I've owned speakers by.....

[Penelinfi]

Too many to remember; probably over 200 pairs by now

 

[Nabussan]

Stereo:
1979 - 1998: Electrovoice Interface A, 92dB, 2x50 W amp
1998 - 2012: Rogers LS3/5a (with AB-2 bass extenders), 82dB, 2x25W tube amp
2012 - : DIYed Earl Geddes Abbey 12C (active), 95dB, with 1x15", 2x12" subwoofers, 6x250W + 1x500W amps

Surround:
2011 - : 5 x Geithain RL901k (89dB), Smyth Realiser-emulated via Stax headphones

In hindsight, I don't understand the Ls3/5a hype. I was happy to sell them to a fellow audio enthusiast (in China).

I obviously prefer high sensitivity plus lots of cheap amp power ("dynamics"?) plus controlled directivity. I wonder whether the additional rear-firing tweeters of the Electrovoices created something like the cardioid radiation pattern that the Geithains provide.

 

[Xulonn]

Post U.S. Navy - starting in about 1967:

• Quadraflex (Pacific Stereo house brand)
• ESS Heil AMT1
• ESS Heil AMT1T
• Custom JBL S8 speakers from Honkers Sound Company in Berkeley
• Design Acoustics D-6
• ADS L810
• Klipsch Forte III
• Apogee Centaurus Ribbon Monitors
• Meadowlark Swift
• Paradigm Atom v7
• Wharfedale D320 L/R + D300 Center

HS/College (1958-1962): Monaural Custom Jensen H-222 Coaxial speaker + "Step-up kit" (compression driver tweeter & crossover) in a bass reflex cabinet that my father built for me.

 

[highender]

Magnat Monitor C
B&W CM4
Piega P4
Acoustic Energy AE1 Ref.
Merlin Music TSM
Merlin Music VSM
AVI Pro9+
AVI Trio
KEF X300A

 

[mubix77]

Energy
AV123
SVS
PSB
Polk
Infinity
Boston Acoustics
IK Multimedia
JBL
Definitive Technology
Klipsch
Fluance
Kanto
Elac
KEF
Swan
Adam Audio (I've found my end game desktop speakers)

Do you mind explaining a bit about your setup with the Adam speakers? I am looking for a desk setup.

 

[MadMaxx]

Do you mind explaining a bit about your setup with the Adam speakers? I am looking for a desk setup.

Sorry for the late response. Been away on vacation. What questions do I have?

 

[Joe Smith]

ADS - L420, L520
Elac - Debut 2.0 B6.2
KEF - Coda 7, Q 15.2
Advent - 5002, Mini
Infinity - RS226
Paradigm - Titan v1
PSB - R30s
Polk - Monitor 5.2, Monitor 4, Small Monitor
Long ago - Bose, Rogersound Labs

 

[MattHooper]

Post U.S. Navy - starting in about 1967:

• Quadraflex (Pacific Stereo house brand)
• ESS Heil AMT1
• ESS Heil AMT1T
• Custom JBL S8 speakers from Honkers Sound Company in Berkeley
• Design Acoustics D-6
• ADS L810
• Klipsch Forte III
• Apogee Centaurus Ribbon Monitors
• Meadowlark Swift
• Paradigm Atom v7
• Wharfedale D320 L/R + D300 Center

HS/College (1958-1962): Monaural Custom Jensen H-222 Coaxial speaker + "Step-up kit" (compression driver tweeter & crossover) in a bass reflex cabinet that my father built for me.
View attachment 265472

I think I might have asked before (I'm getting deja vu) but...what did you think of the Meadowlark Swift speakers?

I liked Meadowlark speakers quite a lot. I had the Heron-i in my room for a while and owned the teeny Swallow bookshelf speakers (which I still sometimes regret selling).

 

[krabapple]

EPI, Bose, Optimus, NHT, Behringer. It's been a long journey.

also subwoofers: Velodyne, Dayton, Monoprice

 

[Blumlein 88]

Penney's
Klipsch KG2
Magnepans MG2 improved
Acoustat Two
Quad ESL-63
Magnepan 3.3R
Velodyne woofer
Quad ESL-57
Hales Two Signature
Soundlab Aura
Revel F208
Rhythmik woofers

Leaves out some secondary speakers like Radio Shack speakers with the Linaeum tweeters, monitors like JBL LSR 305 and 308 speakers (310 woofer), some Maudio monitors etc. etc. Plus a few DIY speakers I put together. Plus some car speakers I built for other people. Oh and some yard sale Klipsch Heresy speakers.

 

[krabapple]

Leaves out some secondary speakers like Radio Shack speakers with the Linaeum tweeters,

Optimus LX5? That's what I had.

nice write-up here, with measurement reports

Optimus PRO LX5 Speaker System Review price specs - Hi-Fi Classic

www.hifi-classic.net

 

[MattHooper]

Hales Two Signature

*bro fist* from another Hales owner.

I had the Transcendence 5s for a number of years. Always lusted after the T-8s (but too big for my room). I still use Hales T1s and T-Center channel speakers.
Such a wonderful combination of smooth, rich and clear.

 

[BelgianJoey]

Bose 205 (1982)
Quadral Aurum 4 (2002)
B&W in wall (2008)
Dynaudio Evoke 30 (2021)
DIY SBAcoustics Textreme (2021)
DIY Purifi/Bliesma (2022)

 

[Blumlein 88]

Optimus LX5? That's what I had.

nice write-up here, with measurement reports

Optimus PRO LX5 Speaker System Review price specs - Hi-Fi Classic

www.hifi-classic.net

Yep, those same ones. I still have a couple pair in the basement.

 

[Blumlein 88]

*bro fist* from another Hales owner.

I had the Transcendence 5s for a number of years. Always lusted after the T-8s (but too big for my room). I still use Hales T1s and T-Center channel speakers.
Such a wonderful combination of smooth, rich and clear.

I was between panel speakers, and the Signature Two Hales had the thick heavy cabinet. It seemed not to have the boxy sound I so hated with normal speakers. It was sealed and critically damped with a Q of .6 so it had a slow roll off and no resonance.

 

[sejarzo]

1976...BIC Venturi something or others
1977...JansZen Z412hp in custom cabinets that a friend had someone build for him because he didn't want to bring his original Quad ESLs to the dorm, then sold to me. Looked almost like this pair:

1980...DCM Time Windows, traded for
1986...DCM Time Frames (ultimately given away)
(insert kids, & sabbatical)
2004....Paradigm Studio 40v.3s, Paradigm CC-470 center, "matching" Paradigm in-ceilings for surrounds, Hsu VTF3 mkII sub (sold the CC, still have the others)
2006...Epos ELS3 (sold)
2019...JBL 305p & LSR310 sub (tried for a month, sold)

 

[MattHooper]

I was between panel speakers, and the Signature Two Hales had the thick heavy cabinet. It seemed not to have the boxy sound I so hated with normal speakers. It was sealed and critically damped with a Q of .6 so it had a slow roll off and no resonance.

Makes sense. The T-5s "disappeared" and imaged like crazy.

I struggled to find a boxless-sounding speaker after living with the ESL 63s. I settled on Von Schweikert VR 4 Gen 2 speakers, which really did "disappear" well with super holgraphic imaging. They lacked a bit of density and tonal refinement though. It's like I could walk in to the soundstage, but what was occuring in there was a bit bland and muted. I eventually moved on to the Hales which to my ears were more refined and accurate for instrumental/vocal timbre, among the best I've had. But I found them ultimately lacking a bit of density and oomph (talking with Paul Hales at the time, he actually acknowledged this somewhat and said it was one reason he was moving on to working in horn loaded and active designs - he got on to the "high dynamics" bandwagon and began to produce stuff for pro audio IIRC). Ultimately I kept coming back to Thiel speakers which to me offered the combination of tonal beauty/accuracy combined with a density of imaging and an "alive" energetic quality I was seeking. Very boxless sounding for a box speaker too.

 

[garyrc]

Post U.S. Navy - starting in about 1967:

• Quadraflex (Pacific Stereo house brand)
• ESS Heil AMT1
• ESS Heil AMT1T
• Custom JBL S8 speakers from Honkers Sound Company in Berkeley
• Design Acoustics D-6
• ADS L810
• Klipsch Forte III
• Apogee Centaurus Ribbon Monitors
• Meadowlark Swift
• Paradigm Atom v7
• Wharfedale D320 L/R + D300 Center

I frequented Honkers in Berkeley, and Pro Audio, and The Sounding Board, and Berkeley Custom Electronics, etc. Probably drove them all crazy. I loved the Bay Area's audio availability.

I heard the S8R (15" passive radiator added to the S8) several times. It sounded pretty good to me when in surroundings that were not too live, but no A-B. What did you think of the S8 compared to the Klipsch Forte III (and any others you want to compare the S8 to)?

 

[Oldasdrt]

Bose 901s Black
Bose 301s Black special edition, different than normal 301s
Bose 601s Black, Probably my favorite
Polk sub sat, cant remember the model num, late 80s early 90s, fantastic sub sat system
Infinity Bookshelfs
JBL Bookshelfs
JBL sub sat, nowhere near as good as the Polks
My Pioneer VSX D1S 2 had no problem powering all the Bose, Infinitys and the Polks
My faves were the 601s and the Polks,
The 901s rocked too,up against the wall, just needed a bigger space

Wish I still had them, long story,,,,

 

[Keithdd]

Wharfedale unknown, AR7, Videoton minimax, sanyo hifi 1, Arc? , Kef 105/4, Spendor prelude, mordaunt short? Rogers LS7, Chartwell ls3/5a, polk?, bose garbage, Athena? mirage? , nht one? , Atlantic technology centre, klipsch sub, ... Nothing new in last 20 years nearly...if hearing wasn't suddenly on the decline would have changed... .