What are your favorite speakers?
- Thread starter volvorwd
- Start date
Speakerbox
Super Member
BMWCCA
Addicted Member
Tough topic to get any meaningful answer, but I'll add my opinion.
I still have the JBL mono 030 I scammed my dad out of when I was about 8-years old. Matched it to make a stereo pair almost 50-years ago. And I still own every speaker I've bought since. So, current favorites are determined from what I own right now, some of which I haven't even had the chance to try, yet:
JBL 4345
JBL L7
JBL L5
JBL L3
JBL L1
JBL 030
JBL L150A
JBL L112
JBL L96
JBL 4412A
JBL L80T/3
JBL L20T
They're all "favorite" in different situations, times, and place. Some are my favorite to loan to friends, some are favorites to give to children for their own homes, etc. I enjoy listening to all of them.
I also have JBL LX22, L26, 2500—and a pair of 250Ti's I've yet to audition.
And I never sell any of mine. That's the best way to be able to determine which are the "favorite". Otherwise you're dealing with persistence of memory. Without your ears in real-time, all comparisons are invalid.Every time I say I have a speaker that I'll never part with I wind up selling them.
I still have the JBL mono 030 I scammed my dad out of when I was about 8-years old. Matched it to make a stereo pair almost 50-years ago. And I still own every speaker I've bought since. So, current favorites are determined from what I own right now, some of which I haven't even had the chance to try, yet:
JBL 4345
JBL L7
JBL L5
JBL L3
JBL L1
JBL 030
JBL L150A
JBL L112
JBL L96
JBL 4412A
JBL L80T/3
JBL L20T
They're all "favorite" in different situations, times, and place. Some are my favorite to loan to friends, some are favorites to give to children for their own homes, etc. I enjoy listening to all of them.
I also have JBL LX22, L26, 2500—and a pair of 250Ti's I've yet to audition.
Valveglow
Super Member
voyager12
Active Member
The good thing about buying pre-used classics, is that you don't lose money when you want to get rid of them. Sometimes I get to make some money. Budget 'oldies but goodies' IMO are B&W DM2a, Tannoy MX2, Kef Q60, Mission 771, Mordaunt Short Avant 902i. I still have the last two.
Last edited:
DeeCee
"Music is what we like to play..."
I don't have a pair of "favorite" speakers... I liked bunches over the years and they depend upon different parameters (room size, type of music, etc).
Amongst my favorites:
My current speakers... Aerial Acoustics Model 7 (too big for the last few rooms I have had them in) but doggone it, they are just plain seductive in the midrange and so dynamic I can't bring myself to part from them.
I also liked my friend's Apogee Divas... some of the most realistic soundstaging I ever heard; nice all rounders.
Long ago there were some Magnepan 1D speakers (huge!) that produced incredible full scale orchestral music that still leaves chills for me...
Another friend had a pair of Dahlquist DQ-10s and matching sub (all modified) that made me jealous - super cohesive sound without a hint of "electronic" sound.
I can't leave this line of thought without mentioning my VMPS Super Tower 2s I built from a kit... These babies had the deepest, flattest, distortion free bass per cubic foot of nearly every speaker I ever heard.
Honorable mentions: Baby Advents - terrific all-rounder bang per buck-wise; not to mention Paradigm Atoms and Titans. I also heard a set of Michael Green Designs speakers (the smallest/cheapest in their line) that matched imaging with speakers that cost a magnitude (or more) in price.
My friend that owns the Divas also currently has set from a manufacturer that stopped and then came back to life that had great reviews (made in Oregon) that I found quite impressive in regard to cohesion and natural sound, but for the life of me I don't remember their names! (Unbelievable!)
Lots of other really nice ones but they all depend on their sources and other electronics.
- DeeCee
Amongst my favorites:
My current speakers... Aerial Acoustics Model 7 (too big for the last few rooms I have had them in) but doggone it, they are just plain seductive in the midrange and so dynamic I can't bring myself to part from them.
I also liked my friend's Apogee Divas... some of the most realistic soundstaging I ever heard; nice all rounders.
Long ago there were some Magnepan 1D speakers (huge!) that produced incredible full scale orchestral music that still leaves chills for me...
Another friend had a pair of Dahlquist DQ-10s and matching sub (all modified) that made me jealous - super cohesive sound without a hint of "electronic" sound.
I can't leave this line of thought without mentioning my VMPS Super Tower 2s I built from a kit... These babies had the deepest, flattest, distortion free bass per cubic foot of nearly every speaker I ever heard.
Honorable mentions: Baby Advents - terrific all-rounder bang per buck-wise; not to mention Paradigm Atoms and Titans. I also heard a set of Michael Green Designs speakers (the smallest/cheapest in their line) that matched imaging with speakers that cost a magnitude (or more) in price.
My friend that owns the Divas also currently has set from a manufacturer that stopped and then came back to life that had great reviews (made in Oregon) that I found quite impressive in regard to cohesion and natural sound, but for the life of me I don't remember their names! (Unbelievable!)
Lots of other really nice ones but they all depend on their sources and other electronics.
- DeeCee
sc427
Active Member
I will say that there are many great sounding speakers out there that I will never get to hear. Speakerlab has always been a draw for me. The late 70's through the early 80's was their best work IMO . I own a pair of 7's that define the rock and roll speaker.
The speakerlab s50 is still considered the best they ever made and I'm lucky enough to own 2 pairs. Nestorovic designed, they do nothing wrong. They are large enough to replicate music from top to bottom. They aren't picky about placement like some speakers .
I also have a pair of the 50's baby brother, the s40. They aren't as large as the 50's so the bass doesn't extend as far but they are perfect for my bedroom.
And then we have infinity IRS Betas.... Given enough power and room size they are hard to beat. They will shake the house with tracks like Breathe from Dark Side of The Moon. Turned down the bass still wraps around you. You can get lost for days discovering the nuances in the recordings.. Are they the best? Probably not, but I'm not gonna spend the kind of money to find a speaker that is better...
The speakerlab s50 is still considered the best they ever made and I'm lucky enough to own 2 pairs. Nestorovic designed, they do nothing wrong. They are large enough to replicate music from top to bottom. They aren't picky about placement like some speakers .
I also have a pair of the 50's baby brother, the s40. They aren't as large as the 50's so the bass doesn't extend as far but they are perfect for my bedroom.
And then we have infinity IRS Betas.... Given enough power and room size they are hard to beat. They will shake the house with tracks like Breathe from Dark Side of The Moon. Turned down the bass still wraps around you. You can get lost for days discovering the nuances in the recordings.. Are they the best? Probably not, but I'm not gonna spend the kind of money to find a speaker that is better...
gizzyman47
Addicted Member
For me the best speakers I ever heard were a pair of Sonus Faber Extrema. WOW! Talk about dynamics! Sound staging!
As far as what I own:
modern-sonus faber Electa
vintage-ESS amt 1a
Honorable mentions:
a/d/s l-810
a/d/s l-1090
Yamaha ns-690
Yamaha ns-670
Pioneer hpm-1500
As far as what I own:
modern-sonus faber Electa
vintage-ESS amt 1a
Honorable mentions:
a/d/s l-810
a/d/s l-1090
Yamaha ns-690
Yamaha ns-670
Pioneer hpm-1500
MJB1959
Super Member
Ahhh, the allure of the ever taunting magic of envy, I love what I have, but would love to hear what I don't have, or never will have. A lot of these mentioned sure makes me want to hear more. But for now I am really stuck on the ADS/Braun sound.
And I will continue to look to find more of them hopefully. In order of listening preference.
ADS - L810
ADS - L880
ADS - M12
ADS - L620
ADS - L400
Marantz - HD88
Philips 22RH532 MFB
JBL - L100
Infinity - RSb
JBL - L46
JBL - L26
JansZen Z-412-HP
And I will continue to look to find more of them hopefully. In order of listening preference.
ADS - L810
ADS - L880
ADS - M12
ADS - L620
ADS - L400
Marantz - HD88
Philips 22RH532 MFB
JBL - L100
Infinity - RSb
JBL - L46
JBL - L26
JansZen Z-412-HP
What's my favorite speaker?
well lets see , that depends on what day of the week it is, what amp is in the room at the time, what music I might want to play that day. The number of qualifiers I have to consider to answer that question is damn near exhausting. but lets focus on Today! as in right this very moment.
Precise Acoustic Laboratories 400BL ( as evidenced by the amount of old threads about the brand I've revived today alone
)
on other days it might be M&K S-100b's or RDL S-1's or Sony SS-M7's or Sonus Faber Grand Piano Home.. or Acoustic Energy AE1 , or Celestion SL600si etc etc blah blah blah...
well lets see , that depends on what day of the week it is, what amp is in the room at the time, what music I might want to play that day. The number of qualifiers I have to consider to answer that question is damn near exhausting. but lets focus on Today! as in right this very moment.
Precise Acoustic Laboratories 400BL ( as evidenced by the amount of old threads about the brand I've revived today alone
)
on other days it might be M&K S-100b's or RDL S-1's or Sony SS-M7's or Sonus Faber Grand Piano Home.. or Acoustic Energy AE1 , or Celestion SL600si etc etc blah blah blah...
canuckaudiog
On a quest for high fidelity
I would definitely have to say my IMF RSPM Mk IVs. $2500 MSRP back in the 70s, basically the price of a new car, and they sound magnificent. I have had them for a year and a half and they aren't going anywhere!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Ok well my favorite speakers are my
JBL 4311B’s for rock...
For acoustic & jazz my Advent OLA’s
There are plenty of better sounding speakers out there but these are what I could afford & sound good to me. I have been listening to my 4311b’ s since I bought them new in 1977.
Disclaimer: I have 30% hearing loss in my right ear & 50% left. lost the mid frequencies.
The price I payed for not wearing hearing protection for 35+ years on stage as a guitar player. :guitar:
Mom was right “ Your’e going to ruin your hearing if you don’t turn that racket down!”
Use Hearing protection kids!
Unfortunately Ultra high end hi-fi gear is wasted on me..
But I still love great gear love the way it looks & feels.:thmbsp:
PQ
JBL 4311B’s for rock...
For acoustic & jazz my Advent OLA’s
There are plenty of better sounding speakers out there but these are what I could afford & sound good to me. I have been listening to my 4311b’ s since I bought them new in 1977.
Disclaimer: I have 30% hearing loss in my right ear & 50% left. lost the mid frequencies.
The price I payed for not wearing hearing protection for 35+ years on stage as a guitar player. :guitar:
Mom was right “ Your’e going to ruin your hearing if you don’t turn that racket down!”
Use Hearing protection kids!
Unfortunately Ultra high end hi-fi gear is wasted on me..
But I still love great gear love the way it looks & feels.:thmbsp:
PQ
