How often have you purchased new speakers?

Just curious...

I have had mine since 2000 so effectively 11 years old. Still love them while other components have come and gone from the rack they have remained. They were about $2500 for bookshelf speakers and $2700 for a sub back then.

I did take home a pair of Martin Logan "Clarity" once about 8 yeas ago to see if I wanted a new pair. I didn't think they sounded as good so returned them and haven't "auditioned" since.

Just curious what other folks on the forum speaker shelf life is.

I was planning to hold out and buy a new set when I turn 40 (which would make my current pair 17 years old at that time) with a budget in the $10K-$16K range (possibly used too) and preferrable just some nice full range ones. I started mentioning it to my wife recently so by the time 2017 rolls around, she will know I had "wanted" them for a long time!

 

let's see:Magneplanars,11 years +;B & Ws,16 years;Advents,34 years.

 

3 Times:

1980 as part of a Fisher "Separates" system.
1986 Stepped up to B&W DM220s (Loved 'em).
2000 Stepped up to B&W N805's (Love 'em more).

 

I haven't bought a pair of speakers since 1992 (a pair of Mission 760is). In 1994 I was given a pair of Quad ESL57s and, space permitting, they've been my main speakers ever since. They're the same age as I am!

 

Every month or 2. Based on recommendations from our beloved reviewers with the Golden Ears. Honestly, they sound more or less all the same, but i like the finish and technical descriptions...

 

Three times here as well.

1987 bought some Polk Jrs. with my first real system the summer before my sophmore year in college.
1995 or 96. Bought Celestion C2 series for surround. Loved them. Still have the rears on my ceiling, gave the fronts and center to my brother.
Bought my current Polks when the local Tweeter went OOB, a year or two before the chain folded.

 

I'm near 10 years on my current pair of B&W N802s. Prior to that, it seemed like I'd change every few years when I got a bit more $$ or upgrade bug bit.

I wouldn't mind upgrading in a few years, but the out of pocket cost for something a bit better than my current pair would be substantial. Not sure I'm comfortable with that, considering I convinced myself 10 years ago this pair could last "a lifetime".

 

1969 Lafayette
1971 KLH
1972 Scott
1978 Advent
1986 Polk
1987 Magneplanar
1997 B&W (x2), ProAc, Magneplanar
1999 Spica
2003 Paradigm
2006 Paradigm

 

1977 Sonab 116'S wish I still had them
1980 Meridiam M10"s rue the day I sold them
1981 Canton GLE 50 with Sub (Sweet sounding)
1989 Linn Speakers dont remember the Model
1991 Thiels
2010 Monitor Audio RX2'S and Paradigm DSP 3400 Sub. If I could find a pair of Sonab OA116'S I would give my left one as a donation. they are still the best speaker I have ever had in terms of sound stage

 

What a long strange trip it's been.

1980 - Technics SBL300 - My first pair. Three-way ported system w/horn tweeter
1986 - Energy ESM2 - Nice two-way monitors for the money.
1991 - Energy Reference Con. 22 - These had the "million dollar tweeter".
1996 - Paradigm Titan - I bought these for a bedroom system.
1998 - Hales Revelation 3 - Fantastic speakers and an audiogon.com best buy (IMHO).
2002 - Hales Revelation Center
2005 - Velodyn DD 12 subwoofer
2006 - Hales Transcendence 8 - Best speakers I've owned.
2007 - Hales Transcendence Center
2008 - Hales Revelation 1 - I bought this two-way ported monitor for surround use

 

Mine are 1999's.

 

My current speakers in 2007, the ones before in 1996.

 

1969 Heathkit horn (unknown, mono)
1974 Marantz 4G
1976 Large Advent
1979 a/d/s/ 710
1985 Boston Acoustics A400
1990 B&W P6 (one of their stinkers)
1991 VMPS Tower II SE
1999 NHT 2.5i
2001 Gallo Nucleus Solo
2002 VMPS Ribbon Monitor 1

Various other smaller speakers (Paradigm Atom, AR 3ax, ACI Emerald, Mordaunt-Short MS-10i Pearl, Omega TS-3, Hornshoppe Horn) for secondary systems along the way.

I've had the current VMPS longer than anything, and I actually want to upgrade, but cash seems to go to other things, and there's no good shop withn reasonable distance to listen to something, though I suspect I'd go with another VMPS model since I like their sound.

John K.

 

Around every ten years.

 

2006 - Athena FS-2's
2006 - Vandersteen 2Ce's
2007 - Quad 63's
2008 - Magnepan Tympani IVa's
2008 - Acoustat Spectra 3300's
Early 2009 - present - Acoustat Spectra 6600's

2011 -???

ccm

 

I'm still on my first and only pair of speakers (B&W DM601 S2) bought in 2001 and don't have any plans to upgrade in the near future. For my purposes and budget they work perfectly fine for me.

 

That's way most say spend most on speakers and the rest of your budget on the rest? Speakers seem to stay longer.

 

1989 - Radiotehnika (back in USSR this was the $hit, and as I teen I was happy as a clam rocking out to these )
1992 - old Lafayette coaxial speakers (Got them for few $ on a flee market and loved them, I killed them by playing too loud )
1995 - AR-7 (flee market find, gave to a friend in 1998)
1996 - Yamaha NS-690 (sold 1998)
1998 - Klipsch KG-4 (sold 2007)
1999 - Apogee Centaur (sold in 2011)
2007 - SAP Trio
2009 - Symdex Gamma Reference (sold in 2011 to a friend cos he really liked them )
2010 - Stax ELS F81
2011 - Gallo Reference 1 and Fonken

Plus I had a bunch of other speakers for extended auditions over the years and have a few cheap bookshelf speakers here all the time, just for fun.

 

Longest time of use 17 years and counting - shortest 6 month ..
Been through 5 pairs since 1976...

 

The last time I bought speakers was over 10 years ago. I am very very happy with my JMlab Mezzo Utopia speakers. They were $13k.

 

still have all of them:

1978: Advent/3
1992: JBL 4410
1998: Tannoy System 800

 

Late 70's - Bose and B.I.C.
Early 80's - Klipsch (Still use them)
Early 90's - Boston Acoustics (Still use them)
I will buy new speakers when these wear out.

 

My speaker history:

- before 1981 (I was 13 years old): old Braun bookshelf speakers from the early 70s
- 1981-1986: some cheap JVC floorstanding speakers I bought
- 1986-1996: Infinity RS6
- 1996-2003: Dynaudio Contour 1.3
- since 2003: Dynaudio Contour S3.4

 

Wilson WP 8's, fall 2010
Aerial Acoustic 10T, 1995
Thiel CS 2.0, 1993
NHT, 1990
Can't remember too well before..Genesis 2's or something like that from the early 1980's

 

I'm on my 5th pair since 1973. In chronological order:

JBL 88 Plus
Magneplanar IIB
Infinity IRS Beta
Revel Ultima Salon
Hansen King V2

Its been a steady improvement. I expect that I am now done.