Thanks to you guys posting good vintage speakers to look out for, I present my current bookshelf speakers in rotation. Fortunately this is an affordable hobby unlike my vintage telescope collection. Bose 201 DCM Timepiece Bose 141 Advent Baby II refoamed Paradigm Titan refoamed Advent 2002 DCM Macrophone

I see a lot of support here for the Dynaco A25s, they were my first hifi speakers, very good in their day and still quite listenable. Decades later I had inherited another pair and I put them to use as a stopgap passive subwoofer. To my surprise, two of them placed side by side on the floor were able to output formidable bass down to 30hz! For JBL-like tonality and dynamics, the old Klipsch KG1.0/1.2/1.5 models are still common, and replacement tweeter diaphragms are readily available and easy to install. Or you can pimp them with titanium diaphragms!

The Dynaco's A25 were a great speaker for the money,I paid $150. a pair in the mid 70's,they had incredible bass but didn't take up space,the sound belittled their size,one of my favorite bookshelf speakers along with my Rectilinear mini 3's.

I'm glad you put bose on your list. It earned you a new subscriber. I'm not a Bose fan, though my first pair of speakers were 201s. The reason I'm glad you included it is because it shows you're not an "audiophile", which is a latin word for 'stuck up'. I always tell people that they should own what they like, and like what they own. If you have some 301s and a cheap receiver and like the sound, then listen to that setup as much as you can and enjoy life!

Thank you so much for this truthful video! After leaving the military (1974) I worked for a Hi Fi Fo Fum in KCMO. That's where my real musical journey began. We carried the whole spectrum of equipment from Pioneer's 450 rec. to the full line of Mac's. We also had an A/B switcher which allowed comparisons of speakers. That's where I first discovered the Advent speaker line. It was very difficult to discern the difference between the large and small Advents. I owned the Bose 501's and later switched to the "Stacked Advent" system. Fast forward many years after 20 years in the computer industry, I worked for Buzz Jensen's Audio Advice in Phoenix, AZ. Buzz was the first retailer, that I knew of, that would allow clients to take speakers home for a real-life test drive. You were exactly right...what speakers sound like in your environment is the game changer! You've also landed a client for life!

I absolutely loved my Bose 301 series II speakers! I used them for over 20 years with a Pioneer SX-3700, and Technics SL-D303 turntable, and I wish I still had them. All of which were the first major purchases I made when I started working in my teens. Never got into the whole audiophile thing of chasing the greatest sound. I was perfectly happy with my setup. Guitar amps were another story...

Fine choices for vintage budget speakers. I liked the EPI-70's as replacements for the model 60. In the mid 1970's EPI offered the 70 as a car speaker as the LS70. The satellite/subwoofer craze of later 1970's was a change from the big amp, big speakers mindset. Still like my EPI-100's better. Don't think Advent ever built a "bad" speaker. This Baby Advent, Advent 2, Original Large Advent, New Advent and the 5002 were all fine systems. The B/A A-40's are really boss. I got a pair several years back and dig the sweet high end and reasonable bass. Use them in my 900+ cu/ft kitchen powered by an SX-434 receiver. Impressive stereo imaging and sound so good I sometimes forget just how bass shy they are. I think that the EPI-100 was one of the best bang-for-buck budget speakers in the 1970's. Even though it was introduced in 1970, thank you very much Mr. Winslow Burhoe.

my brother had a set of 301s and I was amazed at the output of these bookshelf speakers.

I'm one of those minimus 7 guys. What i really like them for is tv not home theater but just plain stereo tv. If you like that kind of sound, you might like old cantons or a/d/s speakers for music. If you can find canton mini plus s speakers, they're like the gourmet version of the minimus 7 especially with the matching canton sub.

I've been using a pair of 1980's Advent bookshelf speakers for a while and they continue to impress with the sound quality I'm getting. They're inexpensive, easy to re-foam and I like the wood cabinet look. I think they're a good choice for anyone just looking to upgrade a bit in this age of $30 digitized-plasticized speakers.

My 101 year old neighbor passed away recently. Her daughter gave me the stereo. It included a pristine pair of Allison Model 5s. Wow! They are great 😌

I watched this just days after I purchased a pair of baby Advent bookshelf speakers ! Made me smile when you said a good #1 pick for bookshelf , I also have been looking fore Bose 301 series II

Wow! Minimus 7s! Actually Optimus Pro 77s. I use those to this very day as my desktop speakers. They sound fantastic with my Aiyima A07 amp and Douk Audio P1 pre. And yes, dead drivers have been replaced.

The comparator was brilliant. I remember switching back and for in the dealer. It was a lot easier than waiting for the little man to swap. You would forget what you had just heard.

Love it: I only just refoamed my BA A40's that I bought new in 1984 (I believe). They shifted around the house doing dining room duty at first and ending up on my desk. They even went to work with me for my personal office for a few years. They just so suited my listening habits and preferences to a T. I was devastated when the woofer foam crumbled and they started to buzz. Sob! So happy when I discovered foam kits -- who knew? I have a pair of Videoton Minimax II bookshelf speakers made by a Hungarian company in around 1978. Amazingly they still work like new and need no refoaming (non-trad surround material?). They were heavily sold in England at the time and competed well against much pricier names. The same importer (I think) showed up at consumer shows here in Canada and they were sold in some numbers here too. I got my pair at Ring Audio who had a fondness for carrying audiophile Brit imports like Rega turntables. I'm making brand new grill covers for them as I realized a month ago while testing them that the circular holes cut into the original fibre board covers actually screw up the tweeter dispersion and make the sweet spot really small and finicky to locate.

A year ago I bought a pair of Monitor Audio MA301 small bookshelf speakers off eBay for $120 to use in my office desktop system, and they are outstanding. 20 years ago my parents asked me to shop for a home theater system for my sister and at one stereo store the salesman asked me to listen to a pair of $600 MA301s, knowing that was above my price range, just to see my surprise at what a full sound and superb soundstage one could obtain from a speaker that was only 10.5 inches high. One of my local shops had a used Paradigm system for $400 that was too good of a value to pass up for my sister, but I definitely was extremely impressed with the MA301s. Fast forward to 2020 when I began working at home at the start of the pandemic. A little Bluetooth speaker lasted about two hours on my desk before I started wanting better fidelity. I remembered I had an old Panasonic compact system I had bought my wife years ago that had since been stored in our basement, I pulled that out, and was initially pleasantly surprised at how good it sounded. But I kept thinking how much better it would sound with better speakers, and started shopping on eBay. I checked out the usual suspects, KEF, B & W, Mission, and some rarer ones like Mordaunt Short and Castle, before remembering the MA301s. After a few weeks of waiting I spotted an auction and bought my little Monitor Audios for 80% off their MSRP. I have replaced the Panasonic electronics with a Cambridge Audio integrated amplifier, a Sony DVD changer as a transport, and a pair external DAC‘s (one an Emotiva Little Ego+ USB DAC on my laptop that at $39.10, might be the very best value in all of hi-fi, the other a 1Mii Bluetooth receiver that has an ESS Saber DAC chip and an optical input that I use as my DAC for listening to CDs or Bluetooth). I have some vague thoughts of eventually upgrading the Cambridge Audio with a Rotel, and possibly replacing my pair of inexpensive DACs with a Geshelli Labs J2. But I have no thoughts of replacing my MA301s. Sitting on a pair of concrete blocks on my desk in the middle of the room to bring them to ear-height, 8 feet from a wall, they still have surprisingly deep bass and pinpoint imaging.

Cerwin vega 201 my pair is 44 yrs old, and I listen to them everyday. They are from stansbury stereo in Baltimore. Cica1978. My 40yr old jvc receiver and cd1669-2 cassette deck are still rocking as I turn 70. Still crazy after all these year

ADS 200's. killer speakers. had them in the car and now have them in the house. they are 50 years old now. sound as good as they did new. the tweeter is as accurate as any i've heard. LOVE THEM !!!

Spot on, we can listen to people talking about this and that, but in the end it's about me and my own room, the best one can do is to try and get those speakers on a loan from an audio shop and see if they fit in the room and if they sound good in the room (and this is subjective from person to person). Try it before you buy it, that's all I keep saying

I put a set of Polk audio monitor 40 series 2 and a set of KLH 900b in parallel in a very small room. Connected to a Sansui 800 and the sound I get is actually a head scratcher. It sounds better than it has a right to. If I hook either sets by themselves at 8 ohms they both sound like bookshelf speakers. But the magic happens when I parallel them and the result is amazing. I found both sets of these for under $10 for the pair. I would never seek this configuration out but for stumbling across them it really works well. And I have had the 301 series 3 that I could get amazing sound out of.

Ding, ding, ding!!! Your explanation about how a speaker will sound to someone else in their listening environment, and with their equipment, is spot on. It took me a long time to understand that magic in sound is subjective, and is many times pure luck.

Great list. I started my audiophile journey in the mid 80's with EPI 100s. They were great for a college dorm room. Upgraded to ADS L570s which I still have and love to death.

I have a pair of the 7's in the basement shop/pool room 28'x40'. They sit in the upper corners of the space. Everyone always asks where the speakers are. They always say wow, I can't believe that. They fill the room so nice. I have had those and the Kenwood amp for 47 years. Bought these when I was in the Army back in the late 70's. They still work awesome. In my mind they were the best bang for the buck back.

I remember the Acoustic Research AR18s being a great set! Driven by a Kenwood Trio KA-6000 they were good for just about everything I listened to. I can remember the cymbols in Fleetwood Mac's dreams trailing off and the Bass drop in Heart's "Magic Man" rattling the walls. Voices were open and clear. Loved those speakers! I definately have to mention the Infinity Infinitesimals as well, although they're not in this price range.

I've had the Bose bookshelves since the 80's and love em. I've had them so loud the were pumping air at a foot away. Bullet proof with great sound.

Loved the minimus 7’s back in the day… had them in our kitchen, equalized them a bit and they were great…especially for the $$$. Cheers

ADS a/d/s Braun - amazing speaker line. Any of their late 70’s thru 80’s line with their 1 in. tweeter - the “206-0116” one - will blow your mind. Some I can immediately think of are the L470/2’s, the L400e’s, and the L570/2’s. Incredible speakers. All with butyl rubber surrounds vs foam, which rarely need replacement. The L400’s are often on the Bay in the low $100’s. If you have the space, get the small floor standers of this period, the L690’s. Same 1 in. magical tweeter in all these ADS/Braun speakers listed but the larger sound box of the L690 created a giant killer. In fact, in ‘84 NAD had a/d/s build an L690 clone with the NAD branding to market. Incredible line of speakers and all found in vintage shops under $200. Seek and ye shall find and smile!

I recently picked up both the Baby Advent II's and the Boston Acoustics A60's, based on your recommendation. I'm honestly floored by how good these sound, and I paid $150 total for both sets. Ridiculous! If either are available in your area, go get em!!

BIC with venturi port. I remember them as bright and punchy

My late father in law gave me a pair of KLH bookshelf speakers from the 80’s. 6” woofer with 1” tweeter, ported in rear. At first I didn’t think much about them because of the 90’s KLH junk that was everywhere. When I hooked them up to an old Sony receiver for a garage setup, wow! Even my buddies who come in to my garage were impressed. “Open sounding” was said a few times.

I had a pair of Bose 301’s while in high school and early career. I have fond memories of them. They were my first real stereo speakers…😀

Although a bit before this time period, the Dynaco A25 was always a favorite for sound and value.

My wife got a pair of ADS bookshelf speakers in 1978, I couldn’t tell you the specific model, but they were the best sounding speakers of that size I’ve ever heard. They weren’t very large, but great sound, great bass. Also, I had (and still have) some Mini Advents with the matching subwoofer (which eventually fell apart). I refoamed them and they still sound great!

Just two weeks ago I found a pair of A40s At the thrift store for $4 each. They needed a new foam, otherwise great shape! The next day I happen to see an ad in my neighborhood for a second pair of A40s for $30. I asked the neighbor if he could send me a photo with the grills off - they needed foam so he offered them to me for free! Unbelievable luck, and I’ll have at least one awesome set of bookshelf’s out of the flock.

Picked up a pair of mint Kef 101/3 from a thrift shop for $130. The best bookshelf speakers I’ve had.

I clicked on this video, stopped it at 00:01 (before watching it), to chime in with a simple "Dynaco A25" answer. I've had several pair, and they are just sublime.

Boston A40 series 2..... got in a trade probably 12 years ago....my first re - foam, completely worth it. They sound excellent. Your comment about being a total speaker fanatic, rings true with me. Celestion, KEF, Wharfedale, MB Quart, JBL, Boston Acoustics. The way different ones compliment different styles of music is genuine, thanks for pointing that out Kevin!!!

Kevin, the best small cabinet speaker I've ever heard is the NHT Superone (not Superzero). Not sure if it's old enough to be called vintage. From around 1990 and available for a lot less than $200/pair. The deep tight bass from the sealed 11.6″ Tall x 7.25″ Wide x 8.5″ Deep cabinet will amaze you. 6" woofer. If you've never listened to them, I sincerely suggest you do.

A small bookshelf in the class here that you overlooked is the Mission 70 MkII. Less than 0.4 cu. ft. volume. 70-20000 Hz. 88db/w/m 6.5" woofer. 3/4" tweeter. 3800 Hz xover. British. Acoustic suspension. Very attractive though budget vinyl. Very linear and accurate. Amazing with a sub.

Back in the day I bought a pair of Boston Acoustics A70s for one room, and a pair of A40s for a smaller room. I still have them, and both sound great after replacing the foam around the woofers. (I can also recommend the A60 from hearing them in other systems.) You will almost certainly need to refoam the woofers if you find a pair (unless the previous owner did it), but it's not a difficult operation and doesn't cost a lot. (You do have to break them in a bit after refoaming; they will sound very thin at first.) The larger models will probably cost more than $200/pair if you have to get them shipped, but if you can find a clean local pair they won't be too expensive. I also have a couple of pairs of Minimus 7s bought back when they were new, and mine haven't been abused so they still work. They're not my choice for filling a room, but they are great near field speakers to set up on a computer desk. Pair them with a vintage receiver, or with a cheap amplifier like a LePai, and you've got a nice computer sound system for short money. You don't need a lot of power in that application; 20w/channel or even less is ample. Unlike the Boston Acoustics speakers, they don't seem to suffer from foam that deteriorates.

My Sony SSK 30ED are still amazing. About 15 years ago Sont went for high end, this one with 6.5" kevlar driver and 1" extended definition. I got them for $150. on clearance from CC, nobody bought them, and they all missed out, because they were $329. a pair. They still sound amazing today and are one of my top 2 sets. The other being my home build full range single driver floor speakers.

Advent Baby 2s! Replaced my Large Advents. Still got ‘em, still like ‘em. Always fun to swap in when I get the urge.

JBL TLX12 (1989-92) is an amazing sounding bookshelf speaker. My first speaker bought new in 92 which I still own. I picked up a second set about 3 years back for $75. Very detailed and clear bass. These punch well above their weight. The second pair I picked up were a little rough on the vinyl wrap so I removed it and put on a walnut veneer....they look incredible. Type: 2 way, 2 driver loudspeaker system Recommended Amplifier: 10 to 75W Crossover Frequency: 3200Hz Impedance: 8Ω Sensitivity: 90dB Bass: 1 x 165mm polymer laminate cone Tweeter: 1 x 25mm titanium dome Finish: black Dimensions: 380 x 230 x 242mm Weight: 16kg Year: 1989

I'm glad you included the Bose 301s with the caveat that placement is super important. The direct reflecting needs to be in a corner to work right. When set up right, they sound very good. I wouldn't call them accurate, but rather pleasing. Positioning also helps with bass. Re: the Minimus 7s, I suggest the ebay crossover upgrade kit; completely improves the sound quality - gets rid of the hiss and increases the transparency. You are correct, almost no bass so a sub will liven them up. My $.02

Just finished restoring a pair of Infinity Reference One's. Might just be the best sounding small bookshelf speakers I've heard. If you run across a set, give 'em a listen.

Back in the mid 80s to the Early 90s I was the manager for the Regional Service facility for Circuit City in Louisville KY. All our stores used the Audio Authority comparator systems made in Lexington KY.

I bought Bose 301s for my first system, over 30 years ago. They are now in my garage and still sound really good out there as well!

Rogers LS1s I'm running 7s. a little too large for bookshelf. but I have heard the 1s and they are very good. If you find a pair for under 200 grab them and run!!!

Finally some actual truth. ✊ However, speaker LOCATION can make ALL the difference. I think a lot of folks mistake boomy for bass. That's not my formula at all. If they don't go down to 25Hz, I don't want them.

After almost 17 years with my Infinity beta 20 still love the sound. Tried to replace them but... they are so well built and sound quality is amazing. I had some JBL's and loved them too.

I've owned my Baby Advent 2s since 1993 and I still live them

Haha, biased audio folk?....say it ain't so. I ran with EPI's and then Advent's in the late 70's into the 90's when I got some Vienna Acoustics which I still have. Great list there and I'd be happy with any of 'em. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.

I would encourage everyone who finds any Altec 877a’s. They are always going for cheap. I see them go for $60-$150 CAD, and are just what you’d expect from Altec and Vintage speakers.

Although I think they were released in 1991, the JBL L1 bookshelf is a stout performer. It has a 6 1/2” woofer and a titanium dome tweeter in a rear ported cabinet. Not only do they pack quite a punch for their size, they also can handle a good bit of power (200 watts RMS per speaker). The entire line of the L series of this timeframe were the last that were designed by JBL before they were acquired by Harmon. They are all well regarded and can be found fairly easy on the second hand market. The L5 and L7 floor standers are considered among the best bargains for audiophiles available today. The only drawbacks are you need ample power to drive either of them and room placement for the top of the line L7 can be tricky due to the side firing 12” passive subwoofer. Also the L7 is pretty much an actual full range speaker. Their bass reproduction is as good as any modest priced powered subwoofer provided you feed them enough power.

I bought a pair of DLK Model 1 speakers when I was in college (40+ years ago)... their sound still holds up pretty well with a good preamp/amp and relatively small room.

Great vid and agree with 99%! As a fellow speaker junkie, I must add the Boston cr6-9's (6's scale well), Klh 21" tall mtm design (no model#), and Yamaha ns636 8" 3way all bring smiles when I put them into the mix! Of course with most any bkshelf, subs are a must for the big picture. Thanks

I have a pair of AR-3a speakers that I bought in 1970. These were billed at the time as "bookshelf speakers" even though, I have never seen a bookcase that will accommodate them. They have been re-foamed twice, and are working fine after about 52 years.

For me, bigger turned out to be perfection. First was the aDs L810s, and then I was extremely fortunate to have a pair of immaculate aDs 910s practically drop in my lap. The L810s have dual-8" bass drivers and the 910s have dual-10.5" drivers, installed into their own separate bass enclosures inside the cabinets, thus the 130lb/each speaker, including the original stands. The 910s are my end-game loudspeakers.

I got a set of 301s mine were made in 1972 still work awesome with my sansui amp and equalizer 👍👍

In 1974 a salesman at CMC stereo tried relentlessly to sell me a pair of Bose 301’s . I bought my Altec model 3’s as I had planned. Had them for 22 years, enjoyed every minute with them.

I have 2 pairs of Dynaco A-10's. One set I inherited and the other pair I purchased for $90. Great bookshelf speakers driven by my Yamaha CR-2020.

I just replaced my Wharfdale Diamonds on my secondary system in a small backroom with Celestion 2's - very rich and accurate and more musical and I paid $40!!!

My near field garage stereo is M&K S-1b satellites, and B channel are Dynaco A-25. Connected to old Carver. Almost Nirvana imo. Rock on!

Infinity Qe speakers were really great bookshelf speakers. Had a pair and sold a bunch of them to friends who heard mine.

Still rocking 5 pairs of epi's. Two pairs of 180's stacked in my living room system powered by dual Harman Kardon hk-770 twin toroidal amps. Gold ring tweeters on all my speakers. My basement system consists of a Technics SA-700 receiver pushing a pair of epi 400 towers and a pair of epi 100 bookshelf speakers. Yes, I know it has the fiberboard, but I love it's sound and has no troubles pushing a steady 4 ohm load. And my garage system is just a cheap Onkyo surround receiver pushing another pair of epi 100's. I grew up on the epi sound. My dad had a pair of epi 100's pushed by a Pioneer sx-727 receiver and I always loved the sound. He later sold the epi's and got a pair of Klipsch Chorus speakers. Yeah, they can play loud and that's about it. Imo, the little epi's sound more accurate from top to bottom.

My media room is 12 1/2’X15’ and I have a pair of 40 year old Bose 301 II speakers as my fronts for my 7.1 system. It’s my avatar. The system subwoofer is not used for music. I have the Sheffield/A2 Test Disc (Apple Music) with tones from 20 Hz to 19 Khz. The speakers do respond at 20 Hz, but not as loud as the others test tones. They create spatial audio on their own. Play some of the old QSound albums like Sting’s Soul Cages or Amused To Death, and wow!

The Pinnacle AC 650 came along a little later and was made from '93 to 2003...she is a 250 watt 6.5 inch woofer behemoth with 1 inch vifa peerless tweeter, and an angled port, that does down to 40 hz. But now with my tinnitus, I use the subtler Pinnacle AC 550 in my studio. It's a 5.25 woof, same tweeter as the 650 and it goes down to 45 hz and they are a dream. No 5.25 can touch it, and i don't need a sub. Good luck finding any that aren't all banged up. All my Pinnacles are pristine. I even have a pair of 650's I got brand new in a box. And Pinnacle didn't use foam surrounds...rubber. So they last. Made in America out on Long Island, they went outa of business around 2016 or 17.

4 1/2 years ago I bought a pair of 18 year old PSB Image 2b... only paid $190 for them. They may not be audiophile quality by any means. That aside they were so beautiful sounding even with the 49 hrz roll off. They are imo flawless for the price, build quality, the ability to nicely fill a 10×13 room withoutneeding a sub... for some reason they rolled off lower & lower over time... actually looking for another pair. Nothing perfect about them however for me again flawless.

I picked up for $30 a pair of Panasonic 1971 speakers used in a restaurant to announce seating parties. Paper cone and tweeter. Recapped and sound excellent but need volume down as 50 yo paper tweeters won't survive at loud levels. They have that vintage 70s Pioneer thatch grill. Look incredible. Sound good. Great find after recap with Solen.

NHT Superzero…can’t be beat for the price. Sound better than many speakers twice their price.

I got these Ohm model l from I don't know 1975 just had the woofers repaired from the manufacturer. They sound pretty good as a bookshelf speaker I forget what I paid for them.

I have a pair of Jensen SBC65 bookshelf speakers that I picked up at a second hand store many years ago and they are a perfect match paired with my Technics SA5170 receiver.

A little newer than most of what's on your list (these came out in the early 90s), but I'm consistently impressed with my good old NHT SuperZeroes. They are lacking in low bass, but they sound like they should cost way more than they do. Heck, they're still made today!

Speaker Lab 6 inch,made them myself used heavy particle board and walnut veneer bare speakers,very heavy and for 40+ years they are used in a wood lined room,ceiling too so the effect people tell me it's like being there.no drapes on the windows,very private home,to muffle the sound.these get much more use than Sansui sp 2000 in the living room.

Thanks for the list. I always buy Minimus 7's if I see them. Still have a working pair from the 80's in my workshop. I'm sure you cost me money, just logged into CL for Boston's and Advent's...

Acoustic Research AR18. Spectacular small bookshelfs from the 70s, I have one paired with a Hegel H80. I have other speakers, JBL 4311, 4429, Avalon Mixing Monitors, Hedd Type 20s, etc, the ARs get the most playtime.

The older B&W DM series speakers from the early 1990's can be found for under $200 a pair and punch way above their weight. They're also very durable and unlike many older speakers, do not have foam surrounds.

Baby ADVENT is one of my favorites! Bought a pair as a teen...😊

Dynaco A 25 is a beast sound superb with anything.

Nice video. I had those same Boston a40’s. I loved them. I turned upside down and covered the front with felt, kinda softened them a little. After those I had the first edition of Celestion 3 which were pretty good as well.

I have been enjoying all the videos in this channel, I really like the sincere approach to the reviews, and the fact that you actually work and repair the equipment.

I bought a pair of B&W DM110's in the late 80's and only recently had to rebuild them. Great budget speaker at the time. I don't see many around though.

Hahaha! Minimus 7's! Had a pair. For a while, actually. Back then, if you were a 16 or 17 year old kid, you prolly shot your wad on a receiver and turntable. The Minimus 7 was a great "get you through" pair of speakers. The Minimus 11 had a bit more bass, but IMHO the 7 beat them in overall sound. Thanks for the walk down memory lane. Hadn't thought about my Minimus 7's in years! Though not really vintage, I've been rocking a pair of Paradigm Studio 20 v.1's since '01. Bought them from a coworker during his divorce sale. Three years old, paid the same for them as a pair of new Mini Monitors I was going to buy.

My Favorite are my 1971 Pro series Voice of Music model 91 two ways. sound beautiful. 8" woofer and 3" extended range tweeter second order crossed at 2kHz. goes down to 55Hz at 3db down. second choice is the B&W DM110 Speakers.

The JBL 216 were my first speakers! As they say, you never forget your first. Great memories; wish I hadn't sold them.

I found a perfect pair of KLH 900Bs 8 years ago in a thrift store for $40.00. After airing out the stink of tobacco for two days, they have operated flawlessly during daily use. A graphic equalizer I found smooths out the frequencies. Paired with a Pioneer amplifier, I couldn’t ask for more.

Very good opening comments. I think about 40 years ago Bert White from Audio magazine wrote a very interesting story. He had often not given B&W speakers perfect reviews. He visited London and the owners asked him to go to the London Symphony. When there he thought the sound was off. Turned out where the B&W owners had seats for decades had an acoustic "null spot" for lack of a better term. He said it sounded just like their speakers. Very interesting. So get what you want, for show or for go, as long as you like it. You also mentioned speakers vs other components. Yes, of course. Just look at spec's. An amp with 0.05% THD and a good response curve vs a speaker with a + or - 3db, which is good, but that is a huge difference from what is coming out of an Amp.

Nice initial group. Being a tad older, your comments at 2:46 + were on point. I was 17 in 1973. I wore out "Brandy" and "Going Mobile" The WHO with my bookshelf set of Jensens. The day I had to get rid of them I opened them up to see they were Model 6. I wanted that to find another set of them! Life got in the way...

ADS Analog Digital System . Introduced Around 1975 great bookshelf speaker, model 410 sold for 200 a pair

I have a soft spot for the AR-3a. I have seen them classified as bookshelves, but that would be a mighty shelf for sure. The AR-7s however always impressed me in my many visits to Wheaton HiFi.

Thank you for the time and effort you put into making quality reviews. I’m going to look into these speakers. I’m currently looking for a pair and was looking into getting a pair of pioneers elite TX-7’s

Minimus 7 with mods can make great satellites. Great cabinets,decent drivers, need proper crossovers and connectors. Hard to beat solid metal cabinets, just deaden them. Canton, ADS,Braun,Bang and Olufsen c30,40,50, BA micro all nice tiny speakers.

you know I knew it I knew it I knew it. I knew I recognized you because I've actually been in your shop. And I knew it because when you showed off that speaker comparator I was like I've seen one of those before. I used to work for a company called TMC and I drove a truck over the road after I left the bicycle repair business. And TMC is located not too far down from where you guys are at in Des Moines. And I remember I was at their facility and looked up Hi-Fi shops in the area and you guys popped up. And I came in there and I think you guys had a really sweet older Harman kardon that was just fantastic sounding that I wanted to pick up but I didn't because I didn't have any space to keep it with me at the time. I then walked across the street to a little cafe and got like a smoothie or something. And this was only like a couple years ago. yeah I had never been to Des Moines before that and that little shopping area there where you guys are located I remember having a lot of neat little stores and then had a really cool antique store like right across the street from you guys that was really cool. I really did enjoy the area and the one thing that was nice about it other than where I live is people seem to lot more genuinely friendly. oh by the way I remember you guys being real pleasant real friendly and just seems like really nice people to work with.

I've owned the Bose 301 series 2. In my own opinion the best Bose speaker ever made

Agree on the Minimus 7...I have 2 pr - 1 bad tweet & 3 bad woofers so they sit in a closet...I bought an NOS pr of Minimus 11 on ebay about 10 yrs ago...I wish they had the 7 tweeter but they still sound pretty good

I think the allure of the Minimus 7 was their affordability and generally more robust sound compared to like-size speakers. Made/make great shop and garage speakers being able to be pushed by even low powered receivers. Not great speakers but great for their price.

Used a pair of Design Acoustics PS-9's in my second system for years, finally replaced them with some Cizek model 2's. But pretty much everyone that heard them loved PS-9's. I did recap the crossovers though

Also the Cambridge Soundworks Model Six - designed by Henry Kloss to be, more or less, a clone of the Baby Advent, but with a larger woofer. They be found easily for under $100 a pair and they sound great.

I've always liked the Realistic Nova-15 speakers from the mid-80s.

Had I been able to watch your videos about fifteen years ago I still have a love for audio equipment but don't have near what I used to thanks for the videos keep em coming