Recommend a forward speaker

I owned some Altec 19's for a couple of years. The stereo image is fairly forward and the speaker (a horn with a big cone woofer) is not bright. Good tight bass. The forward part of the image was on a plane with the fronts of the speakers. I understand this is not unusual for speakers with horns (when they are done right).

Dennis, Re horn speakers - AGon's resident 'expert' on horns and other speakers which might have a more forward speaker imaging plane, NOT just increased volume in certain frequencies which often is nothing more than selective brightness to inhance the appearance of greater detail, etc, is Duke, a dealer who has much experience with panels, horns and cones. He is honest and direct. He also just happens to be starting up his own speaker business. He posts here under Audiokinesis. If he doesn't pick up and respond fire him off an e-mail. I'm sure he will be happy to be helpful without sales pressure.

Sounds as likely as anything I can think of, but I'm not a speaker designer. I've never thought, from what I've actually heard, that bringing the plane of the image forward had much, if anything, to do with frequency response. I've had bright cone speakers, speakers with and without BBC dips, panel speakers and electrostats. None of them brought the stage as far forward as those old Altec 19's I had 25 years ago and they were not near as bright (if at all) as many of the cone speakers that have graced my house. My guess is that it has something to do with dispersion of and room interaction with the signal from the upper-mid range thru the highs. Be nice to know though.

John, A very interesting observation about why people rotate gear! Something I've done more out of curiosity than anything else.

But I think its not so much about the need for change to avoid long term listening as the failure of something you've bought to meet your preconcieved, but not necessarily realized, notions of what you want your system to sound like before you bought.

As it may well be the case with Dennis. He feels he doesn't have what he wants soundstage wise and he attributes it to the Verities (as opposed to his choice of ancillaries and set up) and it may well be so, or it may simply not be achievable. BUT what also is in play is that priorities change as one become accoustomed to listening to something new, either for the better or worse.

For example, at one time I couldn't really 'hear' the absence of well defined depth of pin point imaging - now I can, at one time I couldn't distinguish true resolution from tilted up frequencies, now I can. Having reached that level of experience I cannot ignor their absence in equipment including speakers (and set up), and electronics. Equipment I found acceptable 20 years ago might not be so today. We change and we grow.

I think Dennis is wise in his present decision to audition in his own home speakers/set up/ancillaries and see where he ends up. Frankly, he may find out why so many folks own and love the Verities, and find them difficult to improve on in any meaningful way - absent a specific need. He may even come to understand better the imaging issues that he brought up in this thread. (In the long run I felt that the imaging at the plane of the fronts of the speakers was more artificial than listening to a recessed stage and contrary to live experiences. And, for some reason, also shortened the sense of true depth which might otherwise be on the recording).

Facinating stuff......this is one road many of us travel with no clear understanding of where we are going to end up until we get there or run out of gas.