Speakers to hang on to for LIFE

Stevecham, old chap, you need to get out more. If Thiel and Vandersteen are the only two "accurate" speakers made, then why do they sound so different from one another?

Two of the greatest "keepers" I've known are the original Quads and the Beveridge 2SW series. I've owned the Beveridge 2SW-2s for 27 years, and having heard the top speakers from the majority of speaker manufacturers on the planet, can say that nothing I've ever listened to is overall more musically satisfying to me than the old Beveridge 2 series, warts and all.

Dean

Jaybo..are you familiar with the the AR Limited model 3? They came out about the same time as the Classic series I think. I bought a pair of AR Classics but sold them and regretted it.

even though the limiteds(3's and 6's) appear to be radically different from the classic series, their sound (as i remember) from auditions in mpls and chicago, was very close. classic 'east coast' top to bottom.after hoisting the 30's (wrapped as mummies)to an upsairs landing ajacent to the latest listening room(they wouldn't navigate a spiral staircase), i have promised my 'better half' i would stop for awhile with 'monument' sized loudspeakers. comparisons of the classics and the limiteds to speakers made today in the tens of thousands of dollars are valid and good news for the hobbyist.... as well as disturbing for todays so-called state-of-the-art. minty pairs are getting snatched up. too bad ar was getting overlooked at the time these babies came out. i haven't enjoyed music this way in years.

Thanks Jaybo. I hav'nt listened to enough speakers to identify the "east coast" sound but if the AR Classic are it, I like it.

I remember the salesman who sold them to me saying that AR was hoping to sell the Classic series big time in Japan. The problem was the speaker was shaped like a Japanese infant coffin so it did not go over well there (oops).

Enjoy those Cassics.

the best laid plans.....when i say 'east coast' i guess what i'm refering to is a flat response from top to bottom. no exageration of any one frequency. someone has a pair of limited 3.'s on the gon right now. one thing that i've noticed over the years with acoustic suspension designs is they are not fussy about electronics. Most of the AR alumni(a laundry list of great designers) believed that a well designed pair of loudspeakers would give one the flexibility of spending less on other components and still obtain true high fidelity. imagine a group of brilliant audiophiles concerned about people spending too much. its a plot for a science fiction movie.