Need Guidance for Next/Last Pair of Speakers


I’ll try to be brief, although it’s not my strong suit..😁 I sold my pair of Altec 19 speakers a long time ago. I was the original owner, and their sheer size just didn’t work out at the time. I’ve been infatuated with audio equipment since I was a young lad, so after selling the Altec’s, I went on a long journey to replace them. Magnepan’s, Martin Logan’s, Thiel’s, Legacy Audio, Von Schweikert, Focal, and the list goes on and on. None of them have been able to recreate the magic of those 19’s.

I actually custom made a pair of speakers with a Great Plains 604 coax driver, but never could get the crossovers right, so I sold them. I now have a pair of Focal’s that are great, but they just don’t have that Altec 19 personality.

I’d love to have a pair of Avantgarde’s, but they’re well out of my current budget. I still don’t have the space for another pair of 19’s unfortunately. So the question is, what speakers should I be looking at that might have a similar character in a smaller package? I’ve not been actively engaged in the hobby for around 6 years, and I see what seem like hundred’s of new speakers/companies that have entered the market. I have to be overlooking quite a bit, so is there anything out there that I should consider? Would more of a professional type speaker be something to consider? 

Any input/guidance would be most appreciated. I was actually wondering if something like Zu Audio would fit the bill, but have read mixed reviews. As you can tell by my love of the Altec 19’s, extreme "accuracy" isn’t important. They just sounded like live music more than just about any speaker I’ve ever heard. That’s what I’m looking for. 

Thanks!

seadweller

@mdalton Zingali is old Italian brand speakers , always with horn twitter.

There is a dealer in USA.

My experieece : i am a little bit crazy on design ( yes , that is the matter of taste ).

I have bought recently Zingali QA 3.8 speakers and they are end game speakers for me.

Sound is full , with exeptional midrange , optimal high tones with horn .

It has 94 db , so you can run it with tube amp. And Zingali speakers love tubes.

You can listen them loud 2 hours wihitout getting a headache.

It is not cheap , but i think it is wort it.

 

 

 

@ortodox 

Thanks!  Very cool.  I also like the Twenty Evo 1.2.  One day I expect I might replace my Audio Note AN/Es, and this would be an interesting possibility.  

Altec Valencia sounds exactly like Altec 19s but with slightly less robust bottom end (bass boost overcomes this but I’d rather not have to).  JBL Synthesis Project Array 1400 will outperform the 19 AND, incredibly, have better sound stage.

I just sold a pair of older Zingali HM 112’s. For cheap. It was a tough sell as they are unknown in the US, and they are really heavy, so even though I had the boxes, shipping was a problem. Anyway, they were 97dB and fantastic speakers.

I liked them so much that I ordered a new pair of Twenty EVO 1.2’s directly from Europe. There is no dealer in the US today. I got the last pair of gloss finish that Zingali is going to make due to cost/labor restrictions.

Plan on powering them with either Air Tight 211 mono blocks or the Air Tight 300B anniversary amp, as I have both.

If anyone is interested in a pair, I can give you my UK contact.