John Bowers Active 1 speakers

[karma1967]

A pair have come up for sale local to me,has anyone heard them? how do they fair compared to yamaha ns1000's?
cheers.

[walpurgis]

I just had to Google those Jamie, I'd never heard of them. They look interesting, but not something I'd be likely to splash out too much money on I think.

[Macca]

supposed to be very good. I'd get them if the price isn't silly.

[walpurgis]

The tweeter looks like a variant of the Vifa D25. It works well enough, but maybe not the last word in refinement. Best have a listen to them if possible.

[Macca]

There's a review and measurement of them in an old issue of an American magazine, I think it was 'Audio Review', I was reading it a couple of months back. I'll see if I can find it again.

From memory they were exceptionally good in pretty much every respect.

[struth]

had a good rep. have a active box that sits beside em for xover. 150mm drivers

[karma1967]

cheers ,i have probably read all the internet has to offer,the big question for me is how they compare to ns1000's,i have spoken to a guy on the wam who has both and says the JB! go lower as opposed to the more tighter bass of the yamaha's so it may be a sideways step,the fragility of the active 1 is somewhat of a concern though plus id have to source a decent pre amp.

[Macca]

Fragility?

[karma1967]

yeah as in the amps inside.more than a few posts on the net regarding faults

[Macca]

right, well I suppose they are getting on for forty years old so problems wouldn't be that surprising, I doubt the amps are inherently any more fragile than any other amplifier though.

If you can get them for a couple of hundred then do it and do your own comparison with the Yams. What anyone else thought is of little value - different room, different partnering equipment, different music, different preferences in presentation etc.