I’m currently building a small vintage bedroom setup. I already picked up a Rotel RX-402 receiver circa ‘76, and I’m eyeing a Technics SL-Q2 turntable. My speaker question—a pair of B&W bookshelves for $100 (I won’t know what model until later in the week), or a pair of Design Acoustics PS-6a for $75? I’ve wanted some B&Ws for a long time, but I’m going for a warmer tone, and open soundstage. I also think older speakers had more “presence.” Thoughts?
Playing Vinyl—Modern or Vintage Speakers?
Register to hide this ad
Vintage AR 3/ways, thoughts?
Modern or vintage, you can get where you want to go. As for soundstage, as a rule quality smallish speakers do a better job of disappearing.
I have so many speakers, many vintage, many more modern, there's really no quantifying.
Modern or vintage, you can get where you want to go. As for soundstage, as a rule quality smallish speakers do a better job of disappearing.
I have so many speakers, many vintage, many more modern, there's really no quantifying.
Thanks!
Thanks for weighing in. I agree completely that there are no “rules” when it comes to speakers (except maybe that Bose is never the answer LOL), but what about the two specific ones I’m debating? I know the best approach would be to listen to them both and see what I think, but circumstances and location don’t make that easy.
Welcome to AK.....
People can have opinions about how these 2 designs compare, but there are so many factors to consider that any opinion must be taken with a large grain of salt. For example, how "lively" is the room? If you have heavy curtains, for example, that might deaden the sound to the point that a pair of speakers some might say are "far too bright" might be "just right" for your particular room. Or a pair of speakers that might be described as "dark" might sound muddy in a room with heavy curtains.
Your environment makes a HUGE difference in the sound of any speaker, and you won't know for sure until you try them out. And that's just *one* factor. How about the presence of any "synergy" between speakers and amp? Some speakers just sound much better with some amps that with others, and it can be hard to figure out why.
In my opinion, that advice to buy both makes a lot of sense. And sell the "losers." OR - you can try asking for a return for a full refund if you don't like them in your space, and maybe offer the seller $20 for their troubles if you do return them. You never know what you might get just by asking.
And welcome to AK! This is such a generous forum.
Your environment makes a HUGE difference in the sound of any speaker, and you won't know for sure until you try them out. And that's just *one* factor. How about the presence of any "synergy" between speakers and amp? Some speakers just sound much better with some amps that with others, and it can be hard to figure out why.
In my opinion, that advice to buy both makes a lot of sense. And sell the "losers." OR - you can try asking for a return for a full refund if you don't like them in your space, and maybe offer the seller $20 for their troubles if you do return them. You never know what you might get just by asking.
And welcome to AK! This is such a generous forum.
Well, I have to agree about preferring vintage speakers in general. But I wonder if it is more because I'm a middle-aged guy and I like what I grew up with.
halkaloogie
The Jerk
I really appreciate the conversation. I was actually leaning towards buying both, but got some better pics of the DAs, and I don’t think it’s the original woofer. They may be better woofers, technically, but it kind of defeats the purpose of buying vintage. Thanks again for all the input.
bigaltx24
Super Member
That's a damn good hypothesis, probably why a lot of us old farts around here prefer vintage. How do you like the Micro Acoustics 282e? I found a 100e with a broken cantilever a couple of months ago. I'm thinking about having retipped. I ran a GDC1 for a lot of years in the 70s, always loved that thing.