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Speakers That Changed My Life

maxwardmaxward Posts: 787
in Speakers
This is the title of an article in the current issue of The Absolute Sound (#296). In it, many staffers describe theirs. For Robert Harley, it was the Polk Monitor 10. It’s an interesting article, in that it gets one thinking about which speakers, if any, quality on a personal level.
Thorens TD-160C; Sumiko Talisman S, retipped by Soundsmith; Jolida JD9; Marantz CD-53; North Star Intenso;
Joule-Electra LA-100; Balanced Power Technology AC conditioner;
Odyssey Khartago monos (with most factory upgrades); Magnepan MG 3.6R
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  • teekay0007teekay0007 Posts: 2,304
    Like Mr. Harley, the Monitor 10s were the first to draw me in, back in ‘89! B)
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  • Jimbo18Jimbo18 Posts: 2,232
    Mine were a pair KLH 5's. Not great speakers but after the Zenith system I first bought........
    HT - Pio Elite SC-63, Nuance Spatial 3S, Spatial Cen S, FXi50 surrounds, Def Tech PF 15TL+, Belkin PF30, Samsung UBD-M7500, Furez 12-2.
    Bedroom - Samsung UN50RU7200, Denon 2808ci, Monitor 5jr+ Series 2, Polk T30 center, Furez 10/2,
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  • verbverb Posts: 10,313
    SDA 2B's were my first set of Polks. Been a fan ever since! :smile:
    Basement: Polk SDA SRS, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,Enlightened Audio Designs CD Transport, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, Marantz SA-14 SACD, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Digital Cables, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, Wireworld Oasis 8 RCA IC's, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
    Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, PASS ACA Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
    Spare Room: Antique Sound Labs Wave AV-8 Monoblocks, Tisbury Mini Passive Pre, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
    Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
    Garage: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
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  • daddyjtdaddyjt Posts: 1,494
    edited July 2019
    Infinity RS6b in the late 80’s - completely blew me away, especially for their size.

    *stock photo
    hdbrhct3zhvd.jpeg

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  • mhardy6647mhardy6647 Posts: 26,911
    edited July 2019
    I am surprised that Harley's hifi loudspeaker epiphany was the Monitor 10. That's cool, though.

    Polk Monitor Series Model 7A (and The David Grisman Quintet) for me. (edit) Early (?) 1977. Soundscape. Baltimore.

    Still got 'em; although I couldn't actually afford to buy a pair 'til 1978 -- and even then had to go with demonstrators in "rosewood" :p vinyl.

    ... and y'all know how that all turned out...

    B)

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  • mhardy6647mhardy6647 Posts: 26,911
    edited July 2019
    Jimbo18 wrote: »
    Mine were a pair KLH 5's. Not great speakers but after the Zenith system I first bought........

    Oh, I dunno -- the KLH 5 was pretty darned decent IMO/IME.

    The Quad ESL-57s probably made the biggest incremental impression on me, FWIW.
    I have a flashbulb memory of the first time I heard them. I literally wanted a pair upon first hearing (playing Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here on Quad ss electronics) and did ultimately acquire a pair (albeit only decades later).

    Some of the least colored sounding loudspeakers extant, then and even still now. Just astonishing (within their limitations, which are admittedly rather significant). :)

    Everyone who is interested in hifi sound reproduction should, ideally, own a pair (with appropriate amplification available, of course) -- or at the least spend a good chunk of quality time listening to them, I'd opine.


    28967395507_9e11ba5b54_b.jpgquadsnvinyl0609 (1) by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
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  • BlueFoxBlueFox Posts: 14,113
    Not sure if they changed my life, but my Pioneer CS-A700 speakers I bought in 73-74 established the sound I had to better with every subsequent purchase. Actually, I guess they did change my life when I think of all the dinero I have spent on speakers since then. :)

    Lumin X1 file player
    Sony XA-5400ES SACD
    Pass XP-22 pre, X600.5 amps
    Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers, SPOD spikes

    Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
    Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
    Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables

    Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
    Three 20 amp circuits.
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  • OleBootOleBoot Posts: 748
    My revelation were Leak Sandwich speakers that were purchased for a song by my Dad from an audiophile friend of his (who upgraded to speakers embedded in concrete in the wall of his house - the ultimate in those days) and given to me for Christmas to be powered by my 20 wpc Teleton amp.
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  • gyosagyosa Posts: 564
    As good as my SDA 1c’s ave always been , my new Salks have blown me away ....
    That Raal ribbon tweeter is unbelievable - mids and highs are orgasmic.

    Bk
    Parasound A21 , Yamaha wxc-50 , Polk SDA 1c’s ( my first love .. ) , Kimber Kable 4TC, Sony 42” - BEDROOM

    B&K EX-442 ( it will go in my casket when I die ... ) , PS Audio 4.6 preamp ( old school , but it still jams on ... ) , Yamaha wxc-50 , Boston Acoustic voyager 7’s - POOL

    PS Audio Stellar S300 , Cambridge Audio 851n , Yamaha wxc-50 , Kimber Kable 4vs , Salk Supercharged Song towers ( difficult choice between these and my family if I had to choose ... 😩 ) , Sony XBR-A8F 65” OLED , Onkyo TX-RZ610 - DEN , MAIN RIG

    Onkyo TX-nr609 , Polk atrium 7 , Boston acoustic sound ware (4) , Boston acoustic sub , B&W center , Sharp 65” TV - PATIO

    DAYENS AMPINO ( thanks Verb ! ) , KEiiD streamer ( this was only 60 bucks ?? ) , Polk atrium 8SDi’s - KID’s BEDROOM


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  • nooshinjohnnooshinjohn Posts: 23,099
    Magnepan Tympani mated with AR amplification and front end... I would go listen for my lunch breaks when I worked there in 1985 prior to leaving for boot camp.
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, TriangleArt Reference SE with Pass Labs Xono Phono Preamp, Walker Precision Motor Drive, ClearAudio Goldfinger Statement V2 cartridge and Origin Conqueror Mk3c tonearm, Polk Audio "Signature" Reference Series 1.2TL with complete mods, Pass Labs X0.2 three chassis preamp, PS Audio PerfectWave DAC MkII, Pioneer Elite SC-LX701, Oppo UDP-205 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds.

    I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.” .

    “If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”
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  • maxwardmaxward Posts: 787
    For me, two speakers qualify. The first was a pair of AR 2ax, in my freshman dorm (1968). Owned by a kid who built tube Dynaco kits to drive them. He had them facing each other on the tops of the built-in bookshelves in the corners of the room. Yeah, way too much bass, but when you’re 17, what else is there? This, and other like-minded residents of the dorm, is what started an interest in stereo. Then, in about 1975, on a trip up the California Coast, I stopped in a cafe in Mendocino and heard some jazz playing at relatively mild levels and couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. A waiter pointed out the Quad ESL-57 pair sitting up on a low room divider. I found a table nearby and was amazed at the natural sound of the music while I ate my lunch. I have ever since thought about getting a pair of Quads or other electrostatic speakers.
    Thorens TD-160C; Sumiko Talisman S, retipped by Soundsmith; Jolida JD9; Marantz CD-53; North Star Intenso;
    Joule-Electra LA-100; Balanced Power Technology AC conditioner;
    Odyssey Khartago monos (with most factory upgrades); Magnepan MG 3.6R
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  • kharp1kharp1 Posts: 3,463
    I'm not sure "changed my life" would be my exact words, but, I remember several different phases of life where different speakers/setups wowed. I remember my first Klipsch Khorns with Mac tube mono's...the clarity and detail. I remember the first time I heard the SRS's, that was life changing...I knew there was a different level of sound stage and dimension available. I remember the first time I heard Maggies. That was a watershed moment.
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  • Tony MTony M Posts: 9,611
    KLH model 8's wowed me. I used them for years. I think I had a small Pioneer silver face powering them.

    Then the ESS AMT1B's. super wow!

    Then the Polk Monitor 10's had a sound that made my classic rock sound oh so good!

    You all know the rest. I'm still getting wowed by road side finds or free speakers from my local Craig's list ads.
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
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  • mhardy6647mhardy6647 Posts: 26,911
    gyosa wrote: »
    As good as my SDA 1c’s ave always been , my new Salks have blown me away ....
    That Raal ribbon tweeter is unbelievable - mids and highs are orgasmic.

    Bk

    Does that mean that the bass... is not?
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  • mhardy6647mhardy6647 Posts: 26,911
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    Magnepan Tympani mated with AR amplification and front end... I would go listen for my lunch breaks when I worked there in 1985 prior to leaving for boot camp.

    a classic combination (assuming by "AR" you mean Audio Research) -- I remember hearing the 1B morph of the Magneplanar Tympanis (which were marketed by Audio Research, not Magnepan, interestingly enough) with Audio Research amplification. Very, very nice.

    My only "issue" with them (and this only in retrospect) was an un-natural bigness to some recordings -- I vividly remember the impression of the 12 foot wide piano that they presented. It was impressive (and I was young and impressionable!) but not exactly realistic (although the tone and weight of the sound was good).

    Not much will beat the reproduction of 'real' sounding piano from the aforementioned ESL-57 or the Altec Duplexes IMO and IME. Indeed, I am not sure anything will. I certainly haven't heard any better (in terms of real sounding) piano reproduction than from those two units. They remain my reference for real (as opposed to realistic) midrange reproduction.

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  • gyosagyosa Posts: 564


    No the bass is there .... plenty.
    Doesn’t go as low as the 1c’s , but it it is way tighter , more defined.
    Transmission Line cabinet vs passive radiator.....
    Bass is “mushy” on the 1c’s compared to the Salks.
    The Salks are a very “accurate” speaker .
    Still love the 1c’s though .....

    Bk

    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    gyosa wrote: »
    As good as my SDA 1c’s ave always been , my new Salks have blown me away ....
    That Raal ribbon tweeter is unbelievable - mids and highs are orgasmic.

    Bk

    Does that mean that the bass... is not?

    Parasound A21 , Yamaha wxc-50 , Polk SDA 1c’s ( my first love .. ) , Kimber Kable 4TC, Sony 42” - BEDROOM

    B&K EX-442 ( it will go in my casket when I die ... ) , PS Audio 4.6 preamp ( old school , but it still jams on ... ) , Yamaha wxc-50 , Boston Acoustic voyager 7’s - POOL

    PS Audio Stellar S300 , Cambridge Audio 851n , Yamaha wxc-50 , Kimber Kable 4vs , Salk Supercharged Song towers ( difficult choice between these and my family if I had to choose ... 😩 ) , Sony XBR-A8F 65” OLED , Onkyo TX-RZ610 - DEN , MAIN RIG

    Onkyo TX-nr609 , Polk atrium 7 , Boston acoustic sound ware (4) , Boston acoustic sub , B&W center , Sharp 65” TV - PATIO

    DAYENS AMPINO ( thanks Verb ! ) , KEiiD streamer ( this was only 60 bucks ?? ) , Polk atrium 8SDi’s - KID’s BEDROOM


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  • Polkitup2Polkitup2 Posts: 1,599
    After a long Hiatus from audio, the Polk RTi150s sucked me back into audio. Not sure I'd be too impressed with them now, but at the time I thought they were the greatest thing my rookie ears had ever heard. They could rock! My listening tastes are completely different now (14 years later), but I must say that the first couple years of getting back into audio with the Polk's were the most fun.

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  • motorstereomotorstereo Posts: 1,552
    Properly set up sda's would be mine. The next day after I heard what Polk 1.2tl's were capable of in December of 2011 I disassembled my entire rig in a quest that continues to this day to retrieve and refine that sda sound.
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  • dromundsdromunds Posts: 9,077
    They didn't change my life, but they stopped me in my tracks. Acoustic Research AR-9's playing outside - Deep Purple Made in Japan had just come out - and I'd never heard it. A stereo shop was playing the AR-9's behind their shop hooked up to some good separates (maybe S.A.E.), and I was literally stopped in my tracks when I heard those speakers - I thought a live band was playing over there. I didn't even know there was a stereo shop there so I walked closer to see the band and I was flabbergasted to see only those AR-9's and a small group of people mulling about.
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  • Tony MTony M Posts: 9,611
    That's a fantastic experience and cool story. ;)B)
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
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  • Tony MTony M Posts: 9,611
    Reminds me of my brothers' story in a way.

    He went to an outdoor party and the people had huge Klipsch Cornwalls or La-Scala's or what ever model bigger BOX Klipsch speakers and he said it was like a live band was up on the platform they had made to put the speakers on with a DJ.

    He'll never forget them he said! :DB)
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
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  • codycatalistcodycatalist Posts: 2,677
    edited July 2019
    SDA SRS2

    First real speakers I ever listened to. Due to that experience I searched and now own an upgraded pair of 2Bs that would probably beat the snot out of those unmodded SRS.
    Just a dude doing dude-ly things

    "Temptation is the manifestation of desire which equals necessity." - Mikey081057
    " I have always had a champange taste with a beer budget" - Rick88
    "Just because the thread is getting views don't mean much .. I like a good train wreck doesn't mean i want to be in one..." - pitdogg2
    "Those that don't know, don't know that they don't know." - heiney9
    "Audiophiles are the male equivalent of cat ladies." - Audiokarma Member
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  • kharp1kharp1 Posts: 3,463
    edited July 2019
    Mikey081057 wrote: »
    I saw Carl Sagan speak at a seminar

    Ding ding ding ding ding...we have a winner!
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  • halohalo Posts: 5,608
    Von Schweikert VR2's

    qkw0302yk9p0.jpg
    Audio: Wharfedale Evo 4.2 * Musical Fidelity M2si * Bluesound Node 2i * APC H10 * StudioTech HF-5
    Vinyl: Fluance RT85 * Nagaoka MP-110 * Bottlehead Reduction + Integration Upgrade * KAB RF1
    Video: Hisense 55H8F * Panasonic DMP-UB200 * Z-line Designs Elektra
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  • hochpt21hochpt21 Posts: 5,327
    About 10 years ago, I had recently joined the forum due to a pair of Monitor 70’s and as we do well around here...was quickly encouraged to buy a pair of LSi15’s.

    The LSi15’s blew me away. They were so clear and “real” sounding compared to anything I had heard previously. I honestly remember being at work and tweaking about getting home for a listening session. It was like an addict situation.

    I’ve enjoyed my brief journey so far, but to this point, that has been my “wow” moment.
    __________________________________________________
    2 Channel
    Turntable - VPI Scout 1.1/Ortofon 2M Blue
    Amplification - Parks Audio Budgie, Dared SL2000a, McCormack DNA 0.5 Deluxe
    Speakers - GoldenEar Triton 2
    __________________________________________________
    7.1 Home Theater
    Denon AVR-X3300W; Rotel RMB-1066; Polk CS350ls, LS90's, FXi3's, RC60i; SVS PC Ultra; BenQ HT2050; Elite Screens 120"
    __________________________________________________
    Man Cave
    Turntable - Pro-Ject 2.9 Wood/Grado Gold
    Integrated Amplifier - Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II
    CD: Cambridge Audio
    Speakers - LSiM 703; SDA 2A; Epos Epic 2
    __________________________________________________
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  • joecoulsonjoecoulson Posts: 4,978
    ken brydson wrote: »
    Klipsch C Horns, Pink Floyd's The Wall and possibly some acid involved....

    Great Karma! In with 69
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  • ClipdatClipdat Posts: 9,260
    Snell Acoustics.
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