Seeking Speaker Recommendations


Greetings,

I've been away from the hobby for quite a while, but am now ready to slowly edge my way back in.  Many moons ago I sold my Altec Model 19's, and have never been able to find a replacement for them.  Their dynamics, their liveliness, their punch, the way they recreated the music on a grand scale.  Even at lower volumes their dynamic swings were amazing.  They sounded so lifelike.  I'm sure their measured performance was likely abysmal, but the sound they generated, to my ears, was like sitting at a performance.

Having been to the CES/Comdex show many, many times years ago, I had seen and listened to hundreds of speakers by hundreds of manufacturers.  What I liked was significantly out of my price range.  I've personally owned systems by Thiel, Von Schweikert, Martin Logan, Magnepan, Legacy, Focal, and the list goes on.  I even went to great expense and custom built a pair of Altec 604 based speakers.  All have left me wanting my old Altec 19's back.

I know they can be had today, and you can even build a "new" pair with the cabinets and drivers available, but I can no longer house a pair of speakers larger than a washer/dryer!  What I'm looking for is a small to medium sized floor-standing speaker, preferably under $3,000/pair, that will recreate that Altec Model 19 magic.  I assume it would have to be high efficiency and horn based.

Can anyone kindly recommend a system that might come close to what I'm seeking?

Thanks!!
seadweller
Shop around for a Pair of JBL 4430's. I picked up a pair a few years back for $1,200, the sound stage is unbelievable. I've seen them on Ebay for $2400 recently. BTW, I use to have a pair of Voice of the Theater with those horns. My personal opinion, 4430's are the way to go.
I've read some of the responses here, I have a pair of Klipsch Forte I, I've heard the La Scala's, I can't speak for the Conwell's , You would not be disappointed with JBL 4430's. JBL produced the 4430 for 18 years straight

I have PMC PB1i.

I would look for a pair of OB1s.

Another option is something like a GR Research Super V.  A pair or two for sale over on audiocircle. 

Finally, there's a pair of Von Schweikert VR5 HSE as well for around $3K.