Tips for buying speakers with a 500-1000 usd budget? (used)

[TrevorBarten]

I have been doing audio for a while now. I know quite a bit about turntables, cassettedecks, cd players and even amps. However speakers is a part of audio that I have never been that into. I mostly listen to headphones. I have had quite a few pairs of vintage speakers, mainly the popular models like b&w dm2/4 or kef corale and others with the sp10xx woofers, celstion, spendor etc. But since they are hard to ship I don't usually buy them so my actual listening experience with speakers is pretty limited. I currently have a set I have pieced together of mostly pretty high end sony equipment for which I would like some good speakers as speakers are obviously the most important part of any audio set up. I know that your room and the positioning matter quite a bit and as such I am not really looking for any direct recommendations (though they would be appreciated!) but I am more so looking for advice on what to look for and what type of speakers I can be in the market for.

The current amplifier I have is a sony ta-fa3es which I have recapped and recalibrated. I also have a ta-4650 on the back burner and I plan on upgrading to either a luxman lv-117 or a nicer sony amp, honestly whatever I can find for a decent price though upgrading is not really high on my priority list. The one requirement I do have is that I absolutely want to buy used. So in that aspect I would also like to ask the age old question of whether I should buy vintage or modern.

I mainly listen to hip-hop, various rock genres like post rock or post punk, hyper pop, indie etc etc, but ideally I would like a pair of speakers that can do all kinds of music. With headphones I generally prefer a neutral tuning with a slight treble focus, with a good or even great imaging performance and decent soundstage (think sundaras (bit anemic) or hd 700/800. I would also like for the speakers to be able to sound good even at a lower volume. As mentioned in the title my budget would be around the 500-1000 usd mark but I would also like to ask what a realistic budget would even be and what kind of improvement I can expect from going up to a certain amount. I want the set I buy to be 2.0 unless a subwoofer set is just that much better.

 

[malden]

as you mentioned, shipping is a problem when buying used speakers so your location will dictate your options

 

[TrevorBarten]

as you mentioned, shipping is a problem when buying used speakers so your location will dictate your options

That is true which is why I am not really looking for direct recommendations. I can still keep an eye out for specific models, particularly for vintage ones, if need be though. I live in the Netherlands.

 

[swechsler]

First, I'm going to say: Please, break up your paragraphs to make them easier to read.

Now, the decision to purchase vintage or modern can be based on several different questions

• do you want to the speakers to just be plug and play?
• is your local vintage marketplace limited?
• do you prefer that the speakers visually be less "in your face"?
• Are you unsure about your ability to check out a speaker to ensure it's all original (or has been properly repaired with the correct components)?

If the answer to all those is "yes" then new speakers are probably a better bet. Vintage speakers can be plug and play, and they can be less visually intrusive, however, both are less so than brand new. In addition, you get a warranty and support for any issues.

Having said that, I am actually a fan of vintage speakers, but am cognizant of the fact that many (most?) of them will need some sort of repair: recapping, refoaming, refinishing. If that doesn't bother you, and you can find something local that looks good, go for it.

Recommending looking for specific models on the used market, especially a market that the majority of AK'ers are unfamiliar with (this being a US-centric forum), is probably not particularly useful. Best would be to see what's out there, then, when you find something that looks interesting, do some web seaching to get info on the model, and get pictures to ensure that the drivers are all original. If you're unsure, you can always make a new posting here. As an AK user you're already accessing what is honestly the best resource for vintage audio on the web, and you'll find that many Google searches for particular models of equipment point right back here. Familiarize yourself with what good brands were popular in the Netherlands, that will give you a start.

 

[malden]

I had a pair of Jamo 12" 3-way for a while. They were very nice sounding speakers, even at low levels.

 

[TrevorBarten]

First, I'm going to say: Please, break up your paragraphs to make them easier to read.

Now, the decision to purchase vintage or modern can be based on several different questions

• do you want to the speakers to just be plug and play?
• is your local vintage marketplace limited?
• do you prefer that the speakers visually be less "in your face"?
• Are you unsure about your ability to check out a speaker to ensure it's all original (or has been properly repaired with the correct components)?

If the answer to all those is "yes" then new speakers are probably a better bet. Vintage speakers can be plug and play, and they can be less visually intrusive, however, both are less so than brand new. In addition, you get a warranty and support for any issues.

Having said that, I am actually a fan of vintage speakers, but am cognizant of the fact that many (most?) of them will need some sort of repair: recapping, refoaming, refinishing. If that doesn't bother you, and you can find something local that looks good, go for it.

Recommending looking for specific models on the used market, especially a market that the majority of AK'ers are unfamiliar with (this being a US-centric forum), is probably not particularly useful. Best would be to see what's out there, then, when you find something that looks interesting, do some web seaching to get info on the model, and get pictures to ensure that the drivers are all original. If you're unsure, you can always make a new posting here. As an AK user you're already accessing what is honestly the best resource for vintage audio on the web, and you'll find that many Google searches for particular models of equipment point right back here. Familiarize yourself with what good brands were popular in the Netherlands, that will give you a start.

Formatting and punctuation has never been my strongest asset . What exactly do you mean when you ask if I want them to be plug and play? I have no issues recapping crossovers but things like refoaming or other driver repairs would need to be done by someone else as I currently have never done this before.
I would say that my local vintage marketplace is actually relatively large, I don't really have anything to compare to but many of the well known vintage models that I am aware of are usually pretty available, things like the rogers ls3/5, spendor bc1, b&ws etc. Visually I would actually prefer the wider look over the more sleek and elongated style many of the modern speakers I see tend to go for. I really like the look of the aforementioned spendor bc1s for example. However I have never seen speakers that I truly think are terrible looking or the other way around, if it sounds good I can live with any look. I am not too worried about checking the condition as I have been buying vintage audio equipment for probably 10+ years. Even if I would decide to go for 'new' speakers I would still buy them secondhand.

Let's say I see a pair of speakers that seem interesting, what sort of things should I look at? Do specs tell you anything more than how power hungry they are ? Are there any telltale signs that they are going to be of decent or poor quality? Are there particular styles of driver that require more work to get in good condition again? Would it be worth getting these speakers repaired by someone else or would the added cost be too much for it to be cost effective buying vintage. Also what kind of defects are and aren't repairable?

 

[Sgt Shultz]

Jamo C-103, you might still find a pair NIB on eBay with some patience. New these retailed for $1800, Amazon blasted them out for ridiculous money along with the rest of that line about 5yrs ago.

There were a few flippers still offering them for around $450 about a yr ago, haven't looked recently.

Only 4ohms and like power so if that's an issue then maybe not the right speaker, but they hit all of your requirements.

They came in high gloss black, white, and real wood veneer.

With a 7" mid/bass and weighing close to 30lbs they're larger than the typical stand mount.

 

[TrevorBarten]

Jamo C-103, you might still find a pair NIB on eBay with some patience. New these retailed for $1800, Amazon blasted them out for ridiculous money along with the rest of that line about 5yrs ago.

There were a few flippers still offering them for around $450 about a yr ago, haven't looked recently.

Only 4ohms and like power so if that's an issue then maybe not the right speaker, but they hit all of your requirements.

They came in high gloss black, white, and real wood veneer.

With a 7" mid/bass and weighing close to 30lbs they're larger than the typical stand mount.
View attachment 2938048

Thank you for the recommendation. You say they are power hungry but what would I have to imagine when you say that? Is it like with headphones where they'll get to an adequate volume but need more power in order to actually sound decent? And what kind of power would be needed? The sony amp I have right now is 70 Watts into 6 ohms per channel according to audio database, would that be enough power to actually properly drive these speakers? What kind of power would be needed if the answer is no? Also you mention that they are 4 ohms but the specs sheets online say 6 ohms, which is correct?

 

[Blue Shadow]

refoaming would need to be done by someone else as I currently have never done this before.

Almost everyone here has been a refoam virgin at one time and now are happy to do this when needed. Most find out in advance if the driver is an easy one to do and if they need to use shims or if a tone will work. Once you dive into a refoam, you will realize it isn't hard to do.

 

[Blue Shadow]

I would say that my local vintage marketplace is actually relatively large,

I live in the Netherlands.

So generally European speakers. Never read a bad word about the Canton lines. But there are a lot of different brands to consider. Maybe getting a chance to hear some of them would help. Invite some friends over for a listen and see if they can reciprocate and let you hear their system.

Or just find some nice ones in your price range that are priced on the low end of their value and grab em and then move on to another speaker and sell off the one that doesn't sound as good, since you have a large market to use. I've done this, bought right, enjoyed and moved on the ones that are not as good as others.

I would think that some of the European audio sites would have speaker discussions with brands commonly available. And maybe some dealers would let you listen to some speakers. Any dealers have used gear departments?

 

[robgmn]

Thank you for the recommendation. You say they are power hungry but what would I have to imagine when you say that? Is it like with headphones where they'll get to an adequate volume but need more power in order to actually sound decent? And what kind of power would be needed? The sony amp I have right now is 70 Watts into 6 ohms per channel according to audio database, would that be enough power to actually properly drive these speakers? What kind of power would be needed if the answer is no? Also you mention that they are 4 ohms but the specs sheets online say 6 ohms, which is correct?

Only a partial answer, but adding an active subwoofer to most any "normal" speaker setup will make even a 25watt amplifier more than adequate except for playing extreme levels. The sub does the grunt work, leaving less power draw by the mains.

 

[swechsler]

What exactly do you mean when you ask if I want them to be plug and play?

Plug and play = you hook them up and they work. Done.

I am not too worried about checking the condition as I have been buying vintage audio equipment for probably 10+ years. Even if I would decide to go for 'new' speakers I would still buy them secondhand.

OK, this is an important detail, and if that's the case, I'd definitely look at vintage. As someone else noted, refoaming is something that almost anyone can learn

Let's say I see a pair of speakers that seem interesting, what sort of things should I look at? Do specs tell you anything more than how power hungry they are ? Are there any telltale signs that they are going to be of decent or poor quality?

Specs tell you very little, and for the most part aren't useful for speakers. I could give you give you some basic rules (such as "avoid speakers where all drivers are cones") but there are always exceptions, such as the original KLH models. When I am in the market, which hasn't been for some time, the first thing I do when I see an advertisement for an interesting looking speaker is to do a web search on the make and model. Chances are pretty good you'll find a thread on AK or one of the other audio forums although I tend to avoid audioreview.com since their reviews are anonymous and rarely helpful). If you're lucky you'll find a contemporaneous professional review. The World Radio History site has tons of technical magazines, including audio-related. I'm not sure how well Google searches find stuff in there, but they do have a search engine, or you can go down the rabbit hole of looking at individual magazine issues (they have a whole section on UK magazines, and while I know you're in the Netherlands, I'd bet that a lot of the same equipment was available in both places).

Are there particular styles of driver that require more work to get in good condition again? Would it be worth getting these speakers repaired by someone else or would the added cost be too much for it to be cost effective buying vintage. Also what kind of defects are and aren't repairable?

It depends on the damage. Cone tears can be repaired if all the material is there. Domes can be undented, sometimes their voice coils can be repaired, depending on where it's damaged and the skill of the owner. But a cone driver with a blown voice coil normally requires a reconing, which is impractical (for either financial or parts availability reasons) in most cases. These are only a few of many different types of potential damage; too many to list in a posting like this. But to be honest, if I was buying something, unless it was a too-good-to-pass-up deal, I'd probably start out by making sure that all the drivers work properly, or that replacements are available on the secondhand market at a reasonable cost.

I don't know what repair costs are like where you live, but in the US, paying a pro to repair a speaker only makes sense for a high value speaker (typically outside the range you specified) or for sentimental reasons.

 

[hopeless]

Thank you for the recommendation. You say they are power hungry but what would I have to imagine when you say that? Is it like with headphones where they'll get to an adequate volume but need more power in order to actually sound decent? And what kind of power would be needed? The sony amp I have right now is 70 Watts into 6 ohms per channel according to audio database, would that be enough power to actually properly drive these speakers? What kind of power would be needed if the answer is no? Also you mention that they are 4 ohms but the specs sheets online say 6 ohms, which is correct?

This is where printed specs collapse. The testing regimen does not mimic the actual dynamic between an amplifier and a speaker. An 8 ohm speaker is only 8 ohms in passing. Some speakers are more difficult for an amplifier to drive than others, none are well represented by a single number. Those Jamos were designed to be used with upper end amplification. I've got a 70 watt amplifier at home that weighs about 30lbs (14kg). It's capable of delivering some serious output current into real speaker loads. It wasn't designed to maximize a watt rating on a spec sheet, it was made to drive speakers. Your Sony was likely made to look good on paper and drive easy to drive budget speakers.

 

[Sgt Shultz]

Thank you for the recommendation. You say they are power hungry but what would I have to imagine when you say that? Is it like with headphones where they'll get to an adequate volume but need more power in order to actually sound decent? And what kind of power would be needed? The sony amp I have right now is 70 Watts into 6 ohms per channel according to audio database, would that be enough power to actually properly drive these speakers? What kind of power would be needed if the answer is no? Also you mention that they are 4 ohms but the specs sheets online say 6 ohms, which is correct?

I may have misspoken on the impedance, I have a lot of speakers here lol.

Anyway, they do recommend an amp with 50W minimum but 70 watts will get these VERY loud, they sound great at all volumes, no you don't need a LOT of power but they'll take it and rock the house.

I've powered them with 60W and with 300W amps, currently they're the mains for my multi-channel setup on the 300W amp. I have them paired with twin 12" subs but they really don't need them.

They have a huge rear port and kick out some serious bass, 3D imaging with a huge holographic soundstage for live music. There presentation is more "modern", meaning a bit more lively than a Bozak let's say.




Size reference next to an Infinity Modulus

 

[TrevorBarten]

This is where printed specs collapse. The testing regimen does not mimic the actual dynamic between an amplifier and a speaker. An 8 ohm speaker is only 8 ohms in passing. Some speakers are more difficult for an amplifier to drive than others, none are well represented by a single number. Those Jamos were designed to be used with upper end amplification. I've got a 70 watt amplifier at home that weighs about 30lbs (14kg). It's capable of delivering some serious output current into real speaker loads. It wasn't designed to maximize a watt rating on a spec sheet, it was made to drive speakers. Your Sony was likely made to look good on paper and drive easy to drive budget speakers.

Possibly but it is an es amp and definitely wasn't 'cheap' when it came out. I doubt sony would put something in their es line up for a decent amount of money if it couldn't actually do atleast some heavy lifting. The better amps in the range also have a pretty similar layout just with more power iirc. The sony amp weighs around 10 kg, for an amp that was released in 1995 that's pretty heavy as well.

 

[Dswankey]

The current amplifier I have is a sony ta-fa3es which I have recapped and recalibrated.

. Your Sony was likely made to look good on paper and drive easy to drive budget speakers.

If I'm mistaken the Sony ES line was pretty good and from what I've read about them here on AK they seem to garner a lot of respect

SONY TA--FA3ES SONY

Sony TA-FA3ES Stereo Integrated Amplifier Manual | HiFi Engine

www.hifiengine.com

 

[hopeless]

If I'm mistaken the Sony ES line was pretty good and from what I've read about them here on AK they seem to garner a lot of respect

SONY TA--FA3ES SONY

Sony TA-FA3ES Stereo Integrated Amplifier Manual | HiFi Engine

www.hifiengine.com

Respect within it's category to be sure. Seems there is some beef there. You should be fairly well set. In the US, Sonys offerings in audio have been lacking, outside ES CD players. Nice to see build quality.

 

[TrevorBarten]

Respect within it's category to be sure. Seems there is some beef there. You should be fairly well set. In the US, Sonys offerings in audio have been lacking, outside ES CD players. Nice to see build quality.

I actually have a cdp-559es that cd player is heavier than the amp . What do you mean with sonys offerings in the US having been lacking? Haven't most of the same devices that released in Japan and Europe also made it's way over to the US? I am for sure biased since I really like sony audio equipment but as far as I can tell their higher end series like the aforementioned elevated standard line is well respected on forums like this. And while the singular es turntable (ps-x555es) is basically just a more cheaply produced variant of the ps-x800 it's still a really well performing turntable. The decks are also quite nice and I have actually heard quite a lot of the range, I currently have a k909es cassette deck which performs really well and is considered as one of the totl offerings. Haven;t heard many sony amps to be fair. The v-fet amp I used before is also a sony amp but v-fet stuff is not really representative of the standard sony amplifier.

 

[Sgt Shultz]

Thank you for the recommendation. You say they are power hungry but what would I have to imagine when you say that? Is it like with headphones where they'll get to an adequate volume but need more power in order to actually sound decent? And what kind of power would be needed? The sony amp I have right now is 70 Watts into 6 ohms per channel according to audio database, would that be enough power to actually properly drive these speakers? What kind of power would be needed if the answer is no? Also you mention that they are 4 ohms but the specs sheets online say 6 ohms, which is correct?

They do recommend an amp with 50W minimum but 70 watts will get these VERY loud, they sound great at all volumes, no you don't need a LOT of power but they'll take it and rock the house.

I've powered them with 60W and with 300W amps, currently they're the mains for my multi-channel setup on the 300W amp. I have them paired with twin 12" subs but they really don't need them.

They have a huge rear port and kick out some serious bass, 3D imaging with a huge holographic soundstage for live music. There presentation is more "modern", meaning a bit more lively than a Bozak let's say.


View attachment 2938162

I actually have a cdp-559es that cd player is heavier than the amp . What do you mean with sonys offerings in the US having been lacking? Haven't most of the same devices that released in Japan and Europe also made it's way over to the US? I am for sure biased since I really like sony audio equipment but as far as I can tell their higher end series like the aforementioned elevated standard line is well respected on forums like this. And while the singular es turntable (ps-x555es) is basically just a more cheaply produced variant of the ps-x800 it's still a really well performing turntable. The decks are also quite nice and I have actually heard quite a lot of the range, I currently have a k909es cassette deck which performs really well and is considered as one of the totl offerings. Haven;t heard many sony amps to be fair. The v-fet amp I used before is also a sony amp but v-fet stuff is not really representative of the standard sony amplifier.

I have three different Sony disc players, two are ES, all are spectacular.

They look good with vintage silver faced gear as well.

Sony DVP NS 900V


Sony DVP NS 999ES


Sony DVP CX777ES

 

[qdrone]

I have been doing audio for a while now. I know quite a bit about turntables, cassettedecks, cd players and even amps. However speakers is a part of audio that I have never been that into. I mostly listen to headphones. I have had quite a few pairs of vintage speakers, mainly the popular models like b&w dm2/4 or kef corale and others with the sp10xx woofers, celstion, spendor etc. But since they are hard to ship I don't usually buy them so my actual listening experience with speakers is pretty limited. I currently have a set I have pieced together of mostly pretty high end sony equipment for which I would like some good speakers as speakers are obviously the most important part of any audio set up. I know that your room and the positioning matter quite a bit and as such I am not really looking for any direct recommendations (though they would be appreciated!) but I am more so looking for advice on what to look for and what type of speakers I can be in the market for.

The current amplifier I have is a sony ta-fa3es which I have recapped and recalibrated. I also have a ta-4650 on the back burner and I plan on upgrading to either a luxman lv-117 or a nicer sony amp, honestly whatever I can find for a decent price though upgrading is not really high on my priority list. The one requirement I do have is that I absolutely want to buy used. So in that aspect I would also like to ask the age old question of whether I should buy vintage or modern.

I mainly listen to hip-hop, various rock genres like post rock or post punk, hyper pop, indie etc etc, but ideally I would like a pair of speakers that can do all kinds of music. With headphones I generally prefer a neutral tuning with a slight treble focus, with a good or even great imaging performance and decent soundstage (think sundaras (bit anemic) or hd 700/800. I would also like for the speakers to be able to sound good even at a lower volume. As mentioned in the title my budget would be around the 500-1000 usd mark but I would also like to ask what a realistic budget would even be and what kind of improvement I can expect from going up to a certain amount. I want the set I buy to be 2.0 unless a subwoofer set is just that much better.

Look for a pair Odyssey Lorilei,they have the warm British Sound. Bass is solid,in fact they had more than my Vandersteen 3 siggy's. The highs are a wee rolled off.Mid range is warm,cozy with a velvety presentation. Imagery is top notch. If you can get a pair with the Kismet upgrades for 1200 go for it. I was so impressed with the Kismet Lorilei 's, I moved up to their Liquids,