• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

No Hurt Feelings - What speakers do you think sound terrible?

Hanleyster

Hanleyster

ambitious but rubbish
Not for the faint of heart - lets keep this thread free of argument. Just tell us if you have ever heard speakers that you either agree or disagree with the general consensus of.

I'll go first, KLH 23, big deep bass but the mids and highs sound like the speaker is buried in a pile of mud!
 
Register to hide this ad
I'll play, never understood the allure of the Dynaco A25s; OK but nothing super special to my ears, same for my EPI-100s. Both worth keeping as the constant chatter keeps their values up.
 
NHT 1 and 1.1s left here almost as quick as they arrived. Great cabinets but no bass to speak of and borderline painful to listen to
 
ra.ra said:
Very typical for a bookshelf speaker from the 60's that originally used dirt cheap electrolytic caps. KLH 23's have excellent drivers and are easily restorable. Don't throw them under the bus so quickly.
Click to expand...

I didnt want this thread to start arguments because its the ears of the beholder but I have heard 23s with fresh caps and they still sound so laid back it was the complete opposite of what I look for in a speaker. The frequency response must have looked like a waterfall when graphed.
 
The worst I've heard actually in my home were the result of two auction purchases. The weather was bad so there were few in attendance. Mine were the only bids - each pair was $10. Cannot provide model numbers because they did not engrave themselves into my memory.

Isophon (branded Noresco) in a large box consisting of a 12" woofer and their midrange/tweeter "pseudo horn" module. According to a late 1960's Isophon catalog, they were top of the line at the time.

Pioneer round end table omni-directional with 8" woofer(s) and two or more cone tweeters.

Both were absolutely god awful and I'm a forgiving listener. I consider myself lucky to have found buyers for them. Those Noresco/Isophons took a year, but thank heaven they went bye bye.
 
Klipsch Forte - a pair that did have the Crites xover and tweeter upgrades.

I really wanted to love them, but within 30 seconds of listening to them, my tinnitus was flared up something horrible. Way, way too forward for my tastes, and surprisingly bass-shy.

Always wondered what they would have sounded like on my tubes in my listening room. Maybe I should see if the guy still has them....
 
Snell EIII's and a lovingly restored pair of 901 series III. I could never get the Snells to image very well and my space tends to help that given its a vaulted ceiling on both sides with wood tounge and groove from top to bottom, the 901's suffered the same fate. I came to the conclusion my space dose not work well with any speakers that use rear reflection as part of the process. I can say the Snells had a very impressive woofer.
 
So far, Marantz Imperial 7's. A three way design with a 12" woofer stuffed into an imperial 6 cabinet designed for a 10" woofer. I tried different caps, crossover points, stuffing the ports (including bundles of straws) and accordion style doped cloth surrounds. I know some do like them, my son for one. But I couldn't get used to the hole in the midrange and boomy bass.
 
ScooterMcTav said:
Klipsch Forte - a pair that did have the Crites xover and tweeter upgrades.

I really wanted to love them, but within 30 seconds of listening to them, my tinnitus was flared up something horrible. Way, way too forward for my tastes, and surprisingly bass-shy.

Always wondered what they would have sounded like on my tubes in my listening room. Maybe I should see if the guy still has them....
Click to expand...

I agree with you, and will add that even paired with a beautiful fisher 400 still made me want to run far away. Ditto for Cornwalls, even with all the crites upgrades they just aren't my thing.
 
I didn't think the Andrew Jones designed Pioneer SP-BS22 LR bookshelf speakers were all that great. To be fair I heard them in a store not in my space. But still, I didn't hear anything that would cause me to bring them home for a closer look.

And even though I've been a fan of DCM speakers for a long time, I wouldn't make CX-17 or CX-27's my main speakers. Same applies to Time Frames below the TF-600.
 
Magnepans. At least the ones I've heard. And in a good room, with very good Audio Research tube gear. Holographic imaging, but way too polite. No dynamics at all. No jump factor. I heard a Magnepan surround system too, and I fell asleep during the demo. I've loved the Acoustat's that I've heard, with similar gear. And while I know Magnepans aren't electrostatic; they just didn't do it for me.
 
Last edited:
I really hated my a Klipsh Kg2s and almost sold them. I tried them out with multiple receivers and they still sounded awful to me. Finally, just before putting on c-list, I paired them with the a newly repaired Sansui au g99x amp and put them on angled speaker stands. Now I love them.
 
Last edited:
Ohm E & L. Started with the E, no bass so I moved up to the L. Still was lifeless. Bear in mind this is drawing from memory from 36+ years ago. And I was into loud R&R at the time. They were powered by a Nikko NA-550 which should have been adequate. They may perform better with my evolved interests and better amplification (tubes).
 
Last edited:
I hated the highs on my SDA-2B, but decided to mess with the EQ. 2db down at 10k and 14k, and I actually really like them now.

motorstereo said:
NHT 1 and 1.1s left here almost as quick as they arrived. Great cabinets but no bass to speak of and borderline painful to listen to
Click to expand...

I was underwhelmed by my set of NHT 1.3, and I actually love the NHT super ones, I own 2 pairs.

dcmfan said:
I didn't think the Andrew Jones designed Pioneer SP-BS22 LR bookshelf speakers were all that great. To be fair I heard them in a store not in my space. But still, I didn't hear anything that would cause me to bring them home for a closer look.

And even though I've been a fan of DCM speakers for a long time, I wouldn't make CX-17 or CX-27's my main speakers. Same applies to Time Frames below the TF-600.
Click to expand...

I own the BS21, but never heard the BS22. The 21s have something really wrong with the tweeter. Like it adds a stranger reverb to everything.
 
A DIY full-range skinny tower with a single 4" Fostex yapper in it. Probably someone reading this is the person who built it, sorry man, but the lack of highs and lows and the shouty sound out of it drove me right out of the room before I could begin to appreciate the imaging or whatever it's supposed to do.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom