Your hifi history part 1 - speakers

[The Strat]

79-85 Wharfdale Diamonds

85-2002 Heybrook HBS1s

2002----------- BWs CM2s (now in 2nd room)

2004------------Dyn Contours 1.8 Mk II

Strat

[oldphrt]

RTV Acton

Leak Mini-Sandwich

Celestion Ditton 15

KLH 317

B&W 601

[JANDL100]

ADPully wrote:

*= still own

• decca kelly large things
• sonab small model
• 
  
• 
  Pioneer HPM1100
  

Hi Andy

I'd be most interested in some comments about these.

[Davewhityetagain]

not in order

Technics 4 different models

Kenwood 2 different models

Quad 57s 6 pairs

JBL's ?

Mission 4 pairs

B&W 3 different sets

then further up the food chain

B&W CDM1NT
804's

Quad 63s 2 pairs

Tannoy Turnberrys



Glenair's



over 36 years

a few others lost in time

[Stupinder]

Did anyone have a pair of Celestion sl600, and what did you think - i was intrigued by these and always lusted after a pair. Alas 'twas never to be. Perhaps someday

[Biscuit]

Tannoy Mx-2's
ART Stiletto's*
Yamaha NS1000
Sony APM-66ES
Tannoy GRF Memory
Tannoy TD8
ART Expression 3-Way
JBL Project Array 1400*

*still owned

were there any others?

[meninblack]

Biscuit wrote:

Tannoy Mx-2's
ART Stiletto's*
Yamaha NS1000
Sony APM-66ES
Tannoy GRF Memory
Tannoy TD8
ART Expression 3-Way
JBL Project Array 1400*

*still owned

were there any others?

You had at least two pairs of Sonys Russ: the classy standmounts and those big fugly things with the square drivers...

[yoda900]

Tannoy Mercury still have them wonderful

Linn Kan enclosures with Focal bass and inverted tweeter. Built for BIG valve amps still have them too

Impulse H6 with AI s500

Snell J's ditto

Snell Cii

Art Expression 3 way I thought these would be my last speaker

Art Impressions These will be my last speaker

Not bad in over 20years

[catcando]

Early 70's Big Pioneer things with wood latice grills Just fun because it was your first real "hifi"

Late 70's First real hifi speakers Sonab OA16's Actually pretty good Down firing bass, upward firing mid and three angled tweeters

Early 80's Snell Type A's I still have them The first really good full range speaker I owned

Late 2007 Living Voice OBX RW's but with OBX R2 crossovers Lots of fun on some music, but ultimately a bit limited in the bass and too coloured in the midrange for me

Early 2008 Acoustic Zen Adagios Nice treble, more honest midrange to me, and goodbut not great bass.

[The Strat]

Davewhityetagain wrote:

not in order

Technics 4 different models

Kenwood 2 different models

Quad 57s 6 pairs

JBL's ?

Mission 4 pairs

B&W 3 different sets

then further up the food chain

B&W CDM1NT
804's

Quad 63s 2 pairs

Tannoy Turnberrys



Glenair's



over 36 years

a few others lost in time

None from Salisbury Dave

[UnFocused]

Not many for me I'm afraid.....

JPW Sonata - First proper speaker (ie not attached to a music centre )

Kef Q35 - The mark 1s, with the Uni Q driver. Loved these speakers, still in the loft!

Spendor S5e - Current choice. Small (wife-friendly) size, amazing sound. Keeping them until I can afford Thiel CS 3.7s, the only speakers to truly stop me in my tracks.

[ADPully]

JANDL100 wrote:

ADPully wrote:

*= still own

• decca kelly large things
• sonab small model
• 
  
• 
  Pioneer HPM1100
  

Hi Andy

I'd be most interested in some comments about these.

Decca kellys bought for £90 around 10 years ago these were orig modelsbass was sluggish and too sluggsh with 10w amp quite similar to B&W DM70 great treble crap bass - that reminds me I had a pair of them infact still have the electrostatic treble units treble units - forgot them on my list.

so because of this sluggishness even with asugden 25watter the cab and bass units were skipped - treble units were brill and were bodged with various bass units eventually sold

Small sonabs were FANTASTIC I reallyregret selling them to a mate who passed them on Big sonabs are nowhere near as good

Pioneers geat bass tight and detailed but I could never cope with dryness of them - they were too analytical I mixed the DM70 treble (electrostaitic) with the Pioneer bass and with a valve amp and that was excellent

additional info - the P2H I have now bought orig in 2000 just work in my new room - for me more balanced than stacked quads - far better treble and tunefull bass plus they dont ask too much of other equipment in the system the 3Dness of these is fab I suspect they would work well with a Krell

Andy

[Samantha]

Pioneer - big 3 ways, can't recall model. Moved a lot of air and impressed me until one day I wandered into the Sound Organisation and heard something better.
(Incidentally, my first system was bought back in the '80s and despite having never read any mags and never met or spoke with anyone into hi-fi ..... I just instinctively thought that if they spent money on gadgets and flashing lights, that was less money on the sound quality making stuff - so I bought the least well equipped, most basic non-flashing light adorned hi-fi which happened to also be seperates - lucky eh!?)

Hi-Fi trail...

Epos ES11s on KuStones - lively and punchy. Still great little speakers IMO for the money. A friend of mine still has them.

Linn Nexus SE - bigger and more detailed, really enjoyed metal with these, but the presentation was a bit 'throw you back into the wall, now sit there and be subjected to this!' ...... I loved them at the time but knew they had some serious failings.

Naim SBLs - much more civilised. Presentation a world away from the agressive Nexus. Did subtlety and gave my music a depth I had not seen before. I started listening to music with more than just heavily amplified guitars!

Audio Physic Avanti IIIs - Cripes, that bass is big. Much more careful positioning required to make sure the bass doesn't get too much. Once positioned right, imaging (novelty for me), subtlety and presence. Also one of the only tweeters I have ever heard (other than a ribbon tweeter) that seems to blend almost seemlessly. Oh, and very pretty which had never even been a consideration of mine, but these do look nice - despite the moaning I get from my boyfriend or mother when she calls in regarding them being too far into the room and "Are they really necessary? No-one could possibly need speakers that size, they are rediculous, you can't really think they sound better, it is just showing off"

[meninblack]

Samantha wrote:

...mother when she calls in regarding them being too far into the room and "Are they really necessary? No-one could possibly need speakers that size, they are rediculous, you can't really think they sound better, it is just showing off"

I'm looking forward to myparents' reaction to the Turnberrys....

[russ abbott - royds brother]

Interesting thread.

Made me realise how many pairs i've had.

jpw sonata

jpw p1

mission 737s

mission 737 r

heybrook hb2

chartwell ls3/5a

rogers ls3/5a 11 ohm

rogers ls55

rogers ls1

rogers ls4

rogers ls6

rogers ls7

quad 11

epos es11

linn kans couple of pairs.

royd abotts.

celestion sl6s

few pairs of diamonds 1 2 and 3

arc 101

jpw ap2s

jr 149 couple of pairs.

spendor bc1s couple of pairs.

neat mystiques 2 3 pairs

pink triangle ventricals

triangle zays

castle conway 2s

ram cd 10

sure there's probably a few more.

Can't say i've hated any of them.

Ones i've enjoyed the most are the epos-neats - spendors-jrs -chartwells-royds and triangles.

[Wolflinn]

Sony (can not remember but pretty bad)

Linn nexus - Big open bass, big sound,fun but not very honest (still have at work)

Mission 772 - Nice small speaker with better bass and buildthen most at its size (best mate stilluses them)

Tannoy R2 - Still have and still the best floorstander I have heardbelow £500(needs to be massloaded to sound its best)

Mission 751 freedom - Very good small stand mount (maybe the best mission I have heard ) Brother now uses them.

Pmc fb1 - Better then every other floorstander I tried under £2000 7yrs ago (Can not see me changing)

[mighty ant]

Started with a Tannoy corner speaker - could only afford one s/h. Mono was still in vogue!
Then Quad ESL 57 (pair)
Quad ESL 57 Made by Peter Lindley
Quad 988 Nouveau
Quad 2805*
Stirling LS3/5a (V1) + Rogers AB1*


*In today's system(s)

Seems to be a theme in my choice of speaker

[enbee23]

Mission 761 - ok budget speaker, no more & no less

Tannoy Mercury S - bit more refined thsn the Missions and better bass, I liked them

Rogers LS4a2 - Much much better. I could still live with a pair of these if I had to.

Rogers LS7t - Very good, real music at last

Rogers LS5/8 - ex-BBC behemoths that sadly never went beyond project stage

Harbeth Compact 7ES - Superb and very even spread of abilities

Yamaha NS-1000M - Amazing clarity and punch, all the time

Meridian D600 - Big & powerful digital actives, enjoyed them but not keepers

Merlin VSM-MM - Not lush or romantic sounding but do not make poor recordings unlistenable despite being exceptionally transparent and revealing. They seem to be thriving on the end of some valves, I like these very very much.

The only thing that might tempt me away from them eventually is the lure of big fwack-off horns...

[murray johnson]

mighty ant wrote:

Started with a Tannoy corner speaker - could only afford one s/h. Mono was still in vogue!
Then Quad ESL 57 (pair)
Quad ESL 57 Made by Peter Lindley
Quad 988 Nouveau
Quad 2805*
Stirling LS3/5a (V1) + Rogers AB1*


*In today's system(s)

Seems to be a theme in my choice of speaker

I met him a few times. Very nice & knowledgeable chap. Presumably retired now (or worse!)

[Testure]

TDL RTL3 - Not refined but fun,

Revel F30 - big jump, with really deep bassand suprisingly refined metal tweeter

Revel M20 - lose the lower octaves, but gain even better midrange overit's big brother

Amphion Ions - Very small so limited bass but what there is is quality,lovely open midrange and treble.