Need Guidance for Next/Last Pair of Speakers


I’ll try to be brief, although it’s not my strong suit..😁 I sold my pair of Altec 19 speakers a long time ago. I was the original owner, and their sheer size just didn’t work out at the time. I’ve been infatuated with audio equipment since I was a young lad, so after selling the Altec’s, I went on a long journey to replace them. Magnepan’s, Martin Logan’s, Thiel’s, Legacy Audio, Von Schweikert, Focal, and the list goes on and on. None of them have been able to recreate the magic of those 19’s.

I actually custom made a pair of speakers with a Great Plains 604 coax driver, but never could get the crossovers right, so I sold them. I now have a pair of Focal’s that are great, but they just don’t have that Altec 19 personality.

I’d love to have a pair of Avantgarde’s, but they’re well out of my current budget. I still don’t have the space for another pair of 19’s unfortunately. So the question is, what speakers should I be looking at that might have a similar character in a smaller package? I’ve not been actively engaged in the hobby for around 6 years, and I see what seem like hundred’s of new speakers/companies that have entered the market. I have to be overlooking quite a bit, so is there anything out there that I should consider? Would more of a professional type speaker be something to consider? 

Any input/guidance would be most appreciated. I was actually wondering if something like Zu Audio would fit the bill, but have read mixed reviews. As you can tell by my love of the Altec 19’s, extreme "accuracy" isn’t important. They just sounded like live music more than just about any speaker I’ve ever heard. That’s what I’m looking for. 

Thanks!

seadweller

I auditioned Focal Kanta 1s and found a pair of Kanta 2’s for $5,500 and never looked back.  Playing them with Parasound A21+ and Parasound JC2 

Cds and vinyl excel with this setup 

I would audition as many speakers as possible with music of your choice. 
that’s really the only way to narrow the choices

Good luck Willy-T

A lot of this depends on your room and where you can or cannot position the speakers. 
listened to Volti Razz and they were nice but landed on Forte IV’s and they are amazing. 
I have a few other systems and the Fortes just do it all so well. 

Fyne Audio vintage series used or new, the Vintage Classic X is about $9,000 new, and the Vintage Classic XII is about $11,500 new.....obviously cheaper if you could find used

Vintage JBLs in original condition. Almost any 43xx series has the sound you're looking for. 4315s are a great compromise between size and quality. 4367s are above your price but may be affordable used. 

I wish I had a need for those JBL’s, they look in very good shape. I would buy them. I’m close enough to Annapolis to go, stay 1 night, bring them back.

JBL info

file:///C:/Users/elliott/Downloads/4320_manual.pdf

some jbl tech notes here (didn't read it yet)