re: Audiophile/Vinyl Thread - Post Pics, Advice, Questions, Setups, etc.

Problem with very old speakers is that the rubber/foam surrounds tend to rot away. They will probably need to be re foamed and, although people claim they can do it themselves, you kinda need to know what you are doing.

Also, old speakers tend to be very inefficient, meaning they need more power (watts) to drive them compared with a newer, more efficient model.

And, speaker cones today are made from much more advanced materials giving them better pistonic virtues (a speaker is basically a piston moving air). The magnets comprising the voice coil assembly are also of stronger and higher grade as well.

And, the internal crossover circuits are just better...better design, better materials, better wiring.

I don't mind vintage amps, receivers, tape decks (they all still need some TLC though)--but I never recommend a vintage speaker. The speakers today are just plain better sounding (within reason--I'm not talking a vintage pair of Infinity IRS Beta towers here).

I usually point people to the Focal line of bookshelf speakers. Music Direct usually has the entry level Focals for 40-50% off MSRP. They are very efficient and will sing with an older receiver (old receivers usually aren't known for having shite tons of power like today's models).


Hope this reasoning helps out.