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In Reply to: RE: Kudos to Art Dudley posted by Salectric on September 16, 2016 at 12:03:59
AD has real writing talent. I like his articles as well.
Follow Ups:
he's 'preachin' to the choir'.
I think folks either "get" vintage loudspeakers -- or they don't.
I doubt that many folks are likely to have their opinions swayed by any amount of well written, well-reasoned expository prose.
That said -- I get 'em.
And I like Art's writing, and I miss "Listener"... and I am fortunate enough, in the past couple of years, to have gotten to know one of Art's erstwhile partners-in-crime, Bruce Kennett, in actual, real life.
(about as close to name-dropping as I can get in hifi, I'm afraid)
all the best,
mrh
But his reasons for liking older speakers, the linear dynamics and palpability, can also be characteristics to look for in modern transducers. In fact they are my main values in reproduction. And some modern designs do a good job too making the choir a bit bigger.
Adding the virtues of the old to the virtues of the modern would make a heck of a speaker.
I don't hear modern designs that equal some of the old designs in a broad array of sonic characteristics. And I find that dynamics are not really a strength of any modern design other than those that essentially mimic the designs older horns.
It's not just dynamics or "you are there presence" that old designs excel at...along with the dynamics and presence the best old designs have a naturalness that new speakers do not, a sense of ease, a "directness" of the sound, that I just cannot find in newer speakers, and at this point I do not care. I'll just live with those vintage speakers that sound more like real music to me.
I agree with you in general. I was friends with Gordon Holt and he agreed with you too. His last personal speakers were active ATC speakers because he felt they provided a lot of what you are talking about. And there are a few others I'm sure. I think my own speakers do it well too but they are semi custom with a SEAS small 2 way design and a custom woofer done by the designer of the small speakers. so in a sense they don't qualify.
I agree with you about dynamics. Vintage speakers, at least some of them, have effortless dynamics and this is a big factor in my opinion in why they sound so much more real than modern speakers.
What vintage speakers do you have in your system?
Only a very few, could ever top newer designed speakers.
Both drivers and cross-overs have come a long way.
The ones you speak about are mainly 3+-way speakers with very unfriendly load characteristics.
In smoothness and flat response and bandwidth, yes. But not in linear dynamics so much with a possible few exceptions.
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