AVS Discussions
Audio => Speakers => Topic started by: AVSToeJo on May 19, 2026, 03:26:57 PM
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Call me crazy. But I would love a set of Klipschorns. I don't have a room for them. But I do have a set of old school Klipsch KG 5.5's. Perfect for that awesome AC\DC of Rush song at 100db. Not the best for a movie theater though.
What speakers do you love? Old or new and why?
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Call me crazy. But I would love a set of Klipschorns. I don't have a room for them. But I do have a set of old school Klipsch KG 5.5's. Perfect for that awesome AC\DC of Rush song at 100db. Not the best for a movie theater though.
What speakers do you love? Old or new and why?
I'm still in love with M&K S150s. I'm on my second set of them in the past 26 years. There was nothing wrong with my first set other than age, but I was able to sell my old ones and upgrade to new ones for only $400 per speaker for the front soundstage that I knew they would last me well into my 70s. I'm still using my original SS150s for my four surround speakers.
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I've had a few, not as many as some audiophiles who swap gear almost every year or two though. Here are a few faves:
In 1990 I bought my first real "high end" speakers, a pair of Mirage M3s. They were the scaled down sibling of the M1, which famously combines some of the attributes of dipole (ribbons, electrostats) speakers with dynamic speakers, looked the part with a wide but shallow profile, but at a more reasonable cost than the more exotic panel designs. They were a bipolar instead of dipole design (rear wave in phase instead of out of phase) which let them extend the bass a good deal while giving a big, open soundstage that I loved. When I eventually morphed my stereo into a surround system and then projection, I moved from the M3s to the OM6 (slimmer width but deeper) and then later the last great speaker Mirage made (IMO of course), the OMD-28. I finally sold those last fall so there was a 35 year run of Mirage speakers.
When we moved to our current house in early 2014 I gained a room that I was able to use for setting up a dedicated 2 channel room, and I grabbed a demo pair of Martin Logan Summit Xs. The first time I heard electrostatic speakers was probably in the early 1980s as a teen, and that experience was so transformative I had always wanted to own a pair. I loved the Summit Xs for 12 years - in the sweet spot they are amazingly 3D / holographic. Like most electrostats that sweet spot is tiny, and I finally decided to move on.
I currently have a pair of PS Audio Aspen FR30s that I found used at a great price. They are fantastic, clean, detailed, and more uniform sounding across a larger space. But they also seem to expose room issues that even the Summit Xs were a bit more forgiving of. They are definitely "end game" class speakers. I've had them for a couple of months and feel like I'm still settling in and have room to improve especially in addressing a couple of room modes in the bass.
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Diysoundgroup 1099
Dynamic for movies. Crystal clear for music. Perfect speaker and cheap
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My favorite speakers are the KEF 104/2. Great imaging, dynamic, and accurate bass. They had a "conjugate load matching network" that gave the speaker a 4 ohm restive load. The impedance curve was almost a flat line! This made the speakers very easy to drive.
They also came with an active equalizer "KUBE" (KEF euphonic bass equalizer) that extended the bass to 20Hz.
Still, a very sought after collector's item. I've been enjoying them for about 35 years.
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I'm still in love with M&K S150s. I'm on my second set of them in the past 26 years. There was nothing wrong with my first set other than age, but I was able to sell my old ones and upgrade to new ones for only $400 per speaker for the front soundstage that I knew they would last me well into my 70s. I'm still using my original SS150s for my four surround speakers.
I have never been able to sit down and listen to a set of M&K's. I think I need to now. What do you drive them with?
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I have never been able to sit down and listen to a set of M&K's. I think I need to now. What do you drive them with?
Trinnov Altitude 16 processor and Class D ATI amp (AT527NC). Previously I drove them with a Parasound Halo 5 channel amp, but when reviewing the ATIs there was zero drop off in performance between the two and I liked how the ATIs didn't act like space heaters :D
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I've had a few, not as many as some audiophiles who swap gear almost every year or two though. Here are a few faves:
In 1990 I bought my first real "high end" speakers, a pair of Mirage M3s. They were the scaled down sibling of the M1, which famously combines some of the attributes of dipole (ribbons, electrostats) speakers with dynamic speakers, looked the part with a wide but shallow profile, but at a more reasonable cost than the more exotic panel designs. They were a bipolar instead of dipole design (rear wave in phase instead of out of phase) which let them extend the bass a good deal while giving a big, open soundstage that I loved. When I eventually morphed my stereo into a surround system and then projection, I moved from the M3s to the OM6 (slimmer width but deeper) and then later the last great speaker Mirage made (IMO of course), the OMD-28. I finally sold those last fall so there was a 35 year run of Mirage speakers.
When we moved to our current house in early 2014 I gained a room that I was able to use for setting up a dedicated 2 channel room, and I grabbed a demo pair of Martin Logan Summit Xs. The first time I heard electrostatic speakers was probably in the early 1980s as a teen, and that experience was so transformative I had always wanted to own a pair. I loved the Summit Xs for 12 years - in the sweet spot they are amazingly 3D / holographic. Like most electrostats that sweet spot is tiny, and I finally decided to move on.
I currently have a pair of PS Audio Aspen FR30s that I found used at a great price. They are fantastic, clean, detailed, and more uniform sounding across a larger space. But they also seem to expose room issues that even the Summit Xs were a bit more forgiving of. They are definitely "end game" class speakers. I've had them for a couple of months and feel like I'm still settling in and have room to improve especially in addressing a couple of room modes in the bass.
Sounds like you have been blessed to enjoy some amazing sounds!
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Diysoundgroup 1099
Dynamic for movies. Crystal clear for music. Perfect speaker and cheap
I'll have to look them up for sure. When did you get them?
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My favorite speakers are the KEF 104/2. Great imaging, dynamic, and accurate bass. They had a "conjugate load matching network" that gave the speaker a 4 ohm restive load. The impedance curve was almost a flat line! This made the speakers very easy to drive.
They also came with an active equalizer "KUBE" (KEF euphonic bass equalizer) that extended the bass to 20Hz.
Still, a very sought after collector's item. I've been enjoying them for about 35 years.
Wow. That's impressive. I'll read up on those too.
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I'll have to look them up for sure. When did you get them?
Probably going on 8 years now. I used to change out speakers constantly. Upgrading etc. these have obv stopped that in their tracks. These hit WAY above their weight class
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I remember reading a review or two back in the day on those KEF 104/2s. KEF has made a lot of great speakers over the years. I've heard their current Blade speakers which are beautiful and very good too.
I have a pair of the little KEF LSX LT II (smaller version of the powered LS50) as my desktop PC monitors. Put them on a little stand that tilts them up so they're angled at my ears and they're fantastic for desktop / nearfield use.
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I have had kliosch reference. Aprerion grands. Powersound audio 110’s all in the theater. All sounded great. But ultimately the best still are the 1099’s