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Your loudspeaker history...?

mandryka said:
There were the first speakers I owned for myself, I remember buying them from a stall in Brick Lane Market, the seller told me that Maudant Short were special because they employed violin makers to make their cabinets.
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I bought my pair from an auction for peanuts, I just wanted a ‘big’ speaker for the studio as punters always expect to hear a nice full range sound. The MS700s were absolutely the wrong speaker for this job as they had the fabulous Decca Kelly ribbon tweeters, which I kept on blowing out! They just couldn’t deal with forgetting a channel strip was on when plugging a lead and I took one out with an Arp Odyssey too! I spent far more money fixing the things than they cost. I never really got to evaluate them properly as hi-fi speakers and stupidly didn’t think to keep the dead DK30s when I eventually gave them away after the studio business attempt failed.
 
1975 to present day.

Philips Motional Feedback Speakers
Quad ELS57 (twice)
Linn Kans (three times)
Linn Saras (twice) (Still have them)
Linn Isobariks (Passive and Active)
Linn Nexus
Linn Majik 140's
Shahinian Arcs (Still have them)
Linn Akurate 212's (Still have them)
Shahinian Super Elf's (Still have them)
 
Hoopsontoast said:
Ready?
In bold I still own, with family or friends.
  • Technics SCHD70 speakers
  • Tannoy Mercury MX1
  • Tannoy DC1000
  • Tannoy Sensys DC1
  • CSS FR125S (DIY)
  • Rega R3
  • KEF XQ1
  • Tannoy HPD315's in OB (DIY)
  • Tannoy Cheviots
  • Omnes Audio L8 (DIY)
  • Silver Iris 10" Coaxials in OB (DIY)
  • Rega Jura
  • Bandor 50mm (DIY)
  • Veravox 5S BiB (DIY)
  • Veravox 5S Bipoles
  • Rega R7
  • Tannoy Mercury S
  • ATC SCM-7
  • Fostex FF225K Jericho Horns
  • Kord Tornado
  • Veravox 3 (Omnes Audio BB3.AL) (DIY)
  • Keesonic Kolt
  • Rega R1
  • ATC SCM10
  • Fountek FE87
  • IAS Prototypes
  • Keesonic Kolt
    f_doh.gif.2bfa1ec008d0c8800eee305d3a30be23.gif
  • Wharfedale Diamond Active Plus
  • Acoustic Energy AE2
  • Kord Vulcan
  • Magnepan MMG
  • KEF Reference 104/2
  • Eclipse TD-508
  • Veravox 5S (DIY)
  • Fostex FF225K
  • Klipsch Heresy II
  • DIY Actives
  • Rega Alya
  • Goodmans Axiom 201
  • ATC SCM10
  • Tannoy Chester (Project)
  • Tannoy Stirling HE
  • Rega R9
  • Frugelhorn Lite (DIY)
  • KEF 201/2
  • Neat Petite III (for a week or two)
  • Supravox 165-2000 (DIY)
Click to expand...

You win I reckon
 
Moppit said:
Yes, you all loved those big Tannoys or ESL's...
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Not me.... every time I hear ESL57s I hate them, just an homogenous blob of noise to my ears! Yet I was happy owner of Quad 988s for 3 years. Same with tannoy Turnberry SEs that I home demo'd for a couple of weeks - hateful. But again, I loved the Tannoy D700s that I once owned for a few years.

Keesonic Kubs
Mission 780se
Castle Severn :mad:
Ruark Templar mk.1 :) (probably the speaker I miss the most)
Harbeth HL-P3
Audio Physic Tempo III
Quad 988
ATC SCM12:)
ATC SCM20
Dali Helicon 400:)
Wilmslow Audio Mercury
Tannoy D700:)
Quad ESL57:mad:
ATC SCM50A:(
Triangle Genese Quartet
Neat Ultimatum MF7:(
Event Opal:D
Focal Be6:(
Kef 103.2
Harbeth SHL5:)
 
blimey hoops!
Anyway, my list AFAIR

1970 Wharfedale unit 4 kits
1982 Mission 770's
1986 Wilmslow audio 'rogers LS35a alike kits
1989 SD acoustics SD2
1993 Snell J MK11's
1999 Castle Howards
2006 Focal 1008be
2010 Harbeth HL5
2018 Harbeth HL5 anniversary
 
JBL Control 1s
Ruark Swordsman - my first proper hi-fi speakers. Really liked them.
Ruark Sabres - similar but fuller versions of the above.
Ruark Talisman IIs - just couldn't get them to work in my rooms, sadly. Have heard them sound superb in an old friends system/room, though.
Ruark Broadswords - still have them, though one has a fubar'd voice coil : ( My joint fave Ruark 'speaker alongside the Swordsman.
Naim Audio Credo - energetic buggers. Not very subtle when they needed to be. Could not be arsed to try SBLs and all the faff they require to work properly.
Impule H2 - my main 'speakers. No plans to change these as they do everything so well.
 
Celestion Hadleigh
Wharfedale Delta 50
Linn Index Mk1
Royd 7
Linn Kan Mk1
Linn Keilidh
Rega Alya
Naim nSat
 
alanbeeb said:
Keesonic Kubs
Mission 780se
Castle Severn :mad:
Ruark Templar mk.1 :) (probably the speaker I miss the most)
Harbeth HL-P3
Audio Physic Tempo III
Quad 988
ATC SCM12:)
ATC SCM20
Dali Helicon 400:)
Wilmslow Audio Mercury
Tannoy D700:)
Quad ESL57:mad:
ATC SCM50A:(
Triangle Genese Quartet
Neat Ultimatum MF7:(
Event Opal:D
Focal Be6:(
Kef 103.2
Harbeth SHL5:)
Click to expand...

Love the ranking emoji's here....maybe you could teach Hifi mags a thing or two?

According to to my questionable counting... Hoops has had an impressive 47, just pipped by RustyB with 52 (wow!)
 
Hoopsontoast said:
Ready?
In bold I still own, with family or friends.
  • Technics SCHD70 speakers
  • Tannoy Mercury MX1
  • Tannoy DC1000
  • Tannoy Sensys DC1
  • CSS FR125S (DIY)
  • Rega R3
  • KEF XQ1
  • Tannoy HPD315's in OB (DIY)
  • Tannoy Cheviots
  • Omnes Audio L8 (DIY)
  • Silver Iris 10" Coaxials in OB (DIY)
  • Rega Jura
  • Bandor 50mm (DIY)
  • Veravox 5S BiB (DIY)
  • Veravox 5S Bipoles
  • Rega R7
  • Tannoy Mercury S
  • ATC SCM-7
  • Fostex FF225K Jericho Horns
  • Kord Tornado
  • Veravox 3 (Omnes Audio BB3.AL) (DIY)
  • Keesonic Kolt
  • Rega R1
  • ATC SCM10
  • Fountek FE87
  • IAS Prototypes
  • Keesonic Kolt
    f_doh.gif.2bfa1ec008d0c8800eee305d3a30be23.gif
  • Wharfedale Diamond Active Plus
  • Acoustic Energy AE2
  • Kord Vulcan
  • Magnepan MMG
  • KEF Reference 104/2
  • Eclipse TD-508
  • Veravox 5S (DIY)
  • Fostex FF225K
  • Klipsch Heresy II
  • DIY Actives
  • Rega Alya
  • Goodmans Axiom 201
  • ATC SCM10
  • Tannoy Chester (Project)
  • Tannoy Stirling HE
  • Rega R9
  • Frugelhorn Lite (DIY)
  • KEF 201/2
  • Neat Petite III (for a week or two)
  • Supravox 165-2000 (DIY)
Click to expand...

maybe this thread should be which ones you havent had?
 
Videotone Minimax - bought in 1974, still in daily use in the upstairs system

Acoustic Research AR7
KEF 104AB
B&W D5 (I think - 2-way sealed boxes which could be breathtakingly lifelike)
Proac Studio 125 - not bad, but tweeters not their strong point
Proac Tablette 50
Hi-fi News Ace (DIY single-driver upward-firing omni using Supravox HP215 RTF 64 Bicone)
Kudos X2 - good in most respects, but I just do not like dome tweeters that fire straight at you...

Duevel Planets - bought unheard in 2017, only the Duevel Venus is likely to supersede them, but just try to get a demo of those...

Cambridge Aeromax 2 (bought to try BMR driver - Planets presentation much preferred)

I listen to classical music, with only occasional trips elsewhere - it's the orchestra that just has to be got right. In the smallish rooms I've always had, the Planets sound by far the most convincing - I could be in Symphony Hall in the expensive rear stalls seats. Shahinians seem to be more popular than Duevel (because demos are possible?), but I found the Arcs tonally uningratiating by comparison with the Planets.
 
I started out with the original Mission 700s round about 1980/81. These followed me around a few shared houses gaining a pair of stands at some point, a replacement tweeter and I got my hands on an LCR bridge so decided to play around with the crossovers and removed some of the foam which livened them up a bit. In this state they had replacement main drivers as I'd not heard about refoaming the existing ones. Around 2001 I retired my Sansui AU217 in favour of Rega Cursa/Maia after a brief flirt with a Nait 5. A friend was selling some Royd doublets shortly after that but my modified missions, though less detailed, were livelier and more musical so the Royds went back after a week.
The foam surrounds went again around 2004 so it was time to find replacements, after about 3 month of auditions a pair of Thiel CS1.6s earned their place in my system. There than followed a piecemeal change over to Naim amps, not a Nait which I still couldn't stand, even in supernait form but 282/Hi/250. Then one day I dropped into my local Audio T and they had a pair of traded in Naim NBLs, I was somewhat doubtful they'd work in my room but the shop were willing to deliver and install them for a home demo so WTF, they didn't have to pick them up. What I did find surprising is that they out imaged the Thiels.
So nearly 40 years and three sets of speakers.
 
alanbeeb said:
Not me.... every time I hear ESL57s I hate them, just an homogenous blob of noise to my ears! Yet I was happy owner of Quad 988s for 3 years. Same with tannoy Turnberry SEs that I home demo'd for a couple of weeks - hateful. But again, I loved the Tannoy D700s that I once owned for a few years.

Keesonic Kubs
Mission 780se
Castle Severn :mad:
Ruark Templar mk.1 :) (probably the speaker I miss the most)
Harbeth HL-P3
Audio Physic Tempo III
Quad 988
ATC SCM12:)
ATC SCM20
Dali Helicon 400:)
Wilmslow Audio Mercury
Tannoy D700:)
Quad ESL57:mad:
ATC SCM50A:(
Triangle Genese Quartet
Neat Ultimatum MF7:(
Event Opal:D
Focal Be6:(
Kef 103.2
Harbeth SHL5:)
Click to expand...
Didn't get on with ATC50's?
 
Audio Physic:
Scorpio I

B&W:
804S

Dali:
Mentor 6

Dynaudio:
Excite X36
Contour 1.4 S,
Confidence C1

Nubert:
NuVero 14 x 3 times

Odeon
Midas SE
Elektra S
Tosca S2
No. 28 SE

Harbeth:
Compact 7
Super HL5 x 3 times
Super HL5+ x 2 times
Super HL5+ 40th. Anniversary Edition

Heco:
Celan XT 701 + 301 (Surround)
The Statement

Klipsch:
Klipschorn HD
Klipschorn AKIII
Cornwall III x 2

LSV Achenbach:
Trinity mit Mundorf AMT (DIY)

Oaudio:
Sarah (DIY)

Phonar:
Veritas P7

PMC:
LB1i Signature
OB1i

Pro Ac:
Response D 38

Quadral Arum:
Orkan VIII aktiv

Sonus Faber:
Cremona M
Liuto
Guarneri Memento

Spendor:
S6e
S8e
S9e

T+A:
TB 160
 
Last edited:
Old Shatterhand said:
Audio Physic:
Scorpio I

B&W:
804S

Dali:
Mentor 6

Dynaudio:
Excite X36
Contour 1.4 S,
Confidence C1

Nubert:
NuVero 14 x 3 times

Odeon
Midas SE
Elektra S
Tosca S2
No. 28 SE

Harbeth:
Compact 7
Super HL5 x 3 times
Super HL5+ x 2 times
Super HL5+ 40th. Anniversary Edition

Heco:
Celan XT 701 + 301 (Surround)
The Statement

Klipsch:
Klipschorn HD
Klipschorn AKIII
Cornwall III x 2

LSV Achenbach:
Trinity mit Mundorf AMT (DIY)

Oaudio:
Sarah (DIY)

Phonar:
Veritas P7

PMC:
LB1i Signature
OB1i

Pro Ac:
Response D 38

Quadral Arum:
Orkan VIII aktiv

Sonus Faber:
Cremona M
Liuto
Guarneri Memento

Spendor:
S6e
S8e
S9e
Click to expand...

39 pairs of speakers in how many years ?

Is that something like 3 pairs of speakers every year for you?
 
Wharfedale Laser 50 - Bought from Dixons for £50) for my first Hi Fi system.

Eltax Symphony 6 - My student system.

Wharfedale Diamond 3 - Other student system.

Eltax Linear 6.5 - A little better.

Ruark Prologue - So much better. My first decent speakers.

B&W DM2a - I wasn't impressed at the time but with hindsight my amp wasn't up to the job. Sold them on ebay with no reserve and they went for a pittance. Wish I'd kept them!

Second hand Wilmslow Audio D.I.Y speakers - Someone else's homebrew design. Good drivers but badly executed.

AOS Studio 100 XL - TL design a bit like a modern TDL monitor. Superb!

IMF RSPM IV - Superb and incredible bass.

Wharfedale Super Diamond - Modified. Dining room system. Amazingly good!

Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 - Crap.

Tannoy Monitor Gold 15" in corner Lancaster cabs - Cost me a fortune to put right. Lovely on vocals.

Tannoy Arden mk1 - As good as the M.G's but with better bass extension.

If I move on from the Ardens it'll be to even bigger Tannoys, either that or I may go back to transmission lines.
 
I'm amazed at the turnover of speakers here, I've owned four pairs of speakers in 42 years and nothing very grand:

AR7X
AR7 (cast offs from my brother-in-law to replace my younger AR7Xs which perished)
Quad 11L (still have these)
Kudos X2
 
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