nyetjones
New Member
Hi folks - I am looking into upgrading from my vintage (refurbished) AR-98LS speakers but am having a bit of trouble figuring out a frame of reference for comparing the early '80s vintage speakers to what's available today. And I'm really wondering if "upgrading" is going to require a big amount of money - I got the AR-98LS's for ~$300 a couple of years back, and probably don't want to go much higher than $1200 or so on any potential upgrade.
I use a Rega RP1 and a Technics 1200 mk2 for source through a clearaudio nano phono stage and alternate between a rogue tempest tube amp and a Marantz 2325 solid state amp. The room is about 12 by 15 feet and is more than over-powered by the above, especially the Marantz. My music styles are all over the place, but primarily rock and jazz with everything from folk to electronica to hip-hop, etc., thrown in. Not a ton of classical.
I've looked at the Wharfedale Diamond 10.7 and the Usher S-520/SW-520 as potential upgrades, but I'm not really sure if those would represent much of an improvement. I love the AR-98LS's in basically all respects, but I don't get that "disappearing speaker" sensation from them. I don't find them overly bright, they are plenty clear in highs and midrange and sound great at low and high volume, etc. My only other thought is that they do use the floor/wall for bass extension, and I'm wondering if newer speakers might provide cleaner bass.
Any help would be much appreciated - does anyone have a sense of how these older speakers compare to what's available today? I see AR-9s show up in a lot of people's favorite speaker ever list, and I'm told the AR-98LS are similar. So I don't want to put money in the wrong area of the system if I've already got gems that will make these "upgrades" feel like lateral moves.
Thanks!
I use a Rega RP1 and a Technics 1200 mk2 for source through a clearaudio nano phono stage and alternate between a rogue tempest tube amp and a Marantz 2325 solid state amp. The room is about 12 by 15 feet and is more than over-powered by the above, especially the Marantz. My music styles are all over the place, but primarily rock and jazz with everything from folk to electronica to hip-hop, etc., thrown in. Not a ton of classical.
I've looked at the Wharfedale Diamond 10.7 and the Usher S-520/SW-520 as potential upgrades, but I'm not really sure if those would represent much of an improvement. I love the AR-98LS's in basically all respects, but I don't get that "disappearing speaker" sensation from them. I don't find them overly bright, they are plenty clear in highs and midrange and sound great at low and high volume, etc. My only other thought is that they do use the floor/wall for bass extension, and I'm wondering if newer speakers might provide cleaner bass.
Any help would be much appreciated - does anyone have a sense of how these older speakers compare to what's available today? I see AR-9s show up in a lot of people's favorite speaker ever list, and I'm told the AR-98LS are similar. So I don't want to put money in the wrong area of the system if I've already got gems that will make these "upgrades" feel like lateral moves.
Thanks!