Upgrade stereo speakers for concert sound experience?

[StephenR]

Altec Voice of the Theater… blast from the past technology. Would probably sound great in a huge room. Wonder how the seller (no personal association with them) intends to ship these?


[size=78%]https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisbh057-altec-lansing-a7-voice-of-the-theatre-full-range?m-message-key-id=8150530164194803712&m-message-click-id=de507fcd-385f-4a8f-b85a-1f0b00d290a0&utm_source=maestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SaturdayEmail20260117#&gid=1&pid=1[/size]


Been watching a Nakamichi ZX-9 deck on Audiogon. It is listed at $3,800.  Mine is in the basement with a broken belt. Keep hearing they are worth a lot if in good shape and have been on the fence about having it refurbished and trying to figure out if I want to take a $1,000+ gamble on getting mine done.

[cozmik_cowboy]

A guy a went to college with had a pair of Klipsch Horns - in a dorm room.
Yeah, it was a little loud.  But it sounded great! Onliest better sounding speakers on campus were my Infinity Qas & Larry's Dahlquists (when he got them - he, his wife, his girlfriend, and his half-brother lived in what used to be the infirmary, and thus he had a decent-sized room - he sat me down in the sweet spot & put on an album by a Highland pipe band; pipers, of course, always walk when they play, and I heard those suckers march clean around me!  I mean, the sound came from behind, according to my ears.  Great speakers, those Dahlquists!)


Peter

[garyhead]

I have a set of the Cerwin Vega Subwoofers from the Sensurround Earthquake theater sound system from the 1970's.  18" reverse K drivers in a 48" x 48" x 20" enclosure.  Had them in my living room at my last home.  Powering them each with 360W.  They are tuned at 20Hz so you "feel" them more than "hear" them.  I later put the drivers into a 24" x 24" x 24" downfiring cube with a granite top.  Pipe organs are fantastic!  So are bass drums.  Been in my system now for 40 years. 

[cozmik_cowboy]

We always used to lust after Earthquake speakers, both for stereo and SR applications; closest I ever came was a pair of 18" single scoops in a 4-way PA - which were absofreakinglutely majestic! 
I want to hear your system.

Peter

[StephenR]

A friend of mine still has his 80s Dahlquist’s, haven’t heard them in years but always thought they sounded great.

I still like a lot of the old audio technology… new stuff is hit and miss unless you spring for high-end audiophile components. I still think that despite their limits the best set of speakers I ever owned were Spendor LS/3.5A monitors that were designed for BBC broadcasting. Small desktop speakers that didn’t have a deep low-end but mids- and vocals sounded amazing and the highs were accurate and precise with no exaggeration. I was listening to The Everly Brothers-"Songs Our Daddy Taught US" LP on these and it was the first time I experienced “speakers disappearing” it sounded incredibly natural and like you were in the room with them. This is an acoustic record with bare instrumentation and I think it is just a beautiful release. I got an excellent price on the Spendors, paid $400 for them in 1986 and sold them about 5 years ago for $1,500. I kind of wish I hadn’t sold them...

[cozmik_cowboy]

My Infinitys were powered by a Yamaha CA-810 integrated amp; everything from full-on rock to 1 voice & 1 acoustic guitar sounded like you were there.
Lost the speakers in a flood, and the amp is sitting in its box waiting for spousal approval to get its glitches fixed.  I am not holding my breath.

Peter

[peoplechipper]

I was using Heco p115's powered by a Hafler 500; I miss it...I still have it but can't use it in my new place (I call it new, I've been here 5 years) but it was way too loud for anything but the most accommodating or absent neighbours...