cheapest speaker made in the last 10 years that can beat any speaker made before 1970?
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Blue Shadow
Waiting for Vintage Gear from this century
Do you consider the Bozak Concert Grand competition for this recent speaker? It is gonna take more than a small speaker to cover that one as well as some other large speakers of the era. And of course, the AR line was expanding with the AR-5 slotted between the 2 & 3 models.
Then there is personal taste in speakers where the Kilpsch guys will always support that brand. The Khorn was available.
So maybe $15,000 would allow purchase of a speaker that will eclipse many pre-70s units but maybe a different new speaker to improve on some other brands due to individual taste.
Then there is personal taste in speakers where the Kilpsch guys will always support that brand. The Khorn was available.
So maybe $15,000 would allow purchase of a speaker that will eclipse many pre-70s units but maybe a different new speaker to improve on some other brands due to individual taste.
zxc
New Member
Elac , middle line or top line? can be more specific?
Chris Brown
Super Member
Too many variables. Most importantly, preference plays a huge role in speaker selection and you can't say that one person's preference is better than someone else's.
With that said, the JBL 580 and 590 speakers regularly go on sale for very great prices and they are pretty amazing speakers. I don't think that there are many if any speakers from pre-1970 that can match or surpass what the compression driver and waveguide in the 580 and 590 can do with the upper-midrange and treble.
With that said, the JBL 580 and 590 speakers regularly go on sale for very great prices and they are pretty amazing speakers. I don't think that there are many if any speakers from pre-1970 that can match or surpass what the compression driver and waveguide in the 580 and 590 can do with the upper-midrange and treble.
BilboBaggins
Addicted Member
I would love to hear something that could beat my old Kef Concerto's. Still one of my favourite speakers even though they have been at my sons for the last 5 years.
Still nope.
very few items that are "lowest price" these days are not also "cheap".
I highly doubt much that's "lowest price; these days could beat my AR4x's, let alone a more high end vintage speaker.
Now, there's also lots of "lowest price" vintage speakers that are not good either.
It would be a far more relevant comparison to say today's budget speakers vs yesteryear's budget speakers.
I'm still betting vintage would edge out modern though. the build quality is just not what it used to be. Budget items are built to do the job at the lowest cost to manufacture. that means cutting corners and cheaping out on specs.
Today's units are built to a profitability criteria, yesteryear's were (for the most part) built to a "gotta sound good" scale.
Now, if you consider 70's hifi era units instead of just everything before the 70's, you don't have a chance. Vintage will win every time.....
Nyjblbob
Hooked on Horn's and Tubes. Go big or go home
2 yrs ago, After my son moved out of NY to Colorado, he called me and asked what speakers to buy for his HT and stereo/Streaming use?
Knowing he was in the 1,000$ Range, I saw the JBL 590's were on sale, I said Grab them, Best bang for the Buck for sure!
Like they were a couple weeks ago for 399 each free shipping,
and No Tax. he got them in less than a week. hooked up to his 100WPC Onkyo HT Receiver.
For that Christmas, I ordered him the 12" 300 watt JBL Sub.
FF to 2 weeks ago My son comes to stay for a few days,
and I'm playing my Altec 604's and my 7 watt Per side 300b SET amp.
He Playing Bass Heavy Techno. Not particularity optimized with Altec's and 7 watts .
So I switch to my Bob Crites Cornscalla's and my 50 Watt Fairchild tube mono's.
My son says yea much better. But still not as good as his JBL 590's and JBL sub.
So I then said now are you ready to hear my actually Smaller, JBL 4430's? No sub needed.
IMHO the Best Bang for the Buck Medium/Large Vintage JBL monitors
I didn't even have to dig out my big Power Crown amp (Macro Reference)
I just used my 400 WPC QSC amp I scored at a Garage sale. $20 LOL
So he puts on his heaviest tracks, and I handed him the Remote.
Go a head you're not going to hurt anything
About 20 seconds in, he turns it down and says HOLY SHITTE Dad.
I said you didn't even have it up, the clipping lights weren't even Flickering.
I asked As good as your setup with 590's and sub?
It's NOT even a fair comparison, Like a Kia compared to his M3 Comp BMW.
It's more about how much you want to spend, not the Vintage.
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Maybe (just maybe) the GPA 604-8E II at $2290 each plus $240.00 each for the crossover (plus you build or supply the cabinets) mainly because the crossover is supposedly improved. My experience with GPA is that their quality is equal to that of the original Altec gear.
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Chris Brown
Super Member
It doesn't surprise me that he was impressed by the bass from your 4430 monitors. The 8" woofers on the 590s aren't going to compete with older large woofer JBLs on the low-end. They don't even hold a candle to the 12" woofers in my L150s. But it's the top end where the 580 and 590 really shine, and why I made it a point to mention that in my comments about them. Also, the sealed 10" and 12" subs that are part of that Studio 5-series lineup aren't exactly output monsters either. It sounds like your son likes bass-heavy music. So do I. I run my 590s with dual 15" subwoofers.
I believe that the 4430 was introduced in ~1981. The OP established a criteria of "Pre-1970". Once you start including speakers from the mid-late 70's and beyond, that changes things quite a bit.
Uncle Fester
Super Member
Take a speaker from 1970, at x amount dollars.
Teleport it to the present (it being brand new).
Take a speaker manufactured today, at a price inflation adjusted for today's money so that they are equal in value.
A/B them to the same amp.
Compare them.
There you go.
Teleport it to the present (it being brand new).
Take a speaker manufactured today, at a price inflation adjusted for today's money so that they are equal in value.
A/B them to the same amp.
Compare them.
There you go.
stereofanboy
Addicted Member
By any speaker, do you mean every speaker?
Give it up ...
They're all too different and that date is the dividing line between short throw and long throw drivers ...
Far too many flavors of "good" both pre and post 1970 ...
Depends on what you're listening to, and listening for ..
You're not going to "beat" the sound of a sax through through 1960 Valencia's or an Aristocrat with a good tube amp ..
But pre-1970 bass is anemic ..
And no pre-1970 drivers are capable of the bass that a post 1970 long throw subwoofer can produce ...
They're all too different and that date is the dividing line between short throw and long throw drivers ...
Far too many flavors of "good" both pre and post 1970 ...
Depends on what you're listening to, and listening for ..
You're not going to "beat" the sound of a sax through through 1960 Valencia's or an Aristocrat with a good tube amp ..
But pre-1970 bass is anemic ..
And no pre-1970 drivers are capable of the bass that a post 1970 long throw subwoofer can produce ...
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