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Growing up my dad had some speakers, a turntable and receiver, but never anything nice. I remember he had some 2 channel JVC receiver driving a pair of 3 way KLH speakers with 8 inch woofers. I think they were KLH 311's like these:

 

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I got a JVC boom box for Christmas when I was 10 or 11 years old or so and then asked for another set of speakers and got these (pretty sure - based on a google image search and fading memory only)

 

KLH AV1001B

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I used to run both the speakers that came with the boom box and the KLH bookshelf's off the same channels on the boom box - thought it made it louder that way - LOL. Once I was in highschool and had some (albeit minimal) cash, I found a Technics SA-310 receiver at a garage sale for 10 bucks and some Speaker Lab S2 speakers for like $30. I used to run my portable CD player's headphone out into the rca input on the back of the receiver to listen to my music. LOVED that system - my mom hated it.

 

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Man, I still miss those speakerlab speakers. Just this last year I called around to my family members to see whatever happened to them, but, unfortunately, they're long gone - no one knows. It could be nostalgia (probably is) but I'd love to AB them against what I have today to see if they sound as good as I remember. 

 

Being into recording music, I got a pair of KRK V8 Series II's - powered desktop monitors with 8 inch woofers. I got them when I was in college and have had them for probably more than 10 years. These are not the rockits - very nice - flat frequency response. Detailed.  Love these things. I currently use them in my office daily.

 

Additionally, I have a surround system (with mostly cheap speakers) connected in the playroom - Yamaha HTiB speakers for center and surrounds and Polk T15's for left and right and a Klipsch R12-SW. This system is driven by a Yamaha TSR-5810 receiver.

 

Finally, the main system - and my most recent acquisitions - are in the living room: 2 RP-160m's and a R-115sw driven by a Yamaha TSR-7810 receiver. 

 

Lots of plans for future acquisitions - the hobby is alive and well!

 

 

 

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I have an early pair of Dahlquist DQ-10s in my study, with replaced caps. For a small room at relatively low volumes, they do very well, and are the most natural speakers for piano I've ever heard. The other pre-Klipsch speakers I owned were home-made and varied from poor to very good.

The only other speakers I would consider owning are Beveridges. Those are hit-the-lottery-fantasy dreams, though

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On 2018-02-26 at 2:30 PM, rah said:

Another +1 on Magnepan speakers.  To me the 1.7's are the best bang for the buck in their line, but any of the recent ones I would recommend.

 

I have heard nothing but good things about them. Have only heard a vintage set at a house party a million years ago. I would imagine they would have been a model from the 70s. They were enormous and covered with a brown fabric. Looked almost like room dividers.

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I have owned roughly 32 different pairs of speakers since the mid 80s. I won't bore with the complete list, but here is a sampling of some of the more prominent ones:

 

Wilson Sophia

Piega P-10

Green Mountain Audio Continuum 3 and Imago

Von Schweikert (VR4 and VR4 III HSE)

Magnepan (1.6 and 3.5)

PBN Montana

Reference 3a Grand Veena

 

I have also owned Cornwalls and Cornscalas.

 

And this brings me to my current speakers, GR Research Super V. This is a high efficiency design using an OB 12" coaxial driver mated to a pair of OB 12" subwoofers using a servo amplifier. These are very good speakers by anyone's definition and have world class bass response flat into the teens. I have really enjoyed them for the past year.

 

I said all that to say this. I recently borrowed my friend's Forte I with upgraded xovers and titanium drivers for a week. I did this with the inclination that I might buy a pair of Forte IIIs. I have heard these speakers on many occasions in his system, and once set u p properly, didn't disappoint in my room either. While they are no match to the Super V for bass weight, extension, and foundation, the Forte more than held it's own in the midrange and upper frequencies. Even though both of these designs are of high efficiency, the Forte had more snap and dynamic range (but only slightly so) than my current speakers.

 

I also got the chance to hear the IIIs last weekend at a dealer.That sealed it for me. I ordered a pair in distressed white oak. The conclusion being that Klipsch speakers can hold their own against far more costly designs. But I know most of you here knew that already.

 

Shakey

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Other than Klipsch:

DLK 3  (cheapo "house" speaker from Schaak electronics out of Minneapolis).  Run of the mill department store speakers.

Rogers Studio 1  Great detail, imaging and soundstage, smooth and flat. A 3 way, but not conventional, as it has a bass/midrange a tweeter and a super tweeter made for dog's hearing range. 

Rogers Studio 1A ditto, but a bit more brash than the above. It is a two way, no super tweeter. 

ProAc Extended Bass Tablette (EBT or Doublette)  Not enough bass extension to integrate with my Subwoofer. But oooh what midrange and highs! 

ProAc Super Towers Fantastic speakers once I replaced the Ti tweeters with the same soft dome tweeters used on the EBT. Probably the best soundstage I ever heard. Barely needed a subwoofer. 

NHT SuperOne  Much better than I expected so I bought a set of the below:

NHT 2.5  Hardly needed a subwoofer either if I were not already hooked on my ENTEC. 

Paradigm Reference Studio 20 V3  The dullest, most boring speakers I ever owned. Think of them as the WORST aspects of the British approach and the USA "West Coast" approach to speaker priorities.  The worst of both worlds. 

 

And Klipsch:

Cornwall II I owned these before I owned a subwoofer or how to properly place a set of speakers for proper imaging and soundstage.  But they certainly rocked. 

Forte I with Crites crossovers and Ti tweeter drivers. I use them now, I swap between these and my Rogers Studio 1As. Although these two speakers are so different, I like them both equally. 

Heresy II  Although the bass extended LOW enough to integrate with my ENTEC, the mid bass was not LOUD enough compared to the midrange/highs and the proper level of my ENTEC's low bass volume to match those mids and highs. In other words the bass driver's frequency range was not loud enough for proper balance. A subwoofer cannot correct this problem. Here would be a graph if what I am trying to say starting at 20hz and ending at 20Khz: ----------------___________ -------------- ------------------ 

Heresy III Integrate well with my ENTEC, vastly improved over the Heresy IIs in all respects. 

SB 3 (satellites NOT center speaker) make decent computer speakers with my Allison Acoustic subwoofer. 

 

With ALL speakers whether "full range" or not, I use an ENTEC SW-1 subwoofer.  I can easily say no Klipsch subwoofer can hold a candle to them. Well if you do hold a candle to the ENTEC SW-1, it will probably blow the candle out! 

 

 

 

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5 hours ago, Shakeydeal said:

I have owned roughly 32 different pairs of speakers since the mid 80s. I won't bore with the complete list, but here is a sampling of some of the more prominent ones:

 

Wilson Sophia

Piega P-10

Green Mountain Audio Continuum 3 and Imago

Von Schweikert (VR4 and VR4 III HSE)

Magnepan (1.6 and 3.5)

PBN Montana

Reference 3a Grand Veena

 

I have also owned Cornwalls and Cornscalas.

 

And this brings me to my current speakers, GR Research Super V. This is a high efficiency design using an OB 12" coaxial driver mated to a pair of OB 12" subwoofers using a servo amplifier. These are very good speakers by anyone's definition and have world class bass response flat into the teens. I have really enjoyed them for the past year.

 

I said all that to say this. I recently borrowed my friend's Forte I with upgraded xovers and titanium drivers for a week. I did this with the inclination that I might buy a pair of Forte IIIs. I have heard these speakers on many occasions in his system, and once set u p properly, didn't disappoint in my room either. While they are no match to the Super V for bass weight, extension, and foundation, the Forte more than held it's own in the midrange and upper frequencies. Even though both of these designs are of high efficiency, the Forte had more snap and dynamic range (but only slightly so) than my current speakers.

 

I also got the chance to hear the IIIs last weekend at a dealer.That sealed it for me. I ordered a pair in distressed white oak. The conclusion being that Klipsch speakers can hold their own against far more costly designs. But I know most of you here knew that already.

 

Shakey

Well just find a nice ENTEC SW-1 or L-F30 subwoofer (or stereo pair) and you will probably get all you are missing back.  I would not ever not use my subwoofer with any "full range" speakers unless that speaker system already includes a powered subwoofer such as your Super Vs do. 

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I've had a number of speakers,  several KEF, several PSB, Paradigm, B&W , and a few Klipch.   One speaker I regretted selling was the Klipsch CF 4.... that's probably when I heard a pair or Heresy III  I had to buy them.  Really enjoying them, will never sell them.   The fun per dollar ratio is off the chart.   

 

 Another speaker I miss was the PSB M2 Platinum monitor.  I will buy the first mint pair I come across, they were that good.  Never should have sold them, replaced them with Revel M106 which were nice but in hindsight the M2 was better.   

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I could probably name all of the speakers I've had in the last 15 or 20 years as I went through quite a few back when it seemed every thrift store had something new every week.  Or, going to garage sales, estate sales, etc., when I lived in Denton, TX.  It was a fun experience getting to rebuild and listen to speakers I read about in magazines back in the 70's as a kid.  There are speakers I wish I could have kept (like the '78 Klipschorns) but when the company I was with back in 2009 went under and the market had taken a dive, I was pretty much forced to liquidate lots of stuff along with selling my house to pay everything off and then go back to college at 43.

 

But I am actually *pondering* a pair of VMPS speakers that would be a drive to get and I'd have to store them until our new house is built.  Not the huge VMPS speakers but smaller ones.  I always enjoyed listening to those back at CES in Las Vegas plus when they had summer CES in Chicago.  I just need to make sure the upstairs is built for holding larger things I'll have up there so I'm going to have them put larger 2 x 12 joists in just for that.  ha

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On 2/25/2018 at 8:31 PM, Deang said:

I did Magnepans for almost as long as I’ve been doing Klipsch. I would have no reservations to going back. 

Just recently got 3 pairs of used Carvers. Two pairs of Amazing Platinums, and one pair of AL-III Plus. Those ribbons with subs really are amazing but boy do they need the WATTS. Klipsch is a spoiler in the efficiency  and dynamics department for sure.

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I have been listening to Golden Ear Triton towers and like how smooth and pleasing they sound.  Norah Jones first album can have some piercing moments which are tamed on The Tritons.   Prior I had heard Salk Towers with a similar ribbon tweeter and layed  back sound.  

 

Prior to that I was impressed with KEF Ref 5 and a traditional tower speaker from mlb which I really liked but found both 2x more expensive than I wanted to pay. 

 

 

 

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On 3/20/2018 at 6:13 AM, Vectra said:

 

I have been listening to Golden Ear Triton towers and like how smooth and pleasing they sound.  Norah Jones first album can have some piercing moments which are tamed on The Tritons.   Prior I had heard Salk Towers with a similar ribbon tweeter and layed  back sound.  

 

Prior to that I was impressed with KEF Ref 5 and a traditional tower speaker from mlb which I really liked but found both 2x more expensive than I wanted to pay.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Lateral_Line
Double post.
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On 3/20/2018 at 6:13 AM, Vectra said:

 

I have been listening to Golden Ear Triton towers and like how smooth and pleasing they sound.  Norah Jones first album can have some piercing moments which are tamed on The Tritons.   Prior I had heard Salk Towers with a similar ribbon tweeter and layed  back sound.  

 

Prior to that I was impressed with KEF Ref 5 and a traditional tower speaker from mlb which I really liked but found both 2x more expensive than I wanted to pay. 

 

 

 

 

 

When i was in the market for a new set of speakers, this local audio shop raved about the Golden Ear Tritons.  I really didn't want another set of tall slender towers so i didn't give it a listen.  FYI, I ended up with the Forte III.  

 

How would you compare the GE Tritons to Klipschs?   

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