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So I decided to part ways with my refurbished ESS ps1020's, small Heil speakers. They sounded great, but after 10 years I was smitten by some Soundcraftsmen triaxials.
Anyway, there was no love for them on my local craigslist, so after a month I put them on consignment at one of the local audio/video shops. (They sell good brands and have speakers up to 7k per pair). I listed them at $175.00, and I would keep 75%.
Anyway, I received an email the next day from the shop. The owner stated to the effect of: "We should not sell these for less than $350.00, they sound phenomenal!"
So much for the " vintage speakers can't compete with new technology" diatribe I hear all the time.
"When the demon is at your door, in the mornin' it won't be there no more"
Steely Dan
Follow Ups:
The problem is,I don't think the Quad ESL 57s,the KLH9s,the AR3s,the 1950s and 60s K-horns,several JBLs,Heil Air Motions, and many more, heard that they couldn't compete.
Honest amplification is better than excessive 2nd order distortion anytime.
Michael,
What folks seem to forget is that human hearing hasn't changed in the last 50 years or so. Live music still sounds the same, and the speaker designers of the past didn't use a Garrard changer as the source for their listening tests. Most used master tapes. However, they did use amplifiers of the day in the appropriate price range.
Match up an older speaker with an appropriate amp and a good phono system, or one of the more "phono" sounding CD players and you have a terrific system. But, you do need to put the speakers back into their original context to hear how good they are.
Jerry
Michael,
While I respect your knowledge and its depth and generally agree with you in this case I am not in agreement generally.
One thing that disturbs me is so many speakers today need a subwoofer to get down there many old designs got down there without such an augmentation. Tweeter design in the dynamic driver technology is where I seem to find improvement. Back then high end was purposely limited due to record noise and hiss.
I may have just been lucky having had some of the finer midrange driver speakers and it is here I find new speakers really fall down. It may be as much the crossovers and crossover points as the newer drivers but I find almost all I have heard have the OLA dip and a veil or a lack of detail that is quite distracting.
It seems newer designs are more about the whizz bang than clean, faithful, uncolored smooth reproduction. Of course like all things audio these are very general observations and as I always have said speakers and their sound are very individualistic.
Don Brian Levy, J.D.
Toronto ON Canada
I really like the sound of some vintage speakers, including a few on Mike's brief list.
Misread what Mike said so we are in agreement even on this.
Don Brian Levy, J.D.
Toronto ON Canada
If it is any consolation, I still am not sure what he was saying.
Dave
I have a small pair of ESS LE20's, and while the highs are very clean, and extended, the midrange is where they fall short. Perhaps the consignment shop people aren't familiar with truly great midrange, since most modern speakers are two way with a 2.5khz crossover point.
I have seen two different coaxial OEM drivers sold under the Soundcraftsmen brand. One was a University (if memory serves) coax, the other is the unassuming EV Wolverine LT12 coax.
Kind of hard to believe either would lead you (or anyone) to sell off a pair of ESS with Heils.
... and mind you, I like the LT12 a lot... but it was a $30 driver when new; not exactly high-end.
all the best,
mrh
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=181421178509&ssPageName=ADME:B:WNARL:US:1123
Not much love, these were 149.00...
"When the demon is at your door, in the mornin' it won't be there no more"
Steely Dan
All is not lost. I am going over to the shop for lunch and a listen and to talk about room treatment. The room they were in is apparently ill suited for their performance. Maybe I can figure something out and keep them.
Odd that no one thought they were worth 150.00, which is what they were posted for a month.
"When the demon is at your door, in the mornin' it won't be there no more"
Steely Dan
The smaller (as I recall, they weren't that small) ESS Heil speakers don't get a lot of attention. Most people lust after the big floor-standers. However, as you have found, when you actually listen ...
Dave
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