Music: Your flavor of the month? (1 Viewer)

[riverman]

Tube amps require efficient speakers. What's your budget? Are you looking new, or used. Vintage Klipsch are popular with the tube crowd, and availability is good. People seem to either love them or hate them. The best sounding speakers I ever owned were a pair of Electro Voice Interfaces Ds. I drove them with solid state, but the guy I sold them to was a tube guy and loved them. Very efficient, but also very big, heavy and pretty rare. In new speakers, you may consider a pair of Zu Audio Omen Dirty Weekends ($999 delivered in the hickory finish when available, other finishes available for an additional cost). As with vintage Klipsch, people seem to either love or hate the Zus. Best to audition a pair if you can, before buying.

BNM

I gave my son a pair of old Fisher heavy speakers that would have been great...I have a buddy who has incredible speakers..old Bose really heavy angled front with some box that might be a crossover control or something...they are probably 3ft tall ...I'm getting back my bungalow man cave now that my son has moved out and bought a house so I thought I'd start with a sound system. I had some 70s Kenwood speakers that were nice years back.

 

[riverman]

I had a Pioneer I bought in about 1971. Had a discreet FET at the front end for greater sensitivity.

This is mine
Pioneer sx 450

 

[Lanny]

This is mine
Pioneer sx 450
View attachment 23509

Looks a lot like mine.

Edit: Time to eat, haven't eaten all day.

 

[Boob-No-More]

I would also put on that list of speakers some vintage JBL speakers as they are very efficient speakers as well. The JBL 100's would be a good choice but with much of the vintage stuff some of the JBL speakers can be pretty spendy. Another quality speaker are the older Snells and can actually be picked up pretty reasonable. I'm running Snell K/II's in my home theater set up. Very compact with a good sound quality.

JBLs aren't nearly as efficient as the others I mentioned. Keep in mind, I'm listening to a pair of L36 Decades I lovingly restored to better than new condition as I type this and have another pair of restored 4301 B Control Monitors in my office system at work. Most are rated between 89 and 91 db efficiency. The others I mentioned are all rated between 97 and 104 db efficient - some of the most efficient speakers ever built. Of course, the JBLs will still get plenty loud. How much power you need to drive them depends on the size of your listening area and just how loud you like your music.

Every 3 dB = 2x as loud. So, speakers that are 99 dB efficient will be 8x as loud as speakers that are rated at 90dB when driven with the same amount of power. I think my neighbors would agree that my JBLs with 120 watts behind them are plenty loud, but many vintage tube amps were only rated at 3 - 10 watts.

BNM

 

[Boob-No-More]

This is mine
Pioneer sx 450
View attachment 23509

That's not a tube receiver. It's a low power (15 watts per channel) solid state receiver from the late 1970s. That said, unless you are running it in a very small space (i.e. a bedroom) at low to moderate listening levels, you will still want some efficient speakers.

BNM

 

[riverman]

That's not a tube receiver. It's a low power (15 watts per channel) solid state receiver from the late 1970s. That said, unless you are running it in a very small space (i.e. a bedroom) at low to moderate listening levels, you will still want some efficient speakers.

BNM

I just realized that....I watched a youtube video on refurbishing one of them. I don't need loud, I just want to upgrade my bungalow and have better sound than the crap I listen to now. I have a 5 watt all tube guitar amp that's really old that I blend with my Fender amp

 

[Lanny]

JBLs aren't nearly as efficient as the others I mentioned. Keep in mind, I'm listening to a pair of L36 Decades I lovingly restored to better than new condition as I type this and have another pair of restored 4301 B Control Monitors in my office system at work. Most are rated between 89 and 91 db efficiency. The others I mentioned are all rated between 97 and 104 db efficient - some of the most efficient speakers ever built. Of course, the JBLs will still get plenty loud. How much power you need to drive them depends on the size of your listening area and just how loud you like your music.

Every 3 dB = 2x as loud. So, speakers that are 99 dB efficient will be 8x as loud as speakers that are rated at 90dB when driven with the same amount of power. I think my neighbors would agree that my JBLs with 120 watts behind them are plenty loud, but many vintage tube amps were only rated at 3 - 10 watts.

BNM

It's actually 3.01029996 dB = 2X the power output, but who's counting. (the log of 2 is 0.301029996, a dB is 10X the log)

 

[Boob-No-More]

I just realized that....I watched a youtube video on refurbishing one of them. I don't need loud, I just want to upgrade my bungalow and have better sound than the crap I listen to now. I have a 5 watt all tube guitar amp that's really old that I blend with my Fender amp

Are you located in the Portland area? If so, I'd be happy to watch for a good deal on some vintage speakers on craigslist for you. If they need the crossovers recapped, I'd be happy to help out with that, too. It's kind of my specialty.

BNM

 

[riverman]

Are you located in the Portland area? If so, I'd be happy to watch for a good deal on some vintage speakers on craigslist for you. If they need the crossovers recapped, I'd be happy to help out with that, too. It's kind of my specialty.

BNM

Thank you! The shop in Eugene I'll have work on it has a guy who's got ton's of speakers and has repaired them and vintage equipment since the 60s.could need recapped and cleaned ..headphone jack is clean for FM radio...speaker connections are noisy..I appreciate the offer though! I'll be sure to ask your advice though on gear..I haven't kept up on audio stuff in decades really..I ran everything through a mixing board with a huge Crown power amp with mains and monitors for many years...overkill...

 

[Boob-No-More]

Thank you! The shop in Eugene I'll have work on it has a guy who's got ton's of speakers and has repaired them and vintage equipment since the 60s.could need recapped and cleaned ..headphone jack is clean for FM radio...speaker connections are noisy..I appreciate the offer though! I'll be sure to ask your advice though on gear..I haven't kept up on audio stuff in decades really

The good news is the stuff that was good decades ago is still good if in proper serviced and working condition.

BNM

 

[Boob-No-More]

Thank you! The shop in Eugene I'll have work on it has a guy who's got ton's of speakers and has repaired them and vintage equipment since the 60s.could need recapped and cleaned ..headphone jack is clean for FM radio...speaker connections are noisy..I appreciate the offer though! I'll be sure to ask your advice though on gear..I haven't kept up on audio stuff in decades really..I ran everything through a mixing board with a huge Crown power amp with mains and monitors for many years...overkill...

These are a pair of great sounding classic 2-way speakers: https://eugene.craigslist.org/ele/d/klh-23-vintage-speakers/6755742652.html

Make sure all the drivers are good and working. If so, they generally need two things - the crossover recapped. This is the easiest crossover I've ever recapped. It's a single 4uF capacitor and easy to get at:

Before:

After:

And they probably need the cloth surrounds on the woofers resealed. You can buy the sealant on eBay for about $25. If you get them, let me know and I'll point you in the right direction.

The seller says he's "looking to get $100". Point out that due to age they need recapped and the woofers resealed and offer him $60. Even if you get them for $80, it's a hell of a deal. Assuming the cabinets are in decent shape (real walnut veneer), they are a great sounding, great looking pair of vintage speakers.

Here's mine stacked on top of a pair of Rectilinear III Highboys I bought the same day. Both pairs of speakers and the turntable are all from 1967, and all bought from the (different) original owners. The turntable is gone (wish I'd kept it), but I still have both sets of speakers.

 

[Boob-No-More]

My Black Friday self-Christmas present arrived today. I don't buy a lot of new albums due to the high cost. However, I have been treating myself to one or two new titles a month recently, and with a 20% off coupon plus free shipping coupon, I ordered five albums on my must have list. These were specific pressings of these albums selected specifically for best sound quality.

Up first...

LOVE OVER GOLD - DIRE STRAITS:

 

[Boob-No-More]

Second up...

DAFT PUNK - Random Access Memories:

 

[Boob-No-More]

NIRVANA - NEVERMIND:

 

[Boob-No-More]

T H E J O S H U A T R E E - U 2

 

[Boob-No-More]

Saved the best for last...

CAT STEVENS - Tea for the Tillerman:

This is record 5 of 5 from my Acoustic Sounds Black Friday order that arrived yesterday. This is the one I was looking forward to the most, but didn't get to it last night. I have three other copies of this great album, but they are all from thrift stores/estate sales. To say this pressing blows them away is an enormous understatement. This may be the finest piece of vinyl I have ever heard. It's certainly neck and neck with the 50th Anniversary Sgt. Pepper's I got a month ago.

BNM

 

[CupWizier]

Saved the best for last...

CAT STEVENS - Tea for the Tillerman:

This is record 5 of 5 from my Acoustic Sounds Black Friday order that arrived yesterday. This is the one I was looking forward to the most, but didn't get to it last night. I have three other copies of this great album, but they are all from thrift stores/estate sales. To say this pressing blows them away is an enormous understatement. This may be the finest piece of vinyl I have ever heard. It's certainly neck and neck with the 50th Anniversary Sgt. Pepper's I got a month ago.

What's the typical cost of the special vinyl albums?

 

[Boob-No-More]

What's the typical cost of the special vinyl albums?

This one had a list price of $50 when it came out. It went out of print and prices had risen into the $65 - $75 range on eBay for sealed copies. I had a 20% of coupon from Acoustic Sounds, with free shipping. I noticed they had it back in stock at the $50 list price. So, with my coupon, my cost was $40. Still the most I've ever spent on an album.

The 50th Anniversary Sgt. Pepper's I mentioned typically goes for about $25, but I had a 20% off one item coupon from Barnes & Noble. So, my net cost was 20 bucks.

Most are in the $25 - $35 range, but some are a little less (the Pallas Nirvana pressings are typically in the high teens/low 20s). 45rpm double album versions typically sell for $50 - $75. There are some really high end limited editions that start at $100 and go up from there. Too rich for my blood. If I had to pay that much for an album, I'd own like 3 records.

I'm not a cheap skate, but want to maximize what I get for my money, so I can buy even more. So, I research which pressings are the best and then shop around and use coupon codes when available and take advantage of free shipping.

BNM

 

[ripcityboy]

"Information is not knowledge. Knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is not truth. Truth is not beauty. Beauty is not love. Love is not music. Music is the best…"

Frank Zappa -- 25 Years Gone

 

[CupWizier]

This one had a list price of $50 when it came out. It went out of print and prices had risen into the $65 - $75 range on eBay for sealed copies. I had a 20% of coupon from Acoustic Sounds, with free shipping. I noticed they had it back in stock at the $50 list price. So, with my coupon, my cost was $40. Still the most I've ever spent on an album.

The 50th Anniversary Sgt. Pepper's I mentioned typically goes for about $25, but I had a 20% off one item coupon from Barnes & Noble. So, my net cost was 20 bucks.

Most are in the $25 - $35 range, but some are a little less (the Pallas Nirvana pressings are typically in the high teens/low 20s). 45rpm double album versions typically sell for $50 - $75. There are some really high end limited editions that start at $100 and go up from there. Too rich for my blood. If I had to pay that much for an album, I'd own like 3 records.

I'm not a cheap skate, but want to maximize what I get for my money, so I can buy even more. So, I research which pressings are the best and then shop around and use coupon codes when available and take advantage of free shipping.

BNM

Thanks for the info. It has been many years since i have been into albums. I once had a collection of well over 300 and then kids and dogs came along.

Did you ever hear of the green felt pen trick that was suppose to enhance the sound of cd's? That was invented by a friend of mine that had a stereo shop in West Slope area. I could never tell the difference but he and others swore by it. He was also heavily into mods on cd players and speakers.

 

[Road Ratt]

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

 

[Lanny]

Chicago - I've Been Searching So Long

 

[Lanny]

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young - Teach Your Children

 

[Lanny]

Spirit In The Sky Norman Greenbaum

 

[Lanny]

Rod Stewart - Maggie May

 

[Shaboid]

 

[Boob-No-More]

QUEEN

The
Game

 

[ripcityboy]

Damn this is a great cover.

 

[ripcityboy]

Let's stick on covers....