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Audioholic's 10 most influential speakers of all time.

So...this is a 'subjective' list based on AH 'opinion'.

A bit early for AH to be playing April's fool.

Cuz...they are all about being 'objective', right?
 
hunter00 said:
Whats with the jbl l-100's on the list ?Bose? The early jbl 2 way monitors will walk circles on those..
hunter
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Yeah, the L-100s were popular speakers but I don't think they were influential; they didn't break a sonic trail that others followed or use new techniques others subsequently used, actually they were a very conservative and conventional speaker. Whereas the EV Interfaces did something nobody did before but that almost everybody does now.

And the Bose 901, while a popular speaker it's had almost no influence on other speakers, it just stands alone as a kind of oddity. I think the Acoustimass line has been somewhat influential but the small speaker used with a sub goes back before that, like the Fried Model H of the mid 1970s. And I think the BBC LS3-5A was the most influential small speaker ever.
 
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Erik Tracy said:
Cuz...they are all about being 'objective', right?
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Which speakers are influential is a matter of history and can be approached somewhat objectively, and the objective historian will credit things he despises as influential. Such as I can credit Fascism and the AR speaker as influential.
 
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Tom Brennan said:
Which speakers are influential is a matter of history and the objective historian will admit things he despises are influential. Such as I can admit Fascism is influential. Or the AR speaker.
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And all is dependent on who is 'writing' the supposed history...cuz all historians are also objective as well, right?
 
Erik Tracy said:
...cuz all historians are also objective as well, right?
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Of course not. But when talking history to make your case you have to have more than preferences at your command. Influences can be traced: how we trace them may vary but it they didn't we'd have little to talk about. But some rigor of thought is expected, not just "this is influential because I like it".

So you write your history and I'll write mine and others can write theirs. Then we can compare and argue. And come to conclusions. Or not.
 
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Klh made a great speaker in 1980{model 1,2 and 3's}that came with a bass equilizer,was very pricey as well but solidly made and for a small floorstander/large bookshelf speaker to my ears sounded more detailed then the BBC ls3-5a speakers and had more solid bass to it.Not many were sold and those that were ended up in studio's as monitors.It hurts me to say they ended up part of my oldest sons wedding gift system..
hunter
 
I'd be much happier with the list if the Quad ESL's where there instead of the Bose Acoustimass. Perhaps the Acoustimass could be mentioned in the Bose 901 writeup. Something along the lines of the Bose marketing influence that started the whole "invisible" speaker trend. :thumbsdn:
 
My list of the most influential speakers of the past 50 years. No particular order. All have been developed since 1965. Feel free to criticize.

BBC LS3/5A--Started the mini monitor trend and is still a target to shoot at. Made many Americans aware of the virtues of other BBC designs by Rogers, Spendor etc.

EV Interface series--First to use TS method of designing woofers and enclosures

Dahlquist DQ-10--Time alignment goes back to the 1930s but this speaker made a big deal of it and made other speaker makers make a big deal of it.

Magneplanar Tympani--First successful planar magnetic, got the ball rolling for many subsequent planar magnetics such as the Infinity EMIT, Eminent Technology, B&G and the multitude of drivers available at Parts Express and other vendors. Magnepan speakers were and are still sonic targets to aim for.

Altec Model 14-- First modern commercial horn speaker; used EQ to compensate for compression driver roll off, used constant directivity horn and matched directivity of woofer and horn at crossover. Father of the Econowave.
 
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Sorry... I didn't see the 'American Speakers' or the 'of the last 50 years.'

That's a really specific list, but it's all good I guess.
 
from the 1978-84 period there were some beaut speakers that should get honourable mention... original AR-9 's{were my mains for some time,dual 12" woofers per cab.
ADS 1590's{wish I never sold those}
IMF MK iii's
later B&W 801's
All these desire to be on the list forsure!
hunter
 
hunter00 said:
Whats with the jbl l-100's on the list ?
hunter
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The L-100's were influential insofar as they were the speaker that sold large numbers of what could accurately be termed "professional" monitors into the hands of consumers. They were also the inspiration for the Pioneer HPM-100.
We take it for granted these days, but I dare say that these brought awareness of woofer cone-stiffness to the American public (the Brits had the Leak Sandwich...).
 
Ths364 said:
The L-100's were influential insofar as they were the speaker that sold large numbers of what could accurately be termed "professional" monitors into the hands of consumers. They were also the inspiration for the Pioneer HPM-100.
We take it for granted these days, but I dare say that these brought awareness of woofer cone-stiffness to the American public (the Brits had the Leak Sandwich...).
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I get your point ,as far as sonics tho they were very "coloured" and inaccurate as far as I was concerned tho
there were so many sold and available to the resale market that I personally made mucho $$ buying,recapping and reselling them as they had a good rep on google.....
hunter
 
Tom Brennan said:
My list of the most influential speakers of the past 50 years. No particular order. All have been developed since 1965. Feel free to criticize.

BBC LS3/5A--Started the mini monitor trend and is still a target to shoot at. Made many Americans aware of the virtues of other BBC designs by Rogers, Spendor etc.

EV Interface series--First to use TS method of designing woofers and enclosures

Dahlquist DQ-10--Time alignment goes back to the 1930s but this speaker made a big deal of it and made other speaker makers make a big deal of it.

Magneplanar Tympani--First successful planar magnetic, got the ball rolling for many subsequent planar magnetics such as the Infinity EMIT, Eminent Technology, B&G and the multitude of drivers available at Parts Express and other vendors. Magnepan speakers were and are still sonic targets to aim for.

Altec Model 14-- First modern commercial horn speaker; used EQ to compensate for compression driver roll off, used constant directivity horn and matched directivity of woofer and horn at crossover. Father of the Econowave.
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You've seemingly left out the ARs since your last list.
 
This guy was pretty influential with his use of T-lines and series resonance crossover circuits.
The Fried Super monitor satellite and subwoofer in their various era of model production.
 

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