How many speaker pairs do you currently own? And how many have you bought in your life?

[Flaesh]

I voted "1" meaning "currently-own". I don't really need, it's inconvenient, and almost useless to use more than one pair. Adding a couple or two is easy, but I'm lazy.
I haven't bought speakers since about 2000, only drivers.

 

[EJ3]

I voted "1" meaning "currently-own". I don't really need, it's inconvenient, and almost useless to use more than one pair. Adding a couple or two is easy, but I'm lazy.
I haven't bought speakers since about 2000, only drivers.

Some people have different speakers in different homes (sometimes even in different parts of the world). I'm thinking that it would be somewhat inconvenient for them to carry a set of speakers from place to place.

 

[mikewxyz]

I have owned 4 pair of speakers during my 45 year hobby. Klipsch Heresy I, DIY, Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor M’s and DIY kit (Troels Gravesen EKTA 7741). I’ve kept 2 pair - the first and last.

I’m amazed that the largest category of speaker owner is 9+ pairs. Maybe the nature of a self selected response calls to those most in search of the “ideal” sound. That is a commitment in time, if nothing else.

 

[BobbyTimmons]

I have owned 4 pair of speakers during my 45 year hobby. Klipsch Heresy I, DIY, Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor M’s and DIY kit (Troels Gravesen EKTA 7741). I’ve kept 2 pair - the first and last.

I’m amazed that the largest category of speaker owner is 9+ pairs. Maybe the nature of a self selected response calls to those most in search of the “ideal” sound. That is a commitment in time, if nothing else.

I also think a lot of us are more like speaker collecters. It's supposed to be more about sound and measurements here. But there are also people who like collecting the technology, pieces of audio history and who have memories and sentimental attachments. You could even like collecting speakers that don't sound ideal.

 

[OldFunkyBones]

It seems like your ears can only tolerate the Philharmonic Audio house sound? I feel sorry for the dealership you returned the rest to.

Lol. I only had the Minimus 7's from the early 1990s to 2023, when I decided that I was tired of using headphones all the time and started to explore "budget" speakers for my office desktop. The PSBs were first and certainly sounded better that the Minimus, but were a bit warm/thick for my taste. The Paradigms would have been good-and-done, but I thought I heard a rattle and they were so much larger than anything I had tried on my desk at that point. I also made the mistake of ordering a white pair, which incurred the ridicule of others in the house. On to the NHT's, which are fantastic speakers (with my sub) and the Zeros were much more comfortable on the desk. Around the same time, I found the Philharmonic community on AVS, and they were launching the True Minis. The combination of a small internet-direct company that made speakers seemingly tuned to my preferences (acoustic, orchestral), an active user community, a new product and a "fun" blue color was irresistible.

A year ago, I had the opportunity to "step-up" to a pair of Ceramic Minis in a custom finish. The blue speakers went off to college with a son who appreciates good sound. All good until we rearranged our basement this winter and the Ceramics moved to the TV room to see if I could get more out of them than I was on the desktop. I originally got the True Mini Airs as an inexpensive solution for surround speakers, but in trying new options for my desktop, I didn't hear anything in the RSL that made them stand out and while the Arendals were excellent speakers, they were simply too expensive for not driving them to the louder levels that they seemed to prefer. So, the True Mini Airs with their coaxial driver are on the desktop for now.

As for "the dealership", that would be Amazon for everything in the first paragraph. I'm not crying over their return costs. RSL and Arendal include free return shipping, and while I didn't buy the speakers with the intent to return, it certainly was a factor in the purchase decision.

tl%dr ... If I had ordered the Paradigm's in black, I'd likely be "a Paradigm guy". The first few songs I played with the Atoms were confirmation of what audio pleasure could be and brought a genuine grin to my face. Probably should have resisted the upgrade to the custom Ceramic Minis and stayed with the True Minis. I also think that a set of Arendal 1961s may have been a better solution for the TV room rather than moving the Ceramic Minis from the desktop.

 

[bigLP]

Speakers I have bought(not sure about models in all cases):
starting in 1992
Entry level B&W bookshelf with yellow kevlar cone, given away
1997 Boston Lynnfield vr40(severely damaged while moving in 2008)
2008
Paradigm Atom(given away) and Paradigm Ref 20 v3 I think. Still have Ref 20s.
2012ish
Spendor A5r sold after 6 months
Def Tech Mythos towers(middle sized model) sold in less than year
Golden ear triton towers, smaller ones sold in less than a year
2015ish
B and W bookshelf with separate tweeter on top, costs 2500, not the super expensive one, returned to store after a month
Kef LS50 still have and use every day.
2025
AsciiLab c6c, returned

 

[Cogito]

What did you think of the Wharfedale Jades? Very little written about them but they seemed to be their premium offerings before Elysium took the podium.

Stereophile did a fairly glowing review of the Jade 3s. https://stereophile.com/content/wharfedale-jade-3-loudspeaker

Personally, I found them to be VERY pleasant sonically and they were built like tanks, but a bit power hungry. They were bought to replace my Magnepan MG-1.7s as I got tired of moving them back and forth to their optimal listening spot near the middle of my room.

 

[Multicore]

Is that distribution just a long tail collapsed into 9+ or is something else going on?

 

[Chrispy]

Have given some away, but selling is a pain so I just tended to accumulate. I have four multich systems and a 2ch as well at the moment. Lots of speakers

 

[BobbyTimmons]

Is that distribution just a long tail collapsed into 9+ or is something else going on?

I think I messed up with the poll where there's only 10 options by underestimating how many speakers people have. I probably should have grouped it like:
0-9
10-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
All the way to 100.

 

[EJ3]

Is that distribution just a long tail collapsed into 9+ or is something else going on?

I think that the question might have gleaned more information if 'stereo' had been better defined.
As in: does 'stereo' mean 2 channels only?, does it include 2 pair of stereo channels?, QUAD?, (5.1?, 7.1? and those other variations) how 'bout .2, .4, etc.
I presumed that it meant 2 channel stereo. But I may have been wrong. That HAS happened before!
And perhaps how many speakers per decade (as opposed to the HUGE presumption [I presume) of 'since you started owning stereo gear')
BUT:
I'm just so confused! There are too many variables and my little mind can't SUSS them all out.

Warning: language use and context lesson here:
Kris Spisak
Author, Narrative Architect & Literary Historian

Writing Tip 445: “Sus” vs. “Suss”​

• “Suss,” which is nearly always paired with the word “out,” means to investigate or figure (out). For example, “She was trying to suss out the origin of that word.”
• “Sus,” which is slang or a non-standard usage, comes from an abbreviation of “suspicious” and is used to convey something’s dubious or weird. To use it in a sentence, I’ll say, “I hope no one ever thinks my writing tips are sus.”
• 
• So what do you think? Is this dark alley “sus”?
• Would you be “sus” if you walked into it?
• Let’s suss this out.

 

[amper42]

Speakers I have owned:
1. Original Ohm A Walsh speakers - fun sound but inverted cone detached from base 2x.
2. B&W 801 - fun speaker with plenty of bass - but not flat.
3. VMPS SuperTower III - crazy big 7' tower with absolutely amazing bass. Needs big room and not as smooth as contemporary designs - but lots of fun!
4. B&W 606 - not a bad smaller bookshelf speaker with a little targeted EQ. Still use them for smaller spaces. Can be used on a shelf in a wall unit where many other speakers need more space.
5. Canton Vento Reference 9.2 - smaller bookshelf with lots of kick. Not flat, instead offering its own unique high energy sound.
6. BMR Monitor - Bigger than most bookshelves with HUGE bass capability. When used with RME ADI-2 DAC FS Loudness control they can be configured to sound absolutely fantastic. Best Bookshelf I have ever owned.
7. BMR Tower - sound is not as focused as BMR Monitor and considerably less efficient. Sound fantastic for replicating classical music concert hall effect.
8. Magnepan LRS - worst clarity of any speaker I have tried. Returned.
9. Revel M105 - pretty speaker box but bass below 80Hz easily distorts. Only use as a height speaker currently. Can't recommend.
10. Revel F328Be - Best clarity and punch for my Jazz and electronic tracks. Using ADI-2 DAC FS Loudness control I can make them sound amazingly bold and full. Magical even at lower volumes.
11. Revel F228Be - bought on sale @ 6K a pair. They offer 90% of the sound of the F328Be and front port can offer lots of bass in a medium size room. Best Speaker Value in my collection. Love the Be Tweeter and the ability to sound just as good while standing or sitting.

 

[Chrispy]

I think I messed up with the poll where there's only 10 options by underestimating how many speakers people have. I probably should have grouped it like:
0-9
10-19
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
All the way to 100.

Aside from a relatively few dedicated horizontal center speakers, most are pairs, pretty comfortably in the 30-39 range on hand.

 

[dfuller]

Currently own two - KH420s and Dayton BR1s.

Have owned a lot more than that - probably at least 10?

 

[Nothingness]

Just picked up two pairs of the Revel M16 today for a future home theater system, one of them a scratches-and-dents unit I snagged at an incredible price. That brings my speaker collection up to six pairs:

1. Revel Salon 2 (×1 pair)
2. Revel F206 (×2 pairs)
4. Revel M16 (×2 pairs)
6. B&W 683 (×1 pair)

Edited to say that I bought the B&W before I knew of this forum. All speakers since are Revel.
Oh, I forgot a KEF R200 center. And another center that has been collecting dust for a while.

 

[Audioagnostic]

Have 5 pairs and am trying to get rid of Dali ikon 6 that were replaced by kef q750 in my surround system.

 

[Kr2d2]

The speakers that I still own & use (in order of purchase):
- Hans Deutsch ATL310
- Celestion 3
- Tannoy Sub/Sat set, Tannoy Subsat 3?
- my favourite beauties Fischer & Fischer SN450
- my other favourite QUAD ESL57 (bought used more than 20 years ago, refurbished by QUAD Musikwiedergabe at Gering/Eifel)
- custom made Fischer & Fischer bookshelfs ( because one of my children poked into the Dynaudio tweeter of one of the SN 450, which survived kind of ok – and Mr Fischer of Fischer & Fischer then built me a pair of small bookshelf speakers around them)
- DIY Le Petit à la CHP-90 (Markaudio)
- Genelec 3010

Gone:
- my very first Stereo set with speakers: Stereo-Heimanlage Dual HS 38, where is it gone??
- small Nubert nuBox 360, sold

Planned:
- nothing really, because the F&F SN450 and the QUAD ESL57 are my personal endgame speakers.
- maybe used ones some day, just out of curiosity ... Ascilab F6B for what is possible today? ... Yamaha NX-E100 or 200/400, they are sold for 30€, must be good enough for TV sound? ...

 

[Oddball]

Some people have different speakers in different homes (sometimes even in different parts of the world). I'm thinking that it would be somewhat inconvenient for them to carry a set of speakers from place to place.

That would be me - 7 pairs of speakers (counting spare center) and 2 pairs of subs in one setup and 6 pairs of speakers (also a spare center) and 1 pair of subs in the other setup, 5K KM apart, approximately. What happened in the past, stays in the past. Was a lots of pairs though, although probably not much more than what I use now.

 

[JeffS7444]

Much less buy/sell/strategize activity in my hifi hobby these days ...

Currently own:
Linkwitz Pluto DIY (primary)
Parts Express Overnight Sensations DIY (desktop)
An odd mix of Klipsch Chorus IIIs sourced from thrift store. Fostex 5" subwoofer and no-name ceiling-mount speakers from PE (Cinema)

Previously owned
Realistic Minimus 0.5 (two pairs, IIRC)
Realistic Minimus 7 (two pairs, one of which were never returned from a loan)
Optimus LX5 Linaeum. Guess I wasn't wild about the sonics because I had them hooked up to my shortwave radio!
ADS L400 (one of the few that I suppose I could've kept)
Magneplanar MG1
Magneplanar SMG
Spica TC50
little 4" full-range DIY kit from a Taiwanese company that briefly advertised in Audio Xpress (sonically meh but nice to look at)
Fostex Kanspea P1000E (well, they were fun as an easy DIY project)
Some dreadful THX-branded sat/sub pc travesty by Logitech, fortunately bought at hefty discount
Bose something or other - their first PC speakers. They had no real highs, but considering how bad early 1980s PC audio could be, it was just as well.
Microsoft Digital Sound System 80, thought it sounded pretty good.

Previous cinema sound systems
B&W LM1 + VM1 + DIY subwoofers
Sonos Playbar + Play 1

 

[Mr. Swordfish]

I used to own a small sound company, so many speakers came and went over the years.

For home use, I currently have 8 pairs deployed and in current usage. 3 pairs off-line.

I'm not sure how many pairs are in my car sound system 4? 6? If you counted car stereos I've been through over a dozen over the years.