Home Theater Forum and Systems banner

Personal Speaker Evolution Thread

83K views 110 replies 74 participants last post by  Anatolie 
#1 ·
What speakers have you owned since you got started in home audio? What is your speaker evolution?

I am really not sure if I can remember everything I have ever owned... :scratch:

I will forgive my home made speakers that I built when I was 14-15 years old... made out of old kitchen cabinets my parents were going to throw away. The drivers were from some old restaurant box speakers that use to hang on the wall at one of our old eating places... probably 8" full range drivers.

My speaker evolution...

  • EPI (1984 ... do not remember model, but I do remember an 8" woofer that kept bottoming out)
  • Infinity (1986 ... had a 12" woofer, but wife complained they were too loud for the single wide trailer we lived in so I had to send them back to Crutchfield - yeah... can you believe that... I gave in to the WAF)
  • Klipsh Forte (1988 - WAF collapsed -also added Klipsh KG1's for surrounds later on)
  • Snell B-Minor / Snell HCC500 Center / Snell SUR500 Surrounds (1991 - our first major home theater system and the longest I have maintained a pair of main speakers)
  • B&W 600 Series i (1994 - still use these in our sun room)
  • PSB Image 6T / 9C / 10S (2001)
  • Klipsch Synergy All-Weather SA-3 (2005 - still in use for outdoors)
  • VMPS RM30 / Dipole Surround SE (2006 - used RM30 for LCR setup)
  • JBL Northridge E90 / EC35 / E10 (2006)
  • SVS SBS-01 System (2006)
  • Boston Acoustics VR2 / VRC / VRX (2006)
  • Ascend Acoustics Sierra 1 / CBM-170 SE (2007 - CBM-170 are surrounds in our great room)
  • Martin Logan Ascent i / Motif / Fresco (2007)
  • Martin Logan Spire / Matinee / Clarity (2009)
  • Martin Logan Prodigy / Theater / Ascent (2009 - home theater room)
  • Carnegie Acoustics CSB-1 / CST-1 (2013 - in the front stage of our great room)
  • Arx A5 (2013 - two channel system within my home theater room)
 
See less See more
#56 ·
dwr, "101dB at the listening chair and the Abbeys sound every bit as crisp and clean from low volume to high its like there is no distortion to these speakers at all", now THIS is the performance trait of a truly great loudspeaker! I'm sure you will be spending all your hi-fi time in rediscovering your music collection. Congratulations again and enjoy, my friend!! BTW, how far is your listening chair from the Abbeys?
 
#57 ·
I am 11 feet from the front plane of the speakers.....and yes I have been rediscovering my music collection for a month now one lp and cd at a time. And this system will be complete when I get my CJ preamp back from being modified, and I am having a phono preamp built this week, real nice 274B tube rectified unit that uses 12ax7s in the preamp section, and I am having Modwright do the tube mod on my Oppo bdp83se which modifies the 2 channel output of that unit to a tubed circuit using the modwright power supply. All 3 pieces should be back in the system the first week in Sept. I'll probably start rediscovering the music collection all over again then too!!
 
#58 ·
When I was a young teenager, I remember telling my mother that I wanted to get a nice stereo. I didn't really know WHAT "nice" meant at the time, just that I wanted something that was visceral.

For that Christmas, I received a Yorx (IIRC) all in one, AM/FM, 8-track, turntable with two little 10" tall speakers (RCA inputs on the back) with 4" full range drivers.

When I was 18, I had my first job and started reading the sterel magazines. I read a glowing report on the Pioneer CTF 1000 cassette deck as well as the ElectroVoice Interface D speaker.

I went to my local dealer and heard the EV's. I bought them on the spot. I knew my mother would freak out so I took them to my girlfriends apartment and kept them there for several weeks.

Later that year, I heard my first pair of Klipsch, story (long) here

http://www.hometheatershack.com/for...s/15195-official-klipsch-owners-thread-5.html

So now at the age of 19, I had a pair of ElectroVoice Interface D's and LaScalas. I took these to college with me and was the man when it came to cranking it up. I also played a number of frat parties, weddings and outdoor parties. I got paid for the frat parties.

I still have BOTH pair of these speakers although the EV's are currently stored in a closet with rotted woofers. I can't bring myself to sell/give them away nor as of yet, deal with fixing them.

Along this road, I also bought a pair of ESS speakers with the Heil AMT tweeter. I used these in my car...and they were stolen.

1994, I was getting into the HT deal and bought 3 Klipsch Academy's to mate up with my system. I didn't realize how inadequate the Academy would be for a center speaker between LaScalas and have since sold all three of them, obtaining another LaScala to use as a center.

Somewhere around 2006, I found a pair of walnut Klipschorns in Chicago. This was my dream to own and jumped on them. I drove the 12 hours (one way) to Chicago and brought them home. My wife freaked out when she saw how huge they were. I had enough foresight that PRIOR to her coming home and seeing them, I quickly put them in the corners where the corner would hide their actual size.

She got over them and while still detesting virtually any speaker over the size of those little 2" cubes that we all know about, she's learned to put up with them. I keep reminding her that I was a package deal.... I had these big speakers prior to knowing her.

Then, in 2007, I went to one of the Klipsch "Pilgrimages" and visited the plant in Hope. Something I had wanted to do decades earlier but thought it was rather strange that someone say, 25 years old would want to drive to a speaker factory a couple states away....how strange was that??

Little did I know but there had been MANY people who not only thought about this very thing but actually had the guts to act on it and actually make the trip. Most of these lucky guys had a chance to meet PWK and the stories range from meetings with him to visiting with him at his house and having lunch.

So, it was at this Pilgrimage that I first heard the Jubilee speaker. PWK's final project and his attempt to create the Klipschorn II and take the Khorn back to a 2-way speaker. From the start of the Eagles Hotel California (HFO track) I was intrigued on what I was hearing this speaker play while in mono at their lab. Then, the drumkick came in and pressurized that room like nothing I had ever heard before. I knew in the instant of hearing that initial drumkick that I loved this speaker and THIS is what I was after since telling my mother decades prior that I wanted a nice stereo.

I drove home after this gathering, talked to the wife (who seems, didn't fully grasp the depth of what I was saying and she said "do what you want"). I instantly SHUT UP with her, put my Khorns up for sale...had them sold literally, within one hour of their listing and I ordered the Jubilee's.

I lusted to own KLipschorns since I first heard them when I was 18 years old. I was now 47, had the "speakers of my life" and heard the Jubilee. I have now had the Jubilee's for several years and do not miss my Khorns for 3 seconds. The Jubilee's have completely vanquished the standard that the Khorn set for me when I was young.
 
#60 ·
Hmmm....

I think my first speakers were some that came with an integrated turntable/amp/speaker system I bought while in the USAF. It may have been a Panasonic system but I don't remember.

After that, in sort of chronological order:

Advents?
British Fidelity (stolen when my house was robbed in 1994)
Radio Shack Minimus 7
ADC?
Dynaudio Contour 1.1
Zaph ZD5 (John Bateman built the cabinets and I did the rest)
Subwoofer using a Dayton RSS315HF-8 with an O-Audio 500 watt amp(Nik Brewer built the cabinet)
 
#61 · (Edited)
Late to the thread, but non the less...

1974 - 3-way DIY with Radio Shack drivers with a 12" woofer
1976 - 3-way DIY with Phillps drivers with 2 12" woofers
1982 - Maratanz HD880 (traded with a friend for something)
1994 - Infinity Kappa 7.1ii (and still my mains)
1996 - Kef Q80 inherited from my Dad, used for my home office
1996 - Sonace rears (in ceiling, from the builder, never could figure out the model #)
2010 - Infinity ERS610s replaced the rears
2010 - Infinity PS212W subwoofer added
 
#64 · (Edited)
Interesting progression of peoples tastes and perspective.

I started my 1st serious foray into stereo while I was in the service in 1971, and bought a Marantz stereo receiver, a Teac open reel tape deck and a pair of AR3a speakers. Picked up a Phillips turntable for my records (still have all the records).

I bought a pair of EPI-110 to compare in 1980 and then set them up in another room, Also bought a HarmonKardon stereo receiver somewhere in here to run the AR3a.

In 1986 I bought a pair of used Advents, but sold them almost immediately as I didn't find them better than the AR3a.

It wasn't till around 1998 when I bought a 36" Toshiba CRT TV, that I wanted some additional speakers and a Yamaha 1000a surround processor/amplifier and some cambridge dipole surrounds and a polk center channel.

Then got a Parasound 1205a 5 channel amp, Parasound CD player and a Panasonic DD/DTS processor plus an M&K powered sub.

Finally in 1999 got my Dynaudio speakers (some used some new) and stopped listening to other speakers as I had found nirvana. Mostly got the 2.8 towers for my stereo music listening pleasure.

Dynaudio Contour 2.8 towers with a Contour center and Contour 1.1 surrounds.

Upgraded to a used Proceed AVPII as a processor in 2008 and couldn't be happier.


Has anybody used the Dynaudio ceiling speakers ?
 
#65 ·
Around 1967, I purchased my first component stereo system. It was a pair of 3-way, Realistic Speakers and a Lafayette Combo Receiver/Cassette Tape deck, from Radio Shack. I made do with this for several years.
Around 1969, I added an Akai (Roberts) Reel-to-Reel deck.
I finally replaced the system in 1977, or ’79 (not sure what year) with a Sansui 90/90 and a pair of Techniques 3-way, Linear-Phase speakers. They were monsters, with 15” woofers. I later handed down the Techniques to my brother, who is still using them.
Around 1995, I found a used pair of Infinity Kappa 7’s, with a bad crossover that I repaired, myself (replaced bad caps). I still love the way they sounded!
A couple of years later, while looking at some of the very early Mitsubishi rear projection HDTV’s, I happened to hear some B&W Nautilus speakers. That’s all it took. I was in love and had to have some. I settled for a pair of bookshelf size, B&W CDM 1NT’s, to go with my Kappa’s and added a CDM CNT center, M&K V120 sub and a Denon AVR-3801 to drive them. I got the Mits. 65” Diamond, too (no tuner). I had to wait almost a year for the set-top HDTV Direct TV receiver, which wasn’t available from Direct TV – I had to purchase one. Times have changed for HDTV. HD Cable – Ha! No such thing.
A couple of years later, I replaced the Kappa’s with another pair of B&W CDM 1NT’s.
In’08, I added a pair of B&W 703 towers and a Rotel RB-1080. The CDM CNT was replaced with a used B&W HTM2 center.
A few months ago, I decided that the M&K sub wasn’t enough for my large room. After much research, and because I couldn’t afford the JL Fathom, I bought a pair of Rythmik F15’s. I needed a pair to balance the room. I love these musical subs and the difference that they made. My nephew is very pleased with the hand-me-down M&K.
For now I’m good, but I’m thinking about upgrading electronics. I have an OPPO BDP-83, but I see that there is a newer model. I am looking at a new AVR - Thinking about the features on the Denon AVR-4311, but maybe separates.
It’s a never-ending story.
 
#66 · (Edited)
Speaker evolution as far as I can remember. Nothing to fancy. Some I've owned simultaneously for multiple systems.

Double Larger Advents (owned in the day) _gone!
UK monitor (can't remember name) _gone!
DIY monitor (Peerless and Vifa drivers) _gone!
B&W 601 monitor _gone!
DIY monitor (SEAS drivers) _gone!
DIY floorstander (SEAS Excel drivers) _keeping!
Polk Audio RTA-11T (floorstander) _gone, sorry to say!

Plus:
Optimus PRO LX5 mini-monitor _gone!
JBL HTS610 monitors _gone!
Dual JBL 10" subs (can't remember model) _gone!
Mission model 70 mk2 monitor (rebuilt) _not gone yet!
Dynaco A25XL bookshelf (latest version, rebuilt) _keeping!
AR15 'Hi-Res Series' monitors _someday may be gone?
Klipsch RPW10 sub _not gone yet!
Radio Shack/Optimus/RCA Pro-X44AV (marketed under many names) _not gone yet!
 
#67 ·
The first 'stereo' i bought was a Panasonic all-in-one contraption, it was a AM/FM tuner and a turntable all built together and it came with a pair of what would now be considered large bookshelf speakers.
At the time I really thought I was styling with that thing.
My next speakers were Pioneer HPM-100s that I bought in 1979 (??)
Less than a year later I added a pair of Cerwin Vega speakers but I don't remember the model.
The CV's died maybe 15 years ago.
When I got a DVD player I added a pair of cheap KLH speakers to the HPM-100s so I could have surround sound and about 6 years ago I added a cheap KLH center channel.
A year ago I replaced the entire audio system and chose Klipsch RF-83, RC-62, and RS-42.
We have been very happy with this system and I hope it lasts a very long time.
 
#79 ·
Yeah I know I quoted myself :yikes:
But it's been a year so that makes it OK :bigsmile:

Still really enjoying the Klipsch speaker system.
In June of 2011 I added an Outlaw LFM1-EX subwoofer to the system and it is a great addition.
The system sans sub was very good, but the EX really adds another layer of sound.
Who knew there was so much going on below 30Hz ? :T
 
#68 ·
I don't think I've posted in here yet...

My first speakers were Zenith Allegros that my dad picked up for me at a yard sale because he remembered them (or something very similar) from his youth. Those speakers lasted probably a good 10 years through high school and university, and even though I was about my stuff, they still took a beating. Over the years I removed their beat up glued-on grills and built a new removable set, did what I could to fix up the peeling bits of veneer, and built some matching stands to get them up off the ground.

After university I picked up a pair of Paradigm Mini Monitors and a CC-370 to use as the front stage. Several years later I added the Monitor 7s and moved the Mini Monitors to the back. Now after building a few subs and a rear surround, that's where I am.

Oh, and I haven't been able to part with the Allegros, they're just too close to my heart. I now have them wired as the B channel in our dining room. :)

Note: These aren't mine, but the best pic I could find online.
 
#93 ·
I don't think I've posted in here yet...

My first speakers were Zenith Allegros that my dad picked up for me at a yard sale because he remembered them (or something very similar) from his youth. Those speakers lasted probably a good 10 years through high school and university, and even though I was about my stuff, they still took a beating. Over the years I removed their beat up glued-on grills and built a new removable set, did what I could to fix up the peeling bits of veneer, and built some matching stands to get them up off the ground.

After university I picked up a pair of Paradigm Mini Monitors and a CC-370 to use as the front stage. Several years later I added the Monitor 7s and moved the Mini Monitors to the back. Now after building a few subs and a rear surround, that's where I am.

Oh, and I haven't been able to part with the Allegros, they're just too close to my heart. I now have them wired as the B channel in our dining room. :)

Note: These aren't mine, but the best pic I could find online.
I completely forgot about my first steps into audio tinkering, which involved a friend and I each adding multiple mismatched raw drivers to our boom boxes with detachable speakers. We pretty much just got a bunch of old speaker wire and daisy chained them all together around our rooms. The speakers were salvaged from old radios, tvs, or cars, and probably sounded awful, but we were thrilled with our enginuity.
 
#69 ·
I'm going to exclude any pair of speakers that were included with something else, and only include speakers that were used as my main 2-channel pair for at least while, with or without subwoofing. And now as I scratch my chin and squint, let's go back in time to...about 1974 or so:

Realistic Nova 7-B
Advent "New"
Bose 901 IV
ESS amt-1b
klipsch cornwall
Amrita Reference Standard
klipschorns
B&W 703
a/d/s/ HT-400LCR (w/ subs)
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab OML-2
Energy RC-50 (w/ subs)
Polk LSi-9 (w/ subs)
Klipsch La Scala II (w/ subs)
RBH MC-6CT (w/ subs)
Bose 901 VI
 
#70 ·
I tend to do a lot of research and take my time before I make a major purchase so I keep my toys for a loing time and have only owned two sets of speakers.

Boston Acoustics T-830s
Salk SongTowers

When I was growing up my parents had a nice sounding Magnavox console with built in record player. It was huge.
 
#71 ·
Started with bose 501's in college. Moved to ADS floorstqanders and in a separate room Snell Q's (no bass, but otherwise best of that bunch)

I still remember over 15 years ago walking in to the "Listening room" in Westchester and hearing a single piano note and thinking "wow, that really sounds like a piano". Asked the salesman where it came from and he pointed to this little Thiel. Been hooked on them ever since. Have more than I care to divulge
 
#72 ·
Fishers I got from my father.
Home builts with 10" acoustic suspension woofers.
Polk 6.5" monitors (don't remember the model)
JBL L? 6.5"
DIY 90 liter subs with Peerless 13"
Dynaudio 12" replaced Peerless drivers
DIY MTM using Vifa drivers, as in Dickasons Loudspeaker Design Cookbook
NHT 12" !259s replaced Dynaudio drivers in subs
DIY 6.5" Focals
Kit Eton Symphony 7s from Madisound actively crossed over
Kit ScanSpeak Rediscovery from Madisound (but in a smaller cabinet), actively crossed over
DIY 3cf sub using Exodus Shiva X-2 and TC Sounds 15" Passive Radiator
DIY 4cf sub using Exodus Tempest X-2 and Exodus 18" Passive Radiator
Many others I cannot recall.
 
#73 ·
High school: the family's Zenith console (!)
College: RTR 8" bookshelf; in the Vega wagon, Radio Shack Minimus 7 on DIY brackets
Marriage: Advent 1
Since then: Large Advent, stacked New Large Advent, Magnepan MG-IIIa

Still have them all, but the RTR's need some love.

Dave
 
#74 ·
I've been through 3 major phases:

The More More More! stage: At its peak this consisted of two sets of floorstanders; some odd old Polks that were I believe a two way speaker with passive radiators, augmented by a set of Cerwin Vega 12" 3 ways, and a monstrous Carver folded horn subwoofer the size of the slab from "2001". This sounded about like you would expect, murky, muddled, loud without being powerful. Eventually a ray of light penetrated and I moved on to:

The Less is More stage: A set of Boston Acoustics T-830s. Man I loved those Bostons, I still have them, but they've grown tired after 15+ years.

Eventually I started experimenting with subs again (a Velodyne VRP-1000) and corrective EQ, leading to...

The Modern Era: Wharfedale 10.1s (and I still have the Velo). Highly rated, Kevlar drivers, biampable, slick curved wall enclosures... I wish I loved them. The high end is just a bit missing somehow and I was hoping for revelations in the midrange that I haven't found yet. I haven't given up on them yet, which is why I came here.
 
#75 ·
I started out with Klipsch KG3.5's in 2001. Then sold them when i moved in 04 and went without until the fall of 09. Then i went with the Klipsch SF3's, then to the RF82's for a month, then got a set of the RF63's and now have the RF7's in cherry, the RC7 and RS7's. This is for a bedroom and the 7's rock the room.
 
#76 ·
While not an all encompassing evolution from start to finish, this is what has been going on at my house for the last couple of weeks.

B&W 602S3, I've had these for about 2 years now. Great speaker, highly detailed with pinpoint imaging, forward sounding.

GR Research has a pair of N2X traveling the country for audition, I just had my turn with them. A really sweet, laid back speaker, you can listen for hours with no fatigue.

The WAF-1 is all that remains of the three, I sold the B&W's to my brother and sent the N2X on to forum member Mojave. The WAF-1's have been sitting in a box since February, they came as a package deal with my Chase 18.T Duo Series 2 subwoofers. No real interest in them, as the B&W's plus dual 18" subs were doing great for 2 channel duty. I was kind of concerned about having only these speakers to fall back on while I wait for the next pair.

Well, these little guys surprised me. I have never heard an inexpensive speaker sound so good, and of the three, the WAF-1 actually portrayed the deepest soundstage. They don't mind at all when you lay the power on them, and will do just fine until my next speakers arrive. It's too bad these are no longer in production.

I just set these up as shown for the pics. All listening was done with one pair optimally placed on stands and the others removed from the area.

Loudspeaker Sound box Subwoofer Audio equipment Studio monitor


Room Loudspeaker Furniture Audio equipment Property


Loudspeaker Subwoofer Audio equipment Electronics Studio monitor
 
#77 · (Edited)
LOL! This thread sounded like it might be an interesting challenge to my memory so lets see.... in no particular order:

Martin Logan SL3
Snell E/III (x2, in both oak and black)
Snell A/IIi in Brazilian Fire Maple
Snell J/IV (bought, sold, bought them back they are so good!)
DIY Sachiko BLH with modded Fostex 206E
Yamaha NS690
ADS-L810
Cerwin Vega DX-9 (x2)
Cerwin Vega D9
Cerwin Vega "E" series (all of them)
Cerwin Vega "V" series (all of them)
Lots of smaller Cerwin Vega
Acoustic Research Teledyne AR9 (how I wish I still had these!)
Acoustic Research Teledyne AR9LS (good, but not as good as the original)
Acoustic Research Teledyne TSW910 (read one line above)
Polk SDA-1
Polk SDA-2 (all the SDA are special... you either love the sound or you don't)
Polk SDA SRS 3.1TL
Magnepan MG1
Magnepan MG2
Dahlquist DQ-20i (great speaker!)
Dahlquist DQ-30
Infinity Kappa 6.1v2
Infinity Kappa 8.1v2
Infinity WTLC
Infinity Primus 360 towers with full surround compliment
Vandersteen 2C (x2 smoking good speaker for the money!)
KLH Model 23
Large Advent
"New" Large Advent
Advent Prodigy
Advent Prodigy II towers
Pioneer CS99A
Pioneer CS88
Wharfedale Dovedale (only pair I have ever seen, in person or the internet)
Wharfedale E30
Too many Klipsch to mention.

A bunch more including a ton of cheaper Acoustic Research, Pioneer, Yamaha, Onkyo, Sony, etc... Some smaller Paradigm, lots of Boston including the remarkable Voyager, and too much Bose (and rare Bose clones!) to embarrass myself with here ;)

Oh, my currents are DIY full range towers featuring the affordable Audio Nirvana AN8 drivers in either the AN suggested 2.8MKII bass reflex cabs or my one-off 6'6" tall Metronome Mass Loaded Quadratic Quarter-Wave Tubes (say that three times fast!) Really not an "evolution" of sorts... I just get bored easily. Life is short and variety is the spice of life!
 
#78 ·
Like Sonnie, I don't remember any model numbers.

Kenwood 2 way 6" paper cones my dad bought in Honk Kong in 1967 during shore leave. They worked fine, sounded like

~1980 JBL 3 way 12" with high and mid dB control. 4" paper mid and dome tweeter. 1" MDF cabinets. Loved em, had them for years. Ended up with a pair of 12" Kickers from 1993 when all the surround fell out of the JBL subs :) Had those from '85 untill I got the JVCs below.

1992 single 4" Technics. Still have them; sound like .

1994 JVC 3 way 12" with 12" passive radiators. Loved those guys. Gave them away when I moved 1800 miles in a CRX.

2000 JBL 4" sattellite 5.1 system with a dual 4" center single tweeter and a powered 8" sub. First 5.1 system and last untill a few months ago.

Long period with no speakers.... Well, some shelf system speakers not worth mentioning.

Two years ago I got my Paradigm CC-350.
Was also given a pair of two way 6" KLH that don't sound too bad, but one tweeter is "dead" for some reason.

Year ago Bose 301 III

Month ago JBL SV-1600s

Still wating for my LCR-350s.

I've had more speakers in vehicals than anything..
 
#80 ·
For me it started when I was in Jr. High. I walked into a local Klipsch dealer and they played Pink Floyd's "money" on a concert stack of horns. I was blown away! :yikes: I became their top unpaid salesman after that. I talked my divorced parents in to K-horns, Lascala's and Heresy's. I kept the Heresy's for many years after that. Later on I had:
Jbl L40's
Boston vr-30's
B&W cdm9nt's
Alternate Audio PS-40's
Axiom m3's
RBH T2's
RBH 661 SE's
RBH 661 SE/R's
Klipsch Lascala's
Klipsch Cornwall's
Maganepan SMGA's
Pioneer -41's
Chase Pro-10's
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top