Need help in selecting good vintage German speakers
- Thread starter Alex11210
- Start date
I've heard the MB Quart Domain 40 and it's pretty good speaker. Never heard the Magnat MSP 110, but there's a post here on AK which speaks of bad woofers on that model. A pair of MB Quart Domain 40's with some damage recently went unsold on the Bay for half of what you posted, but the damage I saw was easily repairable with household items.
I am VERY new to this hobby but already am getting disappointed in the idea of looking into vintage speakers (as opposed to new speakers). Yes, they are cheap but... for example, I just found a perfect pair of KEF - until I started reading the small print where the seller recommended to replace some compensators because they were too old and apparently no good and some other parts had to be replaced too. Other speakers I looked at also have signs of damage and not just cosmetic damages on the furniture - damage on the places where the sound is coming from. Also, I may be lucky to get what I want from a light user but if it were a heavy user who was running those speakers 60 hours per week at a high volume for 30 years - how long my "perfect speakers" will last? Maybe it would be better to just pay the full price and just get the new thing? The next problem is - can you get anything new made in US or Europe for $500-1,000 for 2 speakers? When I called Best Buy, they only had one made in UK brand starting at $5,000.
That's part of the journey my friend. You'll never know how many hours are into "vintage" speakers, which is why most of us go straight for a recap upon purchase. Restoration of speakers is actually pretty easy, and there may be an AK member living nearby who can assist. Before I really knew what I was doing, I've bought and restored several vintage speakers with nothing more than my basic soldering skills and intervention by the AK gurus! Just be patient and don't purchase without having a listen first, unless you bought it from someone you trust, or the speaker is a well known good vintage speaker and is being sold for pennies on the dollar. I found an Electro Voice Esquire 200 speaker that way, in an auction with a bunch of junk which I purchased for $7. I believe they were circa 50's and they sounded fantastic without restoration. However, I did restore them as I didn't trust how long the original paper capacitors would last. Didn't want to take a chance on destroying the original drivers, as it would have been virtually impossible to find another original.
If you're going to buy new and are desperate enough, you could brave the crowds and buy during the upcoming Black Friday specials. Places like Amazon have early Black Friday and Cyber Saturday specials where you could score a decent deal on new speakers.
tyella
Super Member
The seller likely means "capacitors" may need replacing. It's possible, but if the KEF speakers are only 10 or 20 years old, you'll likely be OK for a while.
Many of us, but not all, actually enjoy the woodworking and soldering associated with buying used speakers.
There are many here who can help if you choose this path.
Many of us, but not all, actually enjoy the woodworking and soldering associated with buying used speakers.
There are many here who can help if you choose this path.
I understand that restoration is an option but will restored speakers will ever sound 100% just as good as the original speakers? I don't know. There is no rush for me. I have speakers I can use but really would like to have something that I would really enjoy. Black Friday is coming pretty soon and it looks like even companies that claim to manufacture their speakers in the US or Canada do make some (possibly most) models in China. Getting "Made in .." information from them is not easy.
The science of speaker restoration isn't all that difficult to understand. Access the speaker crossover first. There are several different ways, some easy, some difficult, some virtually impossible. DCM Time Windows are great vintage speakers, but the crossovers are notoriously difficult to access and not recommended for the squeamish. On the other hand, the Electro Voice Esquire 200 crossovers are easily accessed by unscrewing, then removing the rear panel of the speaker. Locating the crossover and replacing those old, tired caps and resistors with the correct equivalents (or better!) will only match or improve upon the speaker's original characteristics.
If you do decide to go this vintage speaker restoration route, create a post in the "Speakers" forum and you'll find plenty of AKers eager to assist you step by step.
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Try this, wander around to a few thrift stores or some garage sales and see what people have. Look up any you might be interested in on this forum, and ebay to get an idea of the price they go for and how desirable they are. Then, if they are cheap enough, take them home. Don't forget to talk them down in price if you can see that the foam has deteriorated. I've picked up several bargains that way. My Boston HD8's were $14 and all they needed was a refoam which cost about $25. I found some Polk 11T's for $42 and all I had to do was replace a driver for $48 and glue down some veneer in a couple spots. If you wind up not liking them, sell them and buy something else. It's not like you will be out a huge amount of money. Or use them as Christmas presents.
Also check out estate sales...many deals are found there.
https://www.estatesales.net/FL/New-Port-Richey/34652
https://www.estatesales.net/FL/New-Port-Richey/34652
I have a pair of T&A Stratus P-30 3-way speakers from Germany. They have a 10" woofer 5" mid and dome tweeter. They make their own drivers. I've had them for 20yrs, but never saw much about them online. The company does have more current lines, but they're on the pricey side.
sum of sand
Active Member
This is sounding more and more like a troll
And i never call people trolls
its just
humorous
Just point the guy to accurate more or less uncolored audiophile vintage type speakers
Way too literal here
And i never call people trolls
its just
humorous
Just point the guy to accurate more or less uncolored audiophile vintage type speakers
Way too literal here
Vintage speakers made in Germany?
Canton.
Can't go wrong there.
MB Quart, before they sold their name. Grundig. Yep, yep.
All with rubber surrounds that don't seem to ever go bad.
Cheers,
James
Canton.
Can't go wrong there.
MB Quart, before they sold their name. Grundig. Yep, yep.
All with rubber surrounds that don't seem to ever go bad.
Cheers,
James
tyella
Super Member
I don't think the OP is trolling. I also don't think that speaker repair is high on his list of new hobbies to pick up. Flipping stuff on Craigslist to move around (and hopefully up) the food chain is acceptable for some of us, but it IS time consuming and a pain in the neck if you'd rather be doing other stuff. $300 should get him some decent speakers in his area, ideally without a bunch of fuss and bother.
@Alex11210, restored speakers CAN sound as good as new, but is this a path you want to wander down? You are at the fork in the road. Do you know how to solder?
@Alex11210, restored speakers CAN sound as good as new, but is this a path you want to wander down? You are at the fork in the road. Do you know how to solder?
Tio Ratinhas
Member
Canton are nice, but try some late 60's/early 70's Telefunken speakers, you're going to have a nice suprise... great build quality on the wood cabinets, not the bakelite versions.
Those Isophon drivers are yummy, very harmonic.
And some of the Heco as well, not as good as the Telefunkens.
Oh, and no Dual speakers please, most are mid-quality and usually 4 Ohm( Germans love 4 Ohm, compact and pragmatic speakers.)
It's not that easy to make a 4 speaker 8 Ohm system with German Hi-Fi.
Those Isophon drivers are yummy, very harmonic.
And some of the Heco as well, not as good as the Telefunkens.
Oh, and no Dual speakers please, most are mid-quality and usually 4 Ohm( Germans love 4 Ohm, compact and pragmatic speakers.)
It's not that easy to make a 4 speaker 8 Ohm system with German Hi-Fi.
Qtronic
Active Member
If you’re concerned about having to maintain and potentially replace components on a used set of speakers, because the hours of previous use are unknown, just select a vintage speaker in which parts are readily available. For example I have a set of EPI 100’s and if something bites the dust and stops working, there’s always a used replacement online ready for purchase. Woofers, tweeters, surrounds, grills empty cabinets, crossovers, orphans. Two day delivery, a half hour to swap the bad component, back in business. Some of these things are easy to maintain and a little experience and you’ll be comfortable with it. Be ambitious about it, yard sales, online, second hand stores, even the occasional pawn shop and in a year of staying on it, you’ll have half a dozen speaker pairs , cool stuff, and not even $500 into it. Things can be had for cheapness if you stay on the ball. A little daily effort and things will pop out of the woodwork. I pop into my neighborhood 2nd hand store daily and have pulled GOLD occasionally. Celestion Mission Klipsch Speakerlab Infinity Polk JBL M&K KLH Yamaha KEF <—— I’ve pulled all of these from 2nd hand shops. Pocket change.
