A nostalgic look at my old reference speakers.
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- Опубліковано 23 бер 2024
- A look back at an amazing pair of speakers from a name that has suffered under it new owners (Klipsch.) These were very highly regarded in their day and I wanted to see if they still held up. Spoiler Alert They do. Give me a like and subscribe if you find my content a ramblings interesting. Thx.
Current audio equipment list:
Cambridge AXR-100 Receiver 100 WRMS. (“B” stock)
Schiit Bi-Frost 4490 DAC, which has been upgrade with Multi-Bit and Unison USB. (“B” stock)
Schiit Lokius EQ (“B” stock)
Schiit Mani Phono Pre. (“B” stock)
Loxjie D-30 DAC just for DSD decoding
Elac Debut 2.0 F-62 Speakers with minor mods, i.e., I removed the grill over the tweeter and added damping material and “No-Rez” to the cabinet.
Fluance RT-84 turntable. I ditched the Ortofon 2M Blue for the Audio Technica AT540ML. The Ortofon sounded ok but the AT cart is really on another level.
All line level cables are from Worlds Best Cable. I primarily use Mogami 2964 Wire and Amphenol ACPL connectors. I also have a few of the Canare L-4E6S, Star Quad, Audio Interconnect Cables with Amphenol ACPR Gold RCA Connectors. I like them both. I started with Mogami as almost very recording studio and arena size system use that brand.
My speaker wires are from Phoenix Gold. About 35 years ago they used to make/market 10 AWG for 9s cooper speaker cable. It is about ¾” in diameter. I have been using them for that long and love their sound.
Miscellaneous items include a small format PC (Core i5, 8GB of RAM & a 256GB internal storage. I also have a remote controlled line level switcher so I can run all my source components through the Lokius.
Tidal Playlists: The Fahrenheit Project (ambient electronic music): tidal.com/browse/playlist/69c...
Electronica for Audiophile: tidal.com/browse/playlist/e29...
My Classical playlist: tidal.com/browse/playlist/8e5...
Baroque Weekend: tidal.com/browse/playlist/cfe...
DJ Ed, a collection of music that is all over the place. tidal.com/browse/playlist/f89...
Spotify: Classical Weekend: open.spotify.com/playlist/648...
80’s Patio Mix: open.spotify.com/playlist/4RU...
This is the 3rd of your videos I’ve watched. Great content. Very informative.
I still have a Technics SL-3300 turntable I bought in 1978 and it still works perfectly! I bought NHT SuperZero speakers with an NHT SW3P sub in 1998 and still use the SuperZeros as surrounds and the sub still amazes me with its ability to energize air but mostly super happy with how musical it sounds.
Thanks for sharing your stories. Glad to have found your channel. Regards.
I appreciate your subscribing. Thank you very much.
Dan here, also from the Chicago area, I have a similar story! Back in the day I had a set of the big Magnepan Tympani 1Ds and I loved them but they were just too big and as my interests moved to AV and surround sound, I sold them and got a set of Rega Elas which I integrated into various TV centric systems until I bought a house and put them in a room in the basement. A flood in the basement along with a career, kids, and home ownership got in the way for years until I bought a set of Magnepan LRS to re-energize my audiophile self. During months of moving the LRS around and wishing I had some new box speakers to check out and compare to the panels, I realized I already had some decent box speakers and started listening to them. I was so surprised that they had a nice soundstage and compared somewhat favorably with my Magnepans, I guess that's why I bought them. It's cool to reconnect with our audiophile past and relive some of the reasons we're all in this hobby.
That's an interesting story and I am glad you shared it. Life does sometimes seem to get in the way of hobbies, that said I would trade away all of the audio nonsense if it guaranteed my family's happiness and well being. I will admit there were plenty of times that I would sequester myself in the basement to just get-a-way form them. Oh well. I do like looking back and reminiscing about some of my old gear. It funny how you, I, we, can get sentimental about our gear. Thank you Dan for swinging by.
Bro… you dropping them knowledge bombs daily. LOVE IT. ❤❤. Keep it coming.
Thank you so much James. I appreciate it.
Another great video Ed and showing us your gear.
I thought it might be interesting to old guys like us. Thank you my friend.
I just moved to Chicago and just discovered your channel. :)
Pete, Welcome. Are you downtown our in the "burbs?" I appreciate your view. Thanks so much.
Good stuff Ed. I remember Energy loudspeakers from back in the day. Great take on them.
Thank you Chris. They have been with me longer than my children. Unlike the kids, when these "talk back" it sounds wonderful.
Hey thanks for the video love those Energy speakers thanks for the information them are cool I never see those for sale hardly ever I picked up a Yamaha dspa one it was literally in a snow bank I took it home blew out the snow let it sit for a week in the warmth I'm troubleshooted it repaired it it's an amazing receiver well actually it's not a receiver it's a surround sound amplifier but 1999 it was just under $3,000 then it's an amazing unitI had to resolder 132 pins apparently the robot didn't put enough solder on that's a common problem with this units sounds fantastic overbuilt have a great day I'll keep watching thanks to the inspiration I'm an old guy
Gilbert, I really appreciate your view and sharing your comment. It is great to hear from everyone about their experiences especially us old guys. Thanks so much.
Loved that amp!
Beautiful pieces... Congratulations!
Thank you very much!
Ha Gonk Droid from Star Wars :) Joking aside i love vintage speakers. Great video keep it up!
Thanks! Will do!
Love Energy. APS5+2 owner myself. Still sound great 20+ years later.
Thanks you for stopping by. It is a shame what Klipsch did to Energy after the purchase.
@@OldGuyHifi I worked for The Good Guys! for almost 10 years. We sold a ton of Energy speakers. Take 5, Connoisser Series (Which were an evolution of your 22.2), Veritas, and Audissey. I was so disheartened watching a great brand get absorbed and vanish.
It was sad. We did have a pair of the original Veritas in the store and OMG did they sound amazing. We chose to use the 22.2 as a reference because they were more obtainable for most folks. I remember Ron Unkefer. I would run into him at dealer meetings and CES. Shame what happened to that chain. Thanks so much for tuning in. I appreciate you sharing your story with me.
@unstablenetwork4744 I happened to buy my Energy Connoisseur speakers in 1990 from The Good Guys in Portland, OR. I'd never heard of this brand before, but the salesman said that if you love detail in your music that these were the ones to buy. With some trepidation I purchased them. 34 years and several systems later, I still love them!
That's great. I am so glad they bring you pleasure.
Energy C-8's were my reference for many years as well.
The C-8s and the 22.2s share a lot of common tech. I always liked the C-8s. It is a shame what Klipsch did to Energy once they bought them. Klipsch neuters any competitor company they acquire. Thanks for the view and the comment Eric.
@@OldGuyHifi you're welcome. And ya, it's a shame.
25 Hz +/- 3db from those woofers is amazing. Back in 79 I bought a pair of ESS AMT 3b Studio Monitors in Canada - In the US I believe they were called Rock Monitors. Not cheap, in 79 the sticker price wast $2,500 CAN and in todays looy over $10, 200 CAN. They has two 12 inch woofers, one active and one passive. There bottom end was specked at 30 Hz +/- 3db. Shipping weight was 103 lbs each. Managed to put a 6 ft. crack in a picture window🤣25 Hz is very impressive
I haven't cracked a window but I have rattled the china cabinet upstairs. It was the Def Tech sub however. Thanks again for commenting.
@@OldGuyHifi Shake rattle and roll
Yes sir!
Ed, love your videos. It’s awesome to put a “vintage” speaker back in and be blown away again. I had a similar experience when I was able to reaquire my ADS L710s. I could not believe how good they were and how much I missed them. With your encyclopedic knowledge of the audio business, I’d love to hear some historical tales about your time in the industry and the products of the past.
Thank you my friend. I am planning on doing a "Whatever Happened to..." for Harman-Kardon. I wrote a script for Randy but that's not his thing. I just have get it all down in a script and get the images together. Maybe a couple of weeks out.
Cool Speakers!
You will get to hear them.
I own a pair but one of the tweeters died. 😢 Probably the fluid. Never ever buying any speaker with drivers that have ferrofluid. Excellent and informative video. Yep, it’s pronounced Teck-NEEKS LOL.
Now I’m on the hunt for someone who can replace the fluid.
Thanks for watching and commenting. Tecknecks? LOL.
Unfortunately the ferro fluid can't be replaced. I had to punt and replace the tweeters.
It's cool looking at cool speakers. Nowhere near what my setup is or was (JVC in the late 80s 90s and Technics H350 now). Nice one thanks for the insight.
Thank you for the kind words.
Great video Ed! I love Canadian Speakers. My floor standers are the PSB Stratus Gold and the Totem Sttaf. A lot of great products came out that research center they had up in the Great White North Eh...
Ya hey der. You're right ah! Thank you my friend.
Once a salesman...Ed I'm sold. This is a great video and hope to see more like this. Maybe, here is the speaker that had the same buzz as LS50, but in the mid 80s. This was my favorite to demo, but I really felt this other one was great for this other reason. I also still have speakers from 1988, bought with dog walking and mowing money. BIC Venturi B 52s. They are very much entry level, but smooth and clean treble with quick, impactful bass (not quantity by any means). I still switch them back in because they sound pretty good (and I am 36 years acclimated to them).
Thanks Chris. That sounds fun. As a matter of fact we sold BIC for a couple years. They were good sounding and popular.
I gear the AXR 100 is a nice amp. I have the CXA 81 but haven't connected it yet. I'm connecting the Sony UXBP 800 Bluray player and Elac DBR 62 speakers. I'm also connecting the Wiim Pro as another source.
Sounds like a good system. I hope you love it.
Which Cambridge amplifier do you own?
I have a Cambridge AXR-100. I love it. I did a video on the specifics of my gear here: ua-cam.com/video/TL1AWWQz1SU/v-deo.html Thanks for watching the short and this video.