Why doesn't anyone recommend old speakers?

[mkinder]

I read thru most of these recommendations for "budget" speakers, and I rarely see anyone recommend used speakers. Maybe I'm missing some information, but I would much rather have a pair of mid-fi towers that were $1500 new (but after 10 yrs they are $300-400 with a couple nicks or scratches) than a brand new shiny pair of budget towers for $400... Arent' speakers pretty much going to sound the same thru out their lifetime? Assuming they at least are new enough to have rubber surrounds?.. Or should I understand that generally a quality speaker only has 15-20 yrs of good life before it's all used up? Or is speaker technology always evolving and that new pair for 400 sounds as good as the old pair did new @ 1500?

[mazersteven]

Good Question. :D

[markw]

Because they aren't always available. Now, of someone listed a list of what's avaialble to them asking for the "best", then perhaps one might get some answers. Likewise, many vintage speakers aren't magnetically shielded.

Also. many people prefer to buy new, particularly when it comes to HT where a shielded matching center is a part of the equation. These didn't exist when many "vintage" sopeakers were made.

[mkinder]

Ok, makes sense.. but I'm not talking 70's here.. just maybe mid 90's on up. Most by then had matching center channels or at least a matching bookshelf for a center. They were also usually shielded, but that's not as important now with dlp, lcd, etc..

It's easy to find reviews on new stuff.. but the older stuff is more difficult. That's the real value of a forum like this - many of you have heard or owned these older speakers and can recommend from experience.. at least as an option to consider when soemone is asking for "best bookshelf under $300", etc.

So as you are recommending the new products, maybe throw in some older products you know that fit the stated requirements or sound preference... any speaker can be found nowadays :)

[markw]

Again, availaility is an issue. What good would it be for me to say Dahlquist DQ-20's are the best speaker in the world if you can't find a decent pair for a decent price? And, price is variable as well. The more you tend want something the more it's likely to cost.

Again, list what's available to you in your price range and see what responses you get.

[Soundman]

Again, availaility is an issue. What good would it be for me to say Dahlquist DQ-20's are the best speaker in the world if you can't find a decent pair for a decent price? And, price is variable as well. The more you tend want something the more it's likely to cost.

Again, list what's available to you in your price range and see what responses you get.

I agree. I think availability is an issue. I also beieve yo can get more speaker for your money now then you used to. The rise of the ID's may have something to do with it, but i'm amazed at the quality speakers you can get these days. The market is flooded with so many speaker manufacturers that this has caused prices to come down as well, due to competition.

[highfihoney]

Alot of times if not most of the time people are afraid of buying used older model speakers,either from lack of experience of buying used,lack of experience in running older/vintage speakers warrenty is a big issue with most,alot of people are also of the impression that older speakers were not properly taken care of,for these reasons people shy away from vintage.

Now my opinion is well known,im with you,i always reccomend buying a pair of 10 year old speakers that when new cost $10,000 but can be bought used for $1,500 as oposed to buying a new pair that costs $1,500 that will be worth $500 in 5 years.

Speaker tech has evolved but in most of the higher end designs from 10 to 15 years ago the cabinet design was up to todays standards,speakers do not have a lifetime,the only things that wear out on speakers are the crossovers & the surrounds,both of which can be rebuilt or redone very cheaply,in some cases tweeters that are liquid cooled can dry up & need replacing,all these are minor issues & nothing to warrant a speaker being labeled as used up.

As i said above, i allmost exclusively reccomend a used speaker in every thread but the issues of warrenty & the care the previous owner took of the speaker comes into play.

[gus6464]

Most of the time people don't like buying used stuff too. I remember there was a pair of PSB Platinum M2's on audiogon for $900 (2 years old) and I kept linking it in the forums and no one cared. And there was no speaker that they could have bought new for that price that would even come close to them.

Edit: BTW these are some damn good deals going on right now on audiogon

http://buy.audiogon.com/cgia/cls.pl?spkrfull&1203987720
http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/clt.pl?spkrfull&1185720858
http://buy.audiogon.com/cgia/cls.pl?spkrfull&1205443239
http://buy.audiogon.com/cgia/cls.pl?spkrmoni&1205340051

[Tomorrow]

I read thru most of these recommendations for "budget" speakers, and I rarely see anyone recommend used speakers. Maybe I'm missing some information, but I would much rather have a pair of mid-fi towers that were $1500 new (but after 10 yrs they are $300-400 with a couple nicks or scratches) than a brand new shiny pair of budget towers for $400... Arent' speakers pretty much going to sound the same thru out their lifetime? Assuming they at least are new enough to have rubber surrounds?.. Or should I understand that generally a quality speaker only has 15-20 yrs of good life before it's all used up? Or is speaker technology always evolving and that new pair for 400 sounds as good as the old pair did new @ 1500?

:) http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36766&highlight=aci+jbl+infinity

[j_garcia]

Used is a market best left to those who know exactly what they are looking for and what they are worth approximately. If you don't have an idea of what they are worth, then finding good used speakers is useless.

[Antus]

availability is the main concern. usually, unless those buy/sell stuff very often, people usually have one set of speaker and use it for very long time.

another thing to consider when buying used speaker is the driver meterial. In my opinion, paper cone just don't hold up as well as other meterial. if you are on the market for some old stuff, pay special attention to the condition of the cone.

my parents had a pair of B&W Matrix 801 series II. they had it for around 12 years by now. the bought it used, previous owner used it for 3-4 years. The speakers have been producing music for a good 15 plus year. the tweeter is alumium, and still sounds ok after 15 years. The mid range is Kevlar, still ok, too. however, the 15inch paper cone is not holding up so well now. after 15 years, the paper is just not going to hold up as good as kevlar and alumium.

[seansdadj]

I have a pair. They are powered, so you don't need an amp and they have RCA ports, so there is no need for wierd cables. Sound details are crazy. Just go to any music store and ask for them. I have seen people using them next to Yamaha monitors in pro studios

[holden_stroker]

i picked up all my audio gear second hand to start with. ebay was my friend.. i had to get it freight 5,000km across australia but it got here :D

..i got my tall sherwood 3-way speakers for $80 + $80 freight... and also included was a double cassette deck, 5disc carousel player, and surround audio receiver, all sherwood :D

i was extremely happy :D

..now i have my Wintal 7.1 receiver, which was $370 off ebay, and new they are $800au. going to start building off that, im not in a hurry so im just watching ebay again for bargains ;)

edit: i also agree with the age thing.. my paper cones on the 8" woofers arent so good anymore, however im not overly worried, you only notice they lack when you really push them, and since im adding a sub shortly i wont have to put as much strain on them.

tweeter and mid and still like new, and the whole thing pump a heck of a lot more than my cousins $700 sony unit :D

[mazersteven]

What's Up Australia?

Nice finds on E-bay.

[Soundman]

...and the whole thing pump a heck of a lot more than my cousins $700 sony unit :D

Why am I not surprised!? :D

[andytk5]

Man I sure as hell recomend finding some great used speakers! But like the other guy said, definitely know what you are looking at. Find out what is used and available for you and ask some of these guys about it on here before you buy. I found some used Mirage M3si's for a steal and did some research on them before I bought them. Granted I got them for a 1/4 of what I see them used for but the new price for these in the 90's was near $3,000+ so they are out there you just need to find them, and sometimes in the most unusual places... Like a pawn shop.... :D:D:D

[bandphan]

Ok, makes sense.. but I'm not talking 70's here.. just maybe mid 90's on up. Most by then had matching center channels or at least a matching bookshelf for a center. They were also usually shielded, but that's not as important now with dlp, lcd, etc..

:)

i loved the 70's

[holden_stroker]

What's Up Australia?

Nice finds on E-bay.

hey not much mate!

find a fair bit of good used gear in aus for sale.. sherwood, denon, yamaha, wintal are the main ones..

deerish, and id love to import from the states as its sooo cheap but most of the dang stuff uses different power to over here.. :(

[PENG]

i loved the 70's

Me too, the AR3a was one of the best sounding speakers I know of in those days, except those paper (not really sure) surrounds.

[highfihoney]

Me too, the AR3a was one of the best sounding speakers I know of in those days, except those paper (not really sure) surrounds.

Didnt the model 3 have them goofy cloth surrounds,kinda like a see through material ??

[PENG]

Didnt the model 3 have them goofy cloth surrounds,kinda like a see through material ??

No idea highfi, I just assume they were paper in the old days. My brother had a pair many years ago and all I remember is how tight the bass was as long as you could force it out with high power Crown, SAE, Phase Linear type of amps (I am sure the old McIntosh could do it too). Their acoustic suspension design resulted in good transients, tight bass and exceptionally low sensitivity. Even the smallest AR7 (7" woofer) offered superb bass response. I wish I could find a pair in good working condition.

[dorokusai]

Dahlquist DQ10....one of Maxim's Top 10 Ugliest Loudspeakers of All Time.

It might be ugly but it's got a cult like following and can sound pretty amazing, even today. I have a pair for safekeeping, just in case the zombies actually take over.

Mark

[Joe Schmoe]

When people recommend new speakers, they have known availability and price to base the recommendation on. With used speakers, this changes daily.

[slothy420]

I'm looking at buying a pair of slightly used Paradigm Monitor 9's (I think they are v.3 or v.4) for about $350 and I'm trying to figure out if that's a good price. I plan to upgrade to something else at a later date (much later if my wife has anything to say about it), but I'm looking for something to tide me over until then. Thanks!

[wire]

Ok, makes sense.. but I'm not talking 70's here.. just maybe mid 90's on up. Most by then had matching center channels or at least a matching bookshelf for a center. They were also usually shielded, but that's not as important now with dlp, lcd, etc..

It's easy to find reviews on new stuff.. but the older stuff is more difficult. That's the real value of a forum like this - many of you have heard or owned these older speakers and can recommend from experience.. at least as an option to consider when soemone is asking for "best bookshelf under $300", etc.

So as you are recommending the new products, maybe throw in some older products you know that fit the stated requirements or sound preference... any speaker can be found nowadays :)
Shipping is always a issue , but if you can find any local speakers on Craigs list or Kijiji , go for it .
Even go back to the mid 80's , there heavy speakers , but made of Real wood .
If you see any Polk SDA's , they go cheap now days , or some Carver AL III's , Amazings . I remeber that Heco made a hell of speaker back in the late 80's early 90's . Just remeber most of the speakers above are very heavy and shipping willbe expensive .
Im always looking , seen some Heco's lately on Kijiji , but i ask myself , what am i going to do with more speakers .

[Keyser_Soze]

I'm in the process of updating some of my components and was wondering if my old Klipsh shelf speakers would be ok for rear speakers. I paid $500 dollars for the pair 10 years ago, haven't beat them up at all. Since I'm painting my room in preperation for my upgrade I removed them from there bracket and notice that they weigh a ton (quality build) and look brand new. My room is only 14x12 and I'm considering picking up the Pioneer Elite vsx-94thx or the Yamaha V3800.

I already decided to keep my Mirage M3s for the front. There too nice and expensive to get ride of.

Would I even notice a difference if I purchased the Klipsh RS-52 Surround Speaker or some similar offering. I'm concerned that the sound on my Klipsch speakers won't accurately spread the sound out since they fire straightforward only or am I kidding myself into thinking I really need the shiny new ones?

Thanks

[Seth=L]

I'm in the process of updating some of my components and was wondering if my old Klipsh shelf speakers would be ok for rear speakers. I paid $500 dollars for the pair 10 years ago, haven't beat them up at all. Since I'm painting my room in preperation for my upgrade I removed them from there bracket and notice that they weigh a ton (quality build) and look brand new. My room is only 14x12 and I'm considering picking up the Pioneer Elite vsx-94thx or the Yamaha V3800.

I already decided to keep my Mirage M3s for the front. There too nice and expensive to get ride of.

Would I even notice a difference if I purchased the Klipsh RS-52 Surround Speaker or some similar offering. I'm concerned that the sound on my Klipsch speakers won't accurately spread the sound out since they fire straightforward only or am I kidding myself into thinking I really need the shiny new ones?

Thanks
I'd keep what you've got.

I tried out some Klipsch dedicated surrounds once, they didn't sound any better to me.