petehall347
the brandy coffee man
my kef chorales from 1974 .tiny voice coils but seem to handle a little abuse at times
Which speakers have you been the most surprised by?
- Thread starter Sansui Louie
- Start date
My little polk crs's didn't surprise me they shocked me. They absolutely crushed my klh12's which they were replacing in every single catagory including bass. And the floorstanding klh's are several times the size of those little bookshelf polks.
Ohifio
Aesthetic Oxymoron
Most surprised by?
I started a collection of Acoustat and a fairly nice pair of Model 3 was my first set. The way they sounded was what I expected but there are well discussed and thoroughly beaten to death litany of compromises. You need a high current amp and the placement and imaging are just impossible if not set up just so.
Here's the surprise. In the process of disassembling them to check and fix various panel buzz and rattles I hooked up a single pair of the 9" wide Acoustat panels driven by the unmodified Model 3 interfaces. These propped up with two sticks of wood and stuck in the model 3 bases was so sweet I was astounded that the bass was really just about good enough to listen to. But the surprise was that what these were doing so very right was so seductive I have never been more willing to ignore shortcomings of any speaker to enjoy what these were doing so very very well, than when I had this "rattle trap" cobblecock set up. I listen to many different audiophile box speakers which are semi permanently in several systems which I enjoy immensely. But every so often I whip out a single pair of Acoustat panels and prop them into a stand and listen in disbelief that less than 2.5 sq. feet of plastic sheeting can be so incredibly musical and rich in sound. Dynamics be damned! Low bass can wait! Imaging is very much less restrictive with one panel and the sweet midrange is just addictive. That is so far my most surprising speaker experience. There are others that are a close second. For example a pair of mini monitors in a giant room pumping out a full width orchestral sound stage and enough bass not to care what was missing in the bottom octave. Astounding scale. But the single Acoustat panel was the one that shocked me as to how good and "real" sound can be from a system.
I started a collection of Acoustat and a fairly nice pair of Model 3 was my first set. The way they sounded was what I expected but there are well discussed and thoroughly beaten to death litany of compromises. You need a high current amp and the placement and imaging are just impossible if not set up just so.
Here's the surprise. In the process of disassembling them to check and fix various panel buzz and rattles I hooked up a single pair of the 9" wide Acoustat panels driven by the unmodified Model 3 interfaces. These propped up with two sticks of wood and stuck in the model 3 bases was so sweet I was astounded that the bass was really just about good enough to listen to. But the surprise was that what these were doing so very right was so seductive I have never been more willing to ignore shortcomings of any speaker to enjoy what these were doing so very very well, than when I had this "rattle trap" cobblecock set up. I listen to many different audiophile box speakers which are semi permanently in several systems which I enjoy immensely. But every so often I whip out a single pair of Acoustat panels and prop them into a stand and listen in disbelief that less than 2.5 sq. feet of plastic sheeting can be so incredibly musical and rich in sound. Dynamics be damned! Low bass can wait! Imaging is very much less restrictive with one panel and the sweet midrange is just addictive. That is so far my most surprising speaker experience. There are others that are a close second. For example a pair of mini monitors in a giant room pumping out a full width orchestral sound stage and enough bass not to care what was missing in the bottom octave. Astounding scale. But the single Acoustat panel was the one that shocked me as to how good and "real" sound can be from a system.
geiman
E Wave appellation #49
Pair of JBL CF120. Clean highs, deep bass. Someone called them JBL's version of Cerwin-Vega. They are a Craigslist rescue. The baffle board was knocked loose when one of the cabinets was dropped by the previous owner. It was an easy repair. I know they aren't much for a JBL value wise but they do sound great. A better midrange might help.
s1133.photobucket.com/albums/m588/2turbos_1/?action=view¤http://s1133.photobucket.com/albums/m588/2turbos_1/?action=view¤t=IMG_20111210_205305.jpgt=IMG_20111210_153121.jpghttp://s1133.photobucket.com/albums/m588/2turbos_1/?action=view¤t=IMG_20111210_205235.jpg
s1133.photobucket.com/albums/m588/2turbos_1/?action=view¤http://s1133.photobucket.com/albums/m588/2turbos_1/?action=view¤t=IMG_20111210_205305.jpgt=IMG_20111210_153121.jpghttp://s1133.photobucket.com/albums/m588/2turbos_1/?action=view¤t=IMG_20111210_205235.jpg
AnalogDigit
Realistic fan.
Another vote for the Realistic Nova 7B's. There my favorite speaker.
+1 for the JBL L1. As close to a full range speaker a small bookshelf can get IMHO.
In my office my A/D/S L420 sound much better than they should.
markshan
Sir Thrift a Lot
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:
I passed on a pair of those for $10 at a thrift.
I'm an idiot.:sigh:
bakes
Super Member
A couple...
Infinity Crescendo 3006: Limited in ultimate volume but within their capabilities they're great speakers and are having a love affair with my H/K 930 receiver.
Mariah LS2: Got them for cheap after a mouse ate the voice coil leads. Replaced the leads, put in some LPG 26T tweeters to replace the Philips drivers and they floored me; imaging like I could not believe. Now restoring them fully and can't wait for them to be finished.
Infinity Crescendo 3006: Limited in ultimate volume but within their capabilities they're great speakers and are having a love affair with my H/K 930 receiver.
Mariah LS2: Got them for cheap after a mouse ate the voice coil leads. Replaced the leads, put in some LPG 26T tweeters to replace the Philips drivers and they floored me; imaging like I could not believe. Now restoring them fully and can't wait for them to be finished.
markshan
Sir Thrift a Lot
I also was nicely surprised by the Nova 7, but the one that surprised me most was the B.I.C. Venturi V62. A small, non-descript bookshelf speaker that really had no right sounding half as good as it did.
Mine were black rather than woodgrain, but you get the basic idea.
Mine were black rather than woodgrain, but you get the basic idea.
Ohifio
Aesthetic Oxymoron
I also was nicely surprised by the Nova 7, but the one that surprised me most was the B.I.C. Venturi V62. A small, non-descript bookshelf speaker that really had no right sounding half as good as it did.
Mine were black rather than woodgrain, but you get the basic idea.
I know the guy who designed this speaker. Has been an acquaintance for some time now. Lives right down the way. BIC was owned and headquartered here in Stow Ohio for maybe 10 years. Was known as BIC America and he sold the company about 10 years ago. The top model that they came out with was a largish tower called "Realta". This was BIC's best time and the period when they produced their best sounding lines. Still good value even today.
Those look very much like my BIC DV62si bookshelf speakers I have. What is the difference? The tweeter frames are shaped differently.I also was nicely surprised by the Nova 7, but the one that surprised me most was the B.I.C. Venturi V62. A small, non-descript bookshelf speaker that really had no right sounding half as good as it did.
Mine were black rather than woodgrain, but you get the basic idea.
jameselmer66
Active Member
Another vote for Nova 7b's and their little brother Nova 6's. I actually lean a little more toward the Nova 6's for better sound but both perform great for what they are. And I have to throw in my Kabuki Technics SB-2840. Got these in a trade deal and their looks didn't give me a great impression. Hooked them up and was pleasently surprised. Added some bracing and polyfil and sounds even better. The woofer has better definition at high volume than the Mach 2's I owned, IMO. They have become my official paartaaay speakers.:thmbsp: Had to borrow a pic for the Technics.
markshan
Sir Thrift a Lot
Do yours have the oval port? The original ones had a more standard looking round one.
Mortsnets
Well-Known Member
Fried Model R II
I had to ask on this forum if they were worth buying. Got them cheap.
They sound like very good vintage British speakers with great imaging, extended bass, scale, stage depth, smooth high frequencies. They are the best I've heard for classical.
I had to ask on this forum if they were worth buying. Got them cheap.
They sound like very good vintage British speakers with great imaging, extended bass, scale, stage depth, smooth high frequencies. They are the best I've heard for classical.
Last edited:
Kuddos also to the PSB Alpha B1. They are the mains in my modest home theater system. Great sounding little speaker!:thmbsp:
Yes, oval. With a restriction in it. I guess that's the "venturi" part.
