Sansui Louie
Curmudgeon
Sort of the converse of another thread that's going right now...what speakers did you not expect great things from, only to fall in love with them?
Which speakers have you been the most surprised by?
- Thread starter Sansui Louie
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
bondospecial
Active Member
The KEF Q60s I have right now. Paid $150 for them off Craigslist recently and didn't expect much but I am having a hard time not liking them. The cabinets on the ones I picked up look like hell but they play great.
(example of the model, not mine)
(example of the model, not mine)
Last edited:
Unican_Eric
Pioneerious Collecticus
Realistic T-120. Found them in the garbage, refoamed the drivers and mids, rebuilt the bottom from water damage and shined them up. Incredible sound and I still have them.
Copa1934
My ears are bleeding
+1 We, wife and I, mix up the stations and there's almost always something new I hadn't heard and I get surprised by the capabilities of this speaker each time. I can't wait to do the caps, should get even better! Oh, have a second pair at home.
My office system has a pair of Design Acoustics PS-10's that I paid $70 for and got them re-foamed. I've been using them ever since. They just do a lot of things right for me in that office system. They have 10" down firing woofers in them as well. Those surprised me a lot, especially for what I paid. Here's a pic of someone elses:
The other pair that suprised me a lot I have in my shop system. A pair of JBL 830T's that I also paid $70 for around 6 or 7 years ago. The dust caps were dented on the four 8" mid-woofs, and the grills are missing. I fixed the dust caps as best I could, but there's still some small dents in a couple of caps. Here's a pic of someone elses:
Both those pairs have been in those systems for more than 5 years and I haven't found anything that I feel is a good replacement for them yet.
Retro
The other pair that suprised me a lot I have in my shop system. A pair of JBL 830T's that I also paid $70 for around 6 or 7 years ago. The dust caps were dented on the four 8" mid-woofs, and the grills are missing. I fixed the dust caps as best I could, but there's still some small dents in a couple of caps. Here's a pic of someone elses:
Both those pairs have been in those systems for more than 5 years and I haven't found anything that I feel is a good replacement for them yet.
Retro
hammondcrazy
Well-Known Member
I will have to say my custom built warfdales I had. Sealed boxes made of teac and lined with hardwood plywood. They were custom made in Hong Kong in the 60s. I gave them to a needy friend and I regret it every day I think about it. The next surprize is my General Electric console with a seperate power amp preamp and sealed enclosures.
mhardy6647
Lunatic Member
if we're talking pleasantly surprised...
Radio Shack 40-1354 twincone driver
Scott S-15
KLH 32
Radio Shack Electrostat 2a
PartsExpress 269-469 "69 cent wonder" 4" extended range driver
Bose 201
(roughly in order of level of surprise)
Radio Shack 40-1354 twincone driver
Scott S-15
KLH 32
Radio Shack Electrostat 2a
PartsExpress 269-469 "69 cent wonder" 4" extended range driver
Bose 201
(roughly in order of level of surprise)
The speakers I've been most surprised by is a pair of tube era Pioneer CS-A500 three way loudspeakers . They are 94db efficient and can handle only 50 watts . They have a 10 inch woofer , all plywood cabinet with a rear removable back panel . When you open the cabinets they have bitumen lined on their walls . All the drivers use alnico magnets and have the same paper like driver material . Anyway to make a long story short , these speakers have an open and airy sound that I can't get enough of . Very coherent ! They have a wide sound field and simply sound stupendous with my 6 watt set amp . They have a true 3D sound effect . It's good with small wattage solid amps also . For what they are these are a real surprise to me . Love their airy sound !!!
Attachments
Artie
Super Member
I snagged a pair of these also. Problem is, I had two blown tweeters and one woofer with irreparable mechanical damage. I've got some good quality replacement parts, but I haven't had a chance to install them. Can't wait to hear how they sound.
Wish I could have heard them in their original form, to compare before and after.
I've heard the tweeters are fairly fragile, yet I've had mine very loud many times without any issues at all. Maybe they are easily damaged my crappy receivers driven into severe clipping, but on my 150wpc amp they've been great.
They are a surprisingly good speaker.
nissan guy
Super Member
-I would have to say Platinum audio solo's. I bought them second hand for a fair price and they sound excellent to my ears and have rediculous bass from a 5" driver, they also image very well. At first i thought no way could i be happy with such a small speaker without a sub.
- epi 100's great all around vintage speaker especially for its size and cost. Next set i find i am keeping.
- jbl l1's all around great speaker for the price they are going for. If mine don't sell i will keep them.
-Klh 24's have these hooked up at work used for daily radio listening at a moderate volume in around a 7000 sq ft warehouse. They do the job very well powered by a 90's pioneer receiver.
- epi 100's great all around vintage speaker especially for its size and cost. Next set i find i am keeping.
- jbl l1's all around great speaker for the price they are going for. If mine don't sell i will keep them.
-Klh 24's have these hooked up at work used for daily radio listening at a moderate volume in around a 7000 sq ft warehouse. They do the job very well powered by a 90's pioneer receiver.
