Speaker Evolution Owner's Thread

[Sonnie Parker]

Tell us what were your first speakers, and what speakers have you owned since those, up to your current model.

I actually built a pair of speakers out of a couple of kitchen cabinets and some old restaurant wall speakers back when I was 14-15 years old. Those were my first, although they were rough looking and you can only imagine what they sounded like.

My speaker evolution... (highlighted speakers are still in our possession - italicized are still in use)

• EPI 320 (1984 ... not 100% positive on the model, but I do remember an 8" woofer that kept bottoming out)
• Infinity SM120 (1986 ... had a 12" woofer, but wife complained they were too loud for the single-wide trailer we lived in, so I had to send them back to Crutchfield)
• Klipsch Forte (1988 - WAF collapsed - also added Klipsh KG1s for front and rear surrounds)
• Snell B-Minor / Snell HCC500 Center / Snell SUR500 Surrounds (1991 - our first significant home theater system)
• Kicker 18 (1991 - custom-built sub positioned underneath our house below our great room)
• B&W 600 Series i (1994 - removed from our sunroom as of 2024 - woofer drivers gone - replaced with Soundfield Custom)
• PSB Image 6T / 9C / 10S (2001 - in our first dedicated home theater, which was half of the garage that I later tore out)
• Velodyne HGS-15 (2001)
• Klipsch Synergy All-Weather SA-3 (2005 - finally replaced in 2024)
• VMPS RM30 / Dipole Surround SE (2006 - used RM30 for LCR setup)
• JBL Northridge E90 / EC35 / E10 (2006)
• SVS SBS-01 System (2006)
• SVS PB12-Plus/2 x2 (2006)
• Boston Acoustics VR2 / VRC / VRX (2006)
• Ascend Acoustics Sierra 1 / CBM-170SE (2007 - no longer in use)
• MartinLogan Ascent i / Motif / Fresco (2007)
• SoundSplinter RL-p15 D2 x2 (2007 - custom-built ported sub)
• MartinLogan Spire / Matinee / Clarity (2009)
• MartinLogan Prodigy / Theater / Ascent (2009)
• Fi Q18 x4 (2009 - custom-built riser subs)
• Audiopulse AX15D2 AXIS 15 x2 (2009 - custom-built ported subs)
• Carnegie Acoustics CSB-1 / CSC-1 (2012 - former front stage of our great room)
• MartinLogan Montis / Stage Center / Motion 12 Surrounds (2013)
• MartinLogan Motion 12 (2013 - initially purchased for evaluation event - no longer in use)
• Magnepan MG12 (2013 - purchased for evaluation event and sold shortly after)
• Arx A5 (2013 - for two-channel swap-out system within my home theater room - finally sold them)
• SVS SB12-NSD (2013)
• Infinity Primus P163 / PC351 Center (2013 - moved to the cabin by the pond in 2019)
• SVS Ultra Towers / Ultra Center / Ultra Bookshelf Surrounds (2014)
• SVS PB16-Ultra x2 (2014)
• MartinLogan ElectroMotion ESL / Stage X Center (2015 - no longer in use)
• Chane A5rx-c (2016 - for occasional swap-out - two-channel listening, and reference speakers under $1000 - finally sold them)
• KEF Q900 (2016 - got a great deal on them - eventually used in our 2017 speaker evaluation here at AV NIRVANA)
• MartinLogan Expression 13A (2016 - with Stage X as center and moved ESLs to rear - sold)
• Scansonic M9 (2017 - got a great deal on them - eventually used in our 2017 speaker evaluation here at AV NIRVANA)
• MartinLogan EM-IC (2017 - added 4 Atmos in-ceiling speakers - no longer in use)
• Emotiva T2 / T1 / C2 (2018)
• RSL Outsiders (2019 - outdoor porch on our cabin down by the pond - still in use in 2024)
• Eminent Technology LFT-8b (2019)
• SVS SB16-Ultra x4 (2019)
• MartinLogan Classic ESL 9 (2019)
• MartinLogan Focus ESL C-18 Center - (2019 - still center in our JTR system as of 2024)
• MartinLogan ElectroMotion EFX On-wall Surround (2019)
• SVS PB16-Ultra x2 (2021)
• MartinLogan Renaissance ESL 15A (2022 - Replaced Classic ESL 9 - sold in 2024)
• Revel PerformaBe F328Be (2022 - Testing and Evaluation - actual purchase - eventually sold)
• SVS SB16-Ultra x2 (2023 - added to the 4x SB16 and 2x PB16 - all sold in 2024)
• JTR 2400 Captivator x6 (2024 - part of my current 9.8.6 setup)
• RTJ 410 (2024)
• JTR Noesis 210RT x4 / Noesis 110HT x2 / Noesis 110HT-SL x6 (2024 - part of my current 9.8.6 setup)
• JTR Captivator 4000ULF-TL x2 (2024 - part of my current 9.8.6 setup)
• MartinLogan Motion XT F200 (2024 - for my smaller two-channel AV test room)
• JTR Captivator RS1 (2024 - paired with Motion XTF200 in two-channel room)
• Vanatoo Transparent One Encore Plus (2024 - Office Desktop Speakers)
• Dayton Audio IO8XTW Outdoor (2024 - finally replaced the Klipsch Synergy outdoor speakers)
• Denon Home 150 x6 (2024 - HEOS whole-house background music system)
• Soundfield Custom (2024 - for barn system)
• Zu Audio DW-6 (2024 - for sunroom system)
• KLH Model Three (2024 - for vinyl room system)
• Wharfedale Super Linton (2024 - for vinyl system sharing main listening room)
• SVSound 3000 Micro x2 (2025 - for vinyl system sharing main listening room)

 

[JBrax]

My goodness that's quite the list of speakers! How are you able to remember every single one? I've had maybe 1/4 of that many and I'd have to sit down and really give it some thought to come up with such a detailed list. Curious if you have a favorite or any of those that you regret selling?

 

[Sonnie Parker]

I think I have left out a few. Each speaker coincides with something major in many cases... new house a couple of times... new theater room a couple of times in the same house a while after moving into the house. Changes in equipment too. Where I was working and what I was doing at the time. Then I have emails and receipts for a lot of them.

I can't say I've ever regretted selling any of them really.

 

[Tonto]

Wow, that's an impressive list....makes me feel a bit inadequate!

I started out with a pair of Panasonic Thrusters. They actually sounded pretty good back then to my untrained ears. I upgraded them to a pair of Klipsch KSF 10's with an SC-1 center (moved the PT's for surround duty) and a Klipsch KSW-10 sub. I still have these packed up, plan on putting them in the bedroom eventually. I now have a 7.2 system with Chane's A5rx-c as mains, the A2rx-c center & A1rx-c surrounds. Will get 2 pairs of the new bookshelves for Atmos duty soon. Can't get more of the A1rx-c's now unless I find some used ones. And of course my SVS PB-13U that I got on pre-order when they first came out. I replaced my Klipsch sub with it. Now that was an upgrade.

So that's my speaker history.

 

[Bacovish]

lol Sonnie. You have more speakers in the box new than I have bought in the past 10 years....and my wife thinks I have a problem.
Very nice collection by the way.

 

[ShpongleDMT]

• SVS Ultra Towers / Ultra Center / Ultra Bookshelf Surrounds (2014)

How did you like this setup? I've thought about this as my next upgrade

As far as my evolution goes I've mostly had all in one systems up to my current setup which includes.

Definitive Technology StudioMonitor 65 as mains
Definitive Technology CS-HD8060 as Center
Definitive Technology ProMonitor 1000 as Surrounds

 

[Sonnie Parker]

How did you like this setup? I've thought about this as my next upgrade

You would not be disappointed, provided you can get them out from the wall, as they are a bit bass heavy when placed too close. However, if you have Dirac Live or Audyssey, you can make them work. For the best sound stage and imaging, out from the wall at least 4-5ft will work better. It was one of the best sounding systems I've had in my room.

 

[Sonnie Parker]

C'mon now... I know you guys have speakers!

 

[tripplej]

My evolution is very simple considering, I only owned very little.

When I was in college in the mid 1990s, my first speaker was a sony speaker. Reason it was sony was because I bought one of those home theater box sets where all the equipment was sony.

Later, when I got my first job, I needed floor speakers so I bought Paradigm atom speakers as well as their sub. I didn't have much money out of college but I wanted something substantial.
The reason I selected the Paradigm atom speakers was because everywhere at the time in 1998 gave them great reviews and I was not disappointed.

Now, with my current game room, I don't have space to accommodate floor standing speakers so I went with in ceiling speakers. Since I liked the sound of the Paradigm speakers, I went with their in-ceiling speakers (AMS-150R) as well as 2 of their SE subs . Still very happy with them.

 

[Allan T.]

High School/College: 1978-1983 - Radio Shack Realistic 3 Way speakers
I can't remember the model number for the Radio Shacks. They sounded pretty good at the time. Lasted till the end of my senior year in college and the tweeter died in one. It was still under warranty so I had it replaced -but it died again in a few months. These speakers cost $60 or $120/pair and were one of the better offerings from Radio Shack at the time.

First "Real" Speakers: 1983-1997 - Polk Monitor 7B
The Polks were a nice speaker in a kind of large box. Bigger than a typical bookshelf but not a tower. They resided on stands. I also picked up a cd player (Kyocera DA-01, 1983) and in 1984 a Carver M400 amp soon after I got the speakers. After that the electronics changed frequently but speakers kept going. Eventually the surrounds on the woofer started falling apart and the speakers developed a buzzing sound.

AV speakers: 1997- Present - Definitive Technology BP2002
With the old speakers failing and DVD out, I decided to upgrade and settled on the DefTechs. The built-in sub woofers and amplifiers really extended the bass compared to the Polks. Despite some concerns over reliability, the deftechs are still going strong. DVD pushed me into spending more money on AV and in relatively short order I had picked up additional DefTech centers and surrounds.

Future
I'm probably going to retire in a few years and head south. I had planned on just waiting until then before doing a speaker upgrade but I have been bitten by the upgrade bug so I may not make it that long. I'm interested in going upscale on my main speakers and possibly going with an av system in one room and a stereo setup in another room. A second room setup will definitely have to wait as my current house is maxxed out.

 

[Mark C Flick]

Well there weren't all that many and it's been a while, let me try and remember.
Realistic 2 way, no idea model
Soundesign, came with AM/FM, turntable, 8 track stereo
Kenwood KL-A900
Bose 601 Series III
Mitsubishi M-SS6, M-FS8, M-CTR6 and M-SUB10
RBH Sound MC-4C, MC-414C, TS-10AP, 1266-SE, 66-SE, 661-SE, 1212-SE, and 1044-SE

All I can remember off hand.

 

[Dan Barham]

I've owned very few speakers, staring with a pair of Wharfedales back in the sixties (model unknown.) Next were the Bose 901s (very highly reviewed at the time - now sneered at, mostly by folks who've never heard them.) Then, in 1982, I bought my beloved AR9s (I paid, for me anyway, the princely sum of $1,400 and never regretted it. For nearly 30 years I enjoyed them and have had seller's remorse ever since I sold them.) Next were Ascend Acoustics Sierra Ones (A nice little speaker but after listening to those huge AR9s for all those years the Sierras never had a chance.) Next and current are my ML Motion 12s (which, by the way, I bought based on your "Under $1,000 Speaker Evaluation Review" over at the old website. I still feel like I stole them at $400/pr.)

I really have no complaints about the Motion 12s. Setup properly they lay out an amazing soundstage and image beautifully. The mids are near perfection and male and female vocals are spot on. Yeah, I still love these speakers.

That said, I picked up a pair of JBL Studio 590s, when they were on sale a couple months ago, and I'll grudgingly admit; they were the best sounding speakers I've ever heard, even beating out my AR9s (As I remember them.) They were my first listen to horns and I was knocked out by the power, the dynamics and the ease at which they reproduced any voice or musical instrument. But, they were also even larger than the AR9s, though not as heavy! They're HUGE! At my age, moving these things was too much! So, with regrets, back they went. Still, I'm already looking around for a pair of horn floorstanders I can afford.

 

[Craig Chase]

Starting in 1977, main stereo pairs without centers/surrounds/subs ...

1. Electrovoice EV-16B
2. Cerwin Vega S-1
3. Electrovoice S-15-3
4. Altec Model 14
5. Koss 1020 (purchased 1978, still have)
6. Electrovoice Interface: C
7. B&W DM-6
8. Genesis Model 44
9. Yamaha Studio Monitors
10. Electrovoice Interface: D
11. VMPS Super Tower
12. Legacy Model 1
13. VMPS Tower II
14. PSB Stratus Silver
15. PSB Stratus Gold
16. Klipsch Cornwall II's (still own)
17. Klipsch Model 30 Military spec
18. Legacy Convergence
19. Def Tech BP-2000
20. Def Tech BP-3000
21. Klipsch Klipschorns (sold when basement refinished)
22. Klipsch R-7
23. Klipsch Belles
24. Infinity IRS Sigma
25. Paradigm Studio 100 Series III
26. Energy Veritas Towers
27. Onix Ref 3's
28. Rocket 760's
29. Rocket 1000's and 850's
30. B&W 805
31. Ascend 170
32. Ascend 340
33. Ascend Sierra
34. Swan Bookshelf from reference series
35. Klipsch LaScala II's
36. Axiom Epic 80's
37. Axiom Model 22
38. Axiom M-100 V.4
39. Axiom LFR-1100
40. Legacy Signature SE
41. Martin Logan Electromotion ESL Hybrid
42. Axiom M-50 V.4
43. Axiom M-3 V.4
44, Electrovoice Georgian Corner horns circa 1956 (from estate sale)
45. PSB Imagine B
46. Salk Songtowers


Various other smaller speakers from PSB, Paradigm, Klipsch, NAD and others.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Starting in 1977, main stereo pairs without centers/surrounds/subs ...

1. Electrovoice EV-16B
2. Cerwin Vega S-1
3. Electrovoice S-15-3
4. Altec Model 14
5. Koss 1020 (purchased 1978, still have)
6. Electrovoice Interface: C
7. B&W DM-6
8. Genesis Model 44
9. Yamaha Studio Monitors
10. Electrovoice Interface: D
11. VMPS Super Tower
12. Legacy Model 1
13. VMPS Tower II
14. PSB Stratus Silver
15. PSB Stratus Gold
16. Klipsch Cornwall II's (still own)
17. Klipsch Model 30 Military spec
18. Legacy Convergence
19. Def Tech BP-2000
20. Def Tech BP-3000
21. Klipsch Klipschorns (sold when basement refinished)
22. Klipsch R-7
23. Klipsch Belles
24. Infinity IRS Sigma
25. Paradigm Studio 100 Series III
26. Energy Veritas Towers
27. Onix Ref 3's
28. Rocket 760's
29. Rocket 1000's and 850's
30. B&W 805
31. Ascend 170
32. Ascend 340
33. Ascend Sierra
34. Swan Bookshelf from reference series
35. Klipsch LaScala II's
36. Axiom Epic 80's
37. Axiom Model 22
38. Axiom M-100 V.4
39. Axiom LFR-1100
40. Legacy Signature SE
41. Martin Logan Electromotion ESL Hybrid
42. Axiom M-50 V.4
43. Axiom M-3 V.4
44, Electrovoice Georgian Corner horns circa 1956 (from estate sale)
45. PSB Imagine B

Various other smaller speakers from PSB, Paradigm, Klipsch, NAD and others.