Answer (1 of 3): "Jim Lansing Theatre Sound System" of 1954 (Also Manufactured as Westrex T550 and Ampex 6000C) Harman International, Courtesy Mark Gander and John Eargle Four 15 woofers, horn loaded, with a port as well. A huge, lively room that was ideal for the big cornerhorns, and a great recording of great music -music that also was a good match for horns. Athens, Tennessee. They're designed to be used on their sides, not standing up, and they emit a hefty sound that's got plenty of detail, weight and scale for their size. That trend will not be changing. Those woofers also ate amps for lunch, so you need some serious amplification to get the best out of these. 11- Fluance Ai40W Powered - Best Vintage Speakers under $500. is stereo speakers. Care was needed setting up, as they fire equal amounts of sound backwards and forwards. Buy on eBay > >. This was back in 1978! What is the best vintage speaker ever made? Actively damped bass driver. Though the Coda IIs' tonal balance was on the brighter side, it leavened that with an open sound and accurate imaging. Best Wireless Portable Vintage Speaker - Budget - Marshall Emberton Bluetooth Portable Speaker. A reminisce about the very best stereo speakers What Hi-Fi? Atmos front height Ino Audio A1 built as kit. The bass was stunning, as was detail and dynamic reach. We enter the 90s with Epos' ES11s, which were similar in sonic character to the legendary ES14s but available for a fraction of the price. I still have the 6100. Some rivals produced a more exciting listen, but this large standmounter delivered a huge sonic stage with class-leading scale and authority. The tweeters balance well with the sealed design which is not bass heavy. Real musical power easily co-exists with intimacy, and absolutely any kind of music sounds just perfect warm, clear, effortless and absolutely there with you in the room. A really musical pair of speakers, they could deliver just the right amount of aggression, delicacy or restraint a song demanded. In some ways these premium Bic Acoustech towers are the most interesting speakers on this list of best vintage speakers especially when looked at from the perspective of the 1980s. Joey Roth. It supports speakers, turntables, and many more. . They combine porcelain, wood, metal, Bluetooth, and a 50 watt subwoofer to form one fine small-and-powerful sound system that your apartment wishes you'd buy. The proprietary True Stereophonic sound projects a stereo image much bigger and more accurate than you would ever expect from a speaker like this, and the clever control knob, the IXP7 waterproof rating, the latest gen Bluetooth 5, and the overall design and functionality all hit. The unusual shape and design of the Ohm Walsh A, Ohm Walsh E, and Ohm Walsh F loudspeakers have made them collectors items and they show up quite frequently in movies and on television; including on the current Amazon Prime series, Bosch. All that technical wizardry generated a performance of exceptional detail, agile bass and seamless integration of voices and instruments. The strength of the competition at their price is fierce, but it speaks to the talents of Q Acoustics' Concept 20s talents they remain a favourite. Scroll to continue reading. Not only is the style just right, it has a remarkably high level of fit and finishes for the price, and everything feels top quality. The storied Canadian brand has been reborn and we're really excited to see if the M-1 is returning. The original is a 15", 8 ohm, PM unit so matching should be no problem. But they needed breathing space to perform at their best. It has a 5.25in. As desirable as any true vintage Cerwin of the past, the SL-12 is a better speaker than any of them, and the best vintage speaker you can buy at this level. Required fields are marked *. The price reflects the panel upgrades from a third party outfit, One Thing Audio. But no matter how important all of this is, especially in a buyers guide for the best retro speakers, what really sets the Beolit 20 apart is its sound warm, detailed, transparent and incredibly accurate and neutral, this is the ideal portable wireless speaker for even the most demanding audiophile, and makes any and all music sound gorgeous, with truly unmatched realism, presence and expressivity. Despite their compact stature, they could offer huge scale too. Focal's Diablos made a convincing case for spending 8000 on a standmounter. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Kob began his career at What Hi-Fi?, starting in the dusty stockroom before rising up the ranks to join the editorial and production team as the Buyers Guide editor. This huge power rating didn't come without it's downfalls. Fluance Ai40W is also a good Bookshelf Speaker with a class D Amplifier for Turntable, HDTV, and PC. Spica Angelus were fantastic speakers but are very hard to find. Quad showed no sign of resting on its laurels with the ESL 2805, the latest in a range of legendary electrostatic speakers that stretched back to the 1950s. This is reviewed as one of the best sounding 212 cabs ever made. These are the most flexible speakers on the list; meaning that you can pair with a low powered tube amplifier (20 30 watts) or an 80 watt solid-state receiver just as well. And this newest Linton also has markedly better sound than their standard-setting predecessors, with truly stunning transparency, openness and resolution of inner detail, perfectly scaled and accurate stereo imaging and soundstage, deep, powerful and ideally balanced bass and a warmth and lovely musicality from bottom to top. It is a very good mono speaker with one speaker cluster - you would need two speakers for genuine remote stereo sound. A beautifully bright and sweet sounding speaker, with amazing dynamic energy and powerful expressivity, which sounds fantastic with any and all kinds of music, and is also among the best available as the front focal point of a truly extraordinary home theater system, the KLH Kendall are vintage beauties that are truly up to date, and among the best speakers made today. Richard knope says: March 10, 2021 at 8:44 pm. So if youre ready to check out some fantastic modern classics, from what I honestly believe will come to be known as a new golden age of audio gear, lets dive right in! TEWELL Vintage Speakers, Bass Enhanced Technology, Retro Speakers Plug-in Speakers for PC, Laptop, Klipsch Synergy Black Label B-200 Bookshelf Speaker Pair with Proprietary Horn Technology, a 5.25 Marshall Emberton Bluetooth Portable Speaker - Cream, Tivoli Audio model One Am/ fm Table Radio, Classic/ Walnut, 2.4 Lb. And the same is true of Wharfedale speakers but, at least from my own experience listening to both their old and new speakers, in a very different way. And the one I myself recommend most often, and most enthusiastically, is the nicely retro-looking Klipsch The Sixes. 2 db cut switches on the mods and highs, but unlike the JBLs, they are a sealed acoustic suspension design like KLH. But not so the A4, which is capable of both. The K2s are fabulous, retro-styled speakers. Hey, man, I dont want to burst anyones bubble, but, unless you are buying the speakers for a period drama, let these and all vintage speakers go. I am happy to admit that the Wharfedale Linton floor-standing loudspeakers are the finest sounding speaker system on this list of best vintage speakers, and in fact one of the finest sounding speakers Ive ever heard. I picked up a pair of Bozak LS250s at a local goodwill for $16 a couple of months go and they are just the most beautiful sounding speakers. And the Beoplay A9 may be the best of them all, with a phenomenal presence, a subtle expressivity and a tonal beauty that makes music sound more alive, more real and more touching than anything else in this admittedly nearly stratospheric price range. As with anything, when it comes to vintage JBL speakers, some are more highly sought after than others. The 753s were stylish floorstanders that produced a dynamic performance. Original 80 watt THD speakers include one Longhorn, one Vintage. Emotiva, Carver, Aragon, and NAD are a good start with this type of loudspeaker. I just picked up a pair of 2 way Dahlquist M905 speakers for 200.00. Intended to properly reproduce an impulse signal (a sharp, short sound), the Mk2 achieved this with aplomb. Verdict. There are two crucial issues in regard to getting great sound of them; power and set-up. Best Controls: Kenwood KA-9100. 5 best vintage speakers reviewed on Toppctech.com| You may also take a quick look at the top rated vintage speakers. That craftsmanship was felt in the performance thanks in no small part to KEF's innovative UNI-Q driver which produced an insightful and musical sound. Built in the good old USA to boot. I have a pair of ADS L-810 Series II speakers I have owned since 1979. woofer and a 1in. Posted on . When looking for used vintage speakers to bring into my home, I prefer sealed enclosures because insects or rodents may have crawled into the enclosure through the speaker port. Learn more. Read more . That gradual process of evolution led to a pair of speakers that had breadth, scope and vividness beyond their peers. Part 6 of 7 covers odd vintage audio components that promised to improve your hi-fi system, but did any of it raise the bar Part 5 of 7 talks about all the things to consider when purchasing, using, or repairing a vintage record player. (Image credit: Future) Maybe the most well known amplifier released under the Peavey name, the 5150 is the result of a collaboration between Peavey and Eddie Van Halen. Emberton can be quickly charged, ROADWORTHY DESIGN RATED IPX7: Emberton is tough and resilient. Nobody buying gear in the 80s would have expected this, but I am awarding my recommendation for best vintage speakers overall to these superb Bic Acoustech PL-980 floor-standing loudspeakers, which are powerful yet intimate, detailed yet sweet and smooth, and simply stunning with any and every type of music. Please note that the above link is for a single speaker, and you will need to put two in your cart for a stereo pair unless, of course, you are super-vintage, and only listen to antique monaural 78s! At 6 ohms they were a little tough on electronics that seemed to want 8 ohm speakers. Still, somehow this amazing little guy sounds just as good with classical and jazz as it does with rock and roll, and has more accuracy and detail than I ever remember hearing from even the best vintage Marshall stacks. Small floorstander: RT400 - Every time I listen to these I am amazed just how "listenable" they are. The Teesside-based loudspeaker company employed an unusual design for its compact speaker. This 1977 original design from Kenwood is a two-channel integrated amp rated at 90 WPC RMS at 1 kHz into 8 ohms and a 0.03% distortion. As legendary as Klipsch is, to certain people Marshall is probably even more so. JBL Vintage Speaker Pecking Order . 1. Quite possibly one of the best speakers ever made. Top 5 best Vintage Speakers Splendor BC1 Marantz 2285B is my favorite. Go with this speaker if the above options fail to meet your musical needs; it's still the best, loudest. Magnepan are one of the most respected high-end audio loudspeaker manufacturers in the world, and their factory in Minnesota continues to produce world-class products that are sold in dozens of countries. Just be careful moving them: each speaker weighed a backbreaking 68kg. The best vintage stereo receiver should have an adequate number of supported sources, high power per channel and have a high-quality retro look. ProAc's Response D40R were tall speakers that needed a large room to make the most of their potential. The tweeter domes were fashioned out of the rigid substance Beryllium and the mid/bass motor system had a clever magnet arrangement, one that optimised magnetic power and minimised any losses. Since Im not Jeff Bezos, those upgrades will have to wait until my COVID-related poorness abates. The Sixes are also among the most versatile and genuinely usable of all powered stereo speakers, with an amazing range of connectivity options including Bluetooth wireless, USB and optical digital inputs and both normal line-level and phono-level analog inputs, not to mention a subwoofer output, which is best directed to the optimal and downright awesome Klipsch R-120SW sub. Usually weight is a good indication. The Dynaco A25s were designed and manufactured in Denmark, and are a true bookshelf loudspeaker.