Buying speakers ten or more years old a good idea?


Just wondering , if it is a loss of advances in speaker manufacture, or if to many problems arise to justify the large savings over younger or new speakers
acidfolk

Showing 2 responses by vhiner

You can pick up used Thiel 5i's, 3.6's and 7.2's for ridiculously low prices now and those speakers can outperform any number of new speakers. I'm sure others know of similar makes and models. There are some real classics out there that are well worth a purchase. Only problem is that some, like the Thiels, need a high quality front end to perform optimally.
Acidfolk,

As you can see, there are many great used speaker options.

As to the amplifier requirements of the Thiel 3.6's and above, I think
Mcloughlin's description of his upgrade path says it all. You can get by with
250 very high quality watts, but more just gets you better results with the
Thiels. Classe is a good match (I used several) but I would also
recommend a tube preamp.

If you're budget is meager, I can recommend an excellent 400-watt
amplifier that can be had for under a grand; the Musical Concepts Hafler
500. It actually beat my old CA-2200. I know somone who has an extra one
should you ever decide to go that direction. It has one of the best midrange
blooms I've ever heard and the Thiels LOVE midrange friendly amps.
Finding the right amp for any speaker you decide to buy will be critical to
getting a satisfying sound.