Classic speakers to hunt down used

Avalon Ascent Mk-2--Rediculously good,3 way.Easy load to drive.Sealed enclosure(means great midbass),and stunning extension,and timbres.Added benefit,was an external crossover.Gorgeous cabinetry to boot,and the used mkt prices are a STEAL!!

Choice #2--I didn't realize how great the old Sonus Faber Extrema was,until last Thanksgiving,when I was invited to an audiophile friend,to hear one.Though he,being smart and keeping the entire system competitive,added a Townshend Maximum super tweeter,to the mix.What I saw,in a gorgeous looking speaker,and heard,shocked me.These are not large speakers,yet had stunning dynamics,and superb timbres.A great combo!!
Both these CLASSIC designs would cost MUCH more(even taking inflation into consideration)today.They were,both,built to real heirloom standards.I wish I had both,but unfortunately -:)I only am the lucky owner of the Ascents.

Best!

The original Teledyne AR-9 is an awesome speaker but it is an in-efficient power hungry speaker...all the same it is an amazing speaker used $600-$1000

Probably your best bet from an economic standpoint is the "original" large Advents, as they are easy found, reasonable in price (in most cases) and sound great. However, it also depends on what sort of sound that you like,I currently own several pairs of "classic sound" speaks, i.e.,Altec Lansing 15, JBL 4311, IMF TL50 series II, and each has a different sound. KLH's and even the Dynaco A25, are also good choices if money is tight as these can sometimes be purchased for only a few dollars.. However, other considerations need to be made; not only the type of sound you like, but how much power you need to drive the speakers. As an example, I have a set of Pioneer CS 88A, have a nice clean sound, wonderful to look at and can be driven nicely by a 35 watts rms per channel amp, however, my IMF's require at least 70 watts to drive, and really need at least 100 watts for the peaks due to the transmission line design. You state your looking for some classic design speakers of "golden age of audio," but don't say if there are budget, size or power considerations. There is no wrong answer here, its what you like and can afford within the guidelines of what will work with the physical size, ability to drive (amount of power), type of sound and perhaps, even what the speakers look like. I've collected audio items from the classic period (1970-1980 for solid state items) for a while and its always about making the right match up of components to work together. Hope this helps, good luck with your search, Dennis

It's a flashback to 1971 for me, but for what it's worth, here's a coredump of my memory when I was a teenager...

Dynaco A25--way more integrated and driverless sound than AR, Advent, (and just plain boring KLHs)and simply ahead of its time. I used them with great joy for 5-10 years back then. Even Dynaco itself never bettered it (with later A35s and A50s, which I tried and then got rid of). The A25s had such a unified, natural sound they were miraculous for the price.

OK, I admit I did like the KLH 17.

For what it's worth, I also liked the HH Scott S15 (very hard to find, but if you see a pair and you want classic speakers, grab it).

I don't know why everyone liked Advents so much. I owned a pair and thought the tweeter was tizzy and never blended into the soundfield.

The ARs I liked were the 3A, the 6, and the 4x, but the Dynacos was superior all of them. (I used to listen to them at the AR room in Grand Central Station.)

OK, back to the future now...

how old does the speaker have to be to be considered "classic?"

I would say all of the original Infinity Kappa series.