Are vintage speakers really that good?

I just picked up some JBL 4311 that I’m currently selling on audiogon. I have to say that I’m completely surprised at how good they sound. I’m not into vintage audio but would actually keep them if they weren’t in such decent shape – That might sound a little weird, but I have young kids that would destroy the paper-cone drivers of these classic speakers. Because the right and left speakers are mirrored design (Tweeter, Mid and Woofer in the same exact spot on each) I found it hard to place them in the room in order to get the perfect imaging – But finally got it. Also the 4311’s gobble up tons of power and reveal what’s driving them. They seem to be direct and focused – perfect for in-studio use. When you leave the sweet spot you loose the perfect balance – although they still sound very good while walking around. I wouldn’t put them up against “Watt Puppies” or Martin Logins but they easily hold their own against my recently tuned-up Snell EII’s.

I put some decent speaker cables on the them this weekend ( Not just zip cord) and they improve more and found that they had a wider soundstage -- Not as direct and MUCH better balance from side to side. By doing this they surpassed my Snell's in many ways.