Legendary speakers..

[Scioneer]

I'm also a proud owner of just a single black sealed Mini 7, though it sounds good enough for me to reject Stereo until i find it a twin ( wouldn't even mind if it was a white one).

At the moment I'm listening to the little powerhouse, after a week listening to an old beat-up Bose a friend wanted me to refurb. The Bose plays louder, but its just not as good as the Mighty Mini. I will say this particular Bose isn't bad sounding, nothing a good redone wood box couldn't solve. Its power handling isn't much higher than 20 watts from what I can tell. It seems to use just a single 901 style driver.

Anyway while refurbing the Bose was fun, I'm glad to plug in my Mini 7 after a week of listening to an ok but not superb Bose. A speaker that has potential just don't compare to a speaker that sounds great stock.

 

[bawang]

My oh my.... Reading this thread brings back memories of my days in New Brunswick, Canada. Used to lust after those Realistic Mach 1s, every Rat Shack catalogue will end up in my dorm room. Friend of mine (hello Ron!) from PEI finally got a pair and I drooled for weeks....... Finally settled for a set of Burhoe Acoustic Blue at the second hand market..... Sold it when I returned home at the beginning of the 90s. Yeah I know, I'm OLD...

 

[Cloth Ears]

Apogee Diva.

 

[cheapskate]

B&W 802 matrix

and of course:

B&W Nautilus

 

[sprucemoose]

large advents, new or original, stacked. they should have made a tower version. running 3 as l/c/r in the HT.

smaller advents. have a modified pair out on loan.

minimus 7. running 3 pairs as surrounds in the HT.

magnaplanar tympany. heard them once, back in the late 70s, with 25 class-a tube watts each. spectacular!

ohm f.

 

[Cal Weldon]

We're just repeating ourselves now.

 

[freddi]

Karlson.

 

[Nanook]

here's something to talk about....

a Calgary focus:

Bill Perkins loudspeakers of any ilk
Highwood Audio stuff (help me out here moray)

more mainstream and often overlooked, reasonably priced:

B&W DM1600/1800 series, easily the most musical speakers from them at the time, I still lust after a pair.
any ProAc Tablettes, a truly great little speaker in the right circumstance, and the required Velodyne sub (at the time I heard my first original pair of Tabs)
Spica TC50s, the beginning of time coherence at great pricing (albeit with no or little bass, again with a similar vintage Velodyne)
Magneplanar SMGx, any flavour (completely different alternative for any after a musical sound at an affordable price)
VPMS of any sort
DCM Timeframes, pretty amazing for cheap drivers in a wide baffled TL,,

I have never owned any of these but have had some experience with all of them. I know these are not the typical "classics" one might think of , but at some level had all been accessable to most on a budget, and had proven to be good sounding , and long lasting (except perhaps the Calgary duo) in the market place. I could go on, but it might begin to show my age...er experience

 

[Hanginon]

Well, we certainly don't want to repeat ourselves -

Pearson's Frankenstein, the Infinity QRS Magnepan 1D hybrid.

I've never had anything since that could play the Mahler 2nd like that!!

 

[planet10]

Dayton-Wright XG8

http://www.dayton-wright.com/XG-8-Mk3.html

dave

 

[planet10]

Re: here's something to talk about....

Bill Perkins loudspeakers of any ilk

Besides building a significant number of Calgary's Radford S90s, he developed what is likely to be one of the most advanced aperiodic boxes of all time...

The PR2 uses his own woofer, and tweeter with an XO at 1200 Hz (not many 1" domes that can go that low)

dave

 

[Nanook]

dave, thanks for the info!

The only ones I had seen were the bookshelf types. I think Perkins has been overlooked and deserves a little more recognition and respect (overall)

I just about bought a pair, but backed out because the driver had a tear in it and I was unsure of a repalcement

 

[nyatt]

I second the Spica TC50's. Most people never heard them at their best. We used to put them on Rowland Model 7's in the store I used to work at. Basis TT, Graham arm, benz ruby cartridge, rowland consummate preamp, all cardas golden. Wow.

 

[planet10]

I second the Spica TC50's.

I sold quite a few of those. A standout.

dave

 

[pinkmouse]

A couple of 80's British budget classics, the Wharfedale Diamond, (only the Mk1, they went rapidly downhill with later versions), and the Tannoy Mercury, a great little floorstander that was my first experience of real hifi.

 

[jackinnj]

The Minimus 7 was subject of an article in several issues of Speaker Builder -- and they regularly went on sale at Radio Shack. Here's one suggested crossover modification from 1988 (another in 1991 put a Zobel on the woofer. One of the problems with the Minimus was that they were hardly "standardized" so mods had to be modded.

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

 

[Landroval]

Sonus Faber Extrema:
http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/915/

Pioneer HPM-100:
http://www.audioreview.com/cat/speakers/floorstanding-speakers/pioneer/PRD_120402_1594crx.aspx

 

[davidlzimmer]

Tannoy Mercury, a great little floorstander that was my first experience of real hifi.

This may be a repeat but, my first experience in "Real HiFi' was Bozak, The Urban. They were huge, infinite baffles!

Ampex tape machine into McIntosh amp. I was hooked forever!

 

[planet10]

Here's one suggested crossover modification

That 1st one won't work very well. The inductor shunting the tweeter will roll the T off, but the 4.7 in series with the woofer is going to act as a HP at ~5k making the woofer largely redundant. Are you sure the cap shouldn't be on the tweeter leg?

dave

 

[planet10]

And here is a pic of the Minimus 7.

dave