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Bookshelf Speaker Suggestions

I think I am going to go new. Vintage is nice but I already have a meticulously constructed McIntosh/ADS vintage system and all I am really looking for is a nice set of speakers without having to refoam them or recap or repair in any way.

I have a minty Yamaha CA-1000 amplifier on the way so I can easily drive a set of speakers at 8 ohms to 75-80 watts.

Lots of good suggestions here but I've already done some online comparisons and, DANG, those NHT Super Zero 2.1's look awesome! I am going to go listen to a pair tomorrow.

I just love listening to, testing and buying audio gear... ;)
 
Dr. Morbius said:
I'll second the NHT Super One suggestion. I have a pair of Super Twos, which are Super Ones with a built in passive sub. Terrific speakers.

Also, the newest version of Super Zeros are on sale right now for $99 each shipped brand new.

A few months back I bought a pair of Definitive Technology Studio Monitor 350s for $150 shipped from Newegg. The SM350s are a discontinued model and go on sale every so often. They include gadgets for wall mounting too.
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I'll back up the NHT recommendation. Getting the new ones gets you a great pair of bookshelf speakers that have one thing that vintage speakers will never have: a warranty!

I have a pair of NHT 1.3As (gorgeous speakers that sound crazy good) that I bought new in 1992 or 93, and they're still playing beautiful music (though they're now the rear surrounds in my 5.1 rig).
 
A friend of mine who works a mid and high end audio shop has some for me to audition tomorrow as well. I'll see what he has to offer.

I might as well stop by the store I purchased my ADS L880 II's from in 1985 and see what they have.

I have a feeling I'll be headed home tomorrow with a pair of speakers in tow!
 
McFool said:
A friend of mine who works a mid and high end audio shop has some for me to audition tomorrow as well. I'll see what he has to offer.

I might as well stop by the store I purchased my ADS L880 II's from in 1985 and see what they have.

I have a feeling I'll be headed home tomorrow with a pair of speakers in tow!
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Let us know what you end up getting and pics are mandatory!
Have fun!
 
McFool said:
A friend of mine who works a mid and high end audio shop has some for me to audition tomorrow as well. I'll see what he has to offer.

I might as well stop by the store I purchased my ADS L880 II's from in 1985 and see what they have.

I have a feeling I'll be headed home tomorrow with a pair of speakers in tow!
Click to expand...

Try the speakers with lots of different types of music (YOUR kind of music) and really get to know them before pulling the trigger (Don't shoot them though... :pistols: ). And make sure the speakers are gonna' jive well with YOUR amp/receiver, regardless of what they're using to power them at the store.
 
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Thankfully I can get just about any music played through almost any system at either store so it won't be hard to match up specs and listen to the right kind of music.

This is gonna be fun...
 
McFool said:
I think I am going to go new. Vintage is nice but I already have a meticulously constructed McIntosh/ADS vintage system and all I am really looking for is a nice set of speakers without having to refoam them or recap or repair in any way.
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How about ADS L200, 300 or 400? I have the 300s and they are fantastic. No need to recap, rubber surrounds. :thmbsp:
 
McFool said:
Thankfully I can get just about any music played through almost any system at either store so it won't be hard to match up specs and listen to the right kind of music.

This is gonna be fun...
Click to expand...

Yeah, I love auditioning gear... My area is not exactly a cornucopia of hi-fi shops. There are a few, but variety is not exactly their thing (For example, with one of them, it's all McIntosh and B&W). My current daily drivers have kind of ruined me though.
 
virii01 said:
How about ADS L200, 300 or 400? I have the 300s and they are fantastic. No need to recap, rubber surrounds. :thmbsp:
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I seriously considered the L400's but there was nothing close to listen to. I do love my L880's and the ADS line was a good one.

Gang-Twanger said:
Yeah, I love auditioning gear... My area is not exactly a cornucopia of hi-fi shops. There are a few, but variety is not exactly their thing (For example, with one of them, it's all McIntosh and B&W). My current daily drivers have kind of ruined me though.
Click to expand...

Luckily I have a personal relationship with guys at both stores I love going to in this area so there's not the usual pressure to sell or only provide a short period of time to this customer before moving on.
 
McFool said:
I seriously considered the L400's but there was nothing close to listen to. I do love my L880's and the ADS line was a good one.



Luckily I have a personal relationship with guys at both stores I love going to in this area so there's not the usual pressure to sell or only provide a short period of time to this customer before moving on.
Click to expand...

Ahhhh..... Guilt-free browsing... My favorite.

Well, maybe one of those places sells the modern Wharfedales, which are actually really-nice and worth a listen.
 
After listening to more speaker pairs than I imagined I ever would, I pulled the trigger on a set of.....

NHT SuperZero 2.1's...

None in stock and I couldn't talk my buddy out of his demo pair so I got online an ordered up a pair directly from NHT.

Now I am going to pursue a Yamaha CA-2010 amp... ;)
 
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