When is a new bookshelf speaker out dated?

[DanOh62]

Thanks to all for educating us newbies. It's greatly appreciated.

My spouse does not care for the looks of floorstanding loudspeakers so I'm limiting my research to bookshelf speakers.

Should I bother researching speakers that are older than "X" number of years.

For example one recommendation was this speaker CBM-170 SE High Performance Bookshelf Loudspeaker (i.e. CBM-170 SE BOOKSHELF MONITOR.).

Based on that web site it appears that speaker won awards back in 2002 which to me "the greenhorn" seems like an eternity ago. I'm wondering if you veteran Audioholics believe my research should be limited to speakers manufactured within the past say 3-5 years (2009-2013)?

 

[Pyrrho]

I would not put a limit on how old the speakers are, as that, in itself, does not tell you the quality of it. This is coming from someone who believes that newer speakers are usually better than very old ones, and that the old ones, when new, tended to be far more expensive for any given level of quality (one needs to remember not simply the original price, but also inflation, as $1000 today buys far less generally than it did decades ago).

If you are looking at used speakers, the condition and the specific price you can find will matter very much.

If you are talking about new, but old designs, again, it is the price for the quality that matters, not when it was designed. People have made great sounding speakers for many years, so I would not worry about when a model was designed at all.

 

[DanOh62]

Thanks for the feedback. I can see where "new" and "old" in my original question would be confusing.

Yep I am talking about buying speakers still in the manufactures unopened box but perhaps designed 10 years ago. I'm thinking I'll keep my research limited to speakers designed in 2013 all the way back to 2011.

 

[Steve81]

I'm thinking I'll keep my research limited to speakers designed in 2013 all the way back to 2011.

I don't see any particular reason to do so; there haven't been any great leaps that would render speakers designed prior to that mark (or 2009) obsolete.

 

[Steve81]

For example, I'd have no qualms owning these:
KEF Reference 201/2 loudspeaker | Stereophile.com

and I'd jump on these in a heartbeat if a used pair came up cheap on CL
http://www.klipsch.com/klipschorn-floorstanding-speaker

 

[JohnA]

The main issue that could arise is if the drivers use foam surrounds, they can deteriorate over time.

 

[GranteedEV]

Thanks to all for educating us newbies. It's greatly appreciated.

My spouse does not care for the looks of floorstanding loudspeakers so I'm limiting my research to bookshelf speakers.

Should I bother researching speakers that are older than "X" number of years.

For example one recommendation was this speaker CBM-170 SE High Performance Bookshelf Loudspeaker (i.e. CBM-170 SE BOOKSHELF MONITOR.).

Based on that web site it appears that speaker won awards back in 2002 which to me "the greenhorn" seems like an eternity ago. I'm wondering if you veteran Audioholics believe my research should be limited to speakers manufactured within the past say 3-5 years (2009-2013)?

Don't worry too much about "age" so much as "design". "Was it a good design then"? Some designs were perhaps better received a decade ago in a different economic climate but may not hold up so well. while others may.

So what HAS changed?

- A decade ago, a lot more neodymium was used. Its cost has skyrocketed and many manufacturers have switched to heavier ferrite magnets. If properly designed, you should not hear any audible difference. You'll notice that the ascends use a neo tweeter, so i bet Ascend's margins must have gone down if their prices haven't gone up. Many newer speaker designs are just redesigns of older speakers, with cost-related differences like this.

- Quite a few internet direct manufacturers have popped up that just weren't around back then, creating a bit more competition on a more global scale than the Audio Salon style market. You've got plenty of options - not only Ascend but EMP, Philharmonic, Vapor, Salk, Soundfield Audio, ARX, Audiokinesis, Aperion etc to choose from.

- the ultimate "book on speaker design" came out in 2008. Does that mean the information wasn't out there before that? No, the information's been around for a long time. But perhaps objective evaluation criteria for speaker quality have become more succinct.

- the professionals designing speakers in the 90s are really still out there now, and i'm not sure they've had much if any change in their approach.

 

[jcunwired]

Based on that web site it appears that speaker won awards back in 2002

The 2002 version is outdated. In 2006 Ascend Acoustics announced the SE "Signature Edition" of CBM and CMT with newer drivers.

If you're interested specifically in Ascend, they're a good choice. Highly regarded in both professional (but who cares?) and consumer reviews, they're one of the better internet-direct 'budget' speakers available. But then I'm partial - after a lengthy period of trying out different speakers I chose the 340SE for a 2 channel setup in my home.

 

[markw]

I dunno about you, but I'd jump at the chance to pick up another NIB pair of Sound Dynamics RTS-3s that they stopped maing about 12 years ago.

 

[j_garcia]

If a speaker was good then, then it is still good now. Yes, the CBM170's accolades may be old, but the speaker itself has changed since those awards they've listed IMO. That a speaker can stay on the market and still be solid is MORE of a testament to it's capability as opposed to considering it "outdated".

 

[Pyrrho]

Thanks for the feedback. I can see where "new" and "old" in my original question would be confusing.

Yep I am talking about buying speakers still in the manufactures unopened box but perhaps designed 10 years ago. I'm thinking I'll keep my research limited to speakers designed in 2013 all the way back to 2011.

Good speakers can be designed a lot longer ago than that. My Apogee Stage speakers were made in 1991 (which means the design is at least that old), and I have no plans on ever replacing them, unless they eventually fail. They are great speakers. If you ever get a chance to hear them, I recommend taking the opportunity; you will likely be quite surprised by their sound.

Some people swear by a much older design, the Klipschorn. Although there have been some slight changes over the years, the basic design goes back to the 1940's, the first ones made in 1946. Although they are not my cup of tea, they are not bad speakers, and they do have some very desirable qualities. Until very recently (after the original founder's death), they were the top of the line speakers from Klipsch. And they do sound better than any other Klipsch speaker I have ever heard, no matter how recently designed or made, and I have heard many that were far more recently designed. But I have not heard the current top of the line from Klipsch.

So, again, I would not concern myself with the question of when they were designed. It is how well they are designed, and how well the design is executed, that matters.

 

[DanOh62]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll just have to continue to dream about owning speakers of that caliber someday.

 

[fmw]

Speakers become outdated when you want bigger and better ones.