Greetings,
After a long, long hiatus, I return with a question...I sold my Model 19's, which I bought new, some 40 years ago, seeking audio nirvana. I went through Thiel's, Von Schweikert's, Dunlavy's, Magneplaner's, Martin Logan's, Focal's, you name it. I even built, at great expense, a pair of Altec 604 based speakers, modeling them after Stephaen's system, in a larger cabinet, the dimensions I got from Pete Riggle. After trying 5 different sets of renown crossover designs, including the original, I could never get the "shoutiness" out of the driver some. Some music was magical, some you just couldn't listen to. I remember my 19's being great across the board. What I loved about those speakers wasn't that they went deep. They didn't have that "airy" midrange. They didn't have that "sparkle" at the top. No, I'm sure they were far from "accurate," but they sounded like live music, and the dynamics were incredible, nothing a dynamic speaker could compete with.
So, I find myself considering going back to a pair, but this time, building them new using Great Plains components. I'm not sure if I can convince my wife to allow another washer/dryer in the great room. I truly wish I could find something that sounded like them at half the size, but I haven't, and I went to damn near every room at CES for years.
Has anyone built a pair of 19's using Great Plains components? Results? Has anyone successfully built something smaller that gets you 95% there? After my experience with the 604, I won't go that route again. Any other suggestions would be fantastic. I'd love to get a pair of the new JBL Summit Series, but want to keep the investment under $5K.
Thanks!