I went to the audio store to listen to some bookshelf speakers

ejfud

ejfud

Junior Member
I listened to the Kef LS50 Meta’s, Polk Legend 200’s and Paradigm Prestige 15B’s.
One was better to my ears than the rest, but none were purchased.

Came home fired up the Bottlehead 2A3 Amos with the Altec604’s and was reminded just how good this system can be.

Still on the lookout for a pair of 2 way stand mounts, but maybe DIY will be the way to go.

Anybody have any other suggestions?
 
I can't imagine paying the retail price of a really good book shelf speaker knowing what can be done diy.
Now, if it were beautiful wood finish I wanted for decor reason, maybe... I am ok with wood work skills, but not at the level of a retail product.
 
Have you heard Reference 3a de capos? Some even feel the older generation with silk-dome tweeters that come up a fair bit on the used market better the new BE version. 604s on 2A3, well no, but I've heard de capos sound pretty amazing on el84 and el34 tube amps.
 
I was on the hunt for some bookshelves recently myself. I listened to the same Paradigm speakers as they are geared more toward my budget. Maybe my ears are just too used to vintage, but I couldn't find anything in my budget to replace my old Snell J's or KEF Refeference 103/3 in the shop. I have become pretty complacent with the McIntosh/Monitor Audio combination in the living room. The Altec Model 15's sit covered on a high shelf in the shop, just as they did when I bought them from Mike Gibson almost 10 years ago. Likely because all my tube gear is still packed in boxes from the move 5 years ago.

My how time flies.
 
ejfud said:
I listened to the Kef LS50 Meta’s, Polk Legend 200’s and Paradigm Prestige 15B’s.
One was better to my ears than the rest, but none were purchased.

Came home fired up the Bottlehead 2A3 Amos with the Altec604’s and was reminded just how good this system can be.

Still on the lookout for a pair of 2 way stand mounts, but maybe DIY will be the way to go.

Anybody have any other suggestions?
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Best suggestion? Find an audio retailer that will allow you to try them at some length in your own home. That's the only way to know if you will really like a speaker in the place yiu will actually be listening to it.
 
I second the recommendation Billfort made of Reference 3As, especially given what you’re comparing them to. They’re fantastic speakers, very musical, organic sounding. Quite a bit different than, say, the Kefs.
 
I echo that sentiment. FWIW, I heard the non-BE and the BE versions, head-to-head, and preferred the silk dome. YMMV.
either way, though, they are very good, especially at the price at which they usually appear.
 
That’s a tough range unless looking used. The Usher Mini X and Be-718 are good used and the SD-500 are good new but $500 more.

If used is an option, I would save my pennies and wait for the Evolution Acoustics Mmmicro One to hit the market.
 
Olson_jr said:
Additionally, it looks like he dropped something on the main wiring or wore holes in it?

Popular components that have been for sale for over two months is a bit of a yellow flag also.
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Yes the speaker cables also look to be in tough shape.

As far as the age of the listing, good point, but maybe in this COVID-whacked world the same rules don't really apply. I for one would never have any local sale possibility over for a listen right now, just wouldn't happen. So maybe this seller's local opportunities are very limited right now, and that would circle back to does he even have the original shipping cartons or not. That's a big deal when shipping speakers, and those are not exactly a small/light shoebox sized monitor by any stretch of the imagination, you'd really need the original cartons and inserts to be confident about shipping them.
 
Olson_jr said:
I have always wanted to hear a pair of these. Looked at that ad when it popped and could not get past this picture of the wiring.

I am not OCD about things but what is going on there?

View attachment 32025
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You have never been to Dundee, Oregon. A lot of hillbillies that learned how to grow grapes in the last generation. Now they are sophisticated rednecks with a lot of money. I can say that as the Stoller winery used to be the family turkey farm through 1993.


Dundee_Hills_map.gif
 
Olson_jr said:
Additionally, it looks like he dropped something on the main wiring or wore holes in it?

Popular components that have been for sale for over two months is a bit of a yellow flag also.
Click to expand...
Couple of things about the wiring, jumper are “probably not” factory authorized. ;) And the speaker wires may have been part of a set of auto jumper cables (Looks like they are melted in spots.
 
mpholland said:
You have never been to Dundee, Oregon. A lot of hillbillies that learned how to grow grapes in the last generation. Now they are sophisticated rednecks with a lot of money. I can say that as the Stoller winery used to be the family turkey farm through 1993.


View attachment 32026
Click to expand...

I just checked and it appears that I have in fact, been near, it not to, Dundee. Not that I remember anything about the drive that day.

Screen Shot 2021-01-18 at 8.27.28 AM.png
 
If you want to go crazy-DIY, find a pair of radio shack 2A electrostats and replace the woofer with something that will go lower then in the middle of the 4 electrostats install a JBL 6X6 horn with a middle of spectrum compression driver.

I have all the parts to build this but not the time or need for another pair of speakers.
 
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