Roots Archives Forum

2 x Pioneer S910's & 2 x Technics SB-G910's

Old school now but seriously sweet sounds.

home - 2 sony 10's subs home theater, sony amp, pionner record player, and gemini mixer.

car - 2 kickers 12's, polk 3 way rear n front, 900 watt 4x memphis amp, and a 500 watt alpine amp.

It is easy to get lost in a lot of bullshit. The best advice as already given is to listen before you buy on kit playing your stuff. The main problem is that you will not be able to replicate the characteristics of your room unless you actually have the kit set up in it.
Also, there is no point having the best speakers money can buy if your amp / turntable are not up to the job.
Speaker size is not necessarily important. I have some very old but really sweet JBL110's with only a 10" bass BUT the magnets driving the bass are really heavy and give a phenominal sound. I also have some 15" Celestion bass speakers (mainly for the occasional disco) but these are not a patch on the JBL's, they can just handle more power. Having said that the 150 watts the JBL's take is enough to shake pictures off the walls and make clocks jump off shelves at home
The crossover in the speakers is very important. JBL's were noted for their crossovers in the early 80's when I bought mine. Buying a good speaker can last you a life time.
Having said the above, the speakers need to be driven properly. Straining an amp can lead to it producing some horrible sounds.
I would be inclined to search under 'vintage hi-fi' and see what is available, some real bargains can be had. I might even have a set of Accoustic Research speakers for sale!

"Buying a good speaker can last you a life time."

Fi true, Toucan! I've been using the same speakers/power amp/turntable since 1981, and they're still going strong. I have changed the stylus on the turntable more than a few times--original cartridge, though! Someday the speakers will have to be re-coned, but not yet.

Hi Mikeyi,

Not what I use at home but great for reggae and dub. http://www.cerwin-vega.com/ If you want to try and find a second hand or ex-dem bargain check out B&W DM604S3 soon to be discontinued. Seriously though the best advice is to find a local hifi shop, check out http://www.bada.co.uk/ if you are in the UK, have a listen and see if they will lend you stuff to try at home. I agree with a previous post, it is not all about the speakers, the front end is the most vital thing. Rubbish in rubbish out.

One love.

KEF Reference 105s - nearly 30 years old.

http://www.kef.com/history/1970/model105.asp

Rob

I have a Rotel amp and Rotel CD changer which run a pair of Paradigm Studio 60 speakers that each house a 1 inch tweeter, a 7 inch midrange driver, and a 7 inch bass driver, I also use a 12 inch Paradigm bass speaker. I'm sure some folks on here have much fancier systems, but for a mid-to-upper end system there's a lot of bang for the buck (or euro as the case may be).

http://www.stereophile.com/loudspeakerr ... 4paradigm/

Some people noted that you should listen to the speakers with your own music. Another good tip I got from someone is to really think about where the speakers are set up, relative to where the listening spot is, and the configuration of the listening room. Some simple things like this can make a big difference in the sound.