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.

[Murf the Surf]

Ive been a hobbyist for about 50 years, old SS Sansui, then I got into tubes, I had an oddball Madison Feilding tube amp for about 20 years. It was pretty cool and drove my Klipsch Heresys pretty well. Then I moved to Synthesis tubes and a set of Klipsch Fortes and then ZU Omens. I finally pulled the trigger on a McIntosh amp and Tannoy Kensingtons. I spin some vinyl on a bluenose turntable but mostly stream. There's a great forum for buying and selling for the hobbyists out there. www.canuckaudiomart.com & www.usaudiomart.com. be careful.

[Llarry]

Originally Posted by Murf the Surf

It was pretty cool and drove my Klipsch Heresys pretty well.

I have a small Yamha RX-497 2-ch receiver (just 85W/ch) that I may use in an interim setup, and I've always observed that Klipsch speakers have excellent sensitivity. My old ARs were 87 db/W/m and Klipsch runs up in the upper 90s. I'm seriously considering Klipsch but have never owned a pair.

Unrelated to sound quality, I'm also spoiled (all my speakers for the past 50+ years have had real wood cabinetry or veneers) and would like wood rather than plastic or black paint -- but at the price point I'm looking at (maybe a thousand for a pair of towers) that will be difficult to find. There are a couple of JBLs in the price range that have names like "JBL Studio 680 (Wood)" at just $700 for the pair or "JBL Studio 690 (Wood)" at $1300 per pair. I've owned JBLs before, but in the current business climate I worry about how brands have changed. For instance, Acoustics Research (AR), which was so well regarded 40-60 years ago, now does not do quality speakers; for all I know, they may now be building their speakers in China. I have not kept up with the audio scene.

[Murf the Surf]

Originally Posted by Llarry

I have a small Yamha RX-497 2-ch receiver (just 85W/ch) that I may use in an interim setup, and I've always observed that Klipsch speakers have excellent sensitivity. My old ARs were 87 db/W/m and Klipsch runs up in the upper 90s. I'm seriously considering Klipsch but have never owned a pair.

Unrelated to sound quality, I'm also spoiled (all my speakers for the past 50+ years have had real wood cabinetry or veneers) and would like wood rather than plastic or black paint -- but at the price point I'm looking at (maybe a thousand for a pair of towers) that will be difficult to find. There are a couple of JBLs in the price range that have names like "JBL Studio 680 (Wood)" at just $700 for the pair or "JBL Studio 690 (Wood)" at $1300 per pair. I've owned JBLs before, but in the current business climate I worry about how brands have changed. For instance, Acoustics Research (AR), which was so well regarded 40-60 years ago, now does not do quality speakers; for all I know, they may now be building their speakers in China. I have not kept up with the audio scene.

I'm going to suggest you try to buy a used set of Klipsch, and for the money Forte is a good choice they are a bit on the bigger side but deliver a very full range as they get down to 38Hz so very respectable bass. You can probably find a pair on the used market for a reasonable price.

[Murf the Surf]

Originally Posted by Murf the Surf

I'm going to suggest you try to buy a used set of Klipsch, and for the money Forte is a good choice they are a bit on the bigger side but deliver a very full range as they get down to 38Hz so very respectable bass. You can probably find a pair on the used market for a reasonable price.

https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/deta...tion-in-black/

[zx10guy]

I have a pair of Mirage M490s which I consider to be from the "golden" age of audio. I miss those days where there were so many boutique manufacturers and the same number of audio specialty shops. Now everything has gone so corporate and most people don't care about quality audio. I don't even know if Mirage is even around anymore. They went from producing the M1/M3 speakers that were the rave in the audio community. I got to audition them in a proper listening environment at this audio specialty store back in college. That audio specialty store is also long gone.

Anyways, I haven't done much in the way of upgrading my two sound systems. The last upgrade in my main multi channel system was the purchase of a Meridian G65 processor. The only other upgrade I may make is to purchase the Panasonic flagship Bluray player to replace my Oppo BDP 203 which the Oppo would then be repurposed to another system. With my two channel system at my vacation home, the only recent purchase was an Adcom GFA 555se when the Emotiva XPA-2 took a dump.

With regards to speakers, it's crazy the B&W Nautilus speakers I own are still commanding the prices they do in the used market. I can sell them for what I paid originally or just slightly higher. I know in real dollars it's not a full value retention, but it's still pretty damn good. Same with the Oppo BDP 203, I'm seeing listings for this Bluray player at twice what I paid for it new on the used market.

I've posted pics of the multi channel system before, but here it is again.



This is a pic of the dedicated power feed setup I have to the above system. Two balanced power transformers from Equitech providing 20A power. One transformer is feeding the two Velodyne subs and the other is providing power to my Bryston 6B-ST amp. I also have a separate 20A circuit that a rack version of the above that is providing power to all the front end equipment.



Pic of my two channel system at my vacation home. The pic was taken when I was dialing in the sub EQ.