to Tony B

leftwinger57

For the longest time you never revealed your sig and I had no idea what you were running. I looked up Legacy speakers and nothing came up as 20/20 but these SEs did and they look amazing. The wood working fit and finish just from the pix looks outstanding w/ a price tag that would go along w/ craftmanship of something like that. I'm sure they sound as good as they look and devoid of cash I could only wish I had a choice of very high end speakers. Again very nice if these are not your exact model then show what yours are like.

http://legacyaudio.com/products/view/focus-se/

tonyb

You know, you can just send me a PM and ask, lol. Every one here knows what I'm running anyway. My Focus 20/20's....just google them. The picture of the Focus SE is a few models newer and the most current. Which btw another member here picked up those exact ones recently.

The speaker world is a pretty darn big place, lots of choices out there. If you buy used or Demo, you'd be surprised how much of a speaker you can buy.

leftwinger57

I did find your exact model. With very favorable reviews I might add. You've got great taste and more than likely a wallet to match. Again the furniture or wood finish choices are fantastic and calling them a double decker plus because of the speaker set/up was novel. I'd love to hear these, w/ only knowing newer Vandersteens and not much else. I know i've got to get out more.!!! I think your from Chicago, have you ever been to the Saturday Audio Exchange, they do sell both new and used gear.

http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/104legacy/index.html

tonyb

Wish I had the wallet you think I do, lol. Bought mine as Demos from a place in Wisconsin. Delivered to my door, tax included, for 4 g's. They were over 7 g's new with a 500 buck upgraded ribbon mahogany finish.

Now, 4k may seem like a lot to some, but what does a new pair of Polk LSIM 707's retail for ? Your likely close...no ? Get your ears on as much as you can LW, then hunt up what you like on the used and demo markets. Use that computer for more than facebook...lol.

mhardy6647

Loudspeakers (historically, but, it seems to me, even more so in the past couple of decades) have been a fickle and ever-more fashion conscious market than other components. I mean "fashion" both in the sense of the sound they produce and the way they look. As a consequence, as Tony B said, there is a really robust market for used loudspeakers, and, in many cases, the 'resale value' often drops rather precipitously for even very late model speakers in very good condition.

... and, just because the prevailing winds don't 'bless' a given loudspeaker doesn't mean that you might not be completely satisfied by that loudspeaker.

tonyb

given the rate of which audio gear declines in value, I don't think I'd ever buy brand new gear again.

mhardy6647

I just wish I had bought a bunch of Altec 755Es in the early 1970s when they were30 bucks and change a pop...



source: http://www.alliedcatalogs.com

The other high-value approach to hifi is DIY, if for no other reason that one may elect to use components and even wire of the finest available kinds (which essentially no for-profit hardware manufacturer, even of the top echelon, is likely to do).

Joey_V

The idea is to find deals when you can and be ready to pull the trigger. Buy smart and you rarely take a bath. Buy brand new and you better be sure you're keeping it for a while.. or maybe you just have money to burn.

nooshinjohn

mhardy6647 wrote: »

The other high-value approach to hifi is DIY, if for no other reason that one may elect to use components and even wire of the finest available kinds (which essentially no for-profit hardware manufacturer, even of the top echelon, is likely to do).

Joey_V wrote: »

The idea is to find deals when you can and be ready to pull the trigger. Buy smart and you rarely take a bath. Buy brand new and you better be sure you're keeping it for a while.. or maybe you just have money to burn.

Agreed 100% There is no way I could have the gear I have if I did not build myself and buy smart on the used market.

mhardy6647

As Louis Pasteur put it:

Chance favors the prepared mind.

leftwinger57

I agree w/ all of you. The only new piece was my Yamaha RX-V665 avr which I was not thrilled w/ until I later added the Adcom 555. Also my Klipsch smalls I got a deal on because I threatened to leave 6thAve to buy over the i-net. All other gear listed is used from C/L, moving sales, estate sales, Good Will, and garage sales. My whole H/T package was about $1300 w/ cables and a Denon cdp. So $4k for a set of speakers for me could never happen.

tonyb

That was just my own personal example LW. You don't need to spend 4k on speakers to get good sound. We here have always said good sound can be had at any price bracket, and some have put together very nice systems for under 1k.

There's just soo much available on the used market these days, anyone can up their audio game easily on the cheap....even you, so don't stop looking.

tratliff

Hey Leftwinger57 - I recently purchased the pair of the Legacy Focus S/E's that Tony refers to. They are amazing. I had never thought I would purchase speakers in that price range but after reviewing and looking at others I could not control myself. The speakers were purchased directly from the factory and they are a first class operation.

As others have said deals can be had. You just have to be ready when it surfaces. Do research up front and be knowledgeable about the items you need/want.

Also use this forum to ask questions.

leftwinger57

Just before I hit on my 2bs for $50 at a moving sale I had a great chance to get a set of Vandersteen 2ce walnut topped for $400 At that time did not have either the cash or a van to move them but I would have jumped on them and there is one example of a speaker that beyond their reviews I heard and loved w/ a price point I could live with. I always said I'm way more into a wood speaker than a sock style and those Legacys look fantastic.
Just for informational purposes, I do cruise Audiogon, U.S. Audio Mart,Oak Tree who I think are way over priced and Saturday Audio Exchange, Overture, among other high end sites. Next on my list would be Ohm/Walsh 2xo, or Klipsch KG4 or Forte.
Room is a premium so KLF10s-20s-30s are way to big.

txcoastal1

There are a lot of audiophiles that flip through gear like a deck of cards

When my OCD kicks in I have no problems posting want ads on A'gon, US audio mart etc

My Dyn's/Modwright rig was purchased 60% below retail. Speakers for nine months old with less than 50 hours in the integrated was a demo model

Found the gear I wanted posted the want ads