Legendary speakers..

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Pano

Pano

Administrator
Joined 2004
Paid Member
DSP_Geek said:
I'll second sprucemoose's nomination of the Magneplanar Tympani. I first heard them sometime around 1975, driven by big Audio Research tube amps, and I was utterly gobsmacked.
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LOL! Me too, exactly. Circa 1974. Same system. Could not believe it. It was my introduction to Ultra-Fi.

I actually walked behind the "screens" to see who was playing violin. :D Told they guys at the store they should run an ad that says "Come in and don't hear our speakers."

Even after all these years and my love affair with horns, flirting with ESL, those Maggy Tympani still hold a special place. Legendary, indeed!
 
D

dobias

Member
Joined 2007
Legendary speakers

I have brought my 1953 Wharfedale Super 12 CS-AL speakers out of hibernation and have given them a new life in open baffles, augmented at the frequency extremes by the Super 3 tweeters & the W60 12inch woofers.
Over the years I had tried all kinds of (homemade) boxes for them without satisfaction. I've now found nirvana.
dobias: D
 
D

diydave

Member
Joined 2005
Maybe they're just legendary to me because I've used them basically every day for the last 10+ years, but I think the Radio Shack Optimus Pro LX5 with the Linaeum tweater should be on this list. I remember there being a lot of buzz back in the 90's when these things came out. Especially when they'd go on sale for 50% off.

Sorry for the Stereophile link:

http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/695ratshack/

The low end on these speakers is sort of weird (if you own them you'll know what I mean), but the mid range and high end is awesome.

http://rednerd.com/prolx5.jpg
 
Shaun

Shaun

Member
Joined 2001
elipse.co.za
Yamaha NS1000

Presently restoring these. Need new tweeters.

Fabulous midrange. Tight bass, good for 99% of music, but sometimes needs a subwoofer to assist...

NS-1000.jpg
 
S

Sylver300B

Member
Joined 2003
Legends

Because I shared years with these..

Celestion 66 (quite good actually)
IMF TLS50 (still have them and like them, though difficult load)
Braun 830, 1030 (loved them)
Braun-A/D/S LV-1020, a triamplified speaker that looks and sounds great (still have them.. and the Regie 510/1021 to drive them.)
And my everyday speakers are Tannoy Golds (and HPD) 12" and 15". Just love them.
Quad 57ESL wish I still had them..

Would have liked to have a pair of Klipschorn, or Westminsters.. but I'll start building Tannoy Autograph soon.. If I can fin de courage to start this journey to a legend..

Sylvain
 
Salas

Salas

diyAudio Chief Moderator
Joined 2002
Paid Member
Yamaha in Japan actually started as a 19th century musical instrument maker, hence the 3 diapasons (tuning forks) on its badge. It was only after 68 years that they made their first bike. Its a unique company that had the vision and had taken the risk to cross, not on a whim, but based on research and knowhow. They are truly successful from tennis rackets and golf clubs to R1 bikes. They reign in pro sound too.
What the pianos and outboard engines share in common, is the ability to practice engineering and material knowhow on any challenge, IF, its your knowhow.
 
R

Russell Dawkins

Member
Joined 2005
Hanginon said:
Yamaha, pretty amazing company. Audio equipment, musical instruments, snow skies, motorcycles, outboard motors, etc., etc.. All this different stuff, and it's all good to excellent. Like, what does a piano and outboard motor have in common?
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I agree. Their motorcycles dominated the world's racetracks for years in the early 70s, the NS1000 was probably the first Japanese speaker of any type to be taken seriously in the west, they led in consumer and pro digital and analog recording equipment, including synths and good reverbs. They make virtually every instrument in the orchestra and band, and most extremely well.

Most amazingly, they own the resources right back to the ground - they own forests, mines, sawmills and, I suppose, refineries.

On the other hand they have reassuringly human fallibility. Remember that speaker with the large ear-shaped bass/mid diaphragm from around '74? Their advertised reasoning was that since our ears are that shape, didn't it make sense for the speaker to be that shape, too?

An amazing company, indeed.
 
Shaun

Shaun

Member
Joined 2001
elipse.co.za
Russell Dawkins said:
Their motorcycles dominated the world's racetracks for years in the early 70s, the NS1000 was probably the first Japanese speaker of any type to be taken seriously in the west, they led in consumer and pro digital and analog recording equipment, including synths and good reverbs. They make virtually every instrument in the orchestra and band, and most extremely well.
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Yeah, we were fed a lot of anit-East propaganda back then.

Russell Dawkins said:
Remember that speaker with the large ear-shaped bass/mid diaphragm from around '74? Their advertised reasoning was that since our ears are that shape, didn't it make sense for the speaker to be that shape, too?
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That was them??!! LOL

Russell Dawkins said:
An amazing company, indeed.
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Indeed...
 
J

jekman

Member
Joined 2008
Great Speakers

I'm somewhat of a coaxial nut and if done right this has produced some great sounding speakers. Has anyone mentioned some of these:

Tannoy G.R.F. w/15" coaxial "Gold" driver
Tannoy Berkeley w/15" HPD 385s
Altec Lansing 620a w/604-8G

Others I have had the pleasure of owning or hearing for extended periods:

Rectilenear III
AR 3
Ohm A
JBL Hartsfield (Exact reproduction is now being made for a mere $15k)
Revel Ultima Salons (maybe not old enough to be a classic yet)
:)
 
Magnetar

Magnetar

Banned
Joined 2004
M

miksin

Member
Joined 2005
RCA LC1A.

IMHO, that should qualify as a legend. Sightings, anyone?

Ensemble PA-1?

Monsieur Salabert's original 8-incher with copper coil. I like it more than
those newer "SAG"-versions, but this is perhaps just a matter of taste.


Axiom 80.

..altough I might be biased with the last three. :angel:

Among them, I rank the last one in the first place, with a great marigin.
 
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