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Seasoned ears only

I've got too much time on my hands. Like many audiophiles, I'm always trying to achieve that symbiotic system nirvana; the sound you remember from one place or another that you just can't seem to achieve again. I was thinking that several companies have introduced truly remarkable speakers in the last 30 years, but many of us are obsessed with the "newest thing."

Think of such speakers as the ugly but brilliant Yamaha NS-1000 monitors, the many Quad electrostatics, the AR-9, the original Von Schweikert VR-4. Some truly amazing speakers that you can find at a fraction of their original cost today.

How do those of you with the more seasoned ears think a pair of, for example, Von Schweikert VR-4 would match up with most of today's under $10,000 speakers? Sometimes I think the Quads, VR-4 and NS-1000 knocked my socks off at the time more than most speakers introduced today. Do you think we are being seduced into buying the "newest thing" because of our audio bug vulnerability, or are today's speakers really any better??
klipschking
tmsorosk
1,013 posts
 
Seasoned Ears .. I just had an order of those for supper last night .
juancgenao
64 posts
 
had VR4 for about 2 year, and I'tell you, those where the only speakers, that when people came to my house for audition, they look like they have seen a ghost, in total disbelief, at one point whent to audition a pair of proac 3.8, just listened the first track, and walked away, my set up was day and night, my system with the VR4, sounded much better, remember when listened the first notes from a track I'was very famyliar with, I' just smile and whent back home a happy guy,
eventually the VR4 where replaced by, Merlins VSM mme, lost half the Bass, and had to spend a tone of money on cables {cardas GR} to make them sound right,
still miss the VR4s, nothing in the $8000 range, cant' compete, they are ugly, bulky, but, Boy, do they make music,
if you have the room, dont' waist your money on anything else, they sound the best, with tube gear,
my new spekers cost three times more than the VR4, and to this day I' believe I' made a step backwards:

Cheers:
aktchi
274 posts
 
I still own Spendor BC1---which was the best speaker I could afford many, many moons ago after determining there was no way Quad ESL's were going to fit in my space.

Sure, I have heard meaningfully better speakers since, but never for anything but an astronomical price difference.
willieva's avatar
willieva
61 posts
 

i still own a pair of Acoustat Monitor 3's, the tube amps have been replaced with a 121 interface, like used in the newer Model 3's. they are quite large and I do not run them all of the time but when I am in the mood I haul them in and set them up. I run them with a Threshold S500 amplifier along with an Audible Illusions 3A preamp.  just put on Joni Mitchell's song Court and Spark.  Just magical on vocals.

bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,788 posts
 
@willieva, Roger Modjeski of Music Reference has developed a mod for the 121 Interface (he studied it, and found faults he could eliminate), as well a direct-drive tube amp for ESL’s. Modjeski designed and built the direct-drive tube amp used in the legendary Beveridge ESL.
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