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Whatever Happened to Snell?

I had a number of Snell speakers, Type E, Type K come to mind. I really loved the old Snell sound in the '80s. They played with great impact and the mids and highs were awesome as I recall. I used to blow speakers all the time in my youth but could never hurt a Snell. I know Snell is still around, what do people think of the "new" Snell? I looked at the website and it looks like HT is the emphasis now? I guess I just want to see what everyone thinks, have they sold out or is their stuff still good.... I'd check myself except I can't find a dealer anywhere who carries the stuff.
south_park
sdcampbell
2,136 posts
 
I have two pair of older Snell monitors that I use in office systems, and am very pleased with them. Speakers are still being produced using the Snell name, although the models that Snell was best known for are no longer made. I recently listened to their large powered floor speaker MSRP around $8000) and the tri-pole surround speaker (MSRP about $1500), and was quite impressed by both.
adamanteus
80 posts
 
I think the designer who moved over to Revel is Kevin Voecks.
wywhcan
39 posts
 
Is it true that either Polk or Boston bought Snell recently?
dbw1
173 posts
 
Yep. Boston Acoustics is now the proud owner of Snell. I have no idea what that will mean in terms of product quality...
gapa
1 posts
 
I've been using a pair of EIII's since 1988 and I love them.
Recently I decided to upgrade to improve the soundstage - the room is also part of the problem. I listened to some
Vienna Mozarts and Energy Veritas 2.3. The imaging was much
better than my EIII's, but the speakers - especially the
Mozarts - sounded quite strained when played loudly. I like
to listen to high volume blues, jazz & rock, as well as
classical and ethnic music. When I auditioned the Snell XA60
I was totally impressed with their accuracy and efortless
reproduction. Imaging is also a great improvement over the
EIIIs. However, the overall quality of the sound - balance,
dinamics, etc. was definitely reminiscent of the older Snells.
The bottom line is that although the company has gone through some changes, it still has the same philosophy and
approach (it seems to me) in making its speakers. It is
unfortunate that they do not advertise more and do not have
a larger number of dealers. Their product and customer
service is top notch. I would venture to say that they blow
out of the water some pretty high profile competitors. To
my ears, my EIII's more than hold their own against newer,
more expensive designs.
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