I wonder..?

Loud & Clear · February 2005

I purchased a bunch of newer polks also. Liked them. Then I started purchasing some vintage polks. Like them better. Something to consider.

VR3 · February 2005

Well I'm Bias...

so I'll throw out a couple...

Definitive Tech BP10B, BP700 (enter end number here - all are stellar performers) - BP30 is another if u can find it (they discontinued it)...

www.definitivetech.com

As far as Axiom goes... www.axiomaudio.com

ascend...

www.ascendacoustics.com

Ah yes, dont forget vintage Polks!!

beardog03 · February 2005

Thanks bro...I`m on it..:D

dorokusai · February 2005

I would step out of your element and suggest a non-traditional speaker.....Magnepan is what has had me holed up for the last 3 weeks. If they go anywhere, it will be to move in a bigger pair.

Magnepan is one kind of speaker I always want to have around.

You can also go vintage....AR, KLH, Quad, Dahlquist, ADS, Klipsch and a host of others. A few of these "old timer" speakers really shine and some of them crush newer designs.

If you get a pair of vintage Polk's, do a Peerless for sure, but once you've heard a few KEY vintage Polk's you've heard them all. There is no need to own a wall of Polk, or even more than one SDA, as it's just a waste of resources IMO.

I've owned a few SDA's, at the same time, but let a speaker survive on it's own merit.....whatever, I just find myself going back to roots rather than following trends and "neat" application.

VR3 · February 2005

Doro...

I was trying to find Maggies website, but I had no luck...

Arnt they running like special online deals?

I wanna hear a pair...

dorokusai · February 2005

www.magnepan.com

VR3 · February 2005

Thank you sir....

Cant believe I couldnt find it (dont think I could spell it)...

What is the model that is like 600 or some dollars? (if you dont mind me asking)

dorokusai · February 2005

I picked them up used for way less than $550, I'll say that much

If you come into Polkfest you can hear a couple pairs of them, MG IIA(Vintage) and MMG(Modern).

VR3 · February 2005

I'll try to make it... but err, dosnt look to promising (unless I can hitch a ride... which I doubt would be allowed)...

Traditional speakers are boring

beardog03 · February 2005

I have been eyeballin` my speaks to see who`s gonna be first to be cut from the team....

It`s hard to see a grown polk cry...

can`t seem to pick one...

I guess I could get rid of pair (out of 3 pairs) of rt15i`s first..

maybe that will make it easier to get the ball rollin..!

George Grand · February 2005

I can tell you what it would sound like. It would sound like about 1/10th of what it would sound like if I cranked all the speakers in THIS house all at once.

Expand your horizons.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

beardog03 · February 2005

George...

What is you favorite choice in my expanding adventure..?!

BlueMDPicker · February 2005

F1 says, Sonus Faber makes very nice speakers.

dorokusai · February 2005

Yea, that's a brainstorm.

beardog03 · February 2005

hey blue....

do you have a favorite ?

disneyjoe7 · February 2005

Originally posted by beardog03
Thank DB...

I`ll se if I can get the camera to do that

still not used to the digital camera....

The best setting for posting pictures here in 640 x 480
that's a good size so that the pictures aren't to large to fit on here.

Let me add my $.02 here on this one. I use a 6.3 meg camera taking a 3072 x 2048 picture. Using XP windows I select this picture and on the right side menu you should see E-mail file you then can E-mail this picture back to yourself in a smaller size. You then can post a smaller more detailed picture then if you limit the camera to a smaller picture size (given you can even get the camera this low), you also have the ability to print a better picture this way.

BTW is that a Para HCA-3500 amp? Nothing else looks really sexy.

beardog03 · February 2005

yes it is...
brand spanking new !!
it has about 12 hrs on it so far...

Thanks for the tip with the camera..
It goes from 5.1 down to 1.2...
I`ll try it the way you suggest next time...

whaaa..?
you don`t think my stand is beautiful ?!!
The pic`s don`t do it justice...;)

disneyjoe7 · February 2005

Originally posted by beardog03

whaaa..?
you don`t think my stand is beautiful ?!!
The pic`s don`t do it justice...;)

What stand? I was looking at that 3500 beauty

Just kidding very nice....

RACK

F1nut · February 2005

Originally posted by dorokusai
Yea, that's a brainstorm.

What, exactly is your problem?

dorokusai · February 2005

Take an aspirin Mr. Sensitive.

I mean it's a no-brainer that they make good speakers.

Please dole out wisdom as you see fit as I am bowing out of this arena.

EDITED FOR CONTENT

BlueMDPicker · February 2005

Originally posted by beardog03
hey blue....

do you have a favorite ?

Of the speakers I currently have, here's my ranking:

1. Klipsch RF-3 - great with tubes and acoustic instrument oriented music.
2. Polk SDA SRS - amazingly wide soundstage and imaging.
3. Polk SDA 2B & 2A - perfect for a smaller listening area, sound as good as the SRS in that setting IMO.
4. Magneplanar MG I & MG I IMP - great with electric jazz, designed for listening from sitting position, need spikes or elevated bases to come alive as a full range speaker.
5. Polk Monitor 11 - Peerless tweeters are too bright for my application and tastes, punchy bass, wife loves the sound.

Wish list is short: larger, horn-loaded, high efficiency pair of somethings for SET or OTL amplification. Less is more works for me.

George Grand · February 2005

I am a dyed in the wool Henry Kloss fan. I like the sound of a lot of speakers, but grew up loving the sound of VINTAGE AR's. I feel they offer the most bang for the buck, even in todays market. Sometimes you can STEAL them at yard sales, thrifies, and stuff like that. Not on ebay, too many others in the know.

Acoustic Research (AR-3a, AR-5, AR-LST, AR-LST II, AR-10PI, AR-11, AR-MGC-1, and last but absolutely not least AR-9)

KLH (Model 6 or 17)

Advent
Allison Acoustics
EPI
ADS
Boston Acoustics

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

HBombToo · February 2005

Thanks for the list George. Ima keepen my eye out.

beardog03 · February 2005

me too !!

Thanks George...

and everybody else for all the suggestions...
Time to get my learn on, and expand my mind a little...

It`s hard not to go for anything other than my norm...

but like they say...

"If you don`t try something new, how do you know what your missing ?"

pjdami · February 2005

Originally posted by BlueMDPicker
Of the speakers I currently have, here's my ranking:

1. Klipsch RF-3 - great with tubes and acoustic instrument oriented music.
2. Polk SDA SRS - amazingly wide soundstage and imaging.
3. Polk SDA 2B & 2A - perfect for a smaller listening area, sound as good as the SRS in that setting IMO.
4. Magneplanar MG I & MG I IMP - great with electric jazz, designed for listening from sitting position, need spikes or elevated bases to come alive as a full range speaker.
5. Polk Monitor 11 - Peerless tweeters are too bright for my application and tastes, punchy bass, wife loves the sound.

Wish list is short: larger, horn-loaded, high efficiency pair of somethings for SET or OTL amplification. Less is more works for me.

Jeepers Blue, you've got the Klipsch number one? Man, you're telling me I have to go and listen to those bad boys? It's been a while but I've got the tube gear to support them and a local dealer in town. Alas, the RF-3 are discontinued though. Maybe Organ isn't as nuts as we thought with the entire Klipsch thing.;)

Loud & Clear · February 2005

Peerless, too bright? That surprises me. I would think the Klipsch horns and the tweets on the SDA's would be brighter than the peerless.

George Grand · February 2005

I'm leery of any speaker that:

1. Only sounds good with either tube or solid-state.

2. Only "shines" when reproducing acoustic instruments.

A real good speaker should shine on everything.

If you're going to look for the AR models I like and referred, you have to watch out for model #'s that were used twice. Some of them are NOT the ones I mean. Not one of the AR's I like or recommend were manufactured after 1980, except for the MGC-1's (Magic 1's). I think there may have been a Model 5 and Model 9 manufactured as late as the late 90's. These are not ones I am familiar with, and may not even be acoustic suspension designs. A good rule of thumb, if they're black ash colored, they are definitely not AR's I recommend.

Now in 1994, for the 40th anniversary of the founding of the company, AR came out with "Anniversary" models of the AR-3a and the AR-5. They were the AR-303 (the 3a model and it was designed by Ken Kantor of NHT fame), and the AR-302 (AR-5). Both these speakers were available in black ash and cherry.

I didn't audition the 303, but I did buy a pair of 302's in cherry wood. They were an okay speaker, but definitely not as musical as the AR-5. IO sold them to a good friend. About 10-15 people I know bought the AR-302 on my recommendation, simply because they were an okay to good speaker, that could be had for about $300 shipped to your home. No complaints came at me, but then none of those folks ever heard a -5. I did.

As late as 1999 or so, Dr. Howard Ferstler, the chief sound guy at the U. of Florida (Miami) stated, "If you own AR-3a, AR-5, AR-LST, AR-9, AR-10pi, or AR-11, you still have state of the art and no real reason to upgrade." That statement came from a man whose main rig consisted of two pair of Allision IC-20's placed back to back, one pair firing at the listening area, and the other firing at the front wall. I heard IC-20's once, and they were jaw droppers. I can't imagine what his config might've sounded like. Idid the same thing when I owned two pair of Polk RTA 11t's, and the sound really opened up, with a nice bit of ambience because of that **** bouncing off the front wall and getting to your ears a bit after the primary arrivals.

Oh, Roy Allison was the chief designer at AR from 1967-1972. When his contract with Teledyne expired he left and formed his own company, Allison Acoustics.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

pjdami · February 2005

I'm leery of any speaker that:

1. Only sounds good with either tube or solid-state.

2. Only "shines" when reproducing acoustic instruments.

A real good speaker should shine on everything.

Some good thoughts there George and thanks for the history lesson. An entire world there of AR I have not ventured on yet.

Finding a speaker that sounds good on tubes and SS is indeed a character that isn't always available. I can think of speakers that I own right now that sound kind of bad on tubes but great on SS and vice versa.

George Grand · February 2005

Don't expect many of the speakers on the list to image like a tall, skinny tower. Expect them to have a smooth presentation, with a SLIGHTLY laid back high end. Expect them to have deep, really solid bass. This is what was referred to as "The New England" or 'East Coast" sound. No sizzle or in your face crap.

Expect the AR-9's to do EVERYTHING well, and then some. They image like mo-fo's. Bass that will make your pants flap and have you thinking there's an invisible dog humping your leg.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)

BlueMDPicker · February 2005

Originally posted by pjdami
Jeepers Blue, you've got the Klipsch number one?

Wasn't meant as an endorsement, just how the speakers I own and listen to fit into the sound I'm after. My musical taste is nearly exclusively jazz and blues and predominantly live versus studio recordings. The RF-3's deliver the goods for my tastes. I haven't had enough time in front of the SRS's since the xover upgrades to change my ranking, but I suspect it might change.

I wonder..?

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