First off let me say that I do understand about the re-mastering of the older music. {I purchased several songs from iTunes that I realized afterwards were obviously different recordings, though by the same artist (that’s why I hate iTunes 20 second snip-it I would like to hear the entire song)}. So I have taken that in to account however the difference I’m trying to explain is more subtle. I’m concerned here that I’m really not communicating very well with everyone. Perhaps a better way to describe it is to say that the music sounds mechanical, no warmth to it.
Try turning down the treble slightly and see if you like that better. (Rather strangely, some "audiophiles" have an aversion to tone controls, and prefer to buy speakers that distort the frequency response to their tastes instead.)
Another source of "warmth" are certain kinds of distortion, which are added by records, but are not added by CDs or digital audio.
Anyway, I know $400 isn’t a lot for two speakers and I’m not looking for miracles but I feel sure I can get something, with everyone’s help that will serve me better.
What I recommend that you do is go to whatever audio stores are in your area, leaving your money and credit cards at home, and listen to what they have in your price range. After that, visit people locally you find via Craigslist (or newspaper ads or whatever) and listen to the used speakers that they are selling in your price range (but first search online for information about the speakers before you even contact them, as you don't want to waste your time or the time of the seller if there is no chance that you are going to want the speakers in question). If you don't like the used speakers, don't buy them, but if you prefer them to whatever you find new, go ahead. You can always try to find some Pioneer CS-99 speakers, and you should be able to easily get them in your price range if any are available locally (though by now the foam around the tweeter is shot, and should be repaired, which can be done by someone like
this; I had the tweeters from a pair of CS-99 speakers repaired by them, and the results were good). But I think you can find better speakers for $400.
Just a side note here but I’m in the process of getting a workshop built out back that will have a den (actually more of a “man cave”) up stairs and that is where I hope to do my serious music listening in maybe 18 months. The construction hopefully won’t take that long (I sure hope it doesn’t anyway) but it will take me a while to acquire the sound system and big screen TV. In some ways this should serve as a helpful learning process that will benefit me when I start shopping for the components I’ll need for that project. I’m not sure I’d describe the sound from my Bose as “speakers with a blanket thrown over them” but I will admit I do keep thinking back to that description.
(How far apart are the two front channel speakers?) The room is 14’ wide and the Bose set in the corners so roughly 12’ apart.
Normally, speakers do not sound their best in the corners. Try them away from the side walls (though if the Bose manual tells you differently, follow their advice, as they probably will help you get the best sound you can out of them).
Normally, it is best to have one's speakers and oneself form an approximately equilateral triangle, with each speaker at one of the corners (of the imaginary triangle, not the room), and you at the third corner. This, however, is only an approximation, and some designs are made for different uses than others (for example, some speakers are designed to be against the wall behind them, while others are designed to be out in the room; most sound best out in the room, but you probably want to follow the advice in the manual).
Normally, speakers should be facing you, and they should be positioned such that the tweeter is at or near ear level (of the listening position). But, again, sometimes something a bit different may be better, and in almost all cases, a manufacturer will be giving good advice in the manual for positioning the speakers.
(Maybe you are looking for something more in life.) I’m still scratching my head over that one. Are you possibly suggesting that I need to leave the 60s in the 60s and move on or are you referring to my stereo components or maybe just my life in general? (LOL)
I had never really thought about it but I do see the comparison between the Bose and the CS-99s. In their day the Pioneer’s were a more expensive speaker than my Bose. FYI I do still own the CS-99s I’ve “LOANED” them to my son.
You might want to remove the front covers (there are screws in the grill near the four corners) and take a look at the surround around the cone tweeters. They are made of foam in the CS-99 (though not in the CS-99A), and by now, they are almost certainly cracked and falling apart. They might still seem to sound okay, but they should be repaired. Here is a link to a place that can do that:
http://www.millersound.net/service.htm
Please note, I am not affiliated with them in any way, so I offer no guarantees; I am simply a satisfied customer.
There are, of course, other places that can replace the foam around the tweeters, though I have only used Millersound for such things.
The CS-99 was unusual in that way, as most tweeters do not have foam surrounds, and if foam is used in a speaker, it is usually on a woofer and/or midrange. Fortunately, the CS-99 has longer lasting surrounds on the drivers other than the tweeter.
I’m seriously considering asking him if he’d like to become the proud owner of some Bose speakers. Though I hadn’t made a comparison between the two sets of speakers I did realize that in their day the Pioneers were respectable speakers.
You should do a direct comparison. It will be informative for you. If, however, both you and your son prefer the Pioneer speakers (which is very possible), he may not like that you are taking them away from him.
However, when I decided to replace those components (the old Pioneer amp and the CS-99s) I just assumed that in the 30 years or so that had passed there had been many technological improvements so all I needed to do was go buy some decent components and I’d be set.
There have been significant improvements in most speakers since then, so your thinking is not totally wrong, but comparing a relatively expensive old one to a new inexpensive one is not going to be a fair comparison. Think about the advances in cars since then, but then compare a 1973 Mercedes in excellent condition to a current bottom of the line economy car of some lesser brand. No doubt, there may be advantages to the new one, but it isn't likely to be better in every way. That is the sort of comparison you are doing with these speakers.
I did try to listen to different speakers at Best Buy and Circuit City but the environments there was nothing like my home environment so nothing was really gained there in my opinion. Admittedly though, because of the influence from the friend I wrote about before with the 901s I suspect I subconsciously favored the Bose.
Anyway, I hope I have adequately answered at least a few of your questions. I look forward to reading everyone’s responses. Thanks
At your budget, I would be looking at used speakers, though I would not be looking for speakers quite as old as the Pioneer CS-99. But first do the direct comparison between your Bose speakers and your Pioneer speakers that are loaned out to your son. It may be that you will prefer some aspects of each over the other, or perhaps you will just think one sounds better in every way. But it will be a start for thinking about the differences in sound that different speakers make, and it will help get you thinking about what qualities in a speaker matter most to you. At $400 for the pair, unless you are very lucky in a used purchase of a speaker worth more than you pay, you are going to have considerable compromises that you will need to accept. But even if you had unlimited money, there is no such thing as a perfect speaker, so it is always a question of which virtues one requires and which vices one can live with. And since different people require different virtues and tolerate different vices differently, there is no particular speaker that can be pointed to that will be the best according to everyone. This is why listening is best, though obviously in a store like Best Buy, there is often no really good way to audition speakers.
