How to succeed buying vintage speakers

Поділитися
Вставка
  • Опубліковано 5 січ 2025

КОМЕНТАРІ • 98

  • @alessandrograldi4334
    @alessandrograldi4334 3 місяці тому +4

    Started my experience buying old speakers about 10 yrs ago many things happened to me so i would recommend to who want to do it, take a picture of the loudspeakers you are going to buy, check online pictures of it and be sure that the drivers are all original! than before buy always ask to check the sound, when you're doing it take your time and put a ear near of any of the drivers. Then before to change the drivers in case of fail, remember that everything can be fixed, find a good technician and ask the price of repair. Dear Kelvin you're giving tons of very good counsels to people and that's really something! thanks

  • @RHJ3
    @RHJ3 2 місяці тому +2

    I've been messing with second hand audio gear for a good 30 years now. You are spot on with "check each driver for sound" before buying. I sometimes cant tell if a driver is working or not at low level so I use a spent paper towel tube to help hear. Hold one end to your ear and carefully put the other end over the driver in question. Thanks for the video!

  • @davidstorey76
    @davidstorey76 3 місяці тому +4

    There are a few gems about... and your definitely one of them.
    Im sure i speak for many people who enjoy your knowledgeable insight and down to earth presentation.
    Keep up the good work...🇨🇦

  • @philwalker2265
    @philwalker2265 2 місяці тому +1

    We had the Cisco kid and we had Billy the Kid and now we have the Vintage Kid.
    A mug of coffee and a Kelvin video makes my day.
    I do love nostalgia, especially audio.
    Cannot wait for the next one.

  • @JacobKelly02
    @JacobKelly02 3 місяці тому +3

    I recently got a pair of Bang & Olufsen s45-2 and I’ve fallen in love with them. Seas woofer and mid with a Phillips tweeter. Wow they sound sweet paired with a early 80s technics amp

  • @ashleysleight1016
    @ashleysleight1016 3 місяці тому +2

    Great video' yes you're channel is the best for your knowledge on vintage hifi love to watch your videos 👏👍🎵

  • @stereoniche
    @stereoniche 3 місяці тому +1

    Great topic Kelvin! Pretty much the same for any vintage gear, go in with your eyes open to the situation. The more common the model, the better chances of finding a replacement driver, if it cannot be repaired by traditional means. There are some models, like Magnepan, that still sell refurb kits to rebuild them, but NOT an easy or fun task whatsoever (just ask me). Some other models, like Thiel, still have some limited support, but in most cases, if it is more than just a refoam of the surrounds, an original driver must be sourced, so it is all about availability of parts in the used market. All the best.

  • @christopherwhyte3322
    @christopherwhyte3322 3 місяці тому +2

    I found my speakers at a thrift shop. Quart MB 280 for 60.- CHF. Later, I found the Quart mB 390 for 30.- CHF. Swiss francs. Then I found a second pair of Quart MB 280 for 35.- Swiss francs just for the parts. 2 titanium tweeters and 1 good woofer. Love the combined sound. Love your videos!

  • @TonyJBrennan
    @TonyJBrennan Місяць тому

    Love this channel - well done . I just refurbed a set of wharfedale e50s i got for free , all original - sounded a bit recessed and hollow
    I damped the side panels , glued the woofer surrounds and spiders, removed the tone controls and L-padded the tweeter down from 98 db to 92 db spl to mellow them a little replaced all the caps , put new banana terminals and thick wire inside and polished and painted them
    HOLY MAMA ! its like giant set of headphones but very lively and you can feel the music even in the upper ranges at low volume
    I dont know why they are not rated highly - they are superbly entertaining

  • @Jezza-m5k
    @Jezza-m5k 3 місяці тому +5

    The best hi-fi bargains at the moment are vintage Castle loudspeakers. Gorgeous veneers, understated sonics - no rough edges! - in similar fashion to my Spendor SP2, and very collectable. I have purchased five pairs recently. £95 for a pair of Castle York mk2... and fifty quid for Castle Durham mk1... a steal at the price. Just consider the inflated retail prices of the new IAG Castles! Vintage, "made in Skipton" Castles... get 'em while you can. Great vid, Kelvin...

    • @alexandervaneijken7741
      @alexandervaneijken7741 3 місяці тому

      Absolutely ,own of pair of Herlech ,light oak,trully gorgeous.

    • @stereoreviewx
      @stereoreviewx  2 місяці тому

      yes castle are not noticed for some reason

    • @Jezza-m5k
      @Jezza-m5k 2 місяці тому

      ​@@stereoreviewxI think of the Skipton era Castle speakers as the "posh" Wharfedale. I won't bore you with Castle's history - I'm sure you'll know all about it. Hope you are able to get hold of some Castles and review them...

  • @sumahama1981
    @sumahama1981 2 місяці тому +1

    Best channel on UA-cam

  • @elkartian
    @elkartian Місяць тому +1

    I got a pair of Celestian Ditton 150 speakers in excellent condition for free from a deceased friends family .They are 2way and have a HF 1001 dome tweeter,a 175 mm midrange bass driver and something called a ABR auxiliary bass radiator? I've no idea what that is ? I went round them all with a Philips screwdriver to tighten up the screws like you suggested.I fired them up and you know what for old 80s speakers they sounded pretty decent to me . lovely on vocals and jazz . I tested the with a Sony 940R QS amplifier and a Marantz 5000 cd player that has been converted to a valve player ,it's a lovely player. The Celestion speakers sound great though I think they get sadly overlooked by audiophiles these days

  • @davidbyrne9811
    @davidbyrne9811 3 місяці тому +1

    Hey Kelvin, been watching for a few months now, like your take on HiFi and actually the most important thing, the sound. I have a basic system and for the most part and i am happy with it, don't have a lot of money to mess around with but i do enjoy music and listening, I've had a lot of various systems over my lifetime and still have most of my old speakers from past systems i owned, one set is a small set of Hitachi speakers from a mini system i owned in the nineties, really good solid one way set rated at 30 watts, and when i use them in combination with my Two-way Pioneer speakers rated at 70watts, i get a very nice sound for my room which is not all that big, and at various placements i get good Width and separation and because they are of different wattage and db level i seem to have a good wide sound across most of my music which is mostly R&B ,Jazz, 60s 70s pop rock easy listening brass and orchestral, not that much into todays studio machine driven pop, i digress, but for most of my music i can enjoy it with little tweak's in combination with the volume, Bass, Treble, and sometimes for older music, the Balance, depending on the component selected where one speaker will sometimes but rarely have have a little dominance over the other due to recording of the media , i have watched a couple of the Audiophile video equipment reviews and some of the equipment components are so contrived and so out of the league of most people it seems beyond ridiculous, could you do a show on basic good value brands components to combine for a good sounding HiFi, anyway i enjoy your reviews, good stuff, Thanks

  • @mddawson1
    @mddawson1 3 місяці тому +1

    I lucked out and sight unseen, got a pair of c1995 NHT SuperZero speakers and matching subwoofer with sub-amp in excellent condition for $150. They also came with some metal speaker stands. The speaker drivers were in great condition and the cabinets only needed a polish to bring back the piano gloss finish (I used an automotive poly-glaze polish). They had two electrolytics in the crossover that I changed to polycaps. However, I discovered I didn't need to because the original Culver branded caps were spot on spec, even after them getting crushed a little during removal due to them being covered in glue. The subwoofer and amp work fine as well but the subs cabinet has a few deep scratches that I have yet to fix.

  • @tonyjedioftheforest1364
    @tonyjedioftheforest1364 3 місяці тому +3

    I love my KEF Coda II’s that I bought after you spoke about the original ones and then found a review on Cheshire Audio’s UA-cam channel. I can’t articulate like you but all I can say is that they sound rich and warm with surprising base. I suppose they sound musical in common language.It’s a sound that when you play your music you don’t get tired and want to listen all day. I use a Technics class A amp fed by a Linn Sondek or for CD’s my Cyrus 6 CD player.

    • @ianbigsand7
      @ianbigsand7 3 місяці тому

      My first speakers were KEF Coda II.

  • @sosonic12000
    @sosonic12000 2 місяці тому +1

    Who remembers UK 80’s culture ?!? Mods, skin heads, casual, rockers etc??
    Farah slacks, balet shoes, snake /crocodile skin belts…Reggae….Soul…jazz funk …
    You felt a sense of belonging and the music genre to fit in with it?? Great days man! The mods on their Vespas with I think the squirrels tails on the top of their huge rear aerials I remember as a kid. And the big Dr Martins ( I had a pair). Was a warm feeling that you were part of a bigger family out there… At a glimpse - you knew the score.. Punks with their magnificent mohicans. You made an effort for sure 👌🏼 ..Relevant coz it invokes the era and that beautiful culture that came with it ..❤ (memories)..❤

    • @MustangBoss1973
      @MustangBoss1973 2 місяці тому +1

      I can't believe the price of a Fred Perry nowadays🤣

    • @sosonic12000
      @sosonic12000 2 місяці тому

      @@MustangBoss1973 ♥️

  • @Broadmaynewood
    @Broadmaynewood 3 місяці тому +2

    Another top video. I’ve had all sorts of speakers over the years. But I have never owned the Ditton 66’s that I really hanker for.. Makes sense as most but not all of the music that I listen to is from their era.I will keep looking 👍

  • @SteveD-m6z
    @SteveD-m6z 3 місяці тому

    The TDL Electronics RTL2 and RTL3 floor standing flex transmission line speakers were a highly regarded design in the 80’s. The speaker impedance is 8Ω and the sensitivity is high (RTL2: 89dB at 1m for 1Watt and 90dB for the bigger RTL3). These made them easy to drive and suitable for low power amplifiers. At my local HiFi store the amplifier of choice was the Arcam Alpha 3. For a small room the Royd Sintra bookshelf speakers were a good option. The design had a high crossover frequency (4kHz) thereby avoiding the critical midrange audio band. The sensitivity was specified at 89dB at 1m for 1Watt, but to obtain the best performance a powerful amplifier was required. The woofer’s small cone diameter limits the volume of air that can be moved and thereby the bass extension, but the solution was to add a REL subwoofer.

  • @JosefTreiber
    @JosefTreiber 3 місяці тому +1

    Hello X, thanks for all the good infos! Some years ago I saw your video on the Rogers LS2, and since then I had them on my wishlist. 2 weeks ago I could get them, and just like you said, they really deliver!! BR, Joe, from Austria

  • @FrostiTheRoadman
    @FrostiTheRoadman 2 місяці тому

    The tweeter is a isophon bud as used in the older monitor audio ma1 and ma4 etc I really like them.

  • @Ricky-cl5bu
    @Ricky-cl5bu 3 місяці тому

    I like buying the speaker units and the fitting modern drivers porting them bracing them and building a crossover for them they usually end up sounding amazing and they look great too

  • @jasonemanuel9070
    @jasonemanuel9070 3 місяці тому +1

    Another great video,im still enjoying the n.a.d 3020i amp after watching one of your vids kelvin,thank you for that.I brought my speakers the vintage wharfedale dovedale 3s for £30 charity shop find last year i adore them.This was also after your reccomendation of getting big vintage speakers for a big sound,the scaleing is amazing & the base is to die for.The mids & treble are crystal clear.

  • @mattbrooking2146
    @mattbrooking2146 2 місяці тому

    Recently bought a near perfect set of Mordaunt Short MS400’s firstly I very surprised of not only there size but also there weight they sound great but I do have them lined up to go to Haycross Audio for a bit of a revamp!!
    With regards to last comments regarding castle speakers I have seen plenty of great deals some even with there original oak stands! Unfortunately none have been close enough for me to buy! There all Up North 😖😖 love the content.. 👍🏼

  • @nigel0434
    @nigel0434 3 місяці тому +1

    You do a great job. I opened an audio and record store in 2010 selling new and preowned audio and records and it is still open today with new owners 14 years later south of Houston! Sweet Spot Audio and Records!

  • @slowpawstevet3676
    @slowpawstevet3676 3 місяці тому +1

    I have found speaker and amp matching the most difficult thing to get right in hifi - i bought a pair of B&W CDM1 NT and had to reorganise my system around them as they sound that good but getting there with the right amp. Back in the day new stuff was easier to audition, few hifi shops around these days so have to rely on reviews such as yours Kelvin and so take chances on making expensive mistakes is a risk, then there are the cables and interconnects...

  • @zenfishbike
    @zenfishbike 3 місяці тому +1

    Good morning Kelvin, and another fine Sunday morning it is!

  • @YaroslavViva
    @YaroslavViva 3 місяці тому +2

    A good thing to do when buying vintage is to buy from a seller you trust and who has a good reputation in your audiophile circle. Yes, the price will not be the lowest, but on the other hand, an experienced "vintage dealer" can offer you something that sounds good and won't break the bank 😌

  • @garethparr9482
    @garethparr9482 3 місяці тому

    My dad had a pair of DM 4s when I was a kid but sold them and bought a pair of BC1s he kept those for the rest of his days.

  • @djgibby1301
    @djgibby1301 3 місяці тому

    I'm with you on the early metal dome tweeters. Rogers totally destroyed their LS7's when they fitted a metal dome to the successor, the LS7T.
    Rogers had them on demo at a hi-fi show I went to in Edinburgh back in the day and when my girlfriend and I entered the listening room first thing she said was 'That top end is horrendous.' I thought she must've been reading my mind as that was exactly my thoughts too.

  • @nigelgauntlett582
    @nigelgauntlett582 2 місяці тому

    Found a lovely pair of Harbeth HL monitors Mk3’s ! Dudley Harwood certainly knew what he was doing ; another amazing speaker that’s not that popular!

  • @manosmul6827
    @manosmul6827 3 місяці тому +1

    Big up, hail and support our UK speaker restorers.....

  • @shadowofpain8144
    @shadowofpain8144 3 місяці тому +1

    Should be trying for older flagship speakers, I picked up a pair of like new piano black verity fidelio for 1600 delivered to my house.
    I have been looking for something new that look and sound better but I don't have a spare 20k laying around.
    Man I would like top line focal.
    I am all out of another 20 years to wait.
    I'm over 60 probably what I have is it.
    Only worse thought than that is my dog is the last dog too.
    Already out of relatives so listening to music is about all that's left.

  • @donwest5387
    @donwest5387 3 місяці тому

    I bought a used pair of Martin-Logan Aerius for $600CDN. Love them

  • @haycrossaudio5474
    @haycrossaudio5474 3 місяці тому +6

    Dragged out of a river 🤣🤣🤣. Love it

  • @paulclark9873
    @paulclark9873 3 місяці тому

    Brought Kef kit3 90 AUD pair ,kef Coda 8 pair 70AUD,Kef Concord iv 110 AUD,kef kit 3 the best sound, dynamics.

  • @stephenhill8806
    @stephenhill8806 3 місяці тому +1

    Another Wharfdale comment slipped in there, Linton/Cortina😅, very good. Great entertaining reviews.

  • @chrishale5608
    @chrishale5608 3 місяці тому

    Hey show us your collection of cool gear!!

  • @ianstreeter5291
    @ianstreeter5291 3 місяці тому

    Great video again Kelvin

  • @billybeck
    @billybeck 3 місяці тому +2

    Your ears, your room... The 2 most important factors.

  • @StewartDay-c1l
    @StewartDay-c1l 2 місяці тому

    Hello kalvin have you tested the old kef concerto .I would be interested in your view and weather the snare drum comes over well regards Stewart day .keep up the good work .

  • @danielmccarthy8386
    @danielmccarthy8386 3 місяці тому +1

    Vintage speakers can be like buying white van speakers. I've seen so many that have had DIY internal repairs and as long as the speaker looks ok from outside buyer is happy. But different crossovers and cable and connectors internally mean the speakers are actually lousy.

  • @jacobhougaard7530
    @jacobhougaard7530 3 місяці тому

    Hello Kelvin,
    Greetings from Denmark.
    I really understand your fascination of the B&O speakers. They are mostly quite good. The reason? B&O have always been on the forefront with sound research and have the highest level of test chambers for testing of speakers. With high end equipment from Bruel & Kjaer .
    The same counts for other Danish speaker manufacturers like Dynaudio, Avance , F3 Lyd ( Audiovector) Jamo and Dali.
    Not to mention the Danish manufacturers of speaker elements line ScanspeakVifa and Peerless.

    • @richardjohnston4682
      @richardjohnston4682 3 місяці тому

      Hi Jaboc, which model of B&O should we be looking out for? Thanks

    • @stereoreviewx
      @stereoreviewx  2 місяці тому +1

      that's fascinating to hear thanks so much K

  • @davidrose213
    @davidrose213 2 місяці тому

    Kelvin - are Beovox S 30’s credible - seen a pair pretty cheap but don’t think they might quite hit the mark. Thanks for your advice.

  • @alanrobinson2229
    @alanrobinson2229 3 місяці тому +2

    Have you ever reviewed Epos speakers?

  • @matanavgust8404
    @matanavgust8404 3 місяці тому

    Still wait for small active speakers to connect to hifi system in home , but .. just if you can 🙏🙏 tnx 👍

  • @omaleakawo9252
    @omaleakawo9252 Місяць тому

    I have pantronic SP-300 300watts speakers, currently the only speakers of the brand in the world.

  • @michaelvincent8306
    @michaelvincent8306 3 місяці тому +1

    I've fished many rivers up and down the country never found a pair off speakers

  • @The-Spotlight-Kid
    @The-Spotlight-Kid 3 місяці тому

    Short of a pocket sized all-frequency white-noise signal generator, i'd be tempted to take a PP3 9-volt battery to connect speaker inputs to, & hear a beep to a high peep coming from the drivers after that harmeless voltage goes into it's + & - inputs, anyway round. I seem to recall a 1.5 or 3'volt battery doing same, but as told hear using another method, it wont reveal distortion like bass-magnet rubbing, but rules out dead drivers & faukty wiring &/or x/over but along with the visual condition aspect mentioned here, it made me feel more confident buying from small-ads in newsagents windows & the like. Tho some sellers freak-out just asking "csn i?" refuse a test or quick inside look (with some hi-fi gear & i'd say goodbye.
    eBay ruined cheap s/h but good old hi-fi gear's buying, imo. And pre-net hi-fi decent mags like "High-Fi World" & U.S. Stereophole telling everyone how "those Leak, Radford, Quad & etc u.k. made vintage valve amps are surprisingly good with pricey new front end" (those reviewers most often had, Naim 3-packs for post- preamp & post- exterternal active x/over 3-way direct driver power & such like) ..saw the end of my cheap s/h valve amp buying days & hearing the diffent flavours & finding the better ones for myself, lucky i got in just brfore the s/h valved mono's stereo chassis valve amps, & a certain few pairs of speakers zoomed 5 & 10' & some even 20'fold or more in price. But although they could be dirt cheap once, theyre still the best bargains compared with not s/h buy modern r.r.p. brand new priced hi-fi gear and certainly speakers, only if well chosen with help from sombody who's done loads, like this guy, i wonder if there's a vintage speaker he don't know something useful about.

    • @iancatchpole5223
      @iancatchpole5223 3 місяці тому

      Kelvin, a pleasure to listen to your comments..it's
      All valid and rather curious how forty years ago the speaker systems sounded better..not all of course ..but
      What's going on..???

    • @stereoreviewx
      @stereoreviewx  2 місяці тому

      great question I think they don't retain knowledge or it gets lost
      should all be great by now?

  • @ST-ut5bh
    @ST-ut5bh 2 місяці тому

    Any suggestions for the vintage bookshelf speaker for small room?

  • @charlesscottkelly
    @charlesscottkelly 3 місяці тому

    I have kef cantor 2, not a bad buy.. at £70
    Tatty dm4s at £65.
    Both very good
    Kef coda 3 they are a bit dull

  • @andyboa8107
    @andyboa8107 3 місяці тому +1

    So these tweeters with yellow domes are German isophone KK10-8 modified by Monitor Audio into KK8-8. The problem is they are usually burnt in Monitor Audio MA5 II, well about half of them. Do you know why? Are they usually burnt in Monitor Audio MA5 ver.1 as well? And do the original KK10 really sound different, the difference is only the domes (and maybe coils), yellow seethrough elastic dome in KK8 vs white stiff solid in the original KK10?

  • @richardjohnston4682
    @richardjohnston4682 3 місяці тому

    What model of mid-bass is in the DM4s? I have a pair and would love a couple of spares for future use!

  • @nickdoughty518
    @nickdoughty518 3 місяці тому +1

    I'm astonished when sellers want top dollar even if the tweeter cones are pushed in or the woofer surrounds are rotted away.

  • @sarahduncan9101
    @sarahduncan9101 3 місяці тому +1

    Hey Kelvin, have you came across the bowers and Wilkins Dm5? I picked up a pair of these in a charity shop for £10!
    Mid top is excellent

  • @ilijaradovanov3263
    @ilijaradovanov3263 3 місяці тому +1

    A friend of mine gave to me a pair of Monitor Audio monitor 3, what do you think about, I couldn 't find any specs on the internet, Ia using Marantz 2238B, mu spare amp is Rotel RA 350. Cheers !!!

    • @chang850
      @chang850 3 місяці тому

      How about the Studio 6? What do you think about them?

  • @Pooponmychin
    @Pooponmychin 3 місяці тому

    Any thoughts on the Advent 5002 ? Cheers😁

  • @matereo
    @matereo 3 місяці тому +1

    What about Heybrook Kelvin :) Like the HB1's. I don't think you mentioned them. JPW P1 and P2s and Snell K's are similar.

    • @chang850
      @chang850 3 місяці тому +1

      Interesting that you mentioned this speaker. I still have a pair in the garage (stored) after decades, maybe it's time to dig them out and see how to compare with others (assuming they are till working) :-) @Kelvin, please review it and give us your thoughts, Love your videos. I got my lovely Sansui AU-317 because of you :-)

    • @matereo
      @matereo 3 місяці тому

      @@chang850 If you've had the stored a long time you may have to get the bass/mid driver surrounds refoamed. I think well worth it!

    • @chang850
      @chang850 3 місяці тому

      @@matereo Thank you! I will have to pull them out of the corner once I get a chance!

  • @dariuszzatorski2245
    @dariuszzatorski2245 2 місяці тому

    Hi, what do you think about B&W DM4? They have same cabinets but different looking speakers (tweeter & woofer with white suspension around). Od it the same quality regarding sound ? Have you ever chance to listen them? Are they worth 200€ ? Thanx for help. Darius

  • @trebo2348
    @trebo2348 3 місяці тому

    low end I'm guessing, but have you ever heard of vintage 70s wharfedale Denton gx bookshelf speakers ? I purchased a mint set for 10 pounds can't be bad surely lol.

    • @stereoreviewx
      @stereoreviewx  2 місяці тому

      for ten pounds I would have then
      what do they sound like to you

    • @trebo2348
      @trebo2348 2 місяці тому

      @@stereoreviewx truthfully they sounded superb for clarity they came from grenwhich university london along with a jvc ja s11g amplifier, all clean and perfectly working.

  • @thetonyblair1
    @thetonyblair1 3 місяці тому

    You say in this that the best place to go for vintage speakers is your channel, but just a quick check on here and I cannot find our channel. How does one access it? Ta

    • @stereoreviewx
      @stereoreviewx  2 місяці тому

      click my logo bottom left of screen

  • @MustangBoss1973
    @MustangBoss1973 2 місяці тому

    For what it's worth my Ford Cortina was a pile of crap.
    Damp morning = just stay in bed.
    Frosty morning = Cortina will end up facing wrong way or in a ditch if it does start.

  • @ovalmarc
    @ovalmarc 3 місяці тому

    I bought a cracking pair of B&W dm 2a for £ 80. A bargain.

    • @shaneonpole
      @shaneonpole 3 місяці тому +2

      The DM2A's are brilliant...I own a pair.

  • @NotSure723
    @NotSure723 3 місяці тому +2

    Also, when buying vintage speakers, give them the sniff test. You never know if a cat has used them as a toilet.

    • @stephenhill8806
      @stephenhill8806 3 місяці тому

      @@NotSure723 yes, our now deceased cat used to once in a blue moon p -ss on my jbsystems tsx series.

  • @dimitriosklonis2366
    @dimitriosklonis2366 2 місяці тому +1

    Too much talking, very little substance.!

    • @fewmaster7774
      @fewmaster7774 14 днів тому

      The typical old geezer talking you into oblivion on a park bench ... repeating over and over what a fabulous go-getter he is. ;-D