Vintage or New?

[lilred8150]

I would like to hear your opinions on vintage or new speakers. And what speakers vintage or new would you use in your surround 7.1 system.

Thanks in advance

Red

[Malcolm]

IMHO you should use whatever you like the sound of, can afford, and can live with. The speakers in my HT system are Heresys built between 1965 and 1978 with a well matched sub. I bought my first pair of Heresys new in 1972 and added to them as HT developed. So, I have had both new and vintage speakers of the same type. I still have them because I have never found a compelling reason to replace them. If I were to start from scratch I might go with something new.

[kjohnsonhp]

I asked the same question about a week ago, so here is what I've learned.

1. Fit speakers to your room - You must select the gear that fits your room--both size and acoustics--we don't all have rectangular rooms with no windows, furnishings, etc. Get opionions based on your room. A Klipschorn-based system may be great but it's tough to fit into a multi-purpose room. Even Cornwall,Belle,LaScalas are wider than modern speakers and tough to squeeze into a room. New designs are much easier to place.

2. Listen with your ears -- Some people--like those on this board--are passionate about the sound of the heritage line. Other folks--including many magazine speaker reviewers do not like the sound of the horns and any of the Klipsch horn-base speakers compared to other designs. Only you can decide and you've got to hear them. Home Theatre stores will recommend new gear and this board will recommend heritage.

3. Listen to movies and music you are familiar with and plan to play on your new system.

4. Based on room size, budget, and your sound preference make the Klipsch Heritage or New decision. If Heritage then this board will help you with the details. If new then you've got a lot of brands and technologies to choose from (Omni-polar, bi-polar, horn, electro-static hybrid, integrated power sub-woofer, etc.)

5. Plan on adding a sub-woofer if you like full range sound in movies.

6. Original Dolby sent just the highs in mono to the rears, the new surround sound technology is stereo and full range. To get the most you need full range speakers all around...don't settle for satellites as surrounds and especially center channel.

7. Match your speakers--especially fronts & center the best you can. In the Heritage line that means the same speaker or another heritage although some use the new Klipsch for center and surround.

8. Bigger is better in the heritage line and you should use the same model for all channels if possible...it's not easy putting a huge speaker in the center channel. If you go with Khorns then La Scalas are a good match for the center speaker, sides, and rears if you don't have rear corners open. I went with Cornwalls and plan to have Heresy's for center & rears.

9. La Scala and Belle don't have as low a bass response compared to KHorns and even Cornwalls, so plan on a sub woofer if you want big bass. For movies you'll probably want a big sub woofer eventually, anyway.

10. Estate sales, etc. may produce bargins on vintage speakers because in general huge vintage speakers ARE NOT perceived as high dollar, but the easiest place to find them is on-line. The ebay prices seem to be as follows (this is not a statical sample or definitive price range--just my perceptions on recent ebay activity:

Heresy - $300-$475

Cornwall - $700-$1,000

La Scala - $800-$1,000

Belle - $1,200 - $1,600 (many close below reserve in the $800's)

Klipschorns - $2,200

Condition and exotic wood vaneers can add huge premiums.

Academy is a classic Klipsch speaker that is popular for center channel. $350 seems to be the rate on-line and other may be asking more. They are hard to find.

11. Shipping heritage speakers is a cost to consider in your budget and shopping. Shipping could be between $100 and $400 within the US depending on model, service level, distance, etc. Some sellers won't help you at all--you must pick them up or hire a freight company to pick them up, package them and then ship them to you. Other sellers will pack or at least take them to a shipping company. These speakers have vaneers and since they are heavy it's too easy for them to get dents durning handling/shipping.

12. Refinishing the cabinets is a way to buy lower priced speakers and add some of your own labor to make them more valuable and more eye pleasing. Heritage are made from plywood with wood vaneers.

Maybe a FAQ would be helpful for this board--especially for those that come to make a buying decision and then leave.

AND finally--remember that I'm a newbie, too so take my summary for what it's worth.