Vintage vs New

I've had a lot of vintage speakers. When they were new or close to new.

I've owned B&W 802-6, Dunlavy Audio SCVI, Infinity RS series (ALL but Beta V), and VMPS. I still covet TWO VMPS speakers. WRRM, RM50s.

I own the RMx Elixirs, & RM30. RM40s RM2 & 626Rs and a few more will STILL blow your mind. 

Now that I've said my piece. I'd take the 801 MA over the 7 series any day.. BUT I'm not a big fan of either.

A youngster down the block is a BIG time fan of B&W. 800 3D pretty impressive. He won't tell me what he paid for them delivered, & set up, but he loves them.. VTL power amps.. He just got a 5k bill for those from Bea. Retube and checkup.. He sure told me about that.. He was smokin'.. LOL poor rich kid..

Now he want's new cables.. OK.. I said what about the room? I got that dear in the headlight stare.. KIDS!!

BTW he has had every B&W speaker ever made twice over. The whole family uses them..

Regards

Tektons sound like my toilet smells. Just MHO. 

I am not big into nostalgia. But, I only care about a narrow band of equipment which has improved dramatically over the past 30 years.  As a general rule HiFi gear has improved over the years as material sciences advance and individual components improve. Just a simple thing like switches have made vast improvements in durability. 

Speaker technology has not advanced except for a few odd ball items like the Hill Plasmatronics. You still have variations on the same themes. Still, as an example I think people prefer the new Cornwalls to the old ones. We now have diamond cones and domes. Sound Labs has continuously evolved it's speakers over the years the newer ones being significantly better. 

In regards to B+Ws I really can't say. Speakers you really have to listen to and I have heard B+Ws only in passing like at shows.  

Come on now

millercarbon
There are no vintage speakers can hold a candle to Tekton Double Impacts

Even you know that isn't true.

My amplifier is vintage and is more than good...

First it is the controls of embeddings working dimension of a system that matter most....Not boasting about branded name....




Second it is the ratio Sound quality versus price that count.... You can look for the best at the least price, and most of us did that without thinking that their choice of gear is the best there is or ever will be, and in this search, some vintage are IMPOSSIBLE to beat in this scale ratio Sound quality/price....

My Sansui AU 7700 for example has many flexible possibilities and functions with a minimal sound quality IMPOSSIBLE to buy anywhere now...It is not the best in the world of amplifier but ONLY one among many more than good amplifiers ; and an amplifier that can beat it today soundwise, and there exist many of them, will be a very much MORE costly one than it with NONE of his multi functionalities tough....

Read the description of his functions on the internet...

It is creativity that gives us Hi-FI experience, not a branded name linked to any piece of gear by itself over other piece of gear in the same quality class which is  not necessarily sometimes in the same price class, being it  vintage or not....

And many costly "tweaks" also could be replicated at peanuts costs.... It is the same thing here...



Creativity is the queen and any branded name piece of gear is only one of the working dwarves....Yes some old dwarves are better workers on some counts than some others younger one, so what?


For speakers, no speakers even mechanically controlled one against vibrations, can beat the acoustic of the room where they work....My now vintage speakers are not the best there is at all.... But in an optimal room they rival even in the ratio Sound Quality / price anything that exist.... I pay them 30 us bucks or 50 canadian bucks....There exist plenty of speakers better than my own here but most of the times in an uncontrolled environment especially on the acoustical dimension and sometimes  uncontrolled in the others dimensions.... Then what is important the name of the product, so good it is or the controls over his embedding process?

In general rule sound quality most of the times is linked to embeddings controls of the mechanical,electrical and acoustical working dimensions way more than to a chosen piece of costly gear by itself  for most of us...

And anyway the choice of speakers is too much specifically linked to specific use and needs to be generalized... Acoustic controls is the KEY if your speakers are MINIMALLY good one any way....

if you are going wide band, go new have you EVEN considered wide band?
Guess not