Vintage Speakers Worth Owning Today?

[Phorize]

>30 years

Man I’m getting old, earlier than 1990 is vintage? I was thinking 70’s and earlier

 

[Nyanko]

Hi guys. First of all I am new on this world of audio. This is my first message after lots of read.
I have a small living room (3 X 7 meters). My listening position is at 2.5 meters and in there I feel that 65dB/70dB is my liking, during night time 60dB or so.
Currently I have an AVR Marantz with a 5.1 Infinity HCS combo that served me well for many year for movies and music.
At my 40s I am starting to listen to music with all my senses on it. I've turned all my CDs into a nice flac collection. I listen a little bit of everything, very mood dependant.

To the point. I have the opportunity to buy a pair of KEF Reference Three (sp3246)
Specs
Type: Four-way using five driver units Drive units 25mm soft dome tweeter/160mm midrange Uni-C) driver; 160mm lower midrange; two 200mm bass in coupled-cavity configuration Frequency range 40Hz-20kHz ±3dB (-6dB at 36Hz) measured at 2m on axis Sensitivity 91dB for 2.83V at lm Maximum output level 115dB at 1m for 1.83V pink noise input at lm Crossover frequencies 140Hz, 400Hz, 3kHz Nominal impedance 4 ohms Recommended amplifier rating 50-300W per channel

It seems that the speakers are in mint condition. They were owned by an audiophile that has passed away and his son is selling them. He is asking for 1000usd.
Where I live there is a very reduced market of good used stuff. Not many opportunities.
My alternative is to pay 2000usd for a pair of brand new KEF R3 (official price in the country).

What do you think? Is it ok if I pull the trigger and spend the rest in a good amplier? I want to feel a difference with my current system. Can these babies make me happy?
Please, your advice on this. Thanks!

 

[Doodski]

To the point. I have the opportunity to buy a pair of KEF Reference Three (sp3246)

If they are ferrofluid cooled drivers that might be a issue because the ferrofluid leaks out or thickens and that affects the drivers' performance.

Otherwise they are a good speaker and will provide many smiles providing they are in good operating condition.

 

[jsrtheta]

Man I’m getting old, earlier than 1990 is vintage? I was thinking 70’s and earlier

Really. I've seen AVRs for sale described as "vintage".

Anything with more than two channels isn't "vintage". Suspicious, maybe. But hardly "vintage".

In fact, let me amend that: Anything with more than one channel isn't "vintage".

 

[Rip City Dave]

Apogee Sciintilla and Duetta

Carver Amazing Loudspeaker

Martin Logan Monolith

 

[Snarfie]

A pair of Vandersteen model 1B speakers after moving them around for 5 days an using room correction. A staging sound i never heard before. I compared them with the model 2Ce subjectively they sounded in the low more punchy were the model 1B was smooth an sounded more effortless. Had to do probably with my saddle roof that almost 1/2 my kubic meters. The model 2 were to big for my room/attic i guess.

 

[mhardy6647]

Really. I've seen AVRs for sale described as "vintage".

Anything with more than two channels isn't "vintage". Suspicious, maybe. But hardly "vintage".

In fact, let me amend that: Anything with more than one channel isn't "vintage".

I think the one I use... more than occasionaly... would qualify.
I only use two channels of it.
I found it at the dump in nearby Grantham, NH.
I like it.



(the T-7 tuner was just visitin')




some of the other stuff around here may be a little more in line with the post I've quoted...

 

[Chrispy]

Your mention of JBL sounds familiar.....a while back I was having an itch to revisit my teen years and experiences with JBL L100s back then...found nearby a reasonable price on some 4311Bs....made me smile....may not be the greatest speakers but did trigger that long time auditory memory thing for me....seemed to transport me back to the 70s

 

[Doodski]

I think the one I use... more than occasionaly... would qualify.
I only use two channels of it.
I found it at the dump in nearby Grantham, NH.
I like it.



(the T-7 tuner was just visitin')




some of the other stuff around here may be a little more in line with the post I've quoted...

That Sansui receiver is a great piece to collect.

 

[jhaider]

Really. I've seen AVRs for sale described as "vintage".

Anything with more than two channels isn't "vintage". Suspicious, maybe. But hardly "vintage".

In fact, let me amend that: Anything with more than one channel isn't "vintage".

Keep in mind that today is as far away from 1990 as 1958 is.

 

[mhardy6647]

Keep in mind that today is as far away from 1990 as 1958 is.

That explains so much...

 

[Sal1950]

Your mention of JBL sounds familiar.....a while back I was having an itch to revisit my teen years and experiences with JBL L100s back then...found nearby a reasonable price on some 4311Bs....made me smile....

I like it.

I Know, it's only Rock & Roll
But I Like It

 

[kiwifi]

M&K S100B

Listening to them now and they are still amazing!

 

[DSJR]

Apogee Sciintilla and Duetta

Carver Amazing Loudspeaker

Martin Logan Monolith

A word of caution on the Apogees... Scintillas need a HUGE room really to control the bass (I heard then Krell driven). An old froend had Krell driven Duetta Signatures for around twenty years or more but the ribbons stretched and by the end, anything with bass had them flapping almost uncontrollably. Nowhere in the UK to get them properly fixed but it may well be different in their home country Said pal wentover to martim Logans and hasn't looked back.

 

[bone215]

JBL 4410A and JBL 4412A.
Still sounding good.

 

[Abe_W]

Are there any vintage speakers worth owning today?

In particular, I'm thinking of big-ish speakers, of the size of the JBL Century or larger.

Have recently heard some lovingly restored Acoustic Research (AR-5, I think) vintage speakers, I was surprised at how decent they sounded. They gave up some detail relative to modern designs, but they seemed to play loud easily without getting compressed, and they had a good sense of 'scale'.

Something seems to have been lost when we transitioned to smaller boxes as decor-friendliness demands, as opposed to the big chonks of the past.

I'm now thinking I should pick up a vintage set of speakers just for fun.

What are some vintage speakers worth owning today?

None are worth owning.... Old junk that was designed in a time when speaker engineering was rudimentary needs to just die off. Some old geezer is usually laughing his head off and really glad to be rid of his junk when young audiophools/scientologists romanticize his vintage junk and buy it. One can find modern speakers that sound a whole lot better than vintage junk for very little cash in 2022.

 

[stony2275]

Apogee Stage - are these old enough? Should have kept them! Great mid range. Not enough bass. Hard to integrate and set up in the room.

I replaced them with Magnepan 1.7s

 

[stony2275]

Apogee ventured into surround systems. Here is a center speaker. It was a bit crude.

I also had a pair of Centaur Minors.

 

[kiwifi]

None are worth owning.... Old junk that was designed in a time when speaker engineering was rudimentary needs to just die off. Some old geezer is usually laughing his head off and really glad to be rid of his junk when young audiophools/scientologists romanticize his vintage junk and buy it. One can find modern speakers that sound a whole lot better than vintage junk for very little cash in 2022.

I think it depends on your definition of vintage.

 

[Sal1950]

Does wine and whiskey really get better with age?
Or is it all snake-oil claims to lighten your wallet?