[SpeakerBox]

Quote:

naaah i didnt have to spend that much money. its all about buying "pre-owned" & snagging it when the right deal comes along! the missus would have had my left nut if i spent $10k on an amp!!! wait....she does have both nuts anyways!!! hahahaha. eg. this NHT 3.3 sold for >$4k back in the early nineties but now i can pick it up for $1k or maybe even less! 
 
anyways i dont have much vices except coming home to sweet sounds of good tunes. life is goood!

 
That is how I have done it.  Picked up two Jeff Rowland M1s for $1K each and then designed my own speakers to compliment them (run them in bridged mono for 240WPC).  And I have a used NAD M15 as preamp (very rarely for surround sound - don't really watch many movies or TV for that matter).  The M15 has great analog bypass mode that is outstanding for audio.  

 

[scottiebabie]

good score on the JR M1s! havent heard them but just froogled them & they look sick! good stuff surely 

 
theres no reason why this hobby has to be huge dollars unless
 
a)1 has loads of cash
b)1 is an audio snob
c)1 is a FOTM rainbow chaser
 
theres loads of reasonably valued vintage stuff that still sound great even by today standards or even with the new stuff, there's bargains galore if one is handy with the mouse & intimate with uncle google. more than price, i believe its about getting quality components, synergistic matches, knowing oneself & preferences, wise with research, prudent when purchasing & ultimately, just trying it out in your own evironment for theres no substitute for listening!
 
however i do feel that the one game changer thats not discussed much is room treatment. some feel its a tweak but its more like an essential component.

 

[scottiebabie]

Quote:

LOL, I figured you scored on those LSAs.  I'd love to hear them with your Yammies and can't wait for your NHT impressions (if you get them).
 

 
no worries, if u are in my part of the great white north, i'd be more than happy to serve up some good ol canuck hospitality. besides pounding tunes, i'll throw in a few brewskis & a great Albertan steak! commmmme onnnnnn down! the price is rightttttt!!!!! lol

 

[SpeakerBox]

Agree with what Scottie said about system matching - very important, and yes the room is part of the system!

 

[MattTCG]

Just heard my first pair of vintage kef speakers yesterday at a local meet. Wow!! 

  Call me impressed. I must find a pair on CL on somewhere local for cheap. I believe that they are model 104 ab. 

 

[bce22]

Quote:

Just heard my first pair of vintage kef speakers yesterday at a local meet. Wow!! 

  Call me impressed. I must find a pair on CL on somewhere local for cheap. I believe that they are model 104 ab. 

Cool beans Matt! Vintage KEFs are nice speakers.
 
What was the rest of the equipment.in the chain driving those KEFs?  What speakers are you using now? I am certain you've said it, but for the sake of the conversation it makes senseto ask again.

 

[MattTCG]

The amp was an incredibly impressive Aragon that had been modded and restored to a level that I can not begin to explain here. When the cover was pulled off the amp I pretty sure that it "glowed" like a exposed pot of gold. No joke, this guy just had mad skills. The dac was an audio-gd...not sure which one.
 
So of course the amp definitely had something to do with the magic coming out of the kef's, but I still want them. 

 

[captouch]

Just heard my first pair of vintage kef speakers yesterday at a local meet. Wow!! 

  Call me impressed. I must find a pair on CL on somewhere local for cheap. I believe that they are model 104 ab. 

There's a set of those locally (Bay Area CA) for $350. I previously passed up offers to buy 105.2's for $450 and refoamed 107/2's for $650. Kind of regret passing on both of those. Still haven't heard KEFs myself, though some of my speakers may use KEF drivers.

 

[SpeakerBox]

Quote:

The amp was an incredibly impressive Aragon that had been modded and restored to a level that I can not begin to explain here. When the cover was pulled off the amp I pretty sure that it "glowed" like a exposed pot of gold. No joke, this guy just had mad skills. The dac was an audio-gd...not sure which one.
 
So of course the amp definitely had something to do with the magic coming out of the kef's, but I still want them. 

 
I think some of the Aragon amps were designed by Dan D'agostino at the time of Krell.  That guy knows what he is doing.

 

[scottiebabie]

the high end vintage KEF's are highly rated & very affordable. a set KEF104ab just sold on CAM in Quebec for $215 - alot of sound for very little money indeed!
 
i just returned from an audition with the 25yr old (dont know if that counts as vintage) NHT 3.3 with my own DK integrated amp.
 
the good
 
1.my amp drove the 3.3 extremely well extremely loud - we measured 120db on track just to test the dynamic range of the speakers with my amp
2.bass was incredible! alot of ppl use "Hotel California - Hell freezes over" as test track for bass response dynamics. i can safely say i have never heard the kick drums thunder this hard, this deep with this much impact! it was crazy.
3.the 3.3s are very detailed & revealing
4.the 3.3 is truely a full range speaker
5.the 3.3 is the least fussiest speaker to setup besides the Yami NS1k in my experience. we had the 3.3 directly vertical & placed 3"-5" from back wall with atleast 3ft from any side walls. i wish all speakers were this simple to place.
 
the bad
 
1.i could detect a slight sibilance on some tracks
2.soundstage though intimate, can be small at times
3.soundstage depth is definitely its weakest area
 
the unknown
 
no time nor opportunity to determine causes of sibiliance. it could be speaker (it would seem aluminum tweeters are well known for sibilance) itself or the cheap cable we used or the source or perhaps the speakers are so revealing that it shows the recording warts & all.
 
conclusions
 
based on my short time with the 3.3s i can certainly see how bass can be light, highs can be thin or even harsh if the right ancillaries arent synergistic. however with my amp, this pair of NHT 3.3 has some of the biggest & best sounds i have heard. the mids are as detailed, as clear, as musical as the beryllium mids of my Yami NS1k. the bass is simple....INCREDIBLE, big huge & deep. the highs are very extended & detailed but with a penchant for sibiliance & its precisely this that i am concerned about. 
 
i can safely say its not my amp as the same amp on the very revealing NS1k is not sibilant. but all in all, the NHT 3.3 are very impressive speakers & does seem a great deal for the money. now its down to working the fine details as its likely that i will be an owner of these 3.3s. theres a possibility that we will do a trade of my ET lft8b hybrid mag planars for the NHT3.3 as well. 

 

[SpeakerBox]

Very interesting.  Sounds like these are very good speakers.  Just watch out for the sibilance issue.  I know that any edgy sound in the upper mid-range or highs drives me nuts.  I think that is why I like my Rowland amps because they tend to be a little on the dark side and VERY smooth sounding.   That said, I am sure I could pick a speaker that would change that if I tried.

 

[Meewoo]

Scottie,
 
You were spoiled by dipole speakers, don't be fussy about depth, depth....

 
Anyway, I think you have a fine Sunday afternoon!!
 
There is one pair of NHT M-100 speakers 100 mile away for $75, I may consider a road trip based on your impression.

 

[scottiebabie]

yaa i guess i am abit spoilt as panel type speakers excel in soundstage, imaging & perhaps even imitate houdini & his famous disappearing act. i cannot help but enjoy that aspect of music. its no wonder that the 2 headphones i have are the HD800 & T1.
 
that said, i also understand & realize that life is all about compromises esp on a limited budget. even if i can find a great set of speakers that can do it all, i wont have the space that it requirements. in light of that, its my opinion the NHT3.3 are awesome set of speakers. what it does well, it does WELL. bass lovers, rock & metal lovers, symphonic lovers will be extremely pleased. even on vocal & small ensemble jazz, its very good. on this audition, on unfamiliar grounds & ancillaries (exceptin my amp), there is a concern of sibilance. i just havent figured it out if its bcos of material, the ancillaries or the speaker itself.
 
that said, i wonder how the 3.3 would compare to the Kef105/7 & the B&W 801 matrix or yore. it would certainly be fun finding out!
 
ps:theres a fully restored mint (from pics) Altec Lansing "Voice Of The Theatre" that just became available locally for $3k! now if only i had my own private theatre room 

 

[MIKELAP]

Does anybody ever listen to kef 104 and also what year are those from  i could get a pair for $300.00 are they worth it  i would use these with my Pioneer SX750 any input would be appreciated i remember from back in the 70's that Kef were very efficient speakers use to run JBL'S L100 with a  Quad 405 amp back then  that was nice and still is but my boy has it now ,sometimes i would like it back but its his now or is it ! hmmm.....                                                                                                                       .

 

[MIKELAP]

Quote:

Just heard my first pair of vintage kef speakers yesterday at a local meet. Wow!! 

  Call me impressed. I must find a pair on CL on somewhere local for cheap. I believe that they are model 104 ab. 

Funny just wrote something regarding Kef's 104 before i read the thread so there nice because a seller would lend them to me for listening interesting might call him tomorrow could you describe the sound clean sounding i bet .Thanks