Which speaker company made great bookshelf speakers years ago? Models?

jimdgoulding · « **Reply #20 on:** 10 Dec 2012, 09:13 pm »

Quote from: noway on 10 Dec 2012, 03:11 am

Spica TC-50, ProAc Tablette, Rogers LS3/5A.

Those are the ones I'm most familiar with and second the nomination.

CSI · « **Reply #21 on:** 10 Dec 2012, 10:32 pm »

Like most older audio nut cases I went through tons of speakers back in the day. I once compared notes with a friend who traveled a similar route. Our tastes diverged quite a bit over time but we we were both surprised to discover that the one speaker we both kept the longest and enjoyed unequivocally for many years was the Acoustic Research AR3a.

Cheeseboy · « **Reply #22 on:** 10 Dec 2012, 10:55 pm »

I'll second the motion for ADS. I can't recall if it was the 610s or the 710s that I liked so much. I loved the tweeter. I also liked the M&K with a sub. Boy could they play loud too.

boomer68 · « **Reply #23 on:** 10 Dec 2012, 11:16 pm »

TrungT · « **Reply #24 on:** 10 Dec 2012, 11:29 pm »

ADS

710s and 810s are my favor.

pumpkinman · « **Reply #25 on:** 11 Dec 2012, 12:03 am »

Dynaco A25
Polk Monitor 7
Boston Acoustics A-70
I've owned all of them just have the Polk's left

charmerci · « **Reply #26 on:** 11 Dec 2012, 01:38 am »

B&W DM110

jtwrace · « **Reply #27 on:** 11 Dec 2012, 01:40 am »

The original PSB Alpha's were special to me. I had three pairs of them in my old shop and it rocked.

Toni Rambold · « **Reply #28 on:** 11 Dec 2012, 01:56 am »

The best mini monitors I have heard are the:

Acoustic Research Holographic Imaging Series M1 ($250 per pair)

They have the uncanny ability that the sound is in the air - the speakers disappear.
At 88 dB SPL they can be used with an 10 Watts tube amp.
An extensive review by NAG, ASP and HP can be found in TAS 75/76, January 1992.

tull skull · « **Reply #29 on:** 11 Dec 2012, 01:58 am »

No one will remember mine but I loved them. I am also worthless remembering model numbers but the companies are:
Ryan acoustics: They were only around for 2-3 years.
QLN: My favorite
Rauna: Concrete enclosure

stereocilia · « **Reply #30 on:** 11 Dec 2012, 02:28 am »

The original Paradigm Titans were pretty great (like the psb alpha) for the money back in the day.

Saturn94 · « **Reply #31 on:** 11 Dec 2012, 02:52 am »

Yet another vote for ADS.

I had a pair of ADS towers (L1290) that enjoyed daily from 1986 to 2011!

Scottdazzle · « **Reply #32 on:** 11 Dec 2012, 03:23 am »

The original Thiel bookshelf speakers were a revelation compared to the others for sale at the store where I worked. I can still remember the day a very young Kathy Gornik drove up and brought a pair into the store for us to audition. I was very impressed (with the speakers, too) but was unable to convince the owner to order any.... the fool.

Another brand that came and went quickly was Cizek. Anyone remember them? I thought they offered serious competition to the Advents but the company hardly made a ripple before it disappeared.

Quiet Earth · « **Reply #33 on:** 11 Dec 2012, 03:41 am »

Cizek Model 2

Quote from: Scottdazzle on 11 Dec 2012, 03:23 am

Another brand that came and went quickly was Cizek. Anyone remember them? I thought they offered serious competition to the Advents but the company hardly made a ripple before it disappeared.

Yes, I remember reading about them, but never got a chance to hear a pair.

Same goes for the Burhoe White bookshelf speaker and the Allison Model Five.

Quiet Earth · « **Reply #34 on:** 11 Dec 2012, 04:06 am »

A couple others I used to drool over (in the magazines) but never got to hear .... Mordaunt Short Festival and the little Bozak MCS-80 mini speaker.

You know, you can never really go back in time and be dazzled the way you were when everything was still so wonderous. I remember falling hard for a pair of Dalquist DQ-10s. Many years later, finally having the money to buy them, heard a used (but mint condition) pair and was totally underwhelmed.

I don't think very many vintage speakers sound as good as what can be made today. I would get get a modern set of bookshelf speakers, unless nostalgia was the main reason for buying. You can never go home again.

dynaflo · « **Reply #35 on:** 11 Dec 2012, 01:11 pm »

I remember hearing the Gale speakers with chrome ends thinking they sounded very nice. If you were around the Oklahoma area you might have heard Norman Labratories speakers which had a good following.

dflee · « **Reply #36 on:** 11 Dec 2012, 02:50 pm »

Old and in the way but sounded good in it's day
B&O M300- large for a bookshelf but great sound
Fried (can't remember the model)- sounded relly good with subs

eclein · « **Reply #37 on:** 11 Dec 2012, 03:18 pm »

JBL
L-26
L-36
L20T
The L100, 4311B, 4312A were bigger and considered studio monitors with the L100's being the home version.......
there are probably more but these are the ones I had and loved. Just sayin...LOL

Currently have L830's and they are a little 3 way with an awesome EOS waveguide around the tweeter......
http://www.jbl.com/estore/jbl/us/products/Studio-L830/STUDIO%20L830_JBL_US?searchMode=regularProductOnly

Funnehaha · « **Reply #38 on:** 11 Dec 2012, 04:22 pm »

Once upon a time I had a pair of Canton GLE60s, and I thought they sounded very nice on everything I played through them....

Until....

I recorded a band and mixed down the tapes through them. I made a master tape, and decided to audition my mix through other speakers. The sound changed at various friends' houses, in the car, etc. That was bad...I decided that the Cantons were the cause of my problem. I bought a pair of Spica TC-50s, and remixed the tapes..again...using them. I then re-auditioned my new mix in the same manner. This time, nothing was over- or under-mixed when auditioned on any other speakers that were available to me.

I continue to baby and listen to those TC-50s to the present day. I gave the Cantons to a friend of mine, and he uses them also to this day.

geowak · « **Reply #39 on:** 11 Dec 2012, 05:12 pm »

Quote from: Quiet Earth on 11 Dec 2012, 04:06 am

A couple others I used to drool over (in the magazines) but never got to hear .... Mordaunt Short Festival and the little Bozak MCS-80 mini speaker.

You know, you can never really go back in time and be dazzled the way you were when everything was still so wonderous. I remember falling hard for a pair of Dalquist DQ-10s. Many years later, finally having the money to buy them, heard a used (but mint condition) pair and was totally underwhelmed.

I don't think very many vintage speakers sound as good as what can be made today. I would get get a modern set of bookshelf speakers, unless nostalgia was the main reason for buying. You can never go home again.

Yes I had to laugh, one cannot go back again. Thanks to all for the suggestions. Has anyone updated drivers in an older speaker, like a Marantz sp208?