Your hifi history part 1 - speakers

[gintonic]

And in the blink of an eye, the AN/J LX Hemp have been replaced by some glorious AN/E SpE Hemp Signature

for some reason revisiting this thread, I still have the brilliant AN/E SpE HE Signatures. But I recall the first ones were not Heybrook HB1s, but the speakers that came with a Ferguson System 25 all-in-one....that my parents bought me.




list is now

Ferguson System 25 speakers
Heybrook HB1s
Kef Q35.5
Kef R700
AN/J Hemp
AN/E SpE Signature HE

and

Proac Super tablettes in the kitchen
Q Acoustics 2010 in the bedroom

 

[EddieRUKidding]

Wharfdale 508's bought way back new my first Hi Fi units, replaced the 8" drivers with Vifa units when the original omes with Aluminium v/coils shate themselves - still using them in my third system. Still sounds good with the Vifa's

Many other speakers which I wont list.
then some AR93's which I refurbed and use in my 2nd system- very nice

and in my main system brought some professionally refurbed Wharfdale Doverdale SP's very very nice

 

[ovlov854]

Wow, this list is going to cover 50years
Wharfdale Linton
Kef Celeste
Heybrook HB2
Linn Sara
Linn Sara 9
Ruark Crusader 2
Wilmslow Audio Custom HSM
Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor...............unbelievable dynamic sound from such a tiny cabinet. And gorgeous looks
Wilson Benesch Actors
Ruark Talisman 2.....in second system

And which ones do I most regret selling?????..........................the Cremona Auditors

 

[Faxe]

MB Quart 600 bought in 1993

Tannoy Precision 6.4 bought in 2013

Paradigm Persona 3F bought last weekend

 

[Snoopdog]

1976 - Present day:-

Tannoy Cheviots
Nightingale NM1's
Linn Isobarik DMS
Linn Isobaric PMS
TDL Monitors
Amphion Kryptons
Avalon Indras
TAD CRI MKII's

 

[marko]

Celef.
Celestion.
Meridian M2.
Impulse H6.
Impulse H2.
Impulse H1.
Impulse Taus.
Audio Note AND.
Audio Note ANE SPe HE Sig Hemp.
Audio Note ANE SPe HE Hemp.
Audio Note ANJ LX Hemp.
Audio Note ANK LX.
Audio Note ANJ LX Hemp.
Audio Note ANE LX Hemp. See photo.

 

[Jazid]

I've avoided biting, but heck.
I inherited whats in my avatar, a Vitavox Bitone, bought from Vitavox in1951. I spent happy days in Nigeria posting dinky cars into the horn unit. It remains as an old pal. Then I paid for STC Super Saturn's to see me through uni, my best mate has them still. Then IAS quarter loaded boxes, they were lovely but not so neutral. Sold at Scalford a few years back. Then AE1 Mk3 SE, a weird diversion but fantastically lucid speakers. I have them still albeit not being used. Then ANE-SPx SE which I've had for 12 years and are all I will ever need. And a few pairs of Tannoys trumpeting their way in and out in the meantime.
Regrets? I'd like to have had AvantGarde Trio, but divorce never really appealed.

 

[khapahk]

Last posted on this thread in July 2008 so maybe time for an update.

Heco Celan 300 (replaced PMC DB1 in 2nd system) - still running these in 2nd system

Pro Ac Studio 140 mk 1

ProAc D18

ProAc D20R - current main speakers

 

[Yorkshireman]

Audio Physic Sitara (nice, clean, spacious sound but a bit lightweight)

PMC FACT 3 (refined, spacious, but lacking drive)

Serhan & swift Brigadier MU.2 (clean, spacious, tight bass, efortless topend)

The MU.2 are very deceptive, and have some serious tight bass puch for a bookshelf speaker, I will be keeping these for a long time.

 

[ff1d1l]

Wharfedale Dovedale
Quad electrostatics
Stacked Quad electrostatics
Musical fidelity MC4
Isobariks
A later pair of Isobariks
12" Tannoy Monitor golds
Autographs with Tannoy Reds
Urei 811As
Urei 804
Jbl 4411
Another pair of 4411s
Jbl L 40
Jbl 4430, homebuilt clone, better cabs, better crossover.

 

[JohanEk]

From start to present day:

Triangle Esprit Antal EZ
Wharfedale Jade 3
Buchardt S300 mkII
Atohm GT2-HD
PMC Twenty5.24
ATC Scm11
ATC Scm19 v2

 

[Hifigod]

Castle dhurum
Musical fidelity mc2
Cambridge audio r50
Quad 57s
Quad 63s
Proac 1sc
Atc scm100asl
Atc scm40
kef raymond cookes
quad 2905
dali helicon 400
dynaudio focus
tannoy stirling
Dhalquest dq30
Dhalquest dq12
wilson audio puppys
Martin logan sl3
Martin logan oddessy
B&w 802n
Tannoy Cheviot
Dali helicon 800mk2
Dynaudio 52se
Tannoy Cheviot and about 100 other sets

 

[Kalum]

Started out with Monitor Audio BR2
Castle Tay
Jamo Concert 8
PMC FB1i
ATC SCM40
Just ordered ATC SCM50

They were all good in their own way, I must admit though that in my personal opinion the ATC's get closer to the sound and feel of real instruments than any other speaker I have ever heard personally - especially anywhere close to their price tags.

 

[hearhere]

Home built Concrete Column speaker with 10" upwards-facing driver (mono) inspired by Gilbert Briggs' description in his "Cabinet Handbook"

Home built Wharfedale Airedale speakers, prompted by Gilbert Briggs' comment in Cabinet Handbook "Probably difficult or impossible to make at home, we are including drawings as they may be helpful in more remote corners of the earth". I was living in London, but accepted the challenge. !5", 8" and 3" drivers in 4.5 cu ft 6-sided enclosures.

Same Airedale enclosures but modified with KEF drivers - B139 "racetrack" bass, B110 and T27 drivers all facing forward. Greatly improbed stero imaging

Westrex 2326A studio monitors with 15" bass and pressure dome tweeters. Very rare - bought after placing a Wanted ad in local paper in the Under £20 section. Pretty good buy for £20!

KEF Reference 107 speakers. Twin 10" bass drivers totally enclosed within the body of the speaker, plus swivelling head with B110 and T33 drivers and CUBE. Great speakers rarely seen in UK

ATC Active 50 speakers, bought ex-demo from ATC. 9" bass, ATC mid and Vifa tweeter. Didn't like these speakers - I wanted to push them 20 ft further away!

Avantgarde Uno horn speakers. Twin 10" self-powered bass, plus mid and top horns. Bought after disappointment of ATCs and reading Stereophile's rave review and award of Best Speaker of the Year. Great speakers. kept for 17 years.

QUAD 2905 full-range electrostatics with transformer mods to 2912 spec. Bought used for experiment with electrostatics as not intended to keep. Sounded surprisingly good, even in my difficult room. Inspired next purchase -

Martin Logan Expression 13A electrostatics. Twin 10" bass, plus large electrostatic panel. After reading great reviews and convincing showroon demo, I bought these new only to find out that they were unsuitable for my room.

Avantgarde Duo (circa 2006) horns bought used at a bargain price. Same bass as Unos but improved horn section. Bought after the disappointment of the MLs. I modified the support system to improve appearance. Still have these great speakers

Avantgarde Duo XD horn speakers. Twin 12" bass with built-in amps and room correction DSP, plus mid and top horns. My current speakers - again with modifications to improve appearance. Fantastic speakers if lifelike sound is wanted.

Note - Photos of Airedales and Westrex speakers are internet library photos. Peter

 

[Kalum]

Home built Concrete Column speaker with 10" upwards-facing driver (mono) inspired by Gilbert Briggs' description in his "Cabinet Handbook"

Home built Wharfedale Airedale speakers, prompted by Gilbert Briggs' comment in Cabinet Handbook "Probably difficult or impossible to make at home, we are including drawings as they may be helpful in more remote corners of the earth". I was living in London, but accepted the challenge. !5", 8" and 3" drivers in 4.5 cu ft 6-sided enclosures.

Same Airedale enclosures but modified with KEF drivers - B139 "racetrack" bass, B110 and T27 drivers all facing forward. Greatly improbed stero imaging

Westrex 2326A studio monitors with 15" bass and pressure dome tweeters. Very rare - bought after placing a Wanted ad in local paper in the Under £20 section. Pretty good buy for £20!

KEF Reference 107 speakers. Twin 10" bass drivers totally enclosed within the body of the speaker, plus swivelling head with B110 and T33 drivers and CUBE. Great speakers rarely seen in UK

ATC Active 50 speakers, bought ex-demo from ATC. 9" bass, ATC mid and Vifa tweeter. Didn't like these speakers - I wanted to push them 20 ft further away!

Avantgarde Uno horn speakers. Twin 10" self-powered bass, plus mid and top horns. Bought after disappointment of ATCs and reading Stereophile's rave review and award of Best Speaker of the Year. Great speakers. kept for 17 years.

QUAD 2905 full-range electrostatics with transformer mods to 2912 spec. Bought used for experiment with electrostatics as not intended to keep. Sounded surprisingly good, even in my difficult room. Inspired next purchase -

Martin Logan Expression 13A electrostatics. Twin 10" bass, plus large electrostatic panel. After reading great reviews and convincing showroon demo, I bought these new only to find out that they were unsuitable for my room.

Avantgarde Duo (circa 2006) horns bought used at a bargain price. Same bass as Unos but improved horn section. Bought after the disappointment of the MLs. I modified the support system to improve appearance. Still have these great speakers

Avantgarde Duo XD horn speakers. Twin 12" bass with built-in amps and room correction DSP, plus mid and top horns. My current speakers - again with modifications to improve appearance. Fantastic speakers if lifelike sound is wanted.

Note - Photos of Airedales and Westrex speakers are internet library photos. Peter

Interesting to hear your disappointment with the ATC 50's - possibly they just didn't get on with your listening space for some reason? I'm sure also that the new versions SL spec mid and tweeter will have definitely brought some improvements.

Funny thing audio - we almost all look for reviews or other people's opinions on purchases yet forget that we all like different stuff for different reasons

 

[hearhere]

Interesting to hear your disappointment with the ATC 50's - possibly they just didn't get on with your listening space for some reason? I'm sure also that the new versions SL spec mid and tweeter will have definitely brought some improvements.

Funny thing audio - we almost all look for reviews or other people's opinions on purchases yet forget that we all like different stuff for different reasons

I had been hankering after ATC50s for years but their price was beyond my means. Then in about 2000, I found that ATC themselves had a pair of demo units they were selling at a good price. These were active and current spec as far as I'm aware, but not long after they changed their tweeter from Vifa to Seas - or was it the other ways round? There was nothing wrong with them but far too much "in yer face" for my liking. I wanted to push them 20 ft further away. The previous big KEFs were rather better sounding in my opinion and the subsequent Avantgardes were like a breath of fresh air.

I see you have ATC50 and I know a few others who really love them, so I think you may be right about room compatibility, though my London rom was so easy to get good sound from. It was 350 sq ft with 10 ft ceilings, 5-sided with only one rightangle between walls and one wall had a huge full height 10ft wide bay window. All other speakers excelled there - but sadly not the ATCs. The guy who bought them from me was delighted and I lost next to nothing so I was not unhappy.

I sometimes think that big ATC200s may be good in my present room in Portsmouth. It's very large and effectively semi-circular with speakers placed mid-room. Certainly the Martin Logans were not happy and horns have proved very good. In theory, as the dining and kitchen areas are behind the speeakers, I should be looking at omnis. I visited 2 showrooms recently (on a visit to Bristol by coincidence) where I listened to German Physics and MBL omni speakers but I found the imaging in both systems was not a patch on the AGs. Otherwise they were great, but I rate good imaging pretty highly.

Peter

 

[Kalum]

I had been hankering after ATC50s for years but their price was beyond my means. Then in about 2000, I found that ATC themselves had a pair of demo units they were selling at a good price. These were active and current spec as far as I'm aware, but not long after they changed their tweeter from Vifa to Seas - or was it the other ways round? There was nothing wrong with them but far too much "in yer face" for my liking. I wanted to push them 20 ft further away. The previous big KEFs were rather better sounding in my opinion and the subsequent Avantgardes were like a breath of fresh air.

I see you have ATC50 and I know a few others who really love them, so I think you may be right about room compatibility, though my London rom was so easy to get good sound from. It was 350 sq ft with 10 ft ceilings, 5-sided with only one rightangle between walls and one wall had a huge full height 10ft wide bay window. All other speakers excelled there - but sadly not the ATCs. The guy who bought them from me was delighted and I lost next to nothing so I was not unhappy.

I sometimes think that big ATC200s may be good in my present room in Portsmouth. It's very large and effectively semi-circular with speakers placed mid-room. Certainly the Martin Logans were not happy and horns have proved very good. In theory, as the dining and kitchen areas are behind the speeakers, I should be looking at omnis. I visited 2 showrooms recently (on a visit to Bristol by coincidence) where I listened to German Physics and MBL omni speakers but I found the imaging in both systems was not a patch on the AGs. Otherwise they were great, but I rate good imaging pretty highly.

Peter

In 2000 the mid would likely have been SL but the tweeter SEAS - their new in house tweeter really is sublime (again, subjective). They definitely have the ability to be brash with certain recordings - part of their studio heritage I suppose. From what I gather, the Actives can also be quite fussy with regards to what preamp drives them. For instance I use a Bryston BP26 now with the passives and they sound incredible, but I have heard people say that the BP26 makes the actives sound a little harsh and that certain hybrid tube preamps or ATC's own SCA2 is much better. I suppose a lot of it is down to impedance matching also..

Sounds like your rooms have all been amazing though! I have quite a restricted amount of space at around 220 sq ft and the room is a perfect rectangle so I have had to add a number of treatments at primary reflection points and in corners which if I am totally honest has completely transformed things more than anything else I have done prior. I thought my old listening room was good and was devastated when this new one had so much reverb etc.. now though it is excellent.

It sounds like you would get on better with passive ATC - I prefer them personally to the actives. That being said, if the AG's are doing it for you then why change. I've never heard a pair personally but have always read excellent things about them.

 

[liongate]

First off were a pair of Celestion Ditton 15s, bought on Tottenham Court Rd in student days. Used them for
for 22years and kept them for another 20.

Second was a pair of Rega Ela, the first lot they made in Cherry. Had them for 8 years, wish I still had them.

Third was some PMC FB1s. Bigger sound but not as refined as the Ela’s.

Fourth was a big change to some Avalon Ascendants which belonged to Richard of Lotus Hi Fi. Once I had upgraded to an Allnic T2000 valve amp they gave me an insight to another world.

The fifth was trade up to the Avalon Idea which though better in many ways did not satisfy, I think because they were a drop in scale and body compared with the Ascendants.

Sixth up was as a result of a house move that required a dramatic downscale. On hearing Maverick’s Boenicke W8’s I bought the W5SE.

After a year one of the drivers developed some odd resonance. They were shipped back to Basle for repair and while I waited I auditioned Sven Boenicke’s SLS that Elite had taken in p/e, as photo. They were designed and made by Sven about 12 years ago and just preceded the launch of his W series, so very much part of the evolution of his design philosophy. I have had them for 2 years now and suspect there were not many made though they had good reviews.

They deliver a massive sound stage, natural tone and are non-fatiguing. I suspect they would sound even better with an amp upgrade. A Vitus R101 is what I hope I can hear them with sometime soon.

 

[hiacedrifter]

1995 - celestion ditton 44 (used as a student, didn't know what they were, blew the tweeters with underpowered Pioneer midi system)
1999 - KEF q35.2 - first foray into hifi. Sounded good enough for me - volume was most important in my 20s!
2005 - Rega R5 (R3? can't remember!) used with rega saturn, NAC82 & NAP150x. Loved to rock!
2009 - Russ Andrews Quave LS1 - wonderful open relaxed sound, struggled to find amps as they were very sensitive
2022 - Spendor A6 - chance purchase on here (was told they'd been used with Rega amp which sold it for me). Sound great with everything I play, using rega CD & amp

So very few speakers, but I've never been one for box swapping or A/B tests - if it sounds good I'm happy to just fit and forget. Not worried about squeezing out an extra 5%. In that time I've had 3 CD players, and 5 amps too!

 

[Von Krolock]

Oh the nostalgia ...
AR18s
Monitor Audio 700
Linn Nexus
Linn keilidh
Sonus Faber Concertino
Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor
ATC SCM40 - they loved it up them - and miss those lovely domes.
Audio Physic Scorpio 25
Audio Physic Avanti.