Personal speaker evolution


OK, so here is a thread I haven't ever seen here: What speakers have you owned? starting with the earliest, price paid, new/used, and perhaps the models that really impressed you (for the price) in CAPS.

Rat Shack Something or others, $120, new
Fisher Something or others, $280, new
ADS L710's, $550, new
Snell A2i's, $1100, used
BEVERIDGE SYSTEM 3'S, $1000, used
Martin Logan CLS, $1400, used
MARTIN LOGAN SL3'S, $2300, used
pmwoodward
All:

Remember them this way:

1965 - Speakers w/Voice of Music turntable
1969 - Voice of Music Speakers
1970 - Jensen Speakers
1973 - Jensen Speakers
1979 - Allison 4's (I think, top firing mid/woofer)
1982 - Dahlquist (3 way)
1983 - Bozak (monitor w/ metal mid/woofer)
2000 - Boston Acoustic VRM-50
2001 - Vienna Acoustics - Hayden
2002 - Vienna Acoustics - Mozart
2002- Sonus Faber Grand Piano Home
Radio Shack suitcase stereo vintage 1966. 4" speakers that didn't take long for me to blow.

Home made speaker cabinets made in woodworking shop as a freshman in high school. Bought some 8" speakers at a stereo shop to put in the cabinets.

Made new cabinets in wood shop for above speakers my junior year in high school out of solid 3/4" teak. Was going to a boarding school in India at the time, thus the ready supply of teak. Sold these (and my whole stereo) at the end of my senior year to a Maharaja's son who lived in Madras, South India (no kidding)and made a bunch of money.

Bose 501's circa 1973. Borrowed money from a girlfriend to pay for one of these and later sold the pair to her. My first "real" speakers. Wouldn't you know it would be Bose. Never really liked them that much and doubt I kept them more than a year.

Speaker Lab kits circa 1974. Don't remember the model. Big and boomy. Sold them to a friend who probably still has them.

McIntosh MC101 or something like that in 1975. Beautiful cabinets and much much better than anything prior.

Magnapans 1977. Don't remember the model (maybe 1As?)but there were only two models then, these were not the big ones that look like room dividers (1Ds I think). I really liked these.

KEF 101 2 way monitors with a large RH Labs subwoofer. The KEFs were very nice, not so sure about the RH Labs.

Accoustat Model 3s. The only electrostats I've owned. Only one place to sit (and you had to sit there)but great sound. Tended to make popping sounds if driven hard. Also had model 4s at the time that belonged to my roommate which saw more use cause they were bigger.

Spica TC50s. These were the second pair made which I got through a friend who was the importer of Electocompaniet at the time. Sold these in 1985 to my brother who still has them.

Spica TC50s. Got a second pair from the roommate mentioned above who opened a shop out of his home while in graduate school in Michigan.

Respons Grand speakers from Europe. Got these through my friends at Transparent Audio. Big, heavy, full-range and ultimately not that great.

Acoustic Energy AE1s with a pair of Entec LF-10 subwoofers. Sold the Entecs (never could get rid of their buzz) and bought a Muse model 18 subwoofer. Overall I think I prefered the Entecs, but in the end the AE1s were too forward for me.

Thiel 3.6s. A demo pair from my friends at Transparent Audio. These were very nice if a bit forward sounding.

Aerial Model 5s. Great speaker! Kept these for my second HT setup (first HT speakers were Cambridge Ensemble and Ambiance speakers).

Aerial 10Ts. My current and long term reference. Have thought of trying something different, but this is the only speaker I've owned that I really love. For the price they are very hard to beat as I'm sure many here will agree.

Aerial Model 7s replaced the model 5s in my HT setup and I purchased a single model 5 for the center channel. NHTs are used for surrounds. Current as of this writing....
Dual - 4 years. bought an integrated with turntable and speakers when in Germany in 1970 or so. Eventually broke down but provided some good tunes in college.

Kef 105/3 - 6 years. I liked these but eventually one of my kids blew the tweeters.

Chapman T-7 - one year

Merlin VSM-SE - six months

Spendor SP100 - three months

Audio Physic Virgo - one and 1/2 months.

(My ears were getting better. Or something.)

MEADOWLARK BLUE HERON - 9 months then lost my job and had to sell. These are damn good speakers and it hurt to let them go.

ESP Concert Grands - on their way. We shall see....
Huge wood Sansui speakers with wood grills -- awesome for my teen years through college -- free from my brother

Ohm bookshelf speakers -- decent because dirt cheap -- maybe $100 in 1983?

ADS M9 -- loved these -- last speaker I had before audiophilia set in -- about $700 in 1990

Hales Rev 3's -- excellent all rounder, but you need a big room and big amps -- about 2100 in 1994/5

Soliloquy 5.0's -- paid about $900 new with the stands -- a great deal -- superb little speakers -- I miss them but don't have a place for them

Paradigm Atoms for the office -- all the niceties aside, they are still a fairly cheap little speaker

Soliloquy Sat-5's for the office -- much better

Gallo Due/MPS 150 -- still have them and have never had them in a position where they can show off -- paid about $1600 for the set not long ago, barely used

Spendor SP1 -- paid $700 used not long ago -- mellow as hell -- will be the speaker in the main system until I make the next choice. I can see why people like these -- never annoying -- but they are not very dynamic.

Next? Thinking of Revel F-50, Verity Fidelio, Piega C3-ltd...dreaming
Went from:

Polk RTA-11TLs ($750 new in 1990)

to:

THIEL CS3.6s ($2,000 used in 2000)