The Audio Thread

[Llarry]

We've got a thread for turntables and vinyl -- See "Who's Still Spinning Vinyl" but as far as I know, not a thread for audio more generally. Based on the vinyl thread, we have some audio enthusiasts here, so let's talk about it.

I have just sold my beloved Acoustics Research AR90 tower speakers, which have low frequency drivers with foam surrounds that have deteriorated over the years. I had the ARs for over 40 years, had the 10-inch (sub)woofers and 8-inch lower midranges replaced once, but in 2024 new drivers are no longer available. Instead, I found a replacement rubber speaker surround kit on eBay but did not feel comfortable doing the replacement myself. The AR90 and its big brother, the AR9, are collector's items these days. I sold my 90s with great regret and am now researching replacement tower speakers.

My ears are old. I no longer am interested in window-rattling high volume levels. I listen mostly to pop, rock and country but also some traditional Asian music and classical.

My AR90s ran $1,400 for the pair new in 1981 -- given inflation, that would be much more expensive in 2024. But I'm determined to scale back my expectations and my budget, so casually looking at speakers running $1,000 or a bit more per pair to replace the ARs. I've also decided to abandon surround sound and return to stereo.

Given the above, any suggestions for me? I might add that I have several separate subwoofers by Yamaha and Polk, so I suppose I could downscale the low-frequency drivers for my mains.

Thoughts?

[Llarry]

Oh, and another thing I am contemplating... wireless speakers. Anyone with experience with these?

I am about to move to a new house and am thinking of ditching my 20 year old surround sound receiver and going back to good old stereo. For years I've had Yamaha equipment -- not high-end by any means but a cut above Pioneer, Sony, etc. -- and Yamaha has come up with these rather clever MusicCast wireless speakers that provide better placement flexibility and avoid running wire between rooms. I'm intrigued.

The attached photo shows a Yamaha MusicCast 20 speaker -- itty-bitty thing that is wireless -- but also a bit spendy for my budget: $250 each, so putting those in two locations would run $1,000. They also sell a larger, but still pretty compact, unit that runs double that price -- the MusicCast 50.

[vreihen16]

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[bucketfoot]

There are a ton of good options for bookshelf speakers these days. The real problem is that there are very few places to go and demo them anymore.

So I'd start with some Google and YouTube searches.

The last time I was in the market, it was for monitors for my home studio which actually made things easier!

I don't have experience with them, but ELAC seems to get a lot of praise.

[2000cs]

They all sound the same if you’re wearing hearing aids, as I am.

[DrVenture]

I like the very pricey stuff like McIntosh. But, I buy bang-for-the-buck.

I still have my JVC RX-701V (Super-A) w/ 100W per channel, and Cerwin-Vega AT-10 (party) speakers from the 1980s. I replaced the foam surrounds on the speakers a few years ago. This I use, in stereo, to play vinyl. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done nicely.

I have a Denon S970H connected to Polk Audio speakers in my home theater area. It sounds phenomenal and serves both digital music and TV/movies well. It is both capable of huge volume and great clarity. It replaced a Yamaha that was damaged by lightning. The nice thing about this set up is that I can replace the individual speakers at any point to improve the sound. Still, it hardly seems worth it, because it sounds so darn good as it is.

In the family room I have a Samsung Q-series 11.1.4 ch. Wireless Dolby Atmos Soundbar (HW Q990B) with wireless rear channel speakers and subwoofer. It is a big room with a 15' ceiling and this soundbar actually impresses. Like the rug in The Big Lebowski, it really ties the room together!

[Roadcrew]

Aperion audio has a location in Portland if interested in listening to them. I have 2 sets of these. 633t, 533-vac, s-12, 534-ss mainly used for home theater and a set of 5t with s-10 primarily for music. These are both from early 2000s. Their lineup is different today but more than likely more than capable. I like them alot.