JBL 4350s image nicely.
Posted on 11/10/2011 2:08:42 PM PST by Chickensoup
Hello,
After twelve years, I am resurrecting a stereo component systen that has been dormant and in a cabinet. I need to purchase speakers, hopefully white. Do you have any recommendations?
I got the tuner to work, and the six disc cd player. The tape deck is working but wont speak to the tuner. My focus is speakers. they are the wire kind that connect up in the back with little red and black twisties.
Don’t waste your money on a new set of speakers,
You get more mileage from a cheap pair of sneakers.
Well before you buy speakers you should get the specs on the amp in the turner then match the speakers to that. Could be that $50 pair from Radio Shack would work fine if the amp is not a good one. But if the amp is a good powerful one then you will need an expensive top of the line speakers. So first find out what the amp needs to make the sound, sound good.
No, I was referring to Cerwin-Vega being owned by Stanton.
Bose are small and are marketed very well. But as speakers they're pretty lame and overpriced. The slogan among audiophiles is "No highs, no lows, it must be Bose."
I recall a technical detail about the characteristic impedance of the amplifier being required to match the characteristic impedance of the speakers. That’s usually expressed in Ohms, I believe. Might want to consider that before you blow an amplifier or a speaker.
Those 3 are good for for their price.
If your “tuner” is really a receiver, you may have to engage the “tape monitor” switch to listen to your tapes.
Try ebay, search for white speakers, lots come up.
I recall a measurement in Watts, along the idea of a 350 watt amp needing 500 watt speakers, just to be safe.
Good deal. It`s the best way to go if you liked them before...It`s like falling in love again..
What a nice offer. I will continue to look. Take care.
If your “tuner” is really a receiver, you may have to engage the “tape monitor” switch to listen to your tapes.
I did still not working. I think that I am just not doing something right. I think this happened before and I jusst have to push the right combination of buttons.
Why I am allowed near electronic equipment...??
Check out RTR speakers. I think they are still made. I have a set of vintage 1978 speakers that still work good. I have them connected to my same vintage Yamaha receiver in my garage. Both are bullet proof. They sure don’t make em like they used to! The Yamaha receiver is all analog and made out of real materials. The speakers are probably 30 lbs each anyhow.
I recall a technical detail about the characteristic impedance of the amplifier being required to match the characteristic impedance of the speakers. That’s usually expressed in Ohms, I believe. Might want to consider that before you blow an amplifier or a speaker.
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Ooooohhhh my.
Thank you.
That was the detail I was missing.
I am on Amazon. Is what I am looking for a subwoofer?
Although I cannot imagine what a dog in the basement has to do with sounds systems.
Check your cables, it’s easy to mix up the rec/play, in/out.
Check your cables. The tape deck output should be going to the “tape input” on your receiver. Check your settings. My old Yamaha has two selectors. One for choosing what you listen to “Output.” It has another slector that is called “Rec. Out” that sends the audio signal to the device you want to record from/to.
Yes, 8 ohm and 4 ohm are the most common. You must match.
If you’re in Maine.
Craigslist - electronics - KLH (I happen to like old KLH speakers, they are really good, and also cheap these days)
http://maine.craigslist.org/ele/2656595928.html
that particular listing looks good.
also try ebay - and do a search for something close to you.
Then my second choice would be Yamaha speakers.
Just emailed for more info, thanks.
"No highs, no lows....it must be Bose!"
After a lifetime in the 'biz' (since 1972) I can assure you that no serious audio affectionato has ever spent a dime on Bose speakers. (if they win a pair, they give them to their sister)
Absolutely horrible, they are.
I have 40 year old KLH Model 6s which sound great.
Old but great speakers are available for cheap.
Old speakers are better than new.
Thanks for the heads-up. I bought an inexpensive pair for my computer, and they sound OK but nothing to brag about.
bookmark
I don't mind if someone "pays too much" for something (say a Rolls over a Mercedes) because, though I may think they could have gotten a better "value", they do get something that is, nevertheless, better.
However, that breaks down in the case with Bose speakers. Not only are they usually twice as much as competing products, but also intrinsically inferior on any basis you choose.
A little more info would really help narrowing down the field (there are literally thousands of speaker models out there!).
What kinds of music do you listen to, and how loud?
Size of the room in which you’d be placing them? And is the room heavily damped (lots of absorptive things, like cushy furniture, bookcases, carpeting, etc.) or lively (reflective, with lots of glass, concrete, tile, etc.)?
Output wattage of the amplifier driving the speakers?
How much room can the speakers take up physically - in generally increasing size order, minis, bookshelf, stand-mounted, floorstanders? And can you space them so they’re away from the walls?
Do they need to be shielded due to proximity to a CRT-type TV?
What’s your intended MAX budget?
How important is it that they be white, and does it matter if they’re finished in wood or metal?
What speakers have you heard in the last couple of years that really impressed you?
Are you a fussy listener, or not overly critical?
The white speaker issue might be one of the most limiting things - off the top of my head, the first things that come to mind are Axiom, Cabasse, Canton, Gale, and Radio Shack (don’t laugh - the RS Minimus-7 speakers can be very good with a little modification, swapping out the electrolytic cap in the crossover with a film cap, and they’ll outshine junk from Bose and the like every day of the week).
There are a lot of white-finished ‘decorator’ speakers sold for home theater use, but unfortunately most of them are as awful as can be.
Welcome back to the audio world! And in case you haven’t kept up, know now that all audiophiles are flat out craaaaaaazy. :-) We’ll get you step-by-step...first with the speakers, then a couple of innocuous upgrades here and there...and soon you’ll be forking over your paycheck to the local pusher, er, I mean, dealer. When you move up to tubes and vinyl, hold on to your hat!
NEWS/ACTIVISM???
” When you move up to tubes and vinyl, hold on to your hat! “
Glad you broke the ice - I was afraid of showing my age with my thought on the subject —
It ain’t a ‘system’ if it don’t have a turntable, and it ain’t ‘stereo’ unless the amplifier is home-built.. (Kits okay for beginners...)
;)
My big birthday present to myself last year was a new Arcam FMJ amp to replace my dying old Denon receiver and a pair of Dali Mentor 2 speakers to replace the Bose system I bought before I knew any better. Now I’m shopping for a sub $1000 DAC to run my digital music files through.
There is no Minimus-7 at the Radio Shack website.
I listen to classical, medieval, musicals, crooners, and jazz for the most part.
It is about a 20 by 16 room but opens into other areas not heavily damped (what’s a curtain?)
I think bookshelf size.
How far from the walls? six inches, two feet?
No Tv
I was hoping about 200.
I am trying to regain the music in my life. I have been listening to a $50 sound system the kids bought me from Mart-mart or Targmart or someplace like that.
I just want to listen to beautiful music and not have it blur. i love components and how they work. the music seems somewhat more substantial in a nice component system. After I buy the TV, I am going to upgrade the components although I dont think the cd player needs upgrade. it is a 6 slot Pioneer PDM 426 which replaced the sony carousel that died years ago.
Thank you.
I haven’t been over at audiokarma in a while, but I’m a member.
I would say that
1) use craigslist to determine what is available in the area
then
2) go to audiokarma to determine what the experts say about the speakers that are available in the area.
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MISCELLANEOUS News/Activism and it is very miscellaeous.
I think that sounds like a plan!
Freegards
http://www.crutchfield.com/p_107TL2W/Polk-Audio-Blackstone-TL2-White.html?tp=186&avf=N
The man is recommending these.
What do you think?
thank you
If you are going to use this for a main system, I'd recommend a sub woofer to go with the speakers. But make sure first your amplifier/tuner will be compatible!
Take a look here, these wouldn't require a sub woofer:
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-u9BKgI4eFTf/g_37900/Bookshelf-Speakers.html
I know they're not white but...Whatever you do, take your time, there are a lot of options out there!
http://maine.craigslist.org/ele/2679349276.html
Big ol Pioneers $30.
I’m in Maine, and at least in my part of Maine, there really aren’t any goodwill / salvation army stores with good selections. I have been in those stores, and I have looked for old speakers. The selection is weak.
Back in the day, the Miles Rummage Sale in Damariscotta was the place to go for used speakers. I got a lot of good speakers there. Really, really cheap. But the Miles Rummage sale is gone. So, getting old speakers in Maine isn’t easy.
I would probably go to a 2 stage buying process.
I’d buy those $30 Pioneers. $30 is not a lot of money. And you might love them. Over and done. But you’ll probably want to upgrade. There won’t be any pressing need to do so, because you have adequate speakers. But keep watching for a great deal on classic speakers. Keep watching craigslist for a KLH model 6, a KLH model 17, someone mentioned a Dynaco. A Large Advent. An old AR. And get them for a great price.
I got 2 pair of KLH model 6s, from Craigslist, in Maine, for less than $50. The deals are there.
There are people selling on Craigslist who really want, and need money.
There are people selling on Craigslist who want to get rid of stuff they have.
thank you
Sorry, I should have mentioned that the Minimus-7 isn’t a current-production speaker; RS stopped making them a few years ago. They’re often found on Ebay - there’s a pair in white listed there now, starting bid $20. Given the size of the room, though, the tiny Minimuses (Minimi?) would be too little speaker to fill the space.
Not listing rock, rap, etc. as your preferred music gives you a lot more flexibility, though - you don’t need something that’s going to whomp out The Who at 110dB.
Your max price puts you square into the vintage speaker market, like Acoustic Research, EPI, Boston Acoustics, ADS, Advent, Wharfdale, Celestion, and so on. BUT that’s a tricky market. Most speakers, being mechanical devices, have a limited lifetime before parts have to be repaired/replaced; the surrounds and cones dry out, crack, separate, etc., and the components in the crossovers are often way out of spec simply due to age. If you buy speakers and then have to have them refurbed, that would add dramatically to the cost.
So you should be looking at speakers that are, at most, 9-to-10 years old, unless you know what you’re doing and can fix them yourself. Forget about new speakers; about the cheapest decent new speaker on the market is the PSB Alpha (and yeah, they’re pretty good), but you’d have to stretch your budget to about $300 to buy them retail. A lot of decent speakers have been mentioned in the thread; if you can find a nice pair in good condition (which means being able to see/hear them for yourself before purchasing), then take a shot.
Don’t forget to visit your local audio dealers. There are fewer today than years ago, but they still exist - and since few people become audio dealers with dreams of making millions, they’re likely to share your love of music and care about reproducing it well. Many dealers will have used/trade-in equipment in good condition, so you’re likely to find something better then your budget might otherwise allow.
{lol!}
JBL 4350s image nicely.
Ok, well, I’m looking through Maine Craigslist. I’m in Maine too, so, well, if I see a pair of Large Advents for $10, well I might not tell you about it, but.
Get These
http://maine.craigslist.org/ele/2690340962.html
Small, smaller than what I want. $35 in Camden.
Cost $349 new
http://www.nhthifi.com/NHT-History
This person is in Camden. This person is likely the type of person who doesn’t want to throw away expensive stereo equipment, not someone who needs to sell cheap or broken stereo equipment to survive.
The Camden person is selling a lot of good stuff for almost nothing. Also good is the Cambridge Soundworks Model 17. Cambridge Soundworks is a modern version of KLH and the Model 17 is likely a modern version of the KLY 17.
http://www.nhthifi.com/NHT-History
I wrote him. thank you
thank you I appreciate your wisdom
You’re welcome ;)
I’m a member. Rarely post though. I joined a couple years ago when I bought an early ‘80s Yamaha receiver (CR640). It’s pretty much the vintage audio mecca.
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