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Is it all worth it?

So this week I re-foamed a pair of Boston Acoustics a40 series ii speakers I bought 30 years ago for not very much at all by audiophile standards. Put them in my 12x12 sunroom running of my main system which has very good source and amplification and these things are blowing me away. You could find a pair online or at your local thrift shop for around $50. Why bother spending the big bucks?   Really makes one think.
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Showing 10 responses by mapman

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mapman OP
21,825 posts
 
It's not nostalgia.   I 
aways thought these pretty good for the size and cost but no special attachment. 

But they are very involving speakers and very easy on the ear as long as you don't push them too hard.    It would make me question spending up to $1000 or so for a new pair of small monitors.  Good quality new small monitors these days are very small. 

It it just reinforces to me that very good sound for a music lover need not cost a fortune these days.  Some might actually prefer the sound of these to other popular modern contenders.   You just never know. 




mapman's avatar
mapman OP
21,825 posts
 
The sunroom they are in is12x12 has Windows on three sides and a tile floor and cathedral ceiling and is very lively. I've found that less in there (smaller speakers) works best.    The Bostons also seem to have good dispersion and fill the room with sound nicely.   Room size and acoustics largely dictate how much speaker is needed to fill it.   Plus I am running about 8K of amplification into them so they are well fed.    That's probably mostly why they sound similar but better than I remember in regards to detail soundstage and imaging. 
mapman's avatar
mapman OP
21,825 posts
 

I'm wondering how many others have found using good quality speakers from the past in good working order with their current system yields results on par if not necessarily equivalent with newer speakers but for so much less.

I suspect many here have systems that are are miles ahead of what they may have had years ago and that is something many older speakers can benefit from.

I also have my original OHM Ls I bought in 1978 that I refurbed myself and still have running.  Those too sound far and beyond what they ever did in the past.   If I really put more attention into the fine tuning, I'd say these speakers that tareted the clasic Advent sound but in a smaller package sold for $400 a pair in 1978 and is OHMs all time best seller could compete with modern designs like Harbeth of comparable dimensions that must cost thousands of dollars.   You can get those fully and professionally refurbed via OHM still.   I am still using original high end drivers and crossover in mine but did a major upgrade to the bass driver using a high quality Morell 8" woofer that cost as much as the whole speaker originally.

mapman's avatar
mapman OP
21,825 posts
 

Years ago when first getting interested in hifi, I heard certain ssytems from time to time that let me know for sure there were things in the music to hear that I was not hearing because my players were not that good.  

Then for several years after some improvements  I was satisfied, but not pre-occupied with having "it-all".   So I got by for many years that way.

Then about 2008 or so, I realized my old Maggies could no longer cut it for me in the different room I needed them in, and decided to fix it an not stop until completely satisfied I am doing things "right" and not feeling shorted in any way.

So after many gradual upgrades and thousands of dollars later, that is where I have been for most of the last few years.   Don't regret any of it.  Now I just wonder how much must I really invest down the road to stay satisfied.  Like most things, the answer is still it depends but I become better educated about what does and does not work all the time along the journey.

mapman's avatar
mapman OP
21,825 posts
 
Mensch yes not being overtly bright at all yet surprisingly resolving makes them a great match for that room.  

My main system feeds that room and speakers in several others via in wall wiring and a speaker switch so yes the little Bostons benefit from the same source system as my much bigger and pricier Ohm F5 series 3 speakers, smaller  ohms, Dynaudios and others.  
mapman's avatar
mapman OP
21,825 posts
 
Yes I am listening to them now.    Very well suited for the sunroom. 

One can can call them whatever.    My point is they cost practically nothing these days and compete with new stuff citing many times more somewhat surprisingly.  

Yes se they are nothing special to look at and build quality is common.  All the more reason I started this thread.  It does not seem to even matter in this case.    
mapman's avatar
mapman OP
21,825 posts
 
Exactly. They are enjoyable and cost practically nothing by audiogon standards.   If it sounds good and is enjoyable why bother analyzing it further.   A corollary would be it need not be considered audiophile to sound great though not perfect. 
mapman's avatar
mapman OP
21,825 posts
 
ive only heard them in my sunroom.  Not a/b compared with any others other than triangle Titus I had in there prior.   But I'd expect they could compete with various smaller  monitors I've heard from companies like PSB and  B&W in local shops recently that we're going for between 500 and 1000 dollars.   Maybe against smaller Goldenears I have heard which were the best of the bunch.   Probably other similar small monitors that use very small bass drivers in a very small enclosure.   Would they win?   Maybe not.   But I find them completely satisfying in my sunroom.   I did not expect them to stay in there long when I first hooked them up.  I may put the Triangles into a separate new system now using a tube amp and not feel sorted.   The triangles are surely better speakers though.   The Bostons seem to have better dispersion.  That and their soft top end work well there.   The point is they sound exceptional for next to nothing and not many choices new for anywhere near that.  
mapman's avatar
mapman OP
21,825 posts
 
That old things can still perform well brings up some interesting questions.

Like if Johnny Unitas, who was physically imperfect and limited by modern standards, came around today in his prime, would teams still want him?
mapman's avatar
mapman OP
21,825 posts
 
"Very likely there is an insatiable drive to hear something different, no matter how good the rig."

I agree. Variety is the spice of life, right?

I think explains most of what drives able bodied audiophiles to change over time.  Its a basic force of nature that drives people and explains a lot.

Can anyone honestly say they have ever been able to maintain a constant high state of audiophile bliss day in and day out for an extended period of time with just one system? Sometimes you just want something a little different. then you are ready to go back to what’s really the best to you.

I keep my reference system and various others around as much as I can in order to best deal with that.

A much better approach than continuous change and upgrade if one can accommodate it.


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