If you could only own one set, which speakers are your "keepers"?

[mlau]

In 22 minutes, I'll be seeing a fellow speaker affectionado for a denture try-in.
He has over 16 (or 60?) pairs of speakers, and his wife is very supportive about his hobbies.

On my end, I don't have the room/space/money for so many speakers.
Currently, I have Quarks in my bedroom as my sound system, and $12 Amazon speakers at work.
However, if I ever do get a girlfriend/wife, I think I'd probably have to still limit my speakers to a few.

If you could only own one set, which would be your keepers? Why?
While I understand that each room (size, acoustics, etc) has it's limitations, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

One reason why I was thinking of Continuums for my office, is so that I wont' be tempted with upgraditis...it's be more expensive to keep getting better and better speakers in the long term.

-Matt

[malboro2]

Currently, my line arrays: actively crossed 3 way(at 160 and 2250): each channel: 32 -dome tweeters, 17- 3.5 inch midranges, 1 -12 inch woofer.

I'm currently building a 4way, actively crossed line array( 100/600/5000): each channel: 9 planar tweeters, 20 2.5 inch midranges, 1- 8 inch mid woof, 1-12 inch sub woofer.

[Kornbread]

That's going to be totally up to you.

As was mentioned, things like space, price/performance, and WAF, generally play a huge role in what one keeps.

Me personally, there is a system in the boy's room for when he comes home from college (aerospace engineer ... maybe), and the wife lets me scatter my stuff about in the main listening area in the upstairs loft, there is a cheapo' Lepai and speakers on the back porch, and nothing on the downstairs living room tv that we watch all the time.

Trust me on this, don't worry about upgrades ... it's like sex ... once you've had some ... you'll want more.

[Geoff Millar]

As noted above by Kornbread, there are a host of factors to consider. I've built four pairs of DIY speakers - all of which are other peoples' designs - and love them all, for different reasons. Another pair is in progress.

But my first pair, Curt Campbell's "Slapshot" MTMs, would be my keeper if I were only allowed one pair. They really opened my ears to just how good DIY speakers can be, and how over-priced and inadequate retail speakers can be. They sound marvellous and are more efficient than my other speakers, so they play well in larger rooms. They play all kinds of music extremely well and I am always knocked out by the level of detail these things give. Great value too, considering the quality.

The cabinet size (about one cubic foot) is also very reasonable in terms of room size and partner approval.

But if I could have two pairs, the others would be Paul Carmody's Classix II. These are my workshop speakers so are fed by my iPod, and the nature of their design means that the limitations of the source aren't as obvious as they are on the Slapshots. They are also great value and have many, many happy builders.

Geoff

[davidB]

Allison Ones. They can fill the house without blasting you out of the living room, and they can pull off a Bach organ fugue. They can also play quietly very well.

If you give me a second choice, my Ohm Walsh 2's. No bottom organ note(can't afford the big ones) but the imaging holds up no matter where in the lab I move, or what piece of equipment is in my 'line of sight'.

p.s. they both will play 'Ramblin' Man' by the Allmans at near concert levels, just that the Ohms don't fill the house at those levels.

[guitar maestro]

Easy. My Legacy Calibres. Powered by a Peavey CS800X pumping out 400W RMS per channel. I want them to be buried with me.

[r-carpenter]

Keeping Magnetar as a reference 2-way monitor and Alice as the main line source. She's going to take new set of custom tweeter and bass horn to replace 18" ported pro woofers.

[philthien]

I'm pretty happy w/ my dual sub FAST system. If I had to stop here, I'd be okay with that.

[tom_s]

I have the upper 2/3's of Paul K's CanTiLena design. Even with my amateurish attempt to substitute an Usher woofer, they are the best sound I have heard in my house. If I was forced to sell all my other speakers, I would finally spring for those ScanSpeak woofers.

[Wolf]

Man- that's a tough one....

For absolute clarity, my Cecropia Supremes take the cake. My Attitudes 3-ways are better at bass extension otherwise for a second spot, and I really like them. Then come the Glucinium Amor, Vijon, and Stances for my top 5. My wife won't let me sell the Sophomores.

So there's 6 pair...
Wolf

[kenny_k]

Easy! The next pair of speakers I build.

[williamrschneider]

I'd keep my Linkwitz LX521 speakers...



I suspect that the WAF is pretty low though.

[malboro2]

I'd keep my Linkwitz LX521 speakers...

I suspect that the WAF is pretty low though.

I think they are beautiful. But then I'm a guy who builds full height line array speakers in PVC tubes with an oak baffle and the tubes spray painted black. The wife would prefer a little box in the corner, but since I defer to her on almost every other house decision she grins and bears it.

[williamrschneider]

One thing that MIGHT affect MLAU's case is that he should go for the big speakers now. The future wife might allow them to be "grandfathered-in" and kept.

Most of us know that after a relationship is underway, building or buying big new speakers is met with resistance.

[tomzarbo]

Even though I recently gave them away, I think If I could only have one pair, I'd stick with my DN-10's. Slim, curved tower, sounds good with more bass than they should have -- and kind of stylish if I do say so.

http://techtalk.parts-express.com/forum/speaker-project-gallery/1290831-the-dn-10-s-2016-mwaf-dayton-audio-category-entry

http://projectgallery.parts-express.com/speaker-projects/the-dayton-neo-10s-dn-10s/

I enjoy listening to them more than probably any other speaker I've built for some reason. I think I got the most out of them that I could have I guess.

TomZ