Can you live with your current speaker until you die?

Of course you can get temptation to add another speaker.

My question is whether you have any speaker that you want to keep for your life.

 

Only thing that I would replace my AR 3a's with is AR 3's, or AR LST's. Otherwise, I'm done.

 

I forget if I responded to this thread or not... but I am pretty sure I could live with my JBL 4367 for the rest of my life! The thing that matters most, the room, will most certainly only be upgraded as I get older and get better living arrangements.

 

That's it, I bought them 22 years ago when I was 22. Those were magical times for me, I was young, I had a job that I loved, had a great wage, got my first serious pair of speakers that as I said I fell in love with and I still love them even 'though I'm older, crippled, umm, I mean I have a disability, I'm flat broke, unemployed... But still have my B&W 601's and I still love them even more than the day I got them.

 

The mentions of disastrous demonstrations in this thread made me think of a couple I've attended myself – after which I had an interesting experience that reminded me why my current speakers, Bang & Olufsen's BeoLab 90s, will be the last pair I ever own.

I like B&O's products more than any sane person, and have owned quite a number over the years. Back in 1997, I wanted to get a surround sound system and upgrade my TV and speakers, which was going to cost me around £7,000. I decided to benchmark a conventional two-channel system of the same cost and visited a hi-fi dealer who said "Bang & Olufsen? I think we can do a bit better than that, sir", and proceeded to demonstrate the most obnoxious pair of speakers I have ever heard.

I can't remember what make or model they were; I can remember that they could do 3D imaging extremely well, which the B&O speakers of the era certainly could not (all offering a very wide and flat soundstage). However, 3D imaging was all they could do: they achieved this by cramming everything into the middle of the stereo image, almost like wide mono, and pushing everything forwards: it was like having a conversation with a man who constantly invades your personal space and shouts into your face. The dealer attempted the old trick of turning them up deafeningly loud, which was quite impressive, but at any normal volume level these speakers were not pleasing at all. The following week, I tested B&O's BeoLab 8000s, which absolutely caned these speakers — and in retrospect, compared to what I have now, the Lab 8000s are not even particularly good.

That's not to say that B&O's own dealers can necessarily perform good demonstrations – far from it. Before I bought my own pair of BeoLab 90s, I went to a dealership to check them out. The dealer played me a number of tunes I had brought along, sat back with a satisfied expression and asked me what I thought. It was entirely obvious to me that something was wrong with them, and I said so, but the dealer denied it. In fact, the Lab 9os sounded like the passive speakers I mentioned above — great 3D imaging but no lateral stereo image at all. After acquiring my own pair, I discovered that if you change the settings a few times on them, the Lab 90s can go into a "hidden" mono mode, and you have to switch the settings again to get back into stereo. The B&O dealer, who mainly sold omnidirectional portable speakers, was so used to hearing things in mono that he didn't even realise his flagship $85,000 speakers weren't playing in stereo.

That wasn't even the worst demo I've ever had at a B&O dealer. A couple of decades earlier, I visited a store that demonstrated some of their TVs to me. B&O TVs can be programmed to turn to face you when they switch on, which can be useful in certain shaped rooms. However, in that case the dealer had no idea how to program them properly; as a result, every time a TV was turned 0n, it turned away from the viewing position to face the wall, as though it were sulking. I got outside and nearly collapsed laughing. These sorts of shenanigans must have contributed significantly to B&O's poor reputation among audiophiles – they've actually made some wonderful-sounding products over the years, but these products are then sold by people who know nothing about hi-fi or even how to operate them.

I've recently decided to upgrade my rear speakers to B&O's newish BeoLab 50s, which would retail for about $40,000 in the States; my pair should be delivered next week. (That's not to say I spent the equivalent of $40,000 on them – with discounts and trade-ins, it will cost me the equivalent of about $15,000.) This morning I watched a music DVD (Renaissance's A Symphonic Journey) in 5.1 sound. It's a good concert – great track listing, decent filming and pleasant if 2D sound quality. Whilst I was watching, I caught up on a bit of work (editing some reviews for the second edition of the music reference book "Galactic Ramble", which will be going to print in a few weeks) and started wondering whether I'd been unnecessarily extravagant in upgrading my rear speakers.

I then played a psychedelic rock album (Down With The Gypsies' Kassiopeia) in two-channel, using 192/24 AIFF files. My God… the soundstage. The band aimed for a 3D recording, using height as well as width and depth, and the results made my jaw drop. At one point, an electric piano duets with the drummer: the former is not only about four feet closer in the soundstage, but a couple of feet above the drum kit. Hearing a phantom pair of hands playing a phantom electric piano a couple of feet above my head and a couple of feet in front of my speakers was an astonishing experience. My work stopped and I simply found myself staring into space, enveloped in the music. I actually had to force myself to concentrate on the music, rather than the hi-fi, in order to write my review.

I now can't wait for my BeoLab 50s to arrive, which should in particular transform my experience when listening to quadraphonic vinyl.

 

Yes. Aktiv Linn Ninka.

 

Yes. I've lived with my AR3a since 1969. Still love them.

 

Yes.

 

Yes Zingali Twenty Evo 1.2 .

 

I'd better be able to. My wife says I'm going to.

 

WAF works in your case. Good luck to you.

 

You mean as you one and only pair of speakers ? Something is preventing me from accessing anyone's profiles lately.

 

Didn't that dealer demo for you B&W, Tannoy, Martin Logan, Klipsch, Mission or Sonus Faber speakers just to name a few that in my opinion are best for the same amount of money than your B&O speakers?

 

You mean during the 1997 demo? I can’t remember what the brand of speaker was, only that it didn’t appeal to me at all. With regard to the BeoLab 90 demo in 2016, it was at a dedicated B&O dealership and I was specifically interested in the BeoLab 90s due to their active nature and the DSP, which largely removes the need for room treatments, as my listening room is also my sitting room.

In addition, I live on a remote island. We have a Bang & Olufsen dealership here, meaning I can get my products serviced without too much difficulty. With certain esoteric high-end hi-fi, I would need to fly in technicians to make any adjustments.

 

Just get a high end pair of B&W speakers, they are made in the UK, they sound outstanding, they're used on many highly regarded recording studios (Abbey Road, Lucasfilm's Skywalker Sound...) , they use the latest technology, they are made to last and I'm sure you can get them and have them set up at Isle Of Man.
By the way, I envy the place you live in. I always wanted to live in small, remote island with cold and rainy weather where I wouldn't have to use sunglasses and sun block cream. Unfortunately I live in Spanish' Costa del Sol, this is like HELL to me.

 

I’ve never directly compared B&W and B&O, though a friend who also bought the BeoLab 90s auditioned the Nautilus at the same time. He said there was very little in it in terms of sound quality: the Nautilus won on looks but was a much more expensive proposition as it required eight quality monobloc amplifiers to drive it properly.

The winters here are milder than most people imagine, due to the Gulf Stream, and in fact are much warmer than the south of England, where I used to live. They tend to be very rainy, though, but Ramsey, where I live, is in a rain shadow and consequently has a microclimate that is warmer, sunnier and much drier than the rest of the island.

 

I had many speakers, Wharfedale, Kef, Altec, Quad electrostatic, Crown Electrostatic, BW 801, Tannoy Westminster TW and finally Westminster Royal, certainly there should be better speakers, but this is what I was looking for! Yes, I can keep them, the rest of my life!

 

I have a pristine pair of 1968 Altec Lansing Flamenco's that I purchased from the original owner in 1977.
They're not going anywhere in my lifetime.

 

I got my first JBL when my Dad left his single 030 box at the curb for Goodwill pickup. I wrestled it into my closet. I was 9-years-old. I later mated it to another used 030 for a stereo pair and with these I made it through high-school, college, and marriage, before buying another pair of JBLs 37-years ago for a second system. I still have both but ten-years ago replaced the 030 in my main system with a pair of 4345s which will stay with me until the end of my days. I'm building a new home with the living-room designed to accommodate the 4345s . . . as well as three other rooms for the rest of my JBL collection 0f over a dozen pairs!

I enjoy the 4345s enough to be happy with them for the rest of my days. I have not heard anything I like better. I had promised myself I'd find a pair of L300s when I finally built my dream home, but the 4345s fell into my lap before we could get to building the house so the speakers came first. Now I'm building a dream home for the speakers I cold never even dream of owning. I'm a pretty happy hi-fi guy.

 

Altec made some beautiful home speakers in the late 60's and early 70's. like the Barcelona and the Santiago.

These were their higher end home speakers, in home size bass reflex cabinets and front mounted LF direct radiator's. They used their commercial quality Voice of the Theater components in their nice furniture cabinets. They were very efficient and extraordinary when used with tube amplifier's.

They also had their Model 19's and even made a real home version of the A7's in walnut cabinet's.

These things were made to last forever!

 

Good thread. I've always viewed speakers as something to keep trying new ones. I never thought about keeping for life. I use them for a couple of years then sell. Right now I have no speakers or anything moved to a new place and sold all my gear before moving. Its so much fun to try new audio gear out I never try the same gear twice. I have no idea what my next gear will be maybe the board can help me in different thread. I am new here as member but have been reading for years for information.

 

The board would be most amicable to help you. But in order to do so, it might help if your narrowed down your present location, so that our members might have an idea what speakers may be more readily available to you over others?

 

I also have a pair of AR4x that I've owned since 1970. Recently acquired a pair of Advent Heritage towers at an auction. 3a's have always been my main pair. 4X's are part of my garage system and now the Advents are part of my television surround sound system.

 

I bought my (modded) Ohm Walsh 3’s used 5 years ago just to try them because Ohms have a very non-traditional sound. Funny thing is, I love ‘em. I’ve had these longer than any other speakers in the last 30 years. However, we just moved and I don’t like them as much in my new apt. I’m definitely not speaker shopping anytime soon (I abhor it, living in NYC). But everytime I play an album that was recorded/mastered well, I fall in love with these things again.
They are kinda ugly, but my gf doesn’t mind. Maybe I’ll have them until I die, that wouldn’t be so bad.

 

Familiar speakers that you enjoy are like old friends. Very familiar and reliable. A comfort really.