Searching for the ideal vintage bookshelf speakers.

My final chirp and navel-gazing the lint in my navel as I ponder this thread

todays speakers simply smoke (emphasis added ) the "vintage " (ergo "old") speakers in both component / build quality and resulting audio performance ... Full stop.

Why?

Simple.... lived that era in college. Let's not forget that the bookshelf speaker revolution started in the 70s with the intro first by the AR / ADVENT / EPI /DYNACO  fads was a new wave about making cheaply made transportable speakers, mated to cheap receivers and cheap turntables to satisfy the tsunami of a new era of rock music fans eager provided by the baby boomers trundling off to college in the era of emerging beer-soaked and pot-infused party dorm arenas.

The operative word - CHEAPLY made for the masses...cheap speaker drivers, cheap - dare I also say crappy -- crossovers and cheap overall build quality - again full stop.

Contrast that with today's brands with their quantum leap improvements in drivers, crossovers, caps, cabinet bracing and overall build quality. The degree of current audio performance improvement in comparison is seismic - not even close.

The one common theme in any of today's top performers (and you don't  have to go to thin air levels to get that PRaT .. Pace, Ryhtem and Timing) is the MIDRANGE .... Cuz that where most of your audio spectrum lies.

For example

Why you want top-shelf midrange performance is emphasized in a REGA speaker review link below (specifically commenting on its midrange/upper bass driver) that sums it up nicely....

"....Immediate impressions are a clear and transparent portrayal with very high detail retrieval, fast and controlled transient response, and superb musical timing, both in articulating rhythms and tempi, and in placing instruments within the temporal flow and context of the performance. The RR125 is an outstanding mid/bass driver, sonically and musically right in line with the midrange performance of Rega’s amplifiers and phono cartridges. Get the midrange right and everything else will fall into place. Get it wrong, and all the king’s horses… "

your current speaker choices are VERY many depending on your wallet and synergies with the rest of your system and also highly dependent on the strengths and warts of your listening environment  ......

Sampler in the "affordable" range:

REGA
PROAC
JMR (Jean Marie Renaud)
PMS
ATC
Audio Physic
ELAC
TOTEM

For example here is a budget speaker Review on a unit that is that are designed to be either put onto shelves and close to the back-wall 

REGA R1s / RS1s (...now the new improved model RX1s...)

http://www.stereotimes.com/speak121305.shtml

"....The Rega R1 becomes my new budget reference speaker. In addition of its ability to get the fundamentals of music right, it adds clarity and resolution, and an ability to lay out a vivid and coherent 3-dimensional stereo image. In small room applications, what more could you want?..."

high recommended ... I have them in my office system and as surrounds in my HT system.

FWIW....

Correction to the above ... Not "PMS" but rather "PMC".... (Sigh... The perils of sneaky instant autocorrect on an iPad...

i don't think that jensen drivers are cheap and don't think that speakers with jensen drivers cheaply built. "cheaply made for masses" simply implies that "masses" had substantially better consumer ability to afford.

Unclechoppy,
I'd suggest you ask this same question over on the audiokarma forums where there is a much broader, and experienced knowledgebase regarding vintage equipment. The regular contributors there would also be able to assist with required maintenance for speakers on your wish list. Something like the Harbeth SHL-5 would be easier to own, since its still in production, than something like the Allison where replacement parts could be hard to find. Foam surrounds are easily replaced, but you would want to make sure proper sized surrounds are still available before committing. 

From your list, the Harbeths and Spendors would present the lowest risk in that they're generally respected, and could be easily resold if they weren't to your liking. But, I'm not sure how well each of those would work in a near wall environment. I understand Harbeths need a bit of room to keep the bass under control. 

Best of luck with your selection and let us know what you end up with.

Can't comment on all - but I do own and continue to use a pair of Spendor SP1 in my second system.  I recently set them up after a number of years in storage.

They are absolutely wonderful.  A full, rich musical presentation that I can listen to for hours on end. I have them on small stands, and they perform well with all types of music. Never any fatigue.

In my main system I alternate between Dynaudio C1, and believe it or not rebuilt Quad ESL57.  While a case could be made for newer technology, I just can't imagine any more enjoyment than I get from my "vintage" speakers.