The Audio Thread

We've got a thread for turntables and vinyl -- See "Who's Still Spinning Vinyl" but as far as I know, not a thread for audio more generally. Based on the vinyl thread, we have some audio enthusiasts here, so let's talk about it.

I have just sold my beloved Acoustics Research AR90 tower speakers, which have low frequency drivers with foam surrounds that have deteriorated over the years. I had the ARs for over 40 years, had the 10-inch (sub)woofers and 8-inch lower midranges replaced once, but in 2024 new drivers are no longer available. Instead, I found a replacement rubber speaker surround kit on eBay but did not feel comfortable doing the replacement myself. The AR90 and its big brother, the AR9, are collector's items these days. I sold my 90s with great regret and am now researching replacement tower speakers.

My ears are old. I no longer am interested in window-rattling high volume levels. I listen mostly to pop, rock and country but also some traditional Asian music and classical.

My AR90s ran $1,400 for the pair new in 1981 -- given inflation, that would be much more expensive in 2024. But I'm determined to scale back my expectations and my budget, so casually looking at speakers running $1,000 or a bit more per pair to replace the ARs. I've also decided to abandon surround sound and return to stereo.

Given the above, any suggestions for me? I might add that I have several separate subwoofers by Yamaha and Polk, so I suppose I could downscale the low-frequency drivers for my mains.

Thoughts?

Oh, and another thing I am contemplating... wireless speakers. Anyone with experience with these?

I am about to move to a new house and am thinking of ditching my 20 year old surround sound receiver and going back to good old stereo. For years I've had Yamaha equipment -- not high-end by any means but a cut above Pioneer, Sony, etc. -- and Yamaha has come up with these rather clever MusicCast wireless speakers that provide better placement flexibility and avoid running wire between rooms. I'm intrigued.

The attached photo shows a Yamaha MusicCast 20 speaker -- itty-bitty thing that is wireless -- but also a bit spendy for my budget: $250 each, so putting those in two locations would run $1,000. They also sell a larger, but still pretty compact, unit that runs double that price -- the MusicCast 50.

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There are a ton of good options for bookshelf speakers these days. The real problem is that there are very few places to go and demo them anymore.

So I'd start with some Google and YouTube searches.

The last time I was in the market, it was for monitors for my home studio which actually made things easier!

I don't have experience with them, but ELAC seems to get a lot of praise.

They all sound the same if you’re wearing hearing aids, as I am.

Aperion audio has a location in Portland if interested in listening to them. I have 2 sets of these. 633t, 533-vac, s-12, 534-ss mainly used for home theater and a set of 5t with s-10 primarily for music. These are both from early 2000s. Their lineup is different today but more than likely more than capable. I like them alot.

Ive been a hobbyist for about 50 years, old SS Sansui, then I got into tubes, I had an oddball Madison Feilding tube amp for about 20 years. It was pretty cool and drove my Klipsch Heresys pretty well. Then I moved to Synthesis tubes and a set of Klipsch Fortes and then ZU Omens. I finally pulled the trigger on a McIntosh amp and Tannoy Kensingtons. I spin some vinyl on a bluenose turntable but mostly stream. There's a great forum for buying and selling for the hobbyists out there. www.canuckaudiomart.com & www.usaudiomart.com. be careful.

Murf the Surf wrote

It was pretty cool and drove my Klipsch Heresys pretty well.

I have a small Yamha RX-497 2-ch receiver (just 85W/ch) that I may use in an interim setup, and I've always observed that Klipsch speakers have excellent sensitivity. My old ARs were 87 db/W/m and Klipsch runs up in the upper 90s. I'm seriously considering Klipsch but have never owned a pair.

Unrelated to sound quality, I'm also spoiled (all my speakers for the past 50+ years have had real wood cabinetry or veneers) and would like wood rather than plastic or black paint -- but at the price point I'm looking at (maybe a thousand for a pair of towers) that will be difficult to find. There are a couple of JBLs in the price range that have names like "JBL Studio 680 (Wood)" at just $700 for the pair or "JBL Studio 690 (Wood)" at $1300 per pair. I've owned JBLs before, but in the current business climate I worry about how brands have changed. For instance, Acoustics Research (AR), which was so well regarded 40-60 years ago, now does not do quality speakers; for all I know, they may now be building their speakers in China. I have not kept up with the audio scene.

Llarry wrote

I have a small Yamha RX-497 2-ch receiver (just 85W/ch) that I may use in an interim setup, and I've always observed that Klipsch speakers have excellent sensitivity. My old ARs were 87 db/W/m and Klipsch runs up in the upper 90s. I'm seriously considering Klipsch but have never owned a pair.

Unrelated to sound quality, I'm also spoiled (all my speakers for the past 50+ years have had real wood cabinetry or veneers) and would like wood rather than plastic or black paint -- but at the price point I'm looking at (maybe a thousand for a pair of towers) that will be difficult to find. There are a couple of JBLs in the price range that have names like "JBL Studio 680 (Wood)" at just $700 for the pair or "JBL Studio 690 (Wood)" at $1300 per pair. I've owned JBLs before, but in the current business climate I worry about how brands have changed. For instance, Acoustics Research (AR), which was so well regarded 40-60 years ago, now does not do quality speakers; for all I know, they may now be building their speakers in China. I have not kept up with the audio scene.

I'm going to suggest you try to buy a used set of Klipsch, and for the money Forte is a good choice they are a bit on the bigger side but deliver a very full range as they get down to 38Hz so very respectable bass. You can probably find a pair on the used market for a reasonable price.

Murf the Surf wrote

I'm going to suggest you try to buy a used set of Klipsch, and for the money Forte is a good choice they are a bit on the bigger side but deliver a very full range as they get down to 38Hz so very respectable bass. You can probably find a pair on the used market for a reasonable price.

https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/650151847-klipsch-forte3-special-edition-in-black/

I have a pair of Mirage M490s which I consider to be from the "golden" age of audio. I miss those days where there were so many boutique manufacturers and the same number of audio specialty shops. Now everything has gone so corporate and most people don't care about quality audio. I don't even know if Mirage is even around anymore. They went from producing the M1/M3 speakers that were the rave in the audio community. I got to audition them in a proper listening environment at this audio specialty store back in college. That audio specialty store is also long gone.

Anyways, I haven't done much in the way of upgrading my two sound systems. The last upgrade in my main multi channel system was the purchase of a Meridian G65 processor. The only other upgrade I may make is to purchase the Panasonic flagship Bluray player to replace my Oppo BDP 203 which the Oppo would then be repurposed to another system. With my two channel system at my vacation home, the only recent purchase was an Adcom GFA 555se when the Emotiva XPA-2 took a dump.

With regards to speakers, it's crazy the B&W Nautilus speakers I own are still commanding the prices they do in the used market. I can sell them for what I paid originally or just slightly higher. I know in real dollars it's not a full value retention, but it's still pretty damn good. Same with the Oppo BDP 203, I'm seeing listings for this Bluray player at twice what I paid for it new on the used market.

I've posted pics of the multi channel system before, but here it is again.



This is a pic of the dedicated power feed setup I have to the above system. Two balanced power transformers from Equitech providing 20A power. One transformer is feeding the two Velodyne subs and the other is providing power to my Bryston 6B-ST amp. I also have a separate 20A circuit that a rack version of the above that is providing power to all the front end equipment.



Pic of my two channel system at my vacation home. The pic was taken when I was dialing in the sub EQ.

Nobody with experience with wireless speakers?

Anyone?

I think I've zeroed in on my planned system:
-- Yamaha R-N303 network receiver (just $330)
-- Yamaha MusicCast 50 (WX-051) wireless speakers in the living room ($1,000 per pair)
-- Retain current Yamaha CD changer & Technics linear-tracking turntable with Audio-Technica cartridge

For the longer term:
-- A second pair of MusicCast wireless speakers in the office, but these will be the smaller MusicCast 20 (WX-021) models ($500 for the pair)
-- A pair of JBL Studio 690 (or maybe the less expensive Studio 680) tower speakers flanking the stereo cabinet ($1,300 per pair or just $700 per pair.) I believe these have wood veneer finishes.

I also have a Yamaha YST-SW225 subwoofer to augment the low frequencies.

I plan to sell my more expensive Yamaha RX-V2300 surround sound A-V receiver and other speakers that I've collected over the years. I'm sure I'll get just a pittance for them.

We have Sonos series 1 speakers all over our house. They’ve been really nice especially as we’ve moved three times since I got them, and they are easy to accommodate into any room size etc since wiring isn’t necessary.

However, as noted above, my audiophile days faded with my hearing. So I’m not the right person to comment on audio quality versus other options.

2000cs wrote

We have Sonos series 1 speakers all over our house. They’ve been really nice especially as we’ve moved three times since I got them, and they are easy to accommodate into any room size etc since wiring isn’t necessary.

A quick Google search reveals the series 1 may be now discontinued, but I note that Sonos has many choices in wireless speakers. Thank you for the tip.

Selling electronics such as surround processors is tricky. You're right that you won't get much money out of them as they age, the lack of being able to support current audio formats makes them less desirable. The only time that changes is if the manufacturer in question has a unique feature or some sort of cult following. Meridian has that kind of following as they're known for the audio quality along with a unique audio processing called Trifield. I haven't found any other manufacturer that supports Trifield.

I still have a Carver CT-17 that I got for free many many years ago. I hold on to it with a possible future idea of buying an affordable amp to mate up with it. That setup would replace an old run of the mill Sony receiver that has been showing signs of impending failure.

Llarry wrote

A quick Google search reveals the series 1 may be now discontinued, but I note that Sonos has many choices in wireless speakers. Thank you for the tip.

Correct, although widely available used. Their series 2 is nice, but the app that controls S2 does not control S1 and vice versa, so if I want to add S2 I would have to run two apps or get rid of all of my S1. So if you go the Sonos route, choose which version you want carefully.

Was doing some searches as I was wondering what's out there on the higher end for wireless speakers. I ran into KEF which has a number of offerings from small "bookshelf" sized speakers to tower speakers. The products seem to be in the price range you're looking for.

If you are not aware, KEF has been around for a long time. It's good to see that they're still selling products that have been the core of their company philosophy. They are the only company that sells a speaker driver where the tweeter is integral with the woofer driver where the dust cone would normally be for the voice coil. KEF calls it their Uni Q driver. You might want to check them out.

https://us.kef.com/collections/wireless-hifi-speakers?srsltid=AfmBOop32XeG2AclckXmtI6Cpp2c-qQnwyZXPD77HeLuie960lRXjGln

zx10guy wrote

You might want to check them out.

https://us.kef.com/collections/wireless-hifi-speakers?srsltid=AfmBOop32XeG2AclckXmtI6Cpp2c-qQnwyZXPD77HeLuie960lRXjGln

My first quick look and I clicked on the LS60 wireless tower. Then I saw the price... $4,999 per pair -- several times what I'm willing to spend. Plus now my keyboard has a bunch of coffee in it.

I've got to go do some chores but will check them out a bit more later.

Llarry wrote

My first quick look and I clicked on the LS60 wireless tower. Then I saw the price... $4,999 per pair -- several times what I'm willing to spend. Plus now my keyboard has a bunch of coffee in it.

I've got to go do some chores but will check them out a bit more later.

LOL. Yeah, I was a bit stunned with the list prices on some of the speakers. But the one I thought would work for you since you were looking at tinier speakers are the LSX II LTs. They list for $999. And those are list prices. I think you could possibly get a discount from an authorized dealer. I typically do when I purchase gear. At these price points and when you're dealing with a "mom and pop" store, there's some wiggle room in pricing.

My last major purchase was my Sony 65" A90J OLED tv. I was looking to buy the owner of the store, Value Electronics, told me to wait. Said there is going to be a price adjustment soon and I'd be saving some decent amount of money. And he was right. When I bought my Meridian G65, I haggled with the owner to get a few hundred off and he did me a solid by shipping the processor to me so I didn't have to pay sales tax; even though his store was just over the border not far away.

Don't rule out used, it can be great bang for the buck. Although I don't know if Audiogon is still a good website or not. The for sale section of AVS Forums was pretty good as well.

I went this route for my primary speakers, a subwoofer and 7-channel amp.

I still browse Audiogon from time to time. Gives me a sense on what the going prices are for various equipment.

Another avenue is if you have any audio specialty shops near you. All of the ones I've found in my area have a used/demo/clearance section on their website. You can find some very good deals. The nice thing about these specialty shops is they often have trade in/up policies and some times accept used equipment as a straight resale or on consignment. I've purchased some of my equipment this way.

About 17 years ago, I bought a bunch of stuff from our neighbors in Canada. Even today, they still sound as great as they did then, even after 3 moves.

Give their site a visit. I’d surely use their stuff over jbl/yamaha/etc. just for the sheer sound quality.

https://www.axiomaudio.com/products

They also have a b-stock and refurb section, in case they have what you’re looking for at a discount.