pair of vintage speakers which would set the lounge off perfectly. A pair of B&W DM2 have caught my eye close by on ebay. How do the compare to a £200-£300 pair of modern speakers?

Can anyone recommend some more speakers i should look out for on gumtree and ebay?

They will be running on a t-amp so need to be sensitive.

Perhaps the DM2s might be a little bit underdriven by a t amp being only 85dB

 

[rjbell]

Yes they will thank you. I couldn't find any info on sensitivity.

 

[bluedroog]

Grossly (not sure by how much) overbudget but the old Tannoy speakers such as the Westminster and Canterbury may be worth a look, more from a design point of view really, they may lead you to some more modest speakers with similar approach. They may not be your thing but have their loyal fans.

 

[Vladimir]

Something cheap, good looking, legendary, in good nick, will go very loud on a few watts and sound as good as or better than modern gear.

Hmmm.

 

[bluedroog]

Horns!

 

[philpot1001]

Depends how vintage you want to go, but im a massive fan of the 90's mission speakers, especially the floorstanders! You can pick up some stonking 753's occasionally on fleebay, also the sensitivity on most of the ranges is quite high, my 733i's are 91db/w

 

[Vladimir]

Horns!

But for cheap, 200-300 quid, that sound and look good and are collectable and in good nick. If the OP was in the US, this would be achievable.

 

[bluedroog]

Yeah I've got audio tourettes today. I suspect OP has got enough on his plate with a house move but it may be achievable with some DIY.

I'm more just trying to open up the possibilities, speakers are sometime an area people don't always think out of the box, literally about. There are a lot more options than you see in the typical highstreet or mags and particularly if you go vintage or DIY your money can go a long way.

I know you already know that, but many new hobbyists miss out on so much through no fault of their own.

 

[rjbell]

I have thought of building my own. In fact I've been working on a idea on paper of building cabinets to look and be used as a fire surround. That way I can get away with larger cabinets and drivers and not annoy this Mrs. The problem being they wouldn't be far enough apart.

Wow they are a flash pair of speakers. Who made them?

 

[lindsayt]

The speakers in the photo are Gale 401's. They're a good suggestion. As well as the DM2's look out for: Goodmans Magisters, plus 1970's top of the range or near top of the range Japanese speakers - the sort that look like JBL homage speakers.

Keep an open mind. If you see speakers that look interesting, google them to find out if they might be worth a punt.

Going DIY is a great idea and if done right will have the best chance of giving you the best sound quality for your money.

 

[lindsayt]

Also, the medium large AR and Wharfedale speakers from the 1960's and 1970's should be available for your budget and are worth getting.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

The speakers in the photo are Gale 401's. They're a good suggestion.

Something went haywire when I posted earlier, now amended.

I'll just add, the ones in the picture have the original stands, which are essential in my book. A pair have just sold on ebay for around £300, but they did have an intermittent problem with one of the crossovers.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

Just from a design angle, how about a pair of these Gale GS401's.

They turn up on ebay now and again, and would just about be within budget.

 

[rjbell]

Yeah I've seen the jbl looking Japanese speakers but written them off. Are some of them pretty good then?

 

[Andrewjvt]

Also, the medium large AR and Wharfedale speakers from the 1960's and 1970's should be available for your budget and are worth getting.

I just sold an almost perfect set of wharfedale denton 2 speakers for £5

And they sounded great

 

[lindsayt]

rjbell, there's a chap called Macca who really likes his Akai SW 175's. They're the sort of speakers I'd like too.

I prefer my £225 Sansui SP 5500's to my £400 Linn Isobariks and £175 Linn Saras. I prefer my £480 EV Sentry III's and my £500 Bozak Symphonies to my SP 5500's.

So yes, the Japanese top of the range kabuki / JBL homage speakers can be worth buying at the right price.

 

[lindsayt]

And rjbell, depending on how your budget goes, you might want to treat yourself to a 1970's Japanese integrated amp as a nice little upgrade over your T amp.

EG: http://www.ebay.de/itm/Pioneer-SA-6300-Stereo-Verstarker-HiFi-Vintage-1976-TOP-ZUSTAND-TOP-CONDITION-/151791100880?hash=item23577463d0

or http://www.ebay.de/itm/Pioneer-Sa-9500-Integrated-Amp-/391236333598?hash=item5b1780b01e