10 enjoyable speakers you've owned

[Mr Pig]

It takes all kinds, Colin.

Quite.

For me the Linn Kans were an all-time low point in speaker design.

I had three pairs! ;0) Love em. Very hard speaker to get working properly, but once it was you've got one of the most musically candid speakers made. Even then though there are times when you could quite happily throw them out of the window. Utterly unforgiving.

What about the LS3/5A?

Which Index's? They liked to call completely different products the same thing.

[MartinT]

Even then though there are times when you could quite happily throw them out of the window. Utterly unforgiving.

Those must have been the times I heard them. Screechy!

What about the LS3/5A?

A nicely balanced speaker as long as you didn't want real bass or proper dynamics. Great when combined with a sympathetic valve amp - a mate of mine runs them with an Art Audio Quintet. Fantastic texture to the sound and very beguiling.

Which Index's? They liked to call completely different products the same thing.

A friend had the early ones, I believe. Certainly the first model using that name. Deadly dull.

[Mr Pig]

Those must have been the times I heard them. Screechy!

They were always on the edge of that. You needed a powerful, clean transistor amp and pretty smooth front end and pretty immaculate set up. Most CD players via Kans cut glass! Even then they would rip up poor recordings and throw them at you like knives. Fantastic speakers! :0)

A friend had the early ones, I believe.

Flat black ugly things? Not the best speakers in the world. The problem with all of these early Linn speakers was that none of them were designed to work with comparably priced amplifiers or front ends. Later designs were much more forgiving but much less interesting.

[Barry]

Despite having been messing about with audio gear for the last forty odd years, compared with some of you lot I'm an audio virgin - 70 pairs or speakers? I've only ever owned two:

Wharfdale RS8/DD 8" dual-cone speakers using a 'mechanical' (inertia) crossover, built into a home made Wharfdale design cabinet 24" x 10" x 10" (I think) that used distributed rear port loading. Gave them to my father, who re-veneered the cabinets.

Quad ESL '57. 'Nuff said. I doubt I'll ever change from these - been with them too long (35 years) and I love 'em. Yes, they have bugger all deep bass, they beam, they can't be played loud, are fussy about the room they are in and the amplifiers that feed them, but to my ears nearly ever other non-dipole design sounds artificial, despite impressive capabilities. Would love to stack them, but don't have the room. I may experiment with a subwoofer later this year, but am not expecting too much success.

I have lived with some other speakers that I learnt to respect, these being:

Cambridge R50 four way transmission-line speakers,

Lowther Acousta horn loaded fitted with PMS6 drive units,

Impulse H2 three way horn loaded speakers,

and I'm getting used to Marco's

Tannoy Gold dual concentric drivers fitted into Lockwood cabinets. You can see why they were/are used for monitoring! (But then so were/are mine.)

I have of course heard many more, but these have been within the confines and restrictions of a dealer's showroom or at an audio show.

[Mr Pig]

Quad ESL '57. 'Nuff said.

Can't argue with that. Few speakers are even close to being as transparent and open. I couldn't live with them, due to the limitations you describe, but I respect them a lot. Like listening to a fantastic pair of headphones without the sweaty ears! ;0)

[Jonboy]

. Like listening to a fantastic pair of headphones without the sweaty ears!

That about sums them up, but when they are stacked they take on a whole new presentation and you wouldn't want a sub

[Jac Hawk]

What day were the ones you had built? Apparently, the ones made on a Tuesday were best.

Marco.

Mine have tuesday written on the back

did it 5 minutes ago with a black pen

so mine must be good ones

[Reid Malenfant]

That about sums them up, but when they are stacked they take on a whole new presentation and you wouldn't want a sub

Add lots mass above them & a stiff frame & you have something similar to what some chap (can't remember his name - but i'll get castigated for it ) has in a nice concrete room

Something to do with SME me thinks

[MartinT]

It was the sadly departed Alastair Robertson-Aikman (sp?), the CEO of SME who famously had stacked Quads behind curtains in his listening room.

[Jonboy]

Something to do with SME me thinks

Alastair Robertson-Aikman founder of SME, he had them at right angles to each other and not stacked from what i remeber being told, i know a couple of people who heard his music room which is only over the hill from me in Steyning, also i think he ended up using 63's