Speaker Brand Tier List
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- čas přidán 2. 09. 2023
- This week Kevin creates a new Tiermaker list of speaker brands he has owned or have come through the shop.
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#vintageaudio #vintagehifi #vinylrecords - Věda a technologie
This was a fun video as usual, and it sure did stir up a lot of controversy (or I should say individuals opinions ) after reading the viewers comments and this is why I love this hobby.
Thanks for the effort Kevin, no one will come up with identical tier lists but thanks for getting us reflecting back on these. I hung out in the audio showrooms from waaay back late sixties and seventies when the speaker craze was just ramping up. It’s hard to compare as everyone had such a large number of electronics being introduced as well. The mix and match of the source equipment and subtle room acoustic influence alone make comparing speakers alone is (as an isolated part of the system configuration) made so much difference for us old audiophiles! Fortunately I still have my CS Thiels, which have been refurbished a couple of times. Jim Thiel’s contribution made the biggest impact for me over the years because I think he, like many early innovators of those days were in a relentless pursuit of their goals. These comparisons, though virtually impossible to do, make this channel most interesting. I rewatch some of your presentations whenever any of my old purchases resurface. Best Regards
Cerwin Vega, ESS and a few others were on our list, but for some reason their logos didn't make it into the tier list. Sorry!
"in my opinion, lol" I'd go Magnapan B-Teir, Cerwin Vega B- Tier and ESS A-Tier
I like your tier list videos, we know it's a personal opinion but you've had enough experience that it's got some general validity.
Possibly, the ranking would be easier and more relevant if you focused on "vintage" or "modern" or "state of the art"? For example, the vintage design of speakers vs modern has changed greatly, I think this makes it hard to generalize.
Thanks again.
ESS were my first higher end speakers that I loved. Their AMT tweeter was a revelation at the time. I have been into KEF speakers since my first Q60 - that I still have in my bedroom. The Q60 makes a great low volume listening speaker or just for background or just laid back listening.
Right now I'm a Klipsch junkie on tubes, but the Boston A series was my gateway drug. I still have sets of early A200s and A150s, and later issue sets of A60s and A40s. Thank for the video!
I loved the Boston Acoustics sound as soon as it hit the market. But I'm an old Acoustic Research girl from the mid 1970s. Had a pair of AR2ax coupled to my Pioneer receiver in 1975. Boston Acoustic sounded very similar but more detailed, and needed less juice to light them up.
A lot of very good speakers are made here in Canada. Brands such as PSB, Paradigm, Energy and perhaps Axiom would certainly be high on your list if they had come through Des Moines. I've had the original Alphas for over 20 years - an excellent bookshelf speaker.
PSB and Paradigm are decent. Energy were often included in specials from "The Brick" furniture store, where you "do not pay for three years".
Another couple of well regarded vintage Canadian loudpseaker brands were Mirage and Totem.
I totally agree. I collect two brands of speakers as I find them for cheap - B&W and PSB. I have a set of Paradigms in my garage demo system - really outstanding for their size and what I paid.
The earlier Energy brand, before it was bought out by Klipsch, were superb speakers. The Energy 22 Reference, Connaisseur and Pro 22 were the very best from that brand. After Klipsch bought the brand, they made garbage cheap speakers that capitalized on the Energy brand name but weren't anything like the originals that established Energy as a very respectable brand. Thanks Klipsch.
I took a friend shopping for a stereo system in the early 1990s and recommended he listen to the Energy 22 Pro monitors with an amp that produced at least 50 wpc. He loved them and bought them. When he was moving away and was not going to take his speakers with him, he offered them to me first. I jumped on them, and am running them as my mains with a circa 1988 Yamaha Receiver that puts out 85 wpc. They sound amazing!
@@LakeNipissing Those were the Energy speakers post Klipsch buying the brand. They were crap speakers. Not at all the same product as their original 22 Pro monitors.
A pair of Allisons in good working condition are outstanding. But finding them in good working condition is becoming difficult. The AR 3a was Roy Allison's work, improving upon the original AR 3.
I'm watching the Packers/49ers play and came across your video 👍. As a 70 year old guy it took me back to college days. My buds all bought JBL's , while I went to ElectroVoice, Marantz amp, Dual turntable, Pioneer receiver. All purchased from Keif's in Lawrence KS 😢.
Purchased Infinity's after grad school and Bose 901's with first house. Been many, many years since I've shared the experience of listening to one anothers layout/music. Great memories and information.
As a Home Grown Canadian living in the USA for the last 26 years, I am sad that the US has not been more exposed to psb speakers. Upon getting married in 1981 my stereo system purchase was a pair of psb Passif II speakers with Luxman amp, tuner and turntable. These speakers are fantastic. Kevin re-foamed the speakers (about 40 years old at time) and cleaned up the amp and turntable (later to install Grado Red 3 cartridge). Three hour drive one way. I have never had anyone not be amazed by the sound (and not just being polite). This system sits in sunroom. Wanted a system for family room and was not about to deviate on speakers. Enter psb X2T's paired with nad C388 BluOS-2i, Marantz CD6007. For the money they are a win-win. I would rate them tier 1 !! Thank you Kevin. Skylabs Audio is number ONE! and Podcasts are fantastic.
As a lifelong ADS owner, I love the list.
I'm listening to Miles Davis at the moment on a pair of ADS L500's that I bought new in 1976. All my other gear has came and went but those ADS have remained a constant.
@@gevowavemagnet sake for me. L710s bought in 1981
Bought my L710s in 1979. Still great.
Love my ADS 910’s
Good stuff! I've settled in on my childhood memories from the 70's with six pairs of EPI's throughout the house. My dad owned a pair of 100's when I was a kid, and they were my first introduction to sound. They always sounded "proper" to my ears. As I got older I owned many other brands. Klipsch, Polk, Infinity, Boston, JBL, and a few others. But it's the EPI sound that draws me in to this day. And I'm talking about the stuff during the gold ring tweeter era, and even the earlier Masonite stuff, not the cheap stuff during the Harman years.
My personal picks / changes would be to have Dahlquist, B&W and Martin Logan in the A section. Infinity was once a very high end brand, but Harmon trashed them - Arnie era Infinity would be a solid A, later on is closer to C. I have owned 2 pair of older era Infinity speakers and they were top notch at one time. The only other might be to nudge Realistic up to C. While they catered to the mass market on a budget, the better ones were respectable.
dude wtf...
It's true@@simonspeaker
I recently acquired a set of vintage German made Canton’s on my local marketplace and I was pleasantly surprised on how good they sound and I am going to set aside my Cornwall’s for now.
What model?
@@chipnadeau5095
CT-80
I can chip in and second being pleasantly surprised at my Canton Karat60 speakers, a bit beaten up aesthetics- speaking but with strong amplification, they are sweet.
Kevin, I love your tier brand lists!
After all these years I am still enjoying the great sound of my OHM Walsh 3 speakers on one of my systems, and the great (but different) sound of my ESS Eclipse M102 on another system. Both are driven by Marantz units from the early 80's.
Great video, love my AR 3a and 5s Bought the 5s new while I was in Vietnam in 1970 and had them shipped home. recently rebuilt the surround, crossovers and installed new pots. Found a pair of original 3a's at an estate sale recently, they were unfinished wood. Completely re built them just like the 5s and left the wood unfinished.
Hey Kevin. Fun video as always. The only change I would make to your list is bump up Infinity to the A spot. I have several Infinity speakers ( the older models ) and they all sound amazing. My current main setup is Pioneer SX-950 with Infinity Qb's with an AR-XB turntable and Pioneer 707 R to R. My fav in my small room is my Pioneer SX-626 with AR-4xa's. Very smooth sound. Love the video's. Looking forward to the next.
I love the Kappa's but have not been able to find any in my area.
In 1975 I was 18 and in the Navy and had very little money. I bought a Sony TA-1130 amp, an AR manual turntable from a friend who got it from a family friend that owned a radio station, and a pair of BIC Venturi Speakers with the 10 inch woofers. They had a horn mid range and were great for hard rock and especially Black Sabbath. I only got to listen to them when I was home on leave. D'oh! I have owned several JBLs and Klipsch speakers and still do. I'm happy with your list.
Keep it up! Loved the content. Thanks!
As an owner of vintage stereo equipment myself - nothing outrageous - but solid equipment that I grew up with - I appreciate the time you put into these videos and the information - seems fair and honest and appreciated.
I've had a pair of BA A40 MkII w/a Polk PSW10 as my daily drivers on my SX-737 for 10 years. I love them. The sound is clean, crisp, unadulterated. Great stage and imaging. Perfect for a low-mid power 70s solid state rig in a small to medium sized listening space.
Those Polk Audio Monitor 7s and 10s with the upgraded tweeter sound better than my high falutin' ELAC and PSB bookshelves.
Model 10s by polk especially with the polk wire amped with nad are awesome. If you can find sda 1s or signatures and nad preamp and power amp you will have the basis for a good vintage system
Thanks for all advice sky labs
Thanks for making these informative and entertaining videos. I enjoyed this video a lot. As a vintage audio enthusiast and restorer, I've had an opportunity to listen to many of the speaker brands you ranked and I agree with your choices. I'm a big fan of Henry Kloss and just about anything he designed. That being said I personally would have probably moved KLH into the "A" category. I've fully restored many KLH models but my absolute favorites to listen to are the Model 5, 6 and 23. I also own AR-4x and OLA's in my "keeper" collection. I hope to come visit your shop one day. Thanks!
The Advents we bought from you really light up the garage. The Sony receiver, also from you, allows us to crank these things at 80% with very little “noise”. Garage is finished except, of course, for the concrete floors.
Are there vintage brands that are easier to restore/work on than others? I see some ratty old speakers on Marketplace and in garage sales and I'm always curious which ones are worth putting the work into. I've built a couple CSS Audio speaker kits so I have a base knowledge and decent woodworking skills to work off of.
I largely agree with your list. I would bump up B&W and Polk by one notch each, and would have to knock Bose down another peg for all their Acoustimass sins. Other than that I don’t think I’d change anything.
Thank you for giving respect the the AR brand. I currently have AR-3a speakers and still love them and their sound. One great thing about the AR line in the 1970s is that their speakers sounded very much alike. I have owned AR-4x, AR-6 and AR-7 speakers and the main difference is the low end from the AR-3a is better and the dome tweeter and midrange help the high frequencies and midrange cover the room better. Otherwise they sound very much alike. I also have a pair of JBL L-100 speakers I bought at a yard sale for $15.00 each. The cabinets are a little rough and of course the foam grills are not present. One of then has a midrange driver out. I use them in my shop and also for the sound of my computer and they sound great.
I listened to a pair of Sansui SP-1200 and they sounded awesome. I don't hear that model number when you speak of the Sansui's. Thoughts? Still Crappy in your opinion? Thanks
Another great video, had to treat myself to a shirt as well!! Tons of good brands in this list which many have crossed my path, the ADS & Cantons never left. Another brand I enjoy ( not the best in the world but a fun speaker ) Design Acoustics point source series with the down firing woofers, Real neat speakers. PS' Pauls Infinitys are so cool, id love to hear them as well.
For Infinity normal priced anyway did you find the top end somewhat bright?
I found a small pair of Dynaco speakers in the alley once, the veneer was scratched up and the grilles were beat up. I sanded and oiled the veneer and got lucky scoring some black fabric for the grilles. The woofers pushed right out to the edge of the cabinet and the surround was wide, black rubber. Not foam - so they lasted. I think they were A-10s. I ended up selling them but they were a cool retro throwback. The black cloth grilles updated them nicely too. Screw terminals FTW, if that's what you like.
Totally respect your choices.
We have a pair of Dynaco A25’s in a vintage gear living room setup that are darn good except the tweeters were upgraded along with the crossover capacitors.
Dyna speakers were imported from Denmark and were built by SEAS. Really nice underrated speakers.
At first I thought those speakers on the floor behind you, frame right, were DCM Time Frames (or Time Windows). DCM got some great reviews back in the day. I'd like to hear your take on some other relatively hot manufacturers right now: Focal, Triangle, Elac, Monitor Audio, Magnepan (which is just out with some new, smaller models)... I have a pair of '90s vintage Spica TC-50s (the wedge-shaped ones) that are impressive, but that company (like Mirage) is no longer around, so they're not all that easy to find anymore except on ebay...
Have owned several models of Cantons over the last 30 years. I believe they were brought to the US via Mr Madsen ( thank you Tom's brother) into the Audio King stores in Minneapolis / St Paul. I currently own Karat 30, (which is the 5th time I have acquired this model) Karat 20, Ergo 90DC and others. I would appreciate any suggestions of other model suggestions. They continue to be under the radar......Glad you included them in your list Kevin!
I hope you get an opportunity to get your ears on some MartinLogan Motion series. I really like pairing this series with vintage receivers. That folded Motion tweeter is just so precise.
I think you pretty much nailed it. Especially ADS JBL and AR' in the A Tier
Interesting list, good video, thanks.
ADS! Yes, I love them and nobody talks about them. Thanks
I was very surprised to not see Genesis on your list.
I’ve got a pair of Genesis Model 10s that are absolutely amazing that I love.
Genesis was founded by Arnie Nudel after he left Infinity. SOTA
I very much appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us. Your list was good and encompassed a lot of brands. I have a vintage pair of Koss CM 1030 speakers that sound fabulous. If you get a chance to pick up a pair that have been rewired buy them. Huge weighty speaks that sound A level.
Great list. I have air of Polk SDA 2A that sound fantastic, they are definitely in my B list. Got ADs L810s too.
I have both too.
Interesting video. Where I live we see more UK speakers as such I’d personally bump up KEF and Rogers at A.
OHM’s should be in the #1 spot. Their higher end series are amazing. I own original Ohm F’s and those will smoke all on the list. I also own OHM Walsh 2’s and they sit right there with my JBL L-100’s. I can crank the hell out of them. They sound amazing!
Lincoln Walsh was an incredibly visionary engineer
I have Ohms as well... Incredible speakers.
Love my Ohm Walsh 2
I have also heard the Ohm F speakers and they were fantastic.
I own ohm walsh 2s and frs-11s. I absolutely love the speakers but if some AR3a's came up I would definitely choose them!
is the empire turntable over your left should going to be up for sale?
While there are a few exceptions, the list generally reflects a rule of thumb that was popular when I bought my first decent stereo system, back in the early 1970s. If you wanted a good loudspeaker, you auditioned a brand that specialized in loudspeakers and avoided brands that were primarily electronics manufacturers.
It was very disappointing to not see CerwinVega! On this list. I don’t understand why they are such a controversial speaker, they have made allot of great sounding speakers. Definitely better than others on this list 🔈👍🏻 I’m actually a bit mad lol!
100% agreed
Totally an oversight. We missed a few.
Arguably, the most identifiable vintage speaker line. So odd not to see them mentioned here.
They could have shared the spot with Sansui.
..
LOVE my pair of Celestion Ditton 551. A poor man's Yamaha NS-1000!
Curious about opinions on the Martin Logan electrostatic speakers. Where would you rank those?
Great video , I'm a JBL kinda guy , tomorrow I'm getting some Linaeum LFX-BA speakers with the ribbon tweeters I'm excited to see how they sound , he also has a pair of JBL 4301's , we are doing some trading so pretty excited to see how that goes . I have amassed quite a collection out here on the Big Island . Keep up the good work , I ordered a T shirt in XXL , pity no XL's are left :) . I'll be flying the Skylab flag in Hawaii .
I'm curious as to your opinion of Ohm speakers given that they've not been mentioned as best I know. Still in business and building product in NY, still backing their legacy speakers and I understand the owner will actually answer the phone himself. I was given a pair of the Ohm L's and was surprised at how wonderful they sound in my vintage system. Possibly they don't come in often, though I think they sold many conventional speakers? Thanks in advance!
Haven't heard most of the speakers listed, but regarding the ones I've heard, I get where you're going. I have heard B&Ws in a nice setup and was blown away, so for me they'd go in A tier. And I would add Paradigm, a brand I feel that punches above its weight, to the B tier.
Thumbs up given for your Paradigm mention. Great sounding speakers.
Have you heard Norman Laboratories vintage speakers. I have run across a few. I would like some opinions on these speakers
Boston Acoustics A100s for life! I've had mine since 2008, and I bought those to replace a set I bought in the early 80s that I lost.
I agree with your assessment assessment of Sansui!
I love the speaker talk! I've had the baby Advent II's, and they were awesome! I had the Boston Acoustic A60's and I really enjoyed them too. I currently have the Yamaha NS-645 and they are the best speakers I've owned to date. So many speakers, so little time! How about some PSB love?
she just imitating her friends
I didn't even need to watch this - B&W, Infinity and JBL are in my top tier. No question for me. Ive have infinities and now have B&W Series 3 and JBL 4425s. Life is good. Thanks for the video, enjoyed seeing all the speakers names from my past.
Hey, very interesting and honest opinion., congrats Here in Europe, we will add for sure in the top rows Celestion Ditton, Tannoy, IMF, Monitor Audio, Goodmans… but i understand that you have less chances to have a pair coming in.
We' d really like also your opinion on american rarities that we hardly see in Europe: Cerwin Vega (domestic ones; i really like my R10) but also Martin USA, Epicure… And a tier list for integrated amplifiers ? Have a great day, greetings from Belgium.
I owned a pair of Dahlquist DQ20s they were wonderful my now ex wife tormented me until I sold them, should have gotten rid of her then. I have an Infinity Interlude system now and I'm very happy with them. They were during the Dr. Floyde Toole days of Harmon. I've had them 20 years now not looking to part with them.
Hey Kev, hope you had a great Labor Day weekend.
Overall, I agree with your list, except I would definitely move Bose up.^
Many of those brands I never heard of, and there's other brands not mentioned. Such as Clarke Systems, which made some very respectable speakers back in the 80s on the East Coast. I had a pair and used those as my B speakers, used with my AR speakers as my primaries (A), when I had my Onkyo system .But I no longer have any of those and use Polk Towers with my Pioneer 780 receiver now, which isn't my ideal system but that's all I have right now.
I also used to own some Advents and still have a pair of old KLH's in storage.
No highs, no lows-Bose. When someone came into our shop asking for Bose, I pulled out some Christmas bows to show.
When I was in highschool in the 70's I had some Bose 201's hooked up to a Pioneer tuner and it was awesome
I would add a few of the made in Canada brands to this list for their dominance in the 1990s when most other brands were producing a ton of junk. These days, old Paradigm are some of the best deals in audio equipment. Especially, Paradigm Atoms are small, inexpensive, and easy to find these days. Those speakers were probably better than the Boston HD5s of the time, due to featuring dome tweeters and cast frame woofers. They do need new foam surrounds these days, but I run repaired atoms and titans all the time on my sound systems. I call their sound a perfect blend of detailed and fun. I would describe their sound as flat enough that you hear the details of the music, but not flat enough to be analytical or boring sounding. They sound incredible with all content, and really sound better the louder you turn them up!
Do you ship merch to Canada ?! Thank you
The Ohm F - the first of the Walsh speakers - were fabulous. Dynaco made four lines: the small A-10; the original A-25; the larger A-35 and the floor-mount A-50's. Jim Thiele told me he pronounced his name "Teel" when I went through their facility in Lexington, KY.
Nice👍
What about paradigm loudspeakers?
Not sure if Magnepan is something you had a lot of experience with but they would be on my top tier for sure
Hi Kevin, have you heard HeathKit AS 153 speakers? I have a pair of custom built boxes with these inside.
I used to have a Realiatic STA-2280 with a pair of Realistic Mach IIs. Quite a powerful combo and a great stereo for the prices.
I wish I still had that system. I don’t even know what I did with any of that. Crazy. Gettin old friends
We have Bozak show up in my area occasionally. Right now there is a set of DMS 4500 and a set of B-302A for sale locally. They are out there
I would also include Cerwin Vega, Magnepan and Monitor Audio.
Hey my cerwin Vega V.S 150 sounds good with my marantz 510
Especially Cerwin Vega’s love those speakers
Ya so sad CerwinVega! Wasn’t on the list. It’s almost like people are scared to bring them up, like they will be laughed at.
I don’t have a problem at all The only problem with my neighbors complain a lot my Marantz 510M 700 watts 350 Per channel even make Helen Keller dance
Monitor Audio is an exceptional speaker maker.
Have you ever heard any of the Marantz HD series from the 70's? They are really nice speakers. Currently have a pair of the 920's. The HD880 are very desirable speakers. Also, the Ohm's could be in the B list. They make great sounding high quality speakers. Currently have a set of C's. And, they still sell replacements for ANY part of a speaker they have sold. Very pricey, but if you want to keep things factory spec'd, you can do that with Ohm.
Fun video, sure to stir up discussion. I mostly agree with the A category. The Brit speakers are under represented in this format because they co$t a bunch so you wouldn’t see many in your shop. I have listened to the KEF LS 50’s and they are astonishing!
Go ADS! I've had the 810s and now, for the last 40 years, the 1230s.
I have a pair of Fourier one series speakers that i am restoring, they are one of the best sounding speakers i have owned and was wondering if you have ever had the pleasure of listening to a pair of them. I'm looking for a pair of tweeters for them right now.
Great list! I might move Warfedale to the top... and Rogers sound lab for sure!
Great list, I currently own ADS, JBL and Klipcsh.
I've had Wharfdale.. Mordant Short.. Monitor Audio's... But I never hear you guys over the Atlantic talking about anything from over here in the UK & Europe.. Any idea's would be good to chat about with anyone who is just getting into HiFi for the first time..
A worthy overview but I could make an argument to move B&W/Wharfdale to level A. (I own B&W CM10, CM 5 CM Center and a pair of JBL L82 Classics so I get the contrast). The UK brands do tend to be analytical (assume thats what you mean by “boring”) so it really depends on your music preferences. The Advents in Combo with Bose 301 was a popular pairing back in the day. Buddy of mine, scrounged up a system a few years back anchored by a Pioneer SX 737. I smiled when I saw he had arrived at the same combo. Perfect system for 70’s rock.
back in the day i had a pair of Tamon speakers 15" subs , they where awsome, my buddy 3 houses down would show up to jam with me but he didnt have to they sounded great there
I think I have said this before. Sansui speaker cabs mostly have terrible cabs but my SP x9000 have crappy cabs but placement and the right room makes a huge difference.
Celestion Ditton line of speakersk Made in England... I bought the 33's while in high school 1975, great performers. Ive since picked up the 66's the big brother to the 33's and the 66's easily outclass the 33's.
I guess I was surprised to not even see them mentioned.
We had a high end store in Lincoln Nebraska, but it closed shop however there is still a Sound Environment store in Omaha
I think they had a decent Nebraska following.
Have to add Epicure! Loved mine!!! High quality and great sound! I also had a set of Onkyo speakers with titanium tweeters and enjoyed them for years too!
I have four sets of Bose 601 series 2. Really nice sounding speakers. I have two sets hooked to a pioneer SX-950 and the other sets hooked to a Scott 380R . But you got people out there that doesn’t like Bose.
It’s just whatever you prefer .
It amazes me the number of people that claim to hate Klipsch, that never heard the Forte' series. I've heard the Original and Forte' II, many can vouch for 3 and now 4. If you're on the fence about getting some Klipsch, at least give the Forte' a chance.
I have a pair of 1990 La Scalas. Owned them for 23 years. I know Kevin takes away points when adding a subwoofer. I added a Klipsch sw12 ii to mine and are driving them with a Bottlehead preamplifier and Quicksilver Horn Mono 25watt tube amps. Incredible sounding! I also have 1996 Forte ii. Driving those with a vintage Mcintosh C26 and a Decware 2watt amplifier. Sounds incredible too!!
I hope someday (if you haven't already) get to hear some Sony APM 66ES speakers. They are incredible!
How about Cerwin Vega ! ??
Absolutely!!
Great Video- I would have put the B&O in at least B. you confirm my gut feeling classification regarding Marantz, MC, Sansui, .. a bit surprised about Braun - but you are probably right 😁. there are some other brands , but may not be popular in the US: Philips, Pierre etienne leon, Cabasse, T+A, Heco, SABA, ITT, .... - any thoughts in the team ?
Altec Lansing should be in the A section, top notch American quality, right up there with JBLs
Back in the mid 70’s I chose the altec model 3 over the jbl L82, just sounded better to me. The model 3 through model 9 are great speakers.
Have a pair of Model 19's, they are awesome some of the best I've heard. DSOM sings on these if you have room
Speakers are so subjective. No two people hear the same.
Forgot DCM. Iconic brand Michigan brand from the late 70s early 80s. I grew up with Timewindows in the house, none of my friends had anything that was even close.
I swapped out my Brain L 500’s for Eclipse RF 35’s for about 10 years then recently put the Braun’s back on and I seem to prefer them now.
I own a set of JM Labs Cobalt 816. They are a very bright speaker but matched with my Marantz 2252b sound awesome.
It's so interesting to see what someone else with a lot of listening experience thinks about speaker manufacturers. It's also interesting to see how history often seems to skew certain brands.
I've owned Altec VOIT, AR 3a, KLH 5, EPI, Advent, and I've heard most of the others listed and I'd put most of the ones I mentioned in the C range (at best), even so, they are mostly that high for their early entry into either HIFI in general or because they were the first in a niche, and not because they sounded especially good. The Altec I'd put in the D range, but they certainly impressed my friends. I kinda liked the Bose 901s but not another single speaker that they ever made, but I suppose that could change.
I'm sorta surprised that you left off Magneplanar/Magnepan. They were kind of a big thing back in the 70s and 80s. I suppose they still are. I'd personally put them in the A category.
Strangely I never caught either the JBL or Klipsch bug. I'd say the JBL were Bs and Klipsch were C.
I owned some metal grilled teensy ADS/Braun speakers (about the size of the Optimus with the ribbon tweeter) that were astonishing back then. It would have been around 1980-1983 I think? I've always wanted to find another pair, but I'm afraid they wouldn't sound as amazing.
OTOH, I think the Polk SDA and Monitor 7, 10 and 12 are all best in class for their price range, especially in that time frame. They would top my list and be all by themselves in an A+ category although the speakers they developed after 1990 or so would be placed in the C category by me. They are a very divisive speaker for some reason. I think it might be because many see the umbilical as a gimmick.
It's weird.
I know you won't read this but were any of you associated with Audiolab (s?) in Des Moines? That was the Mecca for all we teens from North Central Iowa. I bought some stuff from them back in the day. They were my first exposure to non-mail order speakers (other than Team, which didn't really count). It was definitely a plus to be able to hear before buying!
PS: Do you know anyone that ever owned the Rectilinear Wall of sound speakers? This guy! There's a sucker born every minute.
Advent could easily creep into "A". They were just so good for how little you paid: so intelligently engineered. The EPI M100 was the "giant killer". And JBL. Pretty much very late 60's until about 1979 (you can forget the Aquarius Series EXCEPT the S109 Aquarius IV. Magnificent; the Bose killer). Actually, the L50 is my favorite: 1978. They actually had a crossover of sorts as against most of the others that just relied on the natural "roll-off" characteristics of the drivers and an L pad. And ADS. Their greatness was a pretty short run. Oh, and don't forget Allison Acoustics as another viewer states.
Enjoyable as always, installment. During my time at Franklin Music I seemed to sell about four or five models, based upon what kind of music, and money, the customer came in with. There were a certain group that were only after BASS, and I called them "Thumpers". BIC for them, every time. kinda sort of mids, and muffled highs, but they loved them. We did not sell them, but kind of reminded me of the "Big Box" Cerwin-Vegas. If they came in and really enjoyed music but could not spring for my favorites -- JBL Centurys, I would focus on Pioneer HPM-100s -- I still would like to find a pair to this day. Would also like a pair of the current L100 JBLs. Speaking of JBLs, I did not sell them, but my Manager did have someone come in that had plenty of money, and the space and amplifier power to make the pair of L200s we kept in the back storeroom. Yes, BIC earned that "D" for sound quality, but you just about could not kill them. Will wait for the next installment...
No ESS AMT 3b towers?
When discussing the Pioneer speakers, now we know why, in the movie Galaxy quest, they were mining for beryllium spheres.
Well as a big AR fan and owner of way too many AR's i'm glad to see them at the top!
Great sorting, Vandersteen, yes but not in my budget/hearing range. However maybe I should walk around the corner and visit the shop. The are still located here in Hanford CA.
in my opinion, the Realistic Optimus 5b/Nova 8 are a real sleeper pair. Basically a KLH 5 clone from the late 70's. I still have/use the pair that I bought as a teenager and they still rock (crossovers need to be recapped). I have them paired with B&W 602's and they sound fine when played together .....
I own some very nice 5-bs and some nova 7s. Great speakers!
Loved seeing ADS up top. Only had the American ADS, never heard the German Brauns.