Speakers and Cables For an 80s System?

OccidentalDB

New Member
I'm going to build a system of 80s-mid 90s components to compliment some gear of the same era to make a vintage room in my house. I already have JVC and Sony SVHS decks, a Pioneer Elite LD player, video games and a massive tube TV. I'm planning on a getting a Nakamichi tape deck (Dragon or 1000 series), preamp (undecided, but preferably something with a laserdisc button lol) and PA-7 amp. That leaves speakers and cables.

For speakers: Seeing a Polk SDA-SRS is what gave me the idea in the first place, so it's under consideration. Any suggestions for other things that scream 80s to consider? I'm expecting just about anything mentioned on an audiophile forum to be good enough for its purpose, so a very 80s aesthetic is almost as important as the sound.

For cables: Look for something authentically 80s? Better Cables? Moon Audio? Something from Wireworld? I'm completely undecided, and open to spending some on the cables, but definitely don't want to spend more on the cables than I do on components unless I'm getting extra performance to match the dollars spent out of the Nakamichi gear.
 
Go for the big Polks if you have the room and are able to give them breathing space they need for sda. If you can't swing the SRS's or 1.2's the 2.3's are also great speakers and considered by some the best sounding model of the sda line up. As for cables everything you've mentioned will work just fine.
 
Kef 104/2, 105/2 and 107 all pretty much scream 1980s:

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Or maybe some JBL L250Ti from 1985:

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Or maybe some of the big JBL 43xx Control Monitors, like the 4345s:

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If you're going for late 80's to mid 90's paired with Nak gear, maybe the JBL 4400A series? The 4408A's were my favorite of the near-fields we sold at the time. The 4412A's would soak up that PA-7. And if period looks are important - while they did hold the standard JBL cabinet format of the 4300s, they were uniquely faced in an amazingly tacky speckled blue laminate (formica?); a choice that no sane human would ever make outside of the late 80's/early 90's. IMO, they're also currently incredibly undervalued at the moment as compared to their more elegantly walnut veneered predecessors.

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BTW, I know you're asking about speakers in a speakers thread - but just for fun since you mentioned tube TVs. We sold Mitsubishi at the time and I think they still hold the record for the biggest retail CRT - but I always thought the coolest looking were the Sony "cube" displays they sold for museums and large displays. They were stupid expensive then, but today I'd expect you to find someone begging you to take one of their hands.

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If you want authentic 1980s cables, find some Discwasher Goldends for interconnects, and original Monster Cable for speaker wire. There wasn't any such thing as dedicated audio power cables back then - just use the heaviest gauge computer type power cords you can find.

And the Nak CA-7 preamp is a great one, and the correct match for the PA-7 power amp. No laserdisc selector button, though.
 
A friend of mine did something similar. He wanted to build his Dream system from when he was in college. He ended up going completely Carver and used a nice pair of JBL 4312’s.
 

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Nice gear HifiDAD

Bet it sounds as good as it looks

I’m close to getting all my gear vintage Marantz
Just need speakers and turntable on day
Smokey
 
Any oxygen free multi strand copper is great. It depends on run lenght as to gauge. We were not as fixed on a name as performance. But hey what would I know. I have nothing in any system that dates after 1975 other than a couple recievers and 1 pre. I cant afford any new "improved" current offerings but to my ears and most whom hear my dinosaur gear it holds its own. Enjoy building your system!
 
If you want authentic 1980s cables, find some Discwasher Goldends for interconnects, and original Monster Cable for speaker wire. There wasn't any such thing as dedicated audio power cables back then - just use the heaviest gauge computer type power cords you can find.

And the Nak CA-7 preamp is a great one, and the correct match for the PA-7 power amp. No laserdisc selector button, though.

Definitely what he said! Monster cable speaker cable was the stuff to have.
There was a big turning point in the mid 90's when "esoteric " cables really took off, and all of a sudden you had to spend hundreds of dollars on a power cable, digital cables, the sky was the limit. If you stay strictly monster cable I think you will be fine, and true to the era. Speaking of esoteric.. Esoteric audio did make some nice stuff too.

Back in the day (early-mid 80's) I had some of those multi colored radio shack cables, and I thought that was high end!
 
Oh, and speakers. Forget the SDA SRS 1.2. Those things are so huge and over the top its not even worth it. Get some Polk Monitor 10B's or Cerwin Vega's, definitely 80's vibe there.
 
Another vote for Monster Cable--they were "the sh*t" back then. With that much clean/stable power, I can't believe no one has mentioned some of the larger Infinity RS-series or Kappa series speakers.
 
80s.. Let's see.. memories growing up in the middle class suburban (really sub-rural!) midwest. Pictures taken from google search just to make it fun

- Bang & Olufsun beosystems from that era. Beomaster, beocord, beogram, etc...
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- Technics (or any) Equalizers with spectrum analyzers
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- Sony Discman hooked into receiver or better yet, having a cassette adapter in through the tape deck
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- or Any top flip opening CD player. (not audiophile unless you get a luxman, rega apollo or similar, but certainly screams 80s!)
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- Alpine tape decks if you don't find the Nak
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- Technics/Panasonic or Pioneer Kabuki speakers (ok maybe not audiophile save a few Pioneer HP)
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- Magneplanar speakers with the off white cloth
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Ps.. forgot to mention LEDs... Lots and lots of LEDs or VFD displays..
Soundcraftsment stuff usually delivers the goods with lots of Christmas tree like displays. Usually a bit industrial looking though.
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Sure the SDA's would be great but the OP needs to know it will take some power to truly light them up, there not a easy load to run. That brings a hole new configuration separates, amp and preamp.
 
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