Speakers to hang on to for LIFE

All speakers have a finite life. but some seem to fair better in the long run than others Altec's,Klipsh, Tannoy's and the ones I tested, the Kef B110s I sold for $400 the pair on eBay a while back. They were still within manufacturers specification after 35 years. I was impressed but still featured their infamous peak in the mid-band. My old Vaf 151 Studio Monitors bought cheap second hand because a tweeter had the polarity reversed featured Seas drivers. I had them for 6 years and were right on spec like this while I owned them. The old B&W DM4's I had did not fare so well but I suspect that was due to the caps in the crossover drifting off spec.

I have a pair of Hyperion HPS-968 speakers (from Hyperion Sound Design, not Rockport). Jim Hannon of TAS is absolutely correct. These are magnificant speakers. Hyperion Sound Design is having a sale. All "A" stock is 35% off; "B" stock is 50% off! They are great even at $7,000 a pair list. At $4,550 or $3,500 a pair, nothing can touch these. Amazing!

Maggie 3.6R's and 20.1's...all the rest pale in comparison.

I have so many used classics that i do not want to let go and that's my humongous panel electrostat ACOUSTAT spectra 33 w/spl-1 subwoofer that only companies like SOUNDLAB make larger ones. In todays HT room/space restraints on most music lovers, large panels or large conventional designs are for those with abnormal homes or listening area. The others are the discontinued ohm walsh 4x0, 2x0, pro 200 and a defunct speaker attempt by srslabs called klayman signatures which actually are fine sounding panel speakers which was designed to have a sub in mind and amplification of minimal rms. Marketing and competition is what killed those projects like any other but I am impressed by it's capabilities for home theater. I have maggies too, but with the maggies or magnepans, You either love them or hate them because of placement, but for those of us who love our maggies, it's hard not to always move up to the higher models. I have other brands, but I would have no problem finding other designs to replace them. Of all the models I have it's a close call between OHM and MAGNEPAN to my taste. The problem especially of electrostats as great as they are is set up and maintenance where as other designs, you don't need to do the extra care.

Until a few days ago - I had had a pair of KEF 104/2 since 1984.
Un-colored, linear reproduction, incredible timbral accuracy, wide stable soundstage, some good bass.
I finally got the KUBE to eq the bass - in the end that was the 104/2's weakest aspect - the bass around 300hz - that and mid-range glare when driven (sometimes)
-citizen