What speakers have you owned?

[MeanandGreen]

I haven't owned many pairs of Hi Fi speakers. Just these...

Jamo D115 back in 1994-1997. Horrible thin and forward sound.

Tannoy Mercury M2.5 1997-2001 Smooth and bassy, but very dull with it.

B&W DM 601 S3, 2001-present day to me they sound very well balanced and accurate.

I still own all of these, the Jamo's are in my patents loft boxed up. The Tannoys are just hanging around in my spare room and the B&W's are still my main speakers in use today.

 

[davedotco]

The 852s were designed by Robin Marshal to be a flagship product for MA but Mo would not pay for the custom drive units Robin wanted. Damn fine speaker though.

The ES 14s, with their own drivers, was pretty much what Robin wanted for the 852s. They were clearer and more explicit than the MAs, technically a superior speaker in a number of ways. The 852 had a reputation for sounding 'musical' but by that stage I had tired of Mo's overbearing manner and was not selling the brand.

The R852s were probably the best Monitor Audios I ever heard, I did an evaluation, for a third party, of the Bronze and Silver (were they the silver then, I cant remember) ranges, a most unpleasant experience.

That is very interesting, and sums up why I chose them over the ES14s.......musicality has always been the driving force behind all my choices. I didn't go for a CDP until I heard Linn's Karik/Numerik, which was the first time I'd heard the format giving a sound I could live with after the LP12 (which was far from "digital sounding").......and interestingly, still prefer the way it sounds compared to their later CDPs. The same applies to Linn's amps, preferring Kairn / LKs / klout, to their modern offerings......Linn's "old sound" is more musical to my ears, though less detailed / analytical.

I also don't get on with the current MA sound, so you appear to be reading my mind atm.......maybe it's a product of being brought up on the sound from those days.

It's fascinating to speak with someone with such inside knowledge from those days....so thank you for the insight.

:cheers:

Cno

Ahhh...... The dreaded musicality....... :doh:

A term that means so many things to so many people.

My Sonus Faber speakers were mostly used with ARC amplification, a variety of pre-amps, I couldn't really settle, but the power amplifier was the Classic 60. The sound of this system stayed with me for some time and my current system (not in use) emulates this to a degree.

The strange thing is, that returning to systems of this type after using active speakers, you are immediatly struck with the 'colourations' that give these systems their 'musicality'. It is something of a wrench but having spent a lot of time on both sides of the devide and moving back and forth many times, somrthing I have come to terms with.

In general terms, this has left me with a strong dislike for most budget equipment and playback systems, vastly prefering the (better) active options up to about £2-3k. Above that level I find that my preference swings back to passive systems, but only in quite specific components and systems, equipment that I have spoken about before.

 

[Roundhead 5000]

Spendor A9s (Current)

Kef R900 (Current)

If you don't mind me asking, which of these two do you prefer.....and if it's the A9, how close do the R900s get to them

Of course I don't mate. It's a hard one to be honest, I use the 900s as fronts for my surround set up. I did stick them on my hi fi before I set them up in the lounge, just to see. They are a bit smoother, with definitely more bass than the Spendors, But too big for the room I use for the hi fi, so they were a bit overpowering, but they weren't run in at all, and I had the bungs out. I can only say the Spendors are maybe a bit more, well, 'emotional'? But the Kefs have a greater sense of scale, and power, and almost match the Spendors in other areas, neutrality, midrange etc.The bass was, like I said, a bit full compared to the A9s and possibly not as fast, or defined, but again, I'd had them for a day and they probably weren't positioned properly etc. I am really impressed with them, and might try them again in the future. When I do I'll try to give you a better idea....

 

[CnoEvil]

Of course I don't mate. It's a hard one to be honest, I use the 900s as fronts for my surround set up. I did stick them on my hi fi before I set them up in the lounge, just to see. They are a bit smoother, with definitely more bass than the Spendors, But too big for the room I use for the hi fi, so they were a bit overpowering, but they weren't run in at all, and I had the bungs out. I can only say the Spendors are maybe a bit more, well, 'emotional'? But the Kefs have a greater sense of scale, and power, and almost match the Spendors in other areas, neutrality, midrange etc.The bass was, like I said, a bit full compared to the A9s and possibly not as fast, or defined, but again, I'd had them for a day and they probably weren't positioned properly etc. I am really impressed with them, and might try them again in the future. When I do I'll try to give you a better idea....

Thank you Sir.

The reason I ask, is that I'm inceasingly finding the R Series play well above their pay grade. If they'd existed when I'd bought the Refs, i don't think i would have felt the difference was worth it (though the Refs are certainly better, but not 2x - 3x better imo).

 

[CnoEvil]

Ahhh...... The dreaded musicality....... :doh:

A term that means so many things to so many people.

It's a very clichéd and overused term, but so is organic, or whatever quick term is used.

For me it's brands like Audio Note, Pathos, Unison Research, Accuphase, Luxman, Lavardin, Jadis, Sonus Faber and Harbeth that have it...but you already know that's where I'm coming from.

Now, can you answer the conundrum I posed on Page 5 / Post 14? (I suspect you are one of the few that might) :shifty:

 

[Roundhead 5000]

Having thought about it some more, I think I was a bit shocked as to how good they were, right out of the box. I sometimes listen to them through the Oppo/Pioneer if I'm just pottering about in the lounge, and even though this isn't my optimum set up, I can still hear their qualities, if that makes sense. Damn it Cno, you're putting ideas in my head. The other half is wagging her finger and shaking her head vigorously. I wonder what she means? :rofl:

 

[CnoEvil]

Having thought about it some more, I think I was a bit shocked as to how good they were, right out of the box. I sometimes listen to them through the Oppo/Pioneer if I'm just pottering about in the lounge, and even though this isn't my optimum set up, I can still hear their qualities, if that makes sense. Damn it Cno, you're putting ideas in my head. The other half is wagging her finger and shaking her head vigorously. I wonder what she means? :rofl:

Well you know what I think (which should get SWMBO's approval).....Move R900s to hifi; move R500s to fronts and get LS50s for Rears; sell A9s

 

[iceman16]

Cno is like a virus but in good way

 

[davedotco]

Ahhh...... The dreaded musicality....... :doh:

A term that means so many things to so many people.

It's a very clichéd and overused term, but so is organic, or whatever quick term is used.

For me it's brands like Audio Note, Pathos, Unison Research, Accuphase, Luxman, Lavardin, Jadis, Sonus Faber and Harbeth that have it...but you already know that's where I'm coming from.

Now, can you answer the conundrum I posed on Page 5 / Post 14? (I suspect you are one of the few that might) :shifty:

Dahlquist DQ10 come to mind but since they look a lot like black ESL 59s I'm sure you would have mentioned that.

I'm thinking of those strange Belgian loudpeakers, multiple drivers on separate time aligned baffles and an all round grill.

Now what were they called........ :?

 

[CnoEvil]

Ahhh...... The dreaded musicality....... :doh:

A term that means so many things to so many people.

It's a very clichéd and overused term, but so is organic, or whatever quick term is used.

For me it's brands like Audio Note, Pathos, Unison Research, Accuphase, Luxman, Lavardin, Jadis, Sonus Faber and Harbeth that have it...but you already know that's where I'm coming from.

Now, can you answer the conundrum I posed on Page 5 / Post 14? (I suspect you are one of the few that might) :shifty:

Dahlquist DQ10 come to mind but since they look a lot like black ESL 59s I'm sure you would have mentioned that.

I'm thinking of those strange Belgian loudpeakers, multiple drivers on separate time aligned baffles and an all round grill.

Now what were they called........ :?

You are going much too exotic.

It's as dull as.....Kef Celeste 111 (on their "bar-stool" stands).

 

[Roundhead 5000]

Having thought about it some more, I think I was a bit shocked as to how good they were, right out of the box. I sometimes listen to them through the Oppo/Pioneer if I'm just pottering about in the lounge, and even though this isn't my optimum set up, I can still hear their qualities, if that makes sense. Damn it Cno, you're putting ideas in my head. The other half is wagging her finger and shaking her head vigorously. I wonder what she means? :rofl:

Well you know what I think (which should get SWMBO's approval).....Move R900s to hifi; move R500s to fronts and get LS50s for Rears; sell A9s

I knew that was coming. Jesus, I am thinking of buying the Leema Pyxis/ Hydra II x2. This idea is already costing me a holiday and copius amounts of champagne/chocolates. I'm not sure this is quite the right moment to suggest any more 'improvements'. On the other hand, I could send her away on a spa weekend or something, maybe she wouldn't notice. NOT.

 

[CnoEvil]

Cno is like a virus but in good way

Thx! :roll:

 

[CnoEvil]

I knew that was coming. Jesus, I am thinking of buying the Leema Pyxis/ Hydra II x2. This idea is already costing me a holiday and copius amounts of champagne/chocolates. I'm not sure this is quite the right moment to suggest any more 'improvements'. On the other hand, I could send her away on a spa weekend or something, maybe she wouldn't notice. NOT.

...emphasize the word SELL! :shifty:

 

[Roundhead 5000]

I knew that was coming. Jesus, I am thinking of buying the Leema Pyxis/ Hydra II x2. This idea is already costing me a holiday and copius amounts of champagne/chocolates. I'm not sure this is quite the right moment to suggest any more 'improvements'. On the other hand, I could send her away on a spa weekend or something, maybe she wouldn't notice. NOT.

...emphasize the word SELL! :shifty:

Yeah. My soul probably.

 

[davedotco]

Ahhh...... The dreaded musicality....... :doh:

A term that means so many things to so many people.

It's a very clichéd and overused term, but so is organic, or whatever quick term is used.

For me it's brands like Audio Note, Pathos, Unison Research, Accuphase, Luxman, Lavardin, Jadis, Sonus Faber and Harbeth that have it...but you already know that's where I'm coming from.

Now, can you answer the conundrum I posed on Page 5 / Post 14? (I suspect you are one of the few that might) :shifty:

Dahlquist DQ10 come to mind but since they look a lot like black ESL 59s I'm sure you would have mentioned that.

I'm thinking of those strange Belgian loudpeakers, multiple drivers on separate time aligned baffles and an all round grill.

Now what were they called........ :?

You are going much too exotic.

It's as dull as.....Kef Celeste 111 (on their "bar-stool" stands).

I think there was a larger version, the Concord 111. I seem to remember having a pair at home for a while, totally unmemorable though they came highly recommended.

Mind you, you have me going now, what were those Belgian speakers.....?

There were two models iirc, both floorstanders, a bass enclosure with two or three smaller drive units on separate baffles staggered for time alignment with a wire framed grill.

Very rare, smashing sound. I heard them at Howard Popeks shop back around this time, now the Superfi in Camden Town.

Anyone help with the speakers? What was the shop called?

 

[ACE92]

First pair of decent speakers I owned were a pair of Q Acoustic 1030's, still have them and still think they sound good

Mordaunt Short Mezzo 2's - Still have them but never felt they suited my setup (and the size of my room) so have them with a spare old pioneer amp

Wharfadale Diamond 9.1 - Cheap and pretty impressive

Monitor Audio RS1 - Really liked them, only sold them because I upgraded to;

Monitor Audio GX50's - Got them for a fantastic price and really like the bright clear sound

and a few carboot bargains;

Jamo Classic 4 - not bad but probably going on ebay soon

Celestion 5 - paid £8 for them and are probably the best value speakers I've ever bought :rofl:

 

[steve_1979]

DIY Standmounts knocked up in design class from RS components

Any pics?

 

[CnoEvil]

DIY Standmounts knocked up in design class from RS components

Any pics?

Now where did I put my Box Brownie? :?

It was 1977! :O

 

[Clarkey_71]

Heybrook HB1
Epos ES 11
Epos ES 14
KEF 105b
PMC OB1

A great 25 years!

 

[relocated]

Brahms Medway bookshelf

Goodmans Magnum K2 - They were sold as floorstanders but were much better off the ground.

Technics SB 501 - These were stand mounted by me which seemed to confuse very many people. They were excellent and were still in use by the person I sold them to until recently.

Tannoy Berkley. These were reasonably large floorstanders with 15 inch dual concentric drivers that I later had re wired and the crossover was upgraded.

I then had ten plus years of 5.1/6.1 until I got a new property that warranted returning to stereo.

AVI ADM 9T. Active standmounts that eclipsed the abilities of considerably more expensive speakers I had demoed at various dealers. My wife now has these in her art room.

AVI ADM 40. Active floorstanders that are sublime, their holographic sound stage is beyond compare. So not many speakers since @ 1970 but then I always spent a great deal of time auditioning contenders before shelling out my hard-earned [excepting the AVI ADM 9T].

 

[WinterRacer]

1. Mordaunt Short MS15 - small sealed box 2-ways from late 80s. Inefficient and not much bandwidth.

2. B&W DM610 - large sealed box, metal tweeters, 8" bass driver. Boomy and harsh, wish I'd bought the Mission Cyrus 780s, but i was impressed by big drivers an metal tweeters.

3. Mission 753F - no treble and boomed unless in a very large room, but did look cool.

4. Monitor Audio GS10s - Definite improvement over the big Missions, but still boomy and harsh.

5. Monitor Audio Pl100 - definite improvement over the GS10s, looked lovely (if a bit bling), but quickly went off them very quickly when the next pair of speakers arrived on the scene.

6. AVI ADM9.1s + AVI sub - legend tells of a legendary speaker whose performance was the stuff of legend. Still got these.

7. AVI Neutron 5 - great little speakers, used in AV system.

8. AVI ADM40s - so good they stopped making them. However, I like them, a lot.

 

[chebby]

Mind you, you have me going now, what were those Belgian speakers.....?

There were two models iirc, both floorstanders, a bass enclosure with two or three smaller drive units on separate baffles staggered for time alignment with a wire framed grill.

Very rare, smashing sound. I heard them at Howard Popeks shop back around this time, now the Superfi in Camden Town.

Etude MP1 ?

I saw / heard them demonstrated by Ricardo Franassovici (used with AR pre + PSU and Krell mono power amps and an Oracle Delphi + Infinity Black Widow and Koetsu Gold sig) at the Jeffries Hi-fi Brighton show in the early 1980s.

 

[davedotco]

Mind you, you have me going now, what were those Belgian speakers.....?

There were two models iirc, both floorstanders, a bass enclosure with two or three smaller drive units on separate baffles staggered for time alignment with a wire framed grill.

Very rare, smashing sound. I heard them at Howard Popeks shop back around this time, now the Superfi in Camden Town.

Etude MP1 ?

I saw / heard them demonstrated by Ricardo Franassovici (used with AR pre + PSU and Krell mono power amps and an Oracle Delphi + Infinity Black Widow and Koetsu Gold sig) at the Jeffries Hi-fi Brighton show in the early 1980s.

On the money......... :cheers:

Two models if I recall correctly, MP1 and MP2. Kef bass drivers and sonewhat unusual mid and top arangement.

I heard them and thought they were fantastic, £2k plus, that was real money back in those days.

Howard Popeck (I checked the spelling) was a bit of a character and ran Subjective Audio who had rather nice premisis in Camden Town, this would be 1982-3.

 

[the record spot]

Apropos of nothing in particular, except speakers.....for the last 20 years, I've been trying to remember the speakers that I heard in 1979 in Cambridge (possibly at Chew and Osborne) and playing Dire Straits "Sultans of Swing".

They sounded terrific that day, and the only clue that I could remember, was that they had an all-round black grill cloth. Well, I've just stumbled onto the answer.

Would anyone like to hazzard a guess what they were?.....it's a tough one, but this forum never ceases to amaze, with the way the Hifi Sherlocks seem to come up with answers.

A pair of Mission 70s or 70 Mk II by any chance?

EDIT: Oops, maybe not. Just read your other post above re: the KEFs! Doh!

 

[CnoEvil]

Apropos of nothing in particular, except speakers.....for the last 20 years, I've been trying to remember the speakers that I heard in 1979 in Cambridge (possibly at Chew and Osborne) and playing Dire Straits "Sultans of Swing".

They sounded terrific that day, and the only clue that I could remember, was that they had an all-round black grill cloth. Well, I've just stumbled onto the answer.

Would anyone like to hazzard a guess what they were?.....it's a tough one, but this forum never ceases to amaze, with the way the Hifi Sherlocks seem to come up with answers.

A pair of Mission 70s or 70 Mk II by any chance?

EDIT: Oops, maybe not. Just read your other post above re: the KEFs! Doh!

I appreciate the effort. :beer: