[Rawrbington]

high efficiency.
 
if you're in a hurry i'd be all over those Klipsch forte's in Flower Mound.  He's asking 425.  id try to get away with them for 350.  
they'll be plenty loud on that 20 watt amp.

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

 
Skylab your advice is, as ever, invaluable.  I offered $75 and got the guy to come down to $85 which is close enough for me.  Going to pick it up later today.  What kind of speakers should I be looking at to use with this?  Any suggestions? 

 
Yup, agree with Rawrbington, some high efficiency speakers would be best, and Klipsch are the king of that.  If your room isn't too large, Pioneer's own HPM series are fairly high efficiency - not Klipsch level, but the HPM-100 at 92.5/dB/1w/1M isn't too shabby.  Stick with the HPM series though if you go Pioneer. Pioneer made some truly craptastic speakers in the 80's and 90's.

 

[caracara08]

Any experience with a pioneer sx 2500? ive been reading some think it's crap others think it's under rated. Bought one on a whim util I could get my Marantz cleaned up.

 

[moodyrn]

Quote:

 
Yup, agree with Rawrbington, some high efficiency speakers would be best, and Klipsch are the king of that.  If your room isn't too large, Pioneer's own HPM series are fairly high efficiency - not Klipsch level, but the HPM-100 at 92.5/dB/1w/1M isn't too shabby.  Stick with the HPM series though if you go Pioneer. Pioneer made some truly craptastic speakers in the 80's and 90's.

I second the hpm-100s. I own both the klipsch forte(II) and a pair of hpm-100s. On paper the 20wpc would scream klipsch, but the vintage line of klipsch doesn't mate well with the pioneers. Klipsch love tubes and and warm solid state amps. That line of sx receivers is warmer than the xx50 and xx80 lines but still closer to neutral than the sansui and Marantz of the world. I use to own the totl in that series(sx1010) and I didn't like it with any of the klipsch I had at the time. I think the hpm-100 would be just efficient enough for that receiver. Now if you had a sansui or Marantz,(and even some kenwoods) I would say go for the klipsch easily. As much as I adore hpms, my fortes are just on another level imo.

 

[Rawrbington]

Probably not fair or accurate but, it's like a sweet early 70s mopar vs a nice toyota supra. I know which I'd rather have however some people might prefer the other.

But yeah, 2 different leagues for sure. I think anyways.

 

[dmcs414]

Gents I greatly appreciate all the advice, but I decided to hold out for a more powerful amp/receiver, though still most definitely vintage.  I know I want something that can and will, with grace and aplomb drive speakers just like the KEF R-300, which are in fact exactly what I have my eye on above all others.
 
I'm not sure whether I will eventually add a sub, but once I have my receiver and/or phono pre+amp, plus my stand-mounts in place, I'll decide then.  May also upgrade my TT to a nicer vintage down the road if I find myself unhappy with my odd Philips belt-drive/Ortofon Blue combo I have now.  When I can compare next month with Morbid's much better TT that should help me know where I stand.  
 
I also know I want to stay vintage for all components except TT cartridge, phono pre-amp (if necessary) and speakers.  That said, suggestions?  Should I be considering vintage speakers that would sound as good or even better than the KEF R-300s?  I was considering the 50th anniversary but it's just too contemporary for me.  I must just look at these gorgeous things in walnut.  

 

 

[mythless]

Quote:

Gents I greatly appreciate all the advice, but I decided to hold out for a more powerful amp/receiver, though still most definitely vintage.  I know I want something that can and will, with grace and aplomb drive speakers just like the KEF R-300, which are in fact exactly what I have my eye on above all others.
 
I'm not sure whether I will eventually add a sub, but once I have my receiver and/or phono pre+amp, plus my stand-mounts in place, I'll decide then.  May also upgrade my TT to a nicer vintage down the road if I find myself unhappy with my odd Philips belt-drive/Ortofon Blue combo I have now.  When I can compare next month with Morbid's much better TT that should help me know where I stand.  
 
I also know I want to stay vintage for all components except TT cartridge, phono pre-amp (if necessary) and speakers.  That said, suggestions?  Should I be considering vintage speakers that would sound as good or even better than the KEF R-300s?  I was considering the 50th anniversary but it's just too contemporary for me.  I must just look at these gorgeous things in walnut.  

 

 
Woo it's been awhile since I last posted something on here.
 
Vintage speaker vs modern?  It really depends on your budget and what you can find in the vintage market.  I have never heard those KEF before, but I've heard plenty of KEF drivers so they might sound great.  The only advantage of getting vintage speakers is getting "bigger" sound from the bigger drivers and boxes, if you so choose.  As for the most parts, larger floor standing and bookshelves speakers are quite the bargain.  You just have to deal with some of the plain boxy design and the amount of space they take up.  Granted.  I am enamored with my Bozak MB80s for a smaller bookshelves as well as several of my 2.1 (passive sub) set up that I got for around $100.  I know I probably have to spend at least $500+ to get something better new.  And for my bigger speakers, over a grand.  But, I've put a lot of time and effort in restoring these vintage speakers as part of the hobby.
 
For an amplifier, the new Yamaha AS series looks pretty nice, knobs are a bit cheap but they sound pretty decent.

 

[moodyrn]

Well speaking of speakers, technology have come much farther than amplifier technology. But there are some vintage speakers that will wipe the floor with many modern speakers costing several thousand dollars. But those are few and sometimes can be very hard to find, and many of those either need mods or serious refurbishing. So it's much easier to find gems when it comes to vintage amps/receivers. But I will say I will put my forte IIs up against most speakers I've listened to under 5000.00 and some beyond(actually did it recently).  But I also have replace the tweeter and mid diaphragms with titaniums so take that with a grain of salt.
 
But I will say this. You could probably score a pair of kg4's(not hard to find) and a decent sansui(really not hard to find) for a grand total of 250.00, and I believe that sound would make you very happy. I do like most of the kef speakers I've listened to though.

 

[wualta]

Me, I'll cheer on any intent to buy coaxial-coincident speakers like the R-300s.

 

[mythless]

Quote:

Me, I'll cheer on any intent to buy coaxial-coincident speakers like the R-300s.

 
While I am a fan of a good coaxial myself.  At the price of the R-300, I'd probably be more interested in a nice pair of Focals or PMC.

 

[wualta]

And I'm still waiting for someone to make a powered version of a KEF Uni-Q speaker with an isodynamic tweeter, but I think I'll be waiting a long time. Besides, then you couldn't use your vintage receiver to power it, and what fun is that?

 

[ladea]

HD650 is on the warm side - you may want a more neutral/clean receiver to avoid overdoing it in the warmth department.

Yamahas are known for being neutral with their Natural Sound. I have a Yamaha CR-220 (15wpc and plenty of power from headphone output) that I picked up off CL for $35 - you don't have to spend a lot.

What is CL, I didn't find Yamaha CL amps?

I find Yamaha CA 610 Mk1 on ebay. Is it a good model?

 

[ardgedee]

The CL he's referring to is Craig's List. 

 

[Pudu]

I think my receiver is p!ssed at me.

Last night I received, unpacked, and placed on top of my receiver a couple of boxes from Violectric. This afternoon I turned on the Pioneer and got a earful of distortion on the left channel. I twiddled the input selectors and the volume pot - no joy. I switched sources and attached a speaker to a left channel tap - distortion still there. I put everything back and twiddled the input selectors some more, adding the balance, loudness, mode, and muting knobs into the action for good measure. Something worked because it sounds fine now.

Some I'm wondering if it's holding a grudge because I introduced a new couple into the audio circle on Valentine's Day, or whether I'm looking at a Deoxit job sometime very soon. The thing is, I have a little Deoxit Gold - but that isn't the one I need to clean contacts is it?

I was even singing the Pioneer's praises early today.

 

[moodyrn]

She's probably unhappy that you brought someone new into her house, and the night before Valentines no less.

 
But in all seriousness, it does sound like it may be time for a little contact cleaning.