Reccomendations for other speakers

[Mr. Weather]

I am posting this in the AR forum as it gets a lot of traffic.

I was about to pull the trigger on a good looking pair of local AR-2a's when it occured to me that maybe the money would be better spent on a newer set of speakers.  While I would love being the owner and caretaker of a good set of vintage speakers that can provide great quality, maybe I don't need to go back to the 1960's or 70's. Maybe I should get something newer, with drivers made from more modern and durable materials.  Here are some requirements:

• From the 80's to 2000's
• Suitable for music from a 50 watt amplifier
• $600 price ballpark
• "Tower" size, or AR-2 size ("golden ratio" shape, around 2 feet tall), or even large bookshelf sized like the AR-4.
• Basic shape and technology, passive crossover, not bi-amped, ideally sealed cabinet design, minimal cosmetic bling.
• Not made in China
• Generally reputable make and model in terms of sound quality and reviews
• I am open to various brands, but I would prefer something made before the brand was sold to some holding company.

I don't know how tall of an order that is.

 

[Aadams]

I would be happy to contribute but this is pretty much a one track forum.  This topic might better fit in the Other Speakers and Electronics forum unless you are primarily looking for AR recommendations in the 10" - 12" category.

[Mr. Weather]

Yes, fair enough. If this topic doesn't work here, I'll post there. Thanks.

[ar_pro]

Sticking with Acoustic Research, I'd strongly suggest the AR-91 - it benefits from using later iterations of the Classic drivers, and it's designed to sit on the floor, unlike the earlier bookshelf models which all need some sort of stand or base.

 

[Aadams]

You didn't say if you are prepared to DIY.

Agree with the AR91 and would suggest the AR92.  Both are high performance and good replacement aftermarket mids and tweeters are available if originals can't be found which is not true for many earlier or later AR models.   Your $600 could be a bit low for decent 91s.  You could find 92s for $600.

 As a backup, Epicures from the mid to late 70s that used double woofers and double tweeter would be within your budget, have bass similar to an AR 12" and still have good parts availability but they are not commonly found for sale.  I have a pair of Epicure 20+ which I use everyday but not for music listening.

For comparison to something new, approaching the AR91 or 92 in performance, you would look at the new KLH 5 perhaps or the new JBL Century, which is not sealed.

Good working ARs can be an amazing bargain.

[AR55]

Another option is the AR98LS (left) or more preferably the AR98LSi (right).

There is a nice-looking pair of AR98LS' selling on eBay that have recently been reduced in price to $460.

To get the best out of the 98LS' you would need to upgrade its crossover to the 98LSi's, which requires adding a couple of resistors & deleting a capacitor.

[Mr. Weather]

4 hours ago, ar_pro said:

Sticking with Acoustic Research, I'd strongly suggest the AR-91 - it benefits from using later iterations of the Classic drivers, and it's designed to sit on the floor, unlike the earlier bookshelf models which all need some sort of stand or base.

 

3 hours ago, Aadams said:

You didn't say if you are prepared to DIY.

Agree with the AR91 and would suggest the AR92.  Both are high performance and good replacement aftermarket mids and tweeters are available if originals can't be found which is not true for many earlier or later AR models.   Your $600 could be a bit low for decent 91s.  You could find 92s for $600.

 As a backup, Epicures..

For comparison to something new, approaching the AR91 or 92 in performance, you would look at the new KLH 5 perhaps or the new JBL Century, which is not sealed.

 

1 hour ago, AR55 said:

Another option is the AR98LS (left) or more preferably the AR98LSi (right).

There is a nice-looking pair of AR98LS' selling on eBay that have recently been reduced in price to $460.

To get the best out of the 98LS' you would need to upgrade its crossover to the 98LSi's, which requires adding a couple of resistors & deleting a capacitor.

Thank you everyone fore the suggestions.  Graet information.

I am not opposed to DIY.  I do enjoy restoring things and making use of things that are otherwise discarded.  I can solder and fabricate in both metal and wood. I have a garage full of tools and materials.

I'll add these suggestions to my list.  It looks like the trick will be to find these locally or see what appears online with a reasonable price.

[jason4300]

I'm a big fan of Paradigm speakers from that time. Great quality and sound and fairly inexpensive if you look hard enough. 

Also, I know this forum likes to turn their collective noses up at the later AR stuff, but they were still making some great speakers up through the 90s. Stuff like the "Classic" series imo is up there with ARs best and goes fairly cheap. 

[Aadams]

40 minutes ago, jason4300 said:

I'm a big fan of Paradigm speakers from that time. Great quality and sound and fairly inexpensive if you look hard enough. 

Also, I know this forum likes to turn their collective noses up at the later AR stuff, but they were still making some great speakers up through the 90s. Stuff like the "Classic" series imo is up there with ARs best and goes fairly cheap. 

You are probably right.  Speaking for myself, I much prefer listening to tinkering or fabrication so restorability and repair to original form is an important factor to me.  All top line ARs were good speakers.  By the late 80s there were several good speaker brands but finding OEM replacement parts for old speakers, including late model ARs, can be difficult.  However, if the price is right any speaker purchase can be rationalized as a good choice.

 

 

[jason4300]

4 hours ago, Aadams said:

You are probably right.  Speaking for myself, I much prefer listening to tinkering or fabrication so restorability and repair to original form is an important factor to me.  All top line ARs were good speakers.  By the late 80s there were several good speaker brands but finding OEM replacement parts for old speakers, including late model ARs, can be difficult.  However, if the price is right any speaker purchase can be rationalized as a good choice.

 

 

One of the good things about Paradigm is that most of their speakers from those years use rubber surrounds and film caps, so there's not a lot of restoration needed. 

[Laika]

I recently bought a pair of Focal Chora 806 bookshelf speakers, which are on sale now for about $600.  They are fantastic.  Smaller than the A2s, and less warm, but really, really good.  Made by a French company, and great reviews.  Have a look at those. 

[Martin]

With multiple pairs of vintage & more recent loudspeakers to choose from, I find myself using old ARs, KLHs & Dynacos more often than not.  The one exception to this is a pair of old Quad ESL63s that sound better than anything else, in this house, anyway.