Vintage & Newer Speakers You Should NOT Overlook Part 1

There are some great bargains in speakers you might be overlooking! Kevin goes over five he almost passed up but was glad he didn't! Don't miss out!
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[@Peter-976]

I had a pair of those Optimus speakers with the top tweeter and I used them as rear speakers in my surround sound system. They were actually really good for that application and performed extremely well, especially watching the NASCAR racing on tv.

[@northlake732]

I am really enjoying all your videos. Especially like the way you explain things like a real audio enthusiast. Your videos pertain to all of us low to medium budget people that love the vintage stuff. Your store looks like an awesome place. Keep up the good work and thanks.

[@mr.krinkle8261]

I aquired a set of MCS 8232 for nada. I work the pay booth at the local landfill before stuff gets tossed. So I took them home (along with a MCS reciever and turntable) ... cleaned them up. Plugged them in... wow! I had the woofers refoamed. And they've been in our livingroom since 2019. Great sounding speakers. They even came with a soft dome midrange! Back in the day they retailed for $400.00/pair. Rated @ 10-100 watts rms. Sensitivity (1 watt at 1 meter) 92db. Crossovers at 700hz-8000hz. Frequecy range 30-20,000 hz.

[@BrianLevine-vd6bn]

I worked at Allison Accoustics back in the '80's. Dr. Roy was a great boss. Every component got tested before installing. We go made everything but the cabinets and voice coils. Then two partners sold out to some wiz kids that were ex Accoustic Research. They drove the company into the ground. They wound up in an airplane hangar in Kentucky.

[@LA-db9xj]

I've had a set of JBL HLS 810's since 1998. They came as the L/R speakers to my first "legitimate" home-theater setup I ever purchased. I still use them in my gameroom setup. There a great little speakers when paired with a comparable subwoofer. They still pack a good enough sound for someone as particular as me!

[@72vespa]

These are my favorite type of videos, the ones that inform us of better than average vintage components that might go unnoticed in the used marketplace. Please expand the series to include receivers, turntables, tape desks, etc. My speaker choice for this video is the Bose 301's. Recently picked up a pair of 301 IV (ugly black) for $10 off a sidewalk sale along with a pair of Bose 101 for $5.00. I've seen these listed from $40 - $200. Like the RS LX-5, these have a little extra something in their sound signature due to their Direct/Reflecting tweeter placement.

[@ThecrosseyedTexan]

I had the base model of the Optimus version of those they were fantastic speakers and as far as I know the person I sold them to is still enjoying them today. Mine were a horizontal style that had a 4-in Kevlar woofer in them

[@michaelvaladez6570]

One of my favorite mini bookshelf speakers is the ADS 510..a very good quality entry speaker with a good dynamic range and a surprisingly good bass response.

[@DSG-br5lk]

One I would throw into the mix, similar to the Sansui's would be the early 70s Dynaco A25's. Great neutral natural sounding mid-range centric speakers . Seas tweeters, butyl surrounds on the 10" drivers never rot out. I'll never get rid of mine.

[@subliminalvibes]

I've had my Mission M72i bookshelf speakers for twenty years (since new) and I've never looked back. Happy days! 👍😎

[@NeilBlanchard]

The Linaeum tweeter is a wonderful tweeter. It's secret superpower is that the tweeter varies its effective width - at lower frequencies the sound radiates out along the curved leaves, so they have a larger radiating area in the lower part of their range. As the frequency goes up, they get narrower, and approach a line source. So they maintain wider dispersion up high. Obviously, being dipoles, they radiate the treble very wide. The earlier LX5 with the metal screen over them, are a model ET-6 and they have a lower sensitivity. The later versions called LX55 or LX550 use an ET-6A tweeter which is higher sensitivity. The cabinet is 5 sides of cast aluminum - but the front baffle is ABS plastic. This front baffle *really* benefits from stiffening/strengthening/damping. I have done several layers of denim cloth and Titebond III glue - like fiberglass essentially. Linaeum made their own speakers, and some used their (better built) version of this tweeter. And others use a 6" high driver for the upper midrange on up to the treble. That driver is called TLS for "true line source" and it was in both a dipole and monopole version; depending on the model.

[@NeilBlanchard]

@@RickP2040 Right - the inventor is Paul Paddock, and he is a master! The WBLS driver - which stands for wideband line source - is a midrange/tweeter. I have onlt heard this driver briefly, but it is fantastic! Linaeum had a 6" high driver they called TLS (true line source) that can work down into the midrange; but the WBLS has 40+ years of development.

[@LJPack]

I used my Optimus lx-5 as surround speakers for twenty five years. I've paired them with DefTech towers and center for over twenty years. I'm still using the DefTech center with new Wharfedale Diamond 240 fronts. I've recently retired the lx-5s, and replaced them with Klipsch r51 for surround speakers. I also have rp500m's that I occasionally use in other applications.

[@frischma1]

Thanks for this video. I picked up a pair of LX5 today at thrift for a ten spot. Just finished a refoam job on them! Excited to listen to them tomorrow when the glue is good and dry. Cheers.

[@jemsmay2167]

Bought a pair of minimus 7s new from a radio shack in Rochester NY in the 70s. Metal case and grille, indestructible. Had them double wired with a pair of large advents in college powered by a Kenwood receiver. They now provide background BT music in our library powered by a small chifi amp. Still sound great, I even have the original boxes and packing materials!

[@randybarrish1132]

Kevin, another great video & topic. I have the OPTIMUS PRO 7AV version of the Minimus Series. Recently, to keep the Wife Factor happy, I pulled these out for one of my setups and added a Bose passive subwoofer all mated to a NAD 7020e receiver. The results... it doesn't suck. It is very listenable for a small setup in a common part of the house. Not everything can be about high-end equipment. Enjoy what you have!

[@jjjcmo]

VERY interesting. A lot of fun here!

[@SuperWooba]

I've missed a few videos, but I like the new look. The Sansui S-57 is an excellent sounding and very robust speaker. One of the few sets I've had that could take the full power of my Realistic STA 2300 and love every minute of it.

[@edricjr7930]

Hi Kevin! I enjoyed this video . .and you were right . . I didn't expect to see two vintage Radio Shack speakers as part of the conversation! 😮 I have both the Realistic Minumus 7 Silver speakers, and the Optimus Pro LX5 2 1995 version speakers. I replaced the original LX5 woofers with a pair that used rubber instead of foam, as the original foam deteriorated. 😣 The LX5's were part of my prime system before being replaced by a pair of Klipsch RP-600m speakers as my 'A' speaker selection. A pair of Optimus Pro LX4 speakers (1995) are my prime 'B' channel speakers. 😉 The LX5 are now part of a basement system and still sound great. 😎👍🏽My Minumus 7's are part of my Vintage setup which are driven by a Realistic STA-95 45W receiver as 'B' desktop speakers. The 'A' speakers switch between a pair of Emotiva B1+ speakers and vintage DBX Soundfield 3X2 LS speakers. I look forward to part 2 of this review, and I absolutely LOVE the intro tune you use for your videos . . .it's a "Get's stuck in my head" kind of tune!! 🤣🤣😋 Thank You Kevin . . . your work is appreciated! 👍🏽👍🏽

[@prunyanprunyan8139]

I own a pair of the Mission MS-50s (Made in England). Picked them up at a garage sale for $20 about 5 years ago. Excellent, lovely little units, sound great, and play much larger than you would expect for bookshelf speakers.

[@johnstump2433]

I have a few pairs of the LX5’s that I purchased back when they were new and you are correct that the foam surrounds do deteriorate at the age that they are. I purchased new surrounds kits that were specially made for them from Simply Speakers and did the repair myself on a couple of them and it was not hard at all. (This is my first attempt with surround repairs) and also they’ve got some direct drop in replacements mid range woofers that are really high-quality as well. I did a couple of those too and the speakers sound amazing when placed on a dedicated speaker stand and paired with a subwoofer.

[@ripjones5294]

Another fun installment. Ah, Minimus 7's. I chatted about these little gems in a previous video when you were showing them as "bench speakers". Yep, as a person below states, RS did sell mounting frames for these, and I actually had a pair of black ones, mounted on the rear shelf of my Olds Cutlass, until someone wanted them more than I did. And yes, they do make acceptable surround speakers, and I still have the white pair in my great room. Cambridge Soundworks sold a similar "satellite" setup called the Ensemble II which included a floor mounted "sub" and the two satellites. Truly enjoyed this. Looking forward to the next installment...Rip

[@dogratco]

The Optimus AV version of the Minimus 7 is magnetically shielded, a useful feature if placed near a CRT. A pair of them have been my surround sound speakers for 25 years. They're mounted behind the couch on the custom stands that were available for the Minimus product line.

[@chrishernandez2371]

It's always nice to hear all the good information you all put out

[@skylabsaudio]

Thanks for watching!

[@m.j.s.3838]

Mitsubishi SS-1121, three-way floor stander, 36” tall, 14” wide, 9.5” deep(!), 12 inch woofer. 8 ohm, about 87 or 88 db(?). Highly recommended if priced low. My neighbor threw out a pair last fall and I lugged them down the alley to my home, smiling. They sound pretty darn good-nice, easy-listening paper cone mid and tweeter, and physically palpable, impressive bass from that large, paper woofer in the sealed cabinet. I now enjoy them a lot in my garage shop. 😊

[@joseluisherreralepron9987]

I had some LX5's in the late 90's. They were good for classical recordings in particular. They don't go really loud with that sensitivity and small woofer but within their limits they weren't bad at all.

[@robertsuszek2327]

Thank you for your videos, I enjoyed this one and many others.

[@RandySmith-iz1ml]

Great video, keep em coming Kevin.

[@alanmaier]

I've had experience with both the Radio Shack LX-5 and of course the Minimus 7. I worked at Radio Shack when the Minimus 7 came out, and they have been a hit ever since. There was a Realistic STA-7 mini receiver that matched them, and it made for a nice bookshelf background music system. The LX-5 I recall was after the name change to Optimus, but it was quite a popular speaker during the era when Radio Shack's audio had turned to blah. I had a pair of the LX-5, and recently refoamed a pair that I found for cheap. But my surprise was the Sansui AS series speakers. I bought a pair of the 12" three way version in very poor condition at a thrift store some years ago. They worked fine, but the dope on the woofers has oozed into the grill cloth and the cabinets were beat. I refinished the cabinets, replaced the grill cloth, recapped the crossover and WOW! I did not expect such a smooth, easy to listen to speaker from Sansui. When I sold them, a buyer came from out of state for them.

[@Scoharr]

Still have a pair of Minimus 7s with the metal grille. I called them the poor-man's ADS

[@pingjockeyproductions6968]

I picked up pair of JVC Sk-15A - awesome as they were voicing my Sansui G9700. These speakers moved some air and delivered quite a punch.

[@jpaleas]

What an amazing video, I love speakers! I definitely put the Missions and and the Optimus LX5 on my radar ! I get sad every time anyone talks about the Minimus 7 as I handed mine to friend Because I found them sitting in a closet after more than a decade lol. At the same time though you reminded me how easy and inexpensive they are to replace! I’m a Sansui speaker fan and those As-100 blew my mind ! I enjoyed this speaker session so much! I’m a speaker collector, vintage and new so this was right up my alley! Thank you !

[@roberterickson4736]

Just acquired a set of Sharp CP 6700 tower speakers for free and hooked them up tp my 1978 NAD 3045 Integrated amp. Lovely sound!

[@quiksr20]

Great list, Just picked up a pair of Teac LS-X7s which are rebadged Minimus 7's for $15.. Neat little bench speakers. The Realistic Nova Line as a whole are pretty good!

[@robertromero8692]

I use the Optimus/LX-5 speakers as surrounds in my bedroom system. My supervisor gave them to me. They get the job done. I did replace the woofers, because the foam had disintegrated. I found drop in replacements that have Kevlar cones with butyl rubber surrounds.

[@ceylonmooney]

OMG that "sip some wine" clip/comment was hilarious. thats some funny shit.

[@skylabsaudio]

;)

[@DavidDarrow]

Have to admit that I've walked past more pairs of those Realistic/Optimus/RCAs than I care to remember, and I never paid them any attention. Lesson learned! One small inexpensive speaker that I've always enjoyed that could now be almost considered vintage is the Polk Audio RT25i. I've owned a number of them over the last decade+ and I never cease to be impressed by them. They're such a well rounded, and well built little speaker.

[@t-mar9275]

I had never heard the term "Kabuki speaker" until now. However, that describes my first decent pair of speakers in the early 1970s, specifically a pair of Sansui SP-1200. Eventually, after auditioning other speakers, I found them too boomy for my evolving tastes. Circa 1980, I finally replaced them with a pair of used KEF 104ab. Despite auditioning literally dozens of speakers during the ensuing years, I am still enjoying the KEFs.

[@AudiophileTubes]

My neighbor passed, and left me a pair of Sansui SP-100 speakers, which sound real nice! They have a small horn, and 3 sound settings on the back. I always turn the setting on the greater one, in order to compensate for the fact that they probably sound a bit dull after all these decades, and possibly need 're-capping'.

[@michellevey9608]

I have a pair of minimus-7's which l've upgraded. Fantastic speakers. Based on this video, l hunted down a pair of LX-5's. Hooked to my HK 330B they're pure magic. Thanks for the pointer!!!

[@chadlenz9325]

Please do more video like this! Love the info!

[@PoppinWheeliez]

Minimus 7 are fantastic for the size. Stereo imaging for days. Early all metal Japanese versions are the best IMO. TonyB did an upgrade on a pair of these and the optimus speaker.

[@jeffbrooke4892]

Great video. The Sansui is interesting. Posting capacitor ratings for the speakers would be helpful for those who might want to change them out. Looking forward to your next!

[@chatrkat]

I have a pair of AS100’s. My dad, who knew audio, bought them as part of a new component system for my Christmas gift way back then. Well I’m 65 now. I have them up on the wall, the grill cloth has been replaced due to residual ooze from the woofer surround compound, no harm to the drivers they are functionally normal. Absolutely wonderful sounding speakers. My cabinets are in pristine condition as well. Now I know what I have, thank you for explaining this model.

[@user-gt4rg9qe8x]

I love the AS100's too and that sound good - I also have a pair of SP2500's that sound better. The 70's SP's don't get much love on this channel and that's fine (although over done). They are a great speaker if you like your mid's and your music leans toward strings, horns, keys. I also get that some of those models were a mess including the SP1500 with the different sized mids and poor domes that didn't fit what the rest of the speaker was doing.

[@nchw68]

I used to have a pair of Aura Sound tower speakers that used a flush mount Linaeum tweeter. Toshiba also used the dipole and flush mount versions in some speakers.

[@alecbruyns4490]

The LX5 tweeters give s terrific spacial experience. The Kevlar woofers in one version had ferocious ringing problems.

[@66doodz]

I've found a few pairs of damaged LX-5's over the years and picked them up cheap and pulled the tweeters. Always considered building a high quality cabinet with 7"-8" woofer and Linaeum tweeters on top.

[@johncrawford6992]

Thank you for posting very good information

[@davidbailey6350]

Great video, looking forward to part 2and 3…..

[@skylabsaudio]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@daniannaci3258]

The Realistic Minimus 7 wasn’t the first mini speaker, but certainly the most popular. The earliest mini speaker I’m aware of was a British-made Goodmans model, 4” woofer, tiny cone tweeter. I saw it in my 1965 Lafayette Radio catalog. And don’t forget the Visonic David. They were all the rage in the early 70’s. They were about the same size as the Minimus 7, black cast metal cabinet, inefficient, and expensive for the time. My older brother had a pair he used with a Marantz 2010 receiver. Great little receiver. Surprisingly, its 10 WPC were able to rock the David’s rather well. The best sounding mini speaker I’ve ever heard was a little walnut model, the Sequerra Met7. Yes, Dick Sequerra (the famous FM tuner company) late 80’s maybe. 4” woofer, tiny cone tweeter. I could listen to those all day.

[@vintagesawyer6246]

I had a pair of Minimus 7 in black, my buddy blew the tweeters on his Studio Labs so we used the Minimus 7 's as tweeters , just set them on top and extended the tweeter wire out and up . Looked wierd,but sounded pretty good.

[@justinschlicher631]

Thank you for clueing me in about the Sansui AS100 & AS300.

[@skylabsaudio]

Get some!

[@JohnKelly2]

I have a pair of Sony bookshelf speakers I picked up at a thrift store for $10. They were sold with the HP-550 stereo. Yeah it was an all in one turntable and radio with speakers. However, the speakers have a 10" woofer and 4" tweeter at 8 ohms and we're made by Onkyo for Sony. They're really rich sounding, but lacking in the low end. I paired them with a Polk PSW10, following your video on adding a sub, and they are amazing! The best part is they have an amazing Danish modern look with wood cabinets, matte aluminum trim and black cloth with gold sparkle. I'm using a Yamaha RX-450 as my source.

[@crmixman]

I hear you on the Minimus 7. It's a decent little speaker and I have a pair hooked up to my desktop computer at work. Funny you should include the HLS610 in your list. I remember when Corey Greenberg reviewed them in Audio magazine. I ended up buying five of them for my home theater system when Best Buy was closing them out. I noticed they didn't all sound exactly the same. Turns out the crossovers are slightly different in two of the five. Those two just ended up on the rear channels.

[@406ed]

Just a quick note on the Mission speakers. Had a few pairs over the years, and from the info i've gathered, the England versions are M-5's, and the Malaysian versions are MS-50's. The power handling ratings are different. The Malaysian version is rated 20-50 watts, the England versions are rated at 15-75. The England versions sound a little better, probably due to a different/better tweeter. Woofer drivers are the same. Both sound great!

[@Generic_Eric_1977]

The RCA Cat# 40-5036 are a good buy too. They have those same Linaeum style tweeters and a kevlar cone woofer. They need refoaming but they are similar to the Minimus 7 in the style of a metal cabinet, but are a step up in size. They are rear ported and sound much better than the Minimus 7 to me. They were sold by Rad Shack under different names at times as well.

[@goodboid]

My favourite vintage speakers (apart from my 4311s) are the AR18s. I run them with a Hegel H80, it sounds sublime.

[@charlesswift3110]

Great video and info! I picked up a pair of the JBLs a few years ago as the price was right and they just looked like they might be something a little special. Hooked them up to my NAD 7240 and was not impressed. Then tried them with my SX 850 and was somewhat disappointed . I then used them in my surround system with my Yamaha AVR and they were ok, but nothing special. I finally switched them out and decided to use them in my garage with an older Denon AVR and bingo , they really opened up! Not sure why , but The Denon appears to be the perfect match as they really came to life. They definitely taught me that if your equipment isnt matched properly , you could be missing out on some fantastic speakers!

[@66doodz]

I've found a few pairs of damaged LX-5's over the years and picked them up cheap and pulled the tweeters. Always considered building a high quality cabinet with 7"-8" woofer and Linaeum tweeters on top. LX5 could make great surrounds I always thought, with that tweeter dispertion.

[@odysseus521]

Love your podcasts. Very informative. I have a set of Altec Lansings model 14's. Could you please do a review on these as I'm currently preparing to re-do and upgrade the circuit boards within the speakers. I could use some guidance in doing so. Thanks !!

[@glennstrouse893]

Just picked up a pair of the 7W. Very nice little speaker.

[@curtchase3730]

I still have my pair of Sansui AS100's I bought new around 1971. Still play fine. Surrounds are decent due to the fact they didn't use foam, but some cloth stuff with "tar" coating it all!

[@tomatojuice4595]

I was fortunate enough to come by a pair of Sansui LM-330s a few years ago. I got both of them for $7 bucks... They are in good shape overall, and they sound really good. One hell of a bargain 😮

[@user-lr6ie4wx4q]

Glad you mentioned KLH in this video. In my opinion the KLH model 6 was and still is one of the best speakers ever made. I have a pair bought by my cousin in the late 50s. I got them when I purchased his component system in the early 60s when he was going to upgrade. Through several system changes I have kept them because I’ve never heard any speakers I liked better. I know they came back in the 90s built by someone else (Boston Acoustic I Think) because there was a demand by consumers for them. Now about 65 years old they still sound great.

[@martyjewell5683]

In my 1979 issue of Complete Buyers Guide to Stereo/Hifi Equipment there's two reviews of the Minimus speakers. Both the model 7 and 11 (sounds like dice) were favorably reviewed. The Optimus T-70's were reviewed too. That was at the start of the satellite/subwoofer craze. You ever hear the EPI-100's? Nice interesting video.

[@richkurtz6053]

As a Radio Shack store manager in the 70's I can attest to the popularity of the Minimus-7 speakers. While the retail price on these speakers was $49 each, they did go on sale several times a year for $49 per pair. I still have 6 pairs I use around the house as desktop speakers or surround speakers. The other speaker we sold a lot of when they went on sale were the 15" Mach Ones.

[@taoresonance3144]

Hey Kevin! You just scratched the surface on this topic! Looking forward to seeing more of these videos. I have a Unicorn alert for the Optimus LX-4. A sexy walnut vaneered bookshelf with the Linaeum tweeter and a very speedy woven Kevlar 4" woofer. Beautiful sound, hard to find!

[@andyevans2336]

I also have a pair of the LX 4s in the master bed room still. And 4 pair of Min 7s for my patio surround system with a 12” sub and 500 watts .

[@slpcorner]

I've had the Malaysian Missions for years and yes they sound fantastic - I will never get rid of them. At some point I'll pick up a pair of the English ones for comparison.

[@FeedScrn]

Good choice of speakers... The Realistic Minimus were pioneers in their field.... with regard to sound and clarity. - The JBLs are a good choice as well... I have the Loft50s... purchased used. They are crzy - 6 speakers in each tower... but not too expensive. They take some power to drive, but are good for surround speakers in a Home Theater setup (front speakers I use are a Fisher tower pair).

[@Derdedering]

I have both the RCA and Optimus versions of the LX-5 if you want either to A/B them. Also with those HLS 810's I'll agree with all you said but you do have to be careful about the unobtanium tweeter. There was a service bulletin from JBL that added in a tweeter protection circuit 👍

[@bigboy4014]

KEF Caprice is a fantastic small loudspeaker if you’re into classical music. I’ve enjoyed them since mid eighties.

[@josebritolimpo3282]

Hi! Just got 2 small speakers realistic 7. I saw your video yesterday and found 2 for 80 aed( around 20 usd) in Dubai. Mixed with other powerfull one make a really nice sound. Thanks

[@KeyToTime]

Mission made some amazing speakers back in the day. My favourite is the Cyrus 781 standmounts from 1989. The 761 from the same year is also very impressive.

[@StillPlaysWithModelTrains1956]

I owned a pair of Kenwood KA-1000Zs that were simply awesome!

[@radiosnmore]

nods to ESS heil AMT and the amazeing S1 series. made in my hometown 😊. thabk you bob heil for the best tweeter ever made .......from 1971 to 2007. AMT. the sound of light !

[@peterrichard3706]

I had those optimus speakers. Few yrs back. Used them with a Acurian 5.1 surround receiver. 100 watts! From a yard sale! They liked power, till i blew them!

[@arsinoeivlostprincess4228]

I added some foam damping material and some expensive caps and new tweets to a pair of Fisher 830's I think.... the big ones. Like the effortless bass. I like em but they needed work. Smallish living room. One I ran with the original cross set up the second a store bought cross over. Two different sounds. They were cheap and I was looking for a large speaker for that space.

[@careystuart]

I'm a vintage audio lover but I have to say, I bought a pair of Triangle BR03s and they are absolutely amazing!! Of course my Dynaco ST70 is driving them...

[@user-bl7oe2md4p]

The Bose Roommates powered speakers were pretty amazing especially for being a portable system you could directly drive from a portable walkman or cd player(pre I Pod mp3). Might work as a pretty decent monitor(has surprisingly good bass power and extension for their small size)yes they do have dynamic eq built in, still probably better than stock computer speakers for recordings made on a computer system.

[@MrROTD]

I had the minimus speakers , the only place to get audio stuff was a local radio shack and you had to order from the catalog they didnt stock much stuff, my brother "stole" them , he offered me more than I payed for them and I took it, he used them with some Yamaha speakers in a 4 channel set up sounded good.

[@paulinboston]

Great info Kevin.

[@spacemissing]

Mission MS-50s are designed to be used with the woofer at the Top. The pair I have were made in Malaysia. Pretty damm good sound for a speaker with a thin plastic back! Another good Realistic that gets overlooked is the Minimus-77, a larger version of the 7. I have a pair in white and a pair in black.

[@qb101]

Personal thought, the EPI/Epicure M90 and (more known and popular) M100 is a highly overlooked speaker. Amazing extension for it's size and a fantastic tweeter, my M90's are some of the most pleasant speakers to listen to I have ever heard.

[@paulgood2218]

Andrew Jones pioneer bookshelf speakers my favorite yardsale bargain find! Amazing sounding speakers often under $100 or under $25 sometimes

[@kylesinclair1882]

Saw this video then coincidentally got offered Minimus 7s in a trade. They are great. Built like tanks and convenient for taking up no space and bringing them outside.

[@texasbassranger]

I spent a number of years stationed in Germany and I put together my dream system, Phase Linear amp. preamp and tuner. I had HPM 100 speakers and was full-on in love with them. Life happened and in 1994, someone offered me an obscene amount of money for that system and I sold it. I've regretted it since. Four years ago, I was perusing a mom and pop thrift shop and ran into a set of hpm 100s for 40 bucks. The cabinets were beat to crap but after pulling the grill facing off, they looked really good. I bought them and took them to my repair guy and he recommended reconing them and possibly refoaming the woofer. I bit the bullet and paid for the work and now have them at home and the sound is remarkable. I no longer have any vintage hardware but my cheap sony receiver is adequate. I;ve owned a lot of speakers in my life, but the HPM 100s just captivate me. I could have probably just bought a set that didn't "seem" to need any work but I learned early, looks are deceiving. These HPMs rock my house.

[@JukeboxAlley]

These are great picks, the lineup tweeters do have some appeal and see and great, and easy to refoam those models, and yes, don't nr sleep on any missions, I've never had a mission speaker I didn't like. Theres a few I could think of that are "sleepers", but I'd bore you to death with the list and I'll just wait until you make another video and maybe you'll cover em!

[@paulbennell3313]

I've got a pair of Minimus 7's I found years ago on a flea market here in the UK. I paid £18 for them. They're the 7W model with the wooden cabinets. The only fault is that the grille cloths are slightly frayed but other than that they're perfect. I've seen many upgrade kits for these but even completely standard and original like mine, they're suprisingly good for their size. True, they're not bass monsters but they're great for bedroom systems even without a subwoofer. Another one to watch for are the Mission/Denon SCM-51. These are of a similar ilk to the Mission speakers in this vid but smaller. I got some from a secondhand furniture store for £10 including cables and stands! Again, the grilles were a bit frayed but what a huge suprise they turned out to be. They punch well above their weight. Depending how they're placed, you can get away without having to bother with a subwoofer. The bass doesn't sound like hard, forced "psychacoustic" bass as with a lot of small speakers and it goes plenty deep, shockingly so considering they only have a 4" bass unit. They're rear-ported, they look cheap (cabinet finish is on a par with cheap chipboard/MDF furniture) but they sound absolutely incredible. For anyone with experience of Wharfedale Diamonds, they're easily on a par with them and may even be better. I used to have some Diamonds but never did an A-B comparison of the two speakers.

[@michaeldicarlo5540]

I have a set of early 2000's klh speakers and bookshelf speakers and those things pound pretty good.

[@trumptardtearcollector9867]

Picked up a lot of 90s jbl when i acquired my surround sound system. Just started using my S38s as a pure stereo setup. No sub. Impressive bass for a single 8in driver. Nice bookshelf speaker. Mine are black but they come in blonde ash too.

[@jamessouthworth1699]

I was extremely surprised by the Philips FWB C550/17. I didn't expect much from them because they came with a mini system. I have a set connected to a Yamaha RS202 receiver. The speakers were going to be temporary but after hearing them it's my permanent setup.

[@supersportimpalass]

One neat thing to do with the Sansui speakers is to use them as already built cabinets for speaker projects and installing updated drivers. Some people may find it offensive to do this but in reality they made so many of these that it’s not like you are destroying something rare by any means. You can upgrade the speakers and keep the vintage vibe.

[@chrislj2890]

I still have four of those little NHT speakers in a closet that I used in a surround sound system back in the '90s. They were okay for that use, but I wouldn't want them for main speakers, even with a sub.

[@ahatoro2001]

recently picked a pair of BIC America model Venturi medium size two way in near mint condition sold on amazon for $220 free shipping i got this pair at a goodwill nearby for $15... what a find, never heard of the brand they sound excellent great bass response. Ideal for my small studio. I sold my Klipsch KG2 s because they were too big for my new crib. Sold the Kg2s for $200 used them daily for 20 years not bad return since i paid 450 when new in Boston....but again BIC America, what a surprise !!

[@luislunacortez1929]

Hi Kevin thanks for your video. I have a Sansui Au-719 integrated pairing with a sansui Sp-1500 sounds ok but lacking of deeper bass notes . What other vintage high efficiency speaker you can recommend to be good match. I listen most rockblues rock salsa classic my room is 10' x 30' 8' height i like listening to moderate high levels i hace certain treatment walls treatment and carpet on the floor. Thanks for your advise.

[@dylanemeraldgrey]

Fun one! Thanks.

[@skylabsaudio]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@scootb7400]

I bought a pair of Minimus 7’s in walnut a year ago for $30 and I have been thrilled with the sound. I just saw my first pair in the wild at the thrift the other day, but they were pretty far gone.

[@GovernmentGlen]

Sansui LM 330. I've owned two sets and have seller's remorse. Great sounding 2-way speakers.

[@johnboyle1425]

I use a pair of Sony SS-MB100H speakers with my Sony STR-VX6 receiver in my second system. They are magnetically shielded, 8 ohm and rated for 100 watts Easy to drive at 87 db. They have a very smooth clean sound and can be found at a very reasonable price.

[@TheSpeakerseeker]

Show ADS speakers some love! Also, the little JVC fullrange speakers that came with the executive systems. Shocking amount of bass.

[@skylabsaudio]

Love ADS! Have a few pair that will never be for sale =)

[@kevinteal4585]

Have a pair of L620's. Love them paired with my Marantz amp. Got them as a free porch pick up. Polished cabinets a bit and voila! They have the metal grille too!

[@billsmith5166]

ADS made some small metal grill speakers that were about the size of the Linaeum tweeter Optimus. They were amazing. I think I had them around 1978 or so.

[@wisdomoverfear2685]

I found a pair of Polk T15's a $449 JBL center channel speaker and a Velodyne 10" powered sub for $150....and it came with a Harmon Kardon AVR 225 receiver and a Sony Blu Ray and a really nice cabinet ! I was surprised it all worked and it sounds great ! Now i need a pair of tower speakers and I'm set !