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Speakers 10 years old or older that can compete with todays best,

I attend High End Audio Shows whenever I get a chance.  I also regularly visit several of my local High End Audio parlors, so I get to hear quite a few different speaker brands all the time.  And these speakers are also at various price points. Of course, the new speakers with their current technology sound totally incredible. However, I strongly feel that my beloved Revel Salon 2 speakers, which have been around for over ten years, still sound just as good or even better than the vast majority of the newer speakers that I get a chance to hear or audition in todays market.  And that goes for speakers at, or well above the Salon 2s price point. I feel that my Revel Salon 2 speakers (especially for the money) are so incredibly outstanding compared to the current speaker offerings of today, that I will probably never part with them. Are there others who feel that your beloved older speakers compare favorably with todays, newfangled, shinny-penny, obscenely expensive models?

kennymacc
mahgister's avatar
mahgister
13,046 posts
 

interesting post!

Thanks yogiboy ...

regafan's avatar
regafan
74 posts
 

My first speakers looked exactly like that in yogiboy's post. They needed power to be happy, but they were excellent. 

steve59's avatar
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steve59
1,767 posts
 

are we talking about speakers that were discontinued 10 years or more or designed 10 years or more? 

aberyclark
1,355 posts
 

I’m guessing most 10 year old speakers vs a current model of the same speaker is probably less about technology improvement and more about slight "sound " changes depending on the speaker engineer handing the model at a given time. Just like any other industry, speaker makers need to have their buyers buying the latest and greatest. If a newer model one is better or worse, that’s a taste question. After 10 years, unless the manufacturer was using garbage materials or has some non traditional electronics involved, the speaker should perform as new (assuming owner has not abused or placed the speaker in a rough environment). If anything, the manufacturer is trying to cut cost even further while maintaining the "house" sound. 

passet02's avatar
passet02
267 posts
 

My best and favorite ? Right now I have the JBL J216 very efficient and big sound . I bought these for 40 bucks at a antique store .  Goes great for low watt tube amps , I"m running these with a 6 Grand tube amp , not disappointing in the least . These were all original and good condition 40 years old and they sound fantastic. There out there buy a pair on Ebay . I have auditioning speakers up to 2500 bucks and still can"t find anything that sounds better !!! 

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