Owning the speakers you dreamed of 20 years ago


Does speaker technology really change that much?  As I'm listening to my Klipsch Heresy's in a bedroom setup, I decided to look up to see what $3k or so could buy me today used and was shocked to see the speakers I used to drool over, when I was done looking at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition ;), were available for a quarter or less of the money.

Revel Ultima
Sonus Faber
JM Lab Mezzo 

And more, are all available to buy used.

Seriously these were speakers I would daydream about.  How do they sound today compared to a speaker that you would spend $3k on new or even a few years old?  How could these $10k speakers from a time I can still remember, really sound like a $3k speaker?  My Klipsch's remind me that speakers even older and cheaper are irreplaceable to me, so why wouldn't I spend $3k for one of my old heroes?

What am I missing here?



blkwrxwgn

russbutton
262 posts
10-01-2021 8:08am
If you've got $3k to spend, get into some Theil loudspeakers. True hi-end for their day.

It's on my short list, I used to sell Thiel back in the day and loved dealing with them.  Used to have a full Thiel 5.1 setup with CS6, MCS1 and powerpoint surrounds.  LOVED those CS6's.

Have had 3 different pairs.....why did I sell my last pair???? Those of us with somewhat manageable obcessoonality know.  



I'm thinking of 1.6 or 2.4.    Stereophile consistently rated, and the same for my local stereo salon in Baltimore as totally satisfied listening!!!!!
Sweet F all has changed regarding Speakers in the last 20, 30, 40, and even 50 years ! Materials may have "improved" things which goes without saying. But unconventional thinking on how to best reproduce sound hasn't done anything special IMHO. Where are the Bose's, Magnepan's, Tannoy's, Quad's, Martin Logan's (and many others) in today's Audio Marketplace ?

Open Baffle isn't a new idea either (and I'm a fanboy) but there's more being done in that area of sound reproduction than anywhere else.WRT to Speakers. We still listen to boxes with an without holes/port tubes/slots/tx lines and so forth. 

My collection has Bose 901's, KEF 105/3's, a pair of tiny Ohm's, and my Open Baffle Debacles with stacked dual 15" Subwoofers/Woofers (depending on how I drive them).
No actually 20 yrs ago
I never in my 
WILDEST
Dreams
Thought
nor dreamt 
I would ever dump my Millennium Tweeter for a  WBer.
Never

sometimes dreams do come true,,even IF you nevber dreamed it  would happen

Does that make sense??
Millennium = mightmare
WBer fulfills my hopes, wishes dreams. There THAT makes sense
The WBer Audiophile
I certainly agree with Miller Carbon.  He has forgotten more than most of us know.  Why would anyone purchase a old speaker unless it was a demo pair or less than 3 years old.  Huge changes even over the past 5 years.