Are These Finds Good Deals?

[John Parks]

My guess is they might work really well, but tricky to blend. Do like a high pass at maybe 40 hz and let my Hsus pick up the rest?

In your system? Nah - between your SVS towers and Hsu subs, I would think you're covered!

 

[zieglj01]

A buddy of mine sent these pics to me of a pair of KLH Model 2055s he found at a Goodwill. Looks like 50 bones for the pair. I don't know much about them aside from at least one of those woofers are passive radiators.

Those are the cheap KLH -- not much going on with that pair

 

[Pogre]

What on earth am I looking at here?! "Optimus Pro-LX511". Normally this would be a hard pass, but for 25 bucks? Are they rare, or rare garbage? lol

Another interesting pair. M&K S-1Bs. I don't want them for $250, but find them curious.

And finally, these Infinity IL10s look to have been reduced to $120.

 

[NINaudio]

Optimus was a radio shack brand.

 

[ryanosaur]

What on earth am I looking at here?! "Optimus Pro-LX511". Normally this would be a hard pass, but for 25 bucks? Are they rare, or rare garbage? lol

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Another interesting pair. M&K S-1Bs. I don't want them for $250, but find them curious.
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And finally, these Infinity IL10s look to have been reduced to $120.
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Back in the late ‘80s, early 90s, those optimus speakers had some “good” reviews. I still have a pair, used... and my dad has a pair ‘new-in-box.’
The lineaum tweeter apparently became a bit of a cult thing with some doing anything they could to mod it into other builds.
Those should have a metal mesh cage on top.
Also, Dennis has a upgrade IIRC on his MurphyBlaster site (for one of the models).
I get a photo of mine in a bit.

 

[ryanosaur]

The model I have is the LX5

RadioShack Optimus Pro LX5 loudspeaker | Stereophile.com

It was a classic American tale: hearing that the head honcho of RadioShack was in town, the principals of Oregon-based high-end loudspeaker manufacturer Linaeum found out where he was staying and called him to see if RadioShack would be interested in marketing their speakers. They were rewarded...

www.stereophile.com

 

[Pogre]

The model I have is the LX5

RadioShack Optimus Pro LX5 loudspeaker | Stereophile.com

It was a classic American tale: hearing that the head honcho of RadioShack was in town, the principals of Oregon-based high-end loudspeaker manufacturer Linaeum found out where he was staying and called him to see if RadioShack would be interested in marketing their speakers. They were rewarded...

www.stereophile.com

View attachment 35354

Those are some ugly looking charts...

 

[ryanosaur]

here are some notes from Dennis on the 3rd generation LX550

MurphyBlaster Productions

murphyblaster.com

MurphyBlaster Productions

murphyblaster.com

 

[ryanosaur]

Those are some ugly looking charts...

true 'dat!

I think back then, these were easy-ish to come by and punched a little above their weight.

The cultish aspect, whether deserved or not, is a thing, though.

 

[KenM10759]

What on earth am I looking at here?! "Optimus Pro-LX511". Normally this would be a hard pass, but for 25 bucks? Are they rare, or rare garbage? lol

Another interesting pair. M&K S-1Bs. I don't want them for $250, but find them curious.
View attachment 35347
View attachment 35345


And finally, these Infinity IL10s look to have been reduced to $120.

Those Miller & Kreisel speakers would be the pick of the litter, actually. Quite good, and a decent bargain. They can take serious power and go loud, well.

BTW, they are really meant for surround sound, and very specific to being aimed at the listener. Move off-axis in the vertical plane and they fall apart, soundwise.

 

[Pogre]

Those Miller & Kreisel speakers would be the pick of the litter, actually. Quite good, and a decent bargain. They can take serious power and go loud, well.

BTW, they are really meant for surround sound, and very specific to being aimed at the listener. Move off-axis in the vertical plane and they fall apart, soundwise.

They do look very interesting. I've read positive things about M&K, but they're not the type of speakers you see very often or have a chance to listen to.

So would you say they're somewhat similar to planar speakers when it comes to the imaging? Absolutely wonderful on axis, but falls apart when you move or stand up? Do you think they'd work as mains?

 

[clamatowas]

Klipsch is doing 25% off every thing right now. If you guys care for that brand?

 

[Pogre]

Klipsch is doing 25% off every thing right now. If you guys care for that brand?

There are a few Klipsch fans among us. I didn't know they were running a sale tho!

If you scroll through here tho, you'll see this is more of a craigslist thing where I'm looking for that unicorn. You know, little old lady from Pasadena inherits some 10,000 dollar speakers, has no clue what they are and just wants them out of the garage for fifty bucks!

There's some powerful wishful thinking happening in this thread, but those deals do come up from time to time, and I'll never find one if I never look!

 

[KenM10759]

They do look very interesting. I've read positive things about M&K, but they're not the type of speakers you see very often or have a chance to listen to.

So would you say they're somewhat similar to planar speakers when it comes to the imaging? Absolutely wonderful on axis, but falls apart when you move or stand up? Do you think they'd work as mains?

No idea. All I do know is that the Vifa tweeters and Seas woofers are high-quality components and M&K built good speakers for running home theater all day at reference levels.

 

[afterlife2]

Dang I miss my thrifts store finds. Hopefully they will open soon and then I can only browse. Still fun.

 

[zieglj01]

What on earth am I looking at here?! "Optimus Pro-LX511". Normally this would be a hard pass, but for 25 bucks? Are they rare, or rare garbage? lol

View attachment 35343

The Optimus Pro LX5 are not garbage, but nothing really stands out as far as detail and imaging .... they are for non critical listening and good for background music listening .... worth the $25 and better than TV speakers

 

[ryanosaur]

The Optimus Pro LX5 are not garbage, but nothing really stands out as far as detail and imaging .... they are for non critical listening and good for background music listening .... worth the $25 and better than TV speakers

This.
For kicks, I found this review yesterday, too:

Optimus PRO LX5 Loudspeaker

Not once but twice this year the Tandy Corporation has begged from us the question, “What’s going on at Radio Shack?” First, they wow us with a pocket-money CD portable which has the audiophile community in a dither. We sat … Continue reading →

www.kenkessler.com

 

[killbill13]

XTZ Spirit 11 Matte Black

The XTZ Spirit2 is a compact onwall speaker combining modern design and premium sound. Engineered for precision, dynamic bass, and clear highs, it fits perfectly in small spaces. Ideal for stereo or surround setups, it delivers audiophile performance with exceptional value, making it a versatile...

www.xtzsound.com

almost 50% discount. 455€ (Pair)
21kg per piece.

 

[tonymm]

Polk Audio RT1000P for €500?
Crap or reasonable?

Home Audio Electronics for Sale in Ireland | Adverts.ie

Home Audio Electronics for sale in Ireland. Buy and sell Home Audio Electronics on Adverts.ie

www.adverts.ie

 

[Pogre]

Polk Audio RT1000P for €500?
Crap or reasonable?

Home Audio Electronics for Sale in Ireland | Adverts.ie

Home Audio Electronics for sale in Ireland. Buy and sell Home Audio Electronics on Adverts.ie

www.adverts.ie

Seems a little bit steep to me. Not a whole lot about them online with a quick search, but the powered bass sections would make me leery too. Especially with an older used speaker like that. Some mixed user reviews here.

Polk Audio RT1000p Floorstanding Speakers user reviews : 4.3 out of 5 - 26 reviews - audioreview.com

Polk Audio RT1000p Floorstanding Speakers user reviews : 4.3 out of 5 - 26 reviews - audioreview.com

www.audioreview.com

Always take user reviews with a grain of salt, but you can sometimes get a feel reading through the comments. Such as "they are easily worth $1000" (in the year 2000)... With some exceptions 20 year old speakers don't usually retain that much value.