Well, if you trust a memory from 1971 when I was a kid,
I spent long hours in front of a KLH 20 compact stereo which had the KLH 17s, and was always mesmerized by the
very pleasant, listenable sound, especially on vocals. I listened to 3-dog-night a lot (and confess that I still do...).
In '76, I got the large Advents (from Sam Goody)
and just couldn't live with the jazzed up tweeter that sounded far away from the woofer. I never understood the popularity of the Advents, big or small.
After reading your post, I think I have similar tastes and strongly recommend the KLHs over the Advents. |
a pair of vintage ads speakers may best both the large advent and the klh. condition is everything when going vintage. |
There are two sets of Meadowlark Audio Kestrels currently listed here for $500. Excellent speakers for a small room. Easy to place with respectable bass performance and wonderful imaging.
Neither of the sellers has any Audiogon feedback so caution is warranted. |
Holla,
You do not have to pay 2 to 3K. There are many options of very good used speakers used here on Audiogon for $500 to 1K. Dynaudios, Totems, JM Focal, et.al. Audiogon is full of people trying to move up the food chain and often with speakers. Also tube nuts, especially the SET crowd, sell their very nice sounding relatively efficeint speakers in mint condition for speakers that can be driven by flea watt tube amps. I am listening to a tube amp right now but she puts our 60 watts and am not a convert. But that is the beauty of audiogon!
The SDs I mentioned earlier usually go for 300 to 500 used.
Much luck in your adventure.
Hoopster |
I had MG-1s in a 10x10 room once....and had to swap them L/R to make a weird 'image' go away. It was a very hard room without even a throw rug. It sounded better with the sliding glass door open, too. |
thx for all of your responses. im still confused though. go modern or stay vintage? If I pay 2k-3k for modern speakers they better sound significantly better than 100-500 dollar vintage speakers. (and have solid good bass). thanks again, and for the sound dynamics tip. another guy mentioned those to me a while back. |
Holla,
BTW, I am a Magnapan fan but not for bass. SMGs are great sounding speakers-I had MG-Is. I think they may not do well in a 10X10 room, however. They need to be away from a wall to sound their best.
Hoopster |
Holla,
Mapman may be onto something with the Ohm's, I dunno, I have not heard them in years. I have large advents-hooked to nothing right now-that I restored (look great BTW). They were my speakers from high school along with a Yamaha CA600 and a Pioneer TT. Once the nostalgia wore off they were unplugged from a third system.
If you can find them I recommend a pair of Sound Dynanmics 300ti. They pop up now and again. I do not know how low they go in the bass but much better than most book shelf speakers. The bass is fairly tight also. They sound excellent even by today's standards and were a steal new retailing at $800. I bought mine in 1995 on a close out from Audio Advisor. They do not have paper drivers so they do not need restoration. They were an Absolute Sound-Harry Pearson favorite and for good reason, they rock but also sound great with most any genre. I would think you would be very satisfied. They stayed in my main listening room until I got a killer deal on some Dynaudio Focus 220s a couple of years ago. They now reside in a second BR system and mine are not for sale.
Best of Luck,
Hoopster |
Between the two, assuming both in good working order, I'd agree with Etbaby...the Advents are better all around. |
Hi Holla,
I've owned both. Get the large advents. Better sounding all around. |
You didn't mention a price range. The Von Schweikert VR2 speakers are a great match for your intended use; with deep, powerful, articulate bass, rich midrange and extended, but not bright highs. I think there's a used pair currently on the A/Gon. |
I used to sell both lines 30 years ago. I doubt either ever really went down flat to 30hz.
For vintage speaks, I always preferred the Ohm line to either KLH or Advent and so did many of my customers back then who heard both. They were always more open, fuller detailed and refined in most every way IMHO.
I still have the Ohm Ls I bought back then. I refurbished them myself recently. They sound better than ever and I doubt I will ever part with them. For rock and popular music in particular, they are hard to beat for anywhere near the price ($495).
You might pick up a pair of newly factory refurbished Ohm Ls via Ohm (www.ohmspeakers.com) if you give them a call. Yes, they still sell and upgrade most every speaker they have ever made for over 30 years, but only direct from the factory. These days, Ohm upgrades their old speakers with their latest drivers and components which makes them more competitive with other more modern designs. They also offer practical in-house evaluation options.
For something completely different, Magnepan MMGs would be another excellent speaker choice in the $500 price range if your bend is more into classical/acoustic music.
Of course, there are many other fine speakers out there in the same general price range, particularly if acquired second hand.
So many speakers, so little time...... |
thx Hoopster that was actually my next question! I was wondering if it was stupid to go down the vintage route as I already have vintage speakers (not bad) but with this nice amp and cd player I should prob have something modern to go with them. the guru's are high on my list since they go well in small rooms and are designed to be placed against the wall for optimal bass response. but Im open to an good floorstander that does not have to go too far out into the room that will give me good bass to at least 30hz. I wont always be in this room but for now I am. |
Large advents sound constrained at low volumes IMHO. I have no idea about the KLHs. Personally, I would look for a more modern speaker design, your mira and apollo deserve better. |
