Need help in selecting good vintage German speakers

Alex11210

Member
Currently I have $60 Kenwood JL 975-AV in my living room which are OK but I would like to replace them with something more upscale, preferably German (can be UK too I guess). Any advice please? I am thinking about spending $300, possibly little more.
 
Some people I knew perceived German made speakers sound as more natural. That may be not true anymore. In any case, if somebody convinces me that there in a US made product that would be as good or better, I would go for it too. I did listen to some Japanese speakers and did not like any of them - they don't sound 100% natural.
 
Some people I knew perceived German made speakers sound as more natural. That may be not true anymore. In any case, if somebody convinces me that there in a US made product that would be as good or better, I would go for it too. I did listen to some Japanese speakers and did not like any of them - they don't sound 100% natural.
I would hazard to say that this viewpoint has never been even remotely true at any point in history.
 
Well, I love Japanese electronics - receivers, radios, anything and that may be just my subjective wish but my speakers must be made either in Europe or in the US. I really know nothing about speakers - zero. And my question is very simple - what is the best model of US or European made speaker for my living room to listen to Lady Gaga and Pink Floyd 100-200W that can be found for $300 or so? I hope someone on this forum knows the answer. Thank you.
 
Brace yourself for the onslaught of follow-up questions! Here's a few to start with:
  • What amplifier/receiver will you be using to play the speakers (brand/model)?
  • Are you listening to digital music, and if so, at what bitrate?
  • Do you want "in your face" music, or unobtrusive background music?
  • New or used?
  • How much room do you have?
  • Do you like deep, rich bass (ties into the size consideration)?
  • What visual aesthetic is important to you?
At best, you're going to be overwhelmed with possibilities. It's much like asking "what food is best?"
 
Jericho Trumpets ! Or something by Magnat or Grundig. But if I ever see a JU-87 parked at the side of the road, I'm having the trumpets off it.
 
I did listen to some Japanese speakers and did not like any of them - they don't sound 100% natural.

Neither do most amplifiers, CD players, turntables, tuners, cassette decks, reel to reel recorders etc etc. How 'natural' they sound depends on what you're putting through them.
 
In general, many canadian made speakers are well respected. Some are no longer in business, but can be found used and at good prices. ATHENA and Mirage are very good in my experience.
 
- Receiver/Amplifier is Yamaha RX-V361 which is 100 watts per channel but I can get a better one if needed
- Digital music? I am not sure what it is - I am listening to CDs and Music Files from my phone or laptop - I guess it's all digital then.
- I want mostly face but also background because my family members are moving around the house and are also listening
- I think it has to be used for that price because anything new and reasonably priced is made in China/Asia which is not what I want
- I live in a 4,000 sf house. The speakers will be on the 1st floor but half of the floor really goes 2 stories high - so there is plenty of space for the sound to travel.
- I want all spectre to be well covered, including deep, rich bass (very important for my younger son who likes rap music), however I also do have a Yamaha subwoofer. I don't know if that will help much.
- Visual aestetic is somewhat important but not a deal breaker. I expect those speakers to look like somewhat heavy 3 feet or so towering 1980's structures. I may have to put up with deviations from the preferred black color. SIze may be even bigger but I think size is determined by capacity mostly and they will be bigger than bookshelf speakers but smaller than one would need to wake up the whole neighborhood.
- My target budget is $300 but I can pay somewhat more if I really like what I find. Since I will be searching on Craigslist, shipping charges probably won't be necessary.
 
Thumbs up for Braun, Canton, ADS, or Kirksaeter speakers. Lots of great speakers though from other manufacturers as well unless you insist on speakers form Germany.
I get the German speaker thing but I also love the British philosophy of sound reproduction.
 
Thank you. I did some more research and it seems that the best value may still be with an American brand, not German or English. But what brand/model?
 
Thank you. I did some more research and it seems that the best value may still be with an American brand, not German or English. But what brand/model?
There are far too many options to easily answer that question. It's going to come down to what pops up on the second-hand market in your area and how fast you are to respond. The best deals will be gobbled up very quickly, the trick is to not hesitate.
 
Lots of options on your local Craigslist for at or near your dollar amount:
Thiel, Canton, MB Quart, Tannoy, Elac, KEF, Omega, Celestion, Monitor Audio and more.
I've heard NONE of these particular speakers, but folks seem to like, em!
 
Out of what was kindly recommended here I see locally 2 choices suitable in terms of price/size:
Magnat MSP 110 and
MB Quart Domain 40
- both are GERMAN. Are they excellent speakers? Which one is better?
 
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