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Can't find that warm sound I want.

I read through threads on this subject and always surprised when no one mentions Luxman SS. Luxman voiced them to sound like tube amps. I'd take a Luxman over most of the amps mentioned here. Caver did the same thing with some of theirs. You want warm speakers the vintage Altecs are a good choice. I had a Luxman L-450 that was a favorite integrated amp and had an A3500 Japanese market EL34 amp that was the finest tube amp I ever owned. Sansui is also very good.
 
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AC50 said:
With response like that, I don't have to worry too much about cables!
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Why do you say that? I use aftermarket shielded power cords, low EDC balanced cables and a star quad DC cable in that system.

While Advents are modest in price, they are able to reveal differences in what lies upstream.
 
I wouldn't disagree, they sure do provide more and better bass with a Hypex class D amp than with the Dyna MKIVs.
 
I had a 7070 and wasnt that impressed with it at all and sold it, the 9090 I heard had a much warmer and inviting sound. ADS are not warm speakers in the least but are wonderfully accurate and revealing. I keep both warm and accurate systems depending on my mood.The KLH speakers will sound much warmer than ADS for sure. For warm amplification look to Early 70s Sansui like 5000, 2000, Harman Kardon 330b, Marantz 2230, 2245, Pioneer 727, Sherwood S8800, Kenwood Kr-x200 and expect them to need some servicing. Sound started to change to less warm starting in 1975ish time frame as they started to focus more on accurate measurements and started using IC chips in many cases.
 
Never heard the Sansui 7070, but had the 8080DB and 9090DB. I found them near neutral. Just a hint of warmth.

Had the Bullnose and Originals. Never thought they were warm sounding speakers. Just the opposite of what grillebilly said. And I did A/B test them with a bunch of other speakers, receivers and amps.

The age and condition of the gear may alter the sound.

Never heard the 1060. The lower WPC Marantz receivers are warm sounding. Especially the non B versions. Mid to early 70s Sansui, Pioneer, Kenwood are warm. Vintage Rectilinear, AR, Dynaco, Smaller EMIT Infinity, Polk, some ADS, in descending order to me sound warm.
 
This is an interesting topic to me. I would agree with all the other posters who mentioned acoustics. When I'm trying something new or having any expectation on sound quality, when I'm disappointed I instinctively want to blame the gear. Usually the issue is acoustics related or some fundamental I'm getting wrong. I have never sought out a warmer sound, so my opinion here is not very valuable. But as an owner of large Advents, I've never considered the sound quality to be warm at all. I'm getting bright and punchy. But then again, you have to account for the variables - Using SS amp (Sansui G series), acoustics, media, connections, etc.

I have never stacked anything and the idea never occurred to me until I subscribed to AK. Any of you speaker hoarders want to let a pair of your OLAs go, I'm officially in the market.
 
Vinyl infant said:
I'm going to pick up a pair of KLH 23's today so we will see how that works. I also turned up mids and turned down highs and that definitely helped.
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I consider that a warm speaker (perhaps to a fault for my taste). Have they been restored (caps replaced, pots cleaned, surrounds redoped)?
 
Yeah, I consider the Advents to be on the bright side, not quite punchy. I consider the Pioneer HPM-100s bright and punchy along with the period SX receivers. However the Advents are one of my favorites.

Don't mistaken lack of top end detail for warmth. There are vintage stuff out there like that. I like shimmering cymbals, tight full bass and luscious vocals.
 
Since the speakers can by far make the biggest difference in a system, I might look at speakers with cone tweeters, From Accoustic Research, Advent, KLH, and some Realistic Nova and MC series.
 
Mak
Vinyl infant said:
I'm going to pick up a pair of KLH 23's today so we will see how that works. I also turned up mids and turned down highs and that definitely helped.
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Make sure to get some new capacitors in them before you cast judgement. Might want to re-dope the cloth surrounds as well. I redid some AR 4xs and it did improve sound. Vintage-AR on that auction site sells a bottle for pretty cheap. And if you don't dig the KLHs, selling them recapped and re-doped makes them far more appealing to folks.
 
Another vote for changing the speakers. I have the 5050 on the bench and am somewhat "excited" by the warmth as opposed to my yamaha gear. I also like the Luxman SQ-505X and SQ-700X (I'm on a tight budget) but the 5050 tops these, playing through some budget altec (420) with visaton tweeter. Would expect the 7070 to be of the same ilk as the 5050(?)
 
It is likely the vintage KLH speakers alone will get you sound your looking for. Speakers rated at say 6 ohms is not 6 ohm impedance across the entire 20-20k audio range, in fact they can vary wildly from 4ohms to 10 ohms depending on frequency. I would guess speakers account for 80% of sonic signature while amplification accounts for 20% and some speakers that sound great with some amps they sound like crap on others depending on how amp is built. Also do not under estimate the importance of room, carpeting, curtains, furniture and sound absorbing materials can make more difference than another pair of speakers in some cases.
 
Warmth? New England sound,Boston Acoustics, KLH, OHM,of course Advent. Small Marantz's. Also air suspension speakers. I always liked small "stk" amps for warmth also.
 
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