Vintage speaker ranking

I have recently entered the audiophile life and I have come across a lot of "vintage speakers". Seeing as I am in my 20's I wasn't around when a lot of these brands were popular. I was wondering if anyone could give me an idea of the quality/ranking of speakers in the 70's/80's?

Comments

  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,922
    Well, the Polk Audio loudspeakers of that era were very nice. :)

    You also might like to look at hifi websites that cater more towards vintage tastes. Along that line, audiokarma is (still) quite popular.



  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,009
    edited June 2020
    Look at the multitude of reviews from "stereo review" on line. ;)

    Polk audio, JBL, ADS, Braun, Infinity, Pinnacle, Klipsch, Mirage. Best to just ok is a matter of your own ears. :)

    Get you a copy of the 1986 Audio Review's yearly compilation mag. and you'll have hours of fun looking at the ads, and comments. There was a copy every year. 200 pages of fun. Seeing everything and their prices was always fun for me! I still have a lot of those magazines.

    Like @mhardy6647 said above...They are online now and easy to navigate.

    Most every brand was a nice quality built speaker system back then

    Where do you live where old speakers are everywhere for the picking? :p
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
  • maxward
    maxward Posts: 1,490
    Also: AR, Advent, KLH, Dynaco.....
  • xschop
    xschop Posts: 4,635
    Exclude anything Bose.
    Don't take experimental gene therapies from known eugenicists.
  • Jazzhead
    Jazzhead Posts: 520
    Dahlquist DQ-10's A pair of those would be quite the restoration project.
    Polk Audio first generation RTA-12s; 12 inch Polk Stands; DHS Speaker Service upgraded crossovers w/ Sonicap/Mills; the "westmassguy anti-lobing mod" (hyperdamped outer drivers/mirror imaged); tweeter anti-diffraction mod; Cardas binding posts; Neotech UPOCC internal wire; foam-lined inner driver baskets; xschop phase plugs; deleted fuses; Hurricane nuts; Sonic Barrier; Dynamat Xtreme
    Ayre K-5xeMP preamplifier
    Cambridge Audio 840C CD player; Herbie's Audio Lab Super Black Hole CD Mat
    D-Sonic Custom Audio M3a-600M monoblock amplifiers
    NAD 4155 FM/AM tuner
    Silnote Audio Morpheus Reference II Series II balanced interconnects; Virtue Audio single-ended interconnects
    Kimber 12TC speaker cable w/Furez connectors; VH Audio Flavor 4 power cables w/Furutech connectors
    Herbie's Audio Lab system isolation: Tenderfeet, Big Fat Dots, Grungebuster Dots, Little Fat Gliders
    Dedicated 20A/10 AWG circuit; Furutech GTX-D (G) outlet; Furutech eTP80; Shunyata Research Venom Defender; Synergistic Research Orange fuses
  • percivilla
    percivilla Posts: 18
    Maybe less common stateside, but I'll put in a plug for PSB. Their vintage stuff is great and flies under the radar.
  • maxward
    maxward Posts: 1,490
    As do some other brands from up North.
  • westmassguy
    westmassguy Posts: 6,850
    xschop wrote: »
    Exclude anything Bose.

    Hey now, not everything was crap.
    Home Theater/2 Channel:
    Front: SDA-2ATL forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/143984/my-2as-finally-finished-almost/p1
    Center: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/150760/my-center-channel-project/p1
    Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
    Sonicaps, Mills, RDO-194s-198s, Dynamat, Hurricane Nuts, Blackhole5
    Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV, Carver PM-600, SVS PB2-Plus Subwoofer

    dhsspeakerservice.com/
  • tonyp063
    tonyp063 Posts: 1,044
    edited June 2020
    xschop wrote: »
    Exclude anything Bose.

    Hey now, not everything was crap.

    You mean possibly "Bose 901 Series II Continentals ...." :-)

    IIRC 501s of that era weren't half bad.


    Infinity of that era sound good too. A friend of mine has Qa & Qb set each & they really sound nice.


  • rebelsoul
    rebelsoul Posts: 747
    dcm timewindows
  • westmassguy
    westmassguy Posts: 6,850
    tonyp063 wrote: »
    xschop wrote: »
    Exclude anything Bose.

    Hey now, not everything was crap.

    You mean possibly "Bose 901 Series II Continentals ...." :-)

    IIRC 501s of that era weren't half bad.


    Infinity of that era sound good too. A friend of mine has Qa & Qb set each & they really sound nice.


    The original 601s were quite good, and of course my Continentals too
    Home Theater/2 Channel:
    Front: SDA-2ATL forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/143984/my-2as-finally-finished-almost/p1
    Center: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/150760/my-center-channel-project/p1
    Surrounds & Rears: Custom Built forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/151647/my-surround-project/p1
    Sonicaps, Mills, RDO-194s-198s, Dynamat, Hurricane Nuts, Blackhole5
    Pioneer Elite VSX-72TXV, Carver PM-600, SVS PB2-Plus Subwoofer

    dhsspeakerservice.com/
  • xschop
    xschop Posts: 4,635
    All those 901 drivers, yet couldn't get a dedicated tweeter implemented...
    Don't take experimental gene therapies from known eugenicists.
  • engie490
    engie490 Posts: 424
    edited July 2020
    Speakers are definitely the most personal decision in a stereo and, as others have said, there are many good vintage brands.

    It might help to narrow your search a bit by looking at which speakers might fit your situation.

    First off, you need to take into account the room you're going to put them in and where you can live with them in the room. Some speakers are designed to be against a wall while others need to be 3 or so feet from any boundary. Some large speakers need an equally large room, etc.

    Next, do you like specific types of music and at what levels do you listen? Some speakers are better at jazz or classical or rock, while some are good at lower levels and some are designed for a frat party.

    In other words, your needs will help us point you towards vintage speakers that might fit the bill for you.
    Sonus Faber Liuto / Coda Continuum / Anthem STR Preamplifier / Oppo BDP-105D / Technics SP-15 w/SAEC WE-308SX & Ortofon AS-309 arms / Ikeda 9C2 & Dynavector XX2 Mk II carts