Why is it that pre 1970 speakers so prized today ?

[Mr. Widget]

It isn't about Mexican or Chinese or Japanese manufacturing, it's about yet another American company chasing cheap/slave labor at the expense of the social fabric of our own country...

The difference is cost ! One can build a Concert Grand , Patrician or Hartsfield , but what about the cost.
Lansing speakers were built to last , the one's I have are 60 years old !
The quality was outstanding. Workmanship unbelievable.
You can get that same quality today , in anything one buys. Is the public willing to pay for it ?

My grandmother used to say she was too poor to buy cheap goods. Times have changed, people want immediate gratification and think little about the future. I guess I blame the brilliant minds of Madison Avenue who have worked day and night for decades to create this social change. Poor and rich alike share today's mindset of, "Well, it didn't cost much. I'll toss it out and buy another." Corporate leaders now think of their factories and employees this way too. It is simply shortsighted and not sustainable.

Were speakers of 3-4 decades ago better than their counterparts of today? No. Are they worth saving and enjoying? Hell yes!

Is an $800 pair of La Scalas better than any $800 pair of speakers sold today? To some people yes, but it is far from being a universal truth. Same is true for $4K Hartsfields, $5K Paragons etc. etc.


Widget

[wolfshead]

And YOU said it!

YOU state WE can in fact buy the level of quality that was offered years ago, just the cost is prohibitive.

GUESS WHAT? 60 years ago, the cost of Hartsfields and Paragons were prohibitive, then, too. NOT every household had one. NOT every household had a Klipsch corner horn, either. EVERY house DID have a Philco, or whatever brand, RADIO!

Luxury items are exactly that! LUXURY!

I never indicated that a Hartsfield was for the masses or the average person. People who purchase Hartsfields or Paragons are not average.
Used or new. They are bought by either hobbist or collectors.

The avereage household today generally doesn't have an audio system
but an entertainment center , the audio supplements the video.
There are very few audiophiles around today. Very few audio stores.

I Might add not every household owns a Rolex or a high performance German car. Is audio any different ? The masses are average, high end audio is not average.

[SEAWOLF97]

The avereage household today generally doesn't have an audio system
but an entertainment center ,

I Might add not every household owns a Rolex or a high performance German car. The masses are average, high end audio is not average.

Always called myself super-average ...

but DO have 3+ audio systems , NO entertainment centers
and DO have a Rolex (but prefer Omegas)
and DO have a high performance German car (but ride my bikes more)

Oh no...does this mean that I can't be average anymore ?

[wolfshead]

My grandmother used to say she was too poor to buy cheap goods. Times have changed, people want immediate gratification and think little about the future. I guess I blame the brilliant minds of Madison Avenue who have worked day and night for decades to create this social change. Poor and rich alike share today's mindset of, "Well, it didn't cost much. I'll toss it out and buy another." Corporate leaders now think of their factories and employees this way too. It is simply shortsighted and not sustainable.

Were speakers of 3-4 decades ago better than their counterparts of today? No. Are they worth saving and enjoying? Hell yes!

Is an $800 pair of La Scalas better than any $800 pair of speakers sold today? To some people yes, but it is far from being a universal truth. Same is true for $4K Hartsfields, $5K Paragons etc. etc.


Widget

Not true , there are people who want and purchase quality items. Otherwise there would not exist a Neiman Marcus. Brioni men's suits or
Mercedes S series cars.
The Stradivari violin is today the most expensive violin ever made. Is there
a better violin made today ? What about a faberge egg ? What's better ?

Again certainly they are building speakers today the equal if not the superior of Hartsfields and Concert Grands , Stenway does , cost over $150,000 !.

As for as corporate greed , that's another subject. Didn't Gordon Gekko
state in "Wallstreet " GREED IS GOOD.

[wolfshead]

Always called myself super-average ...

but DO have 3+ audio systems , NO entertainment centers
and DO have a Rolex (but prefer Omegas)
and DO have a high performance German car (but ride my bikes more)

Oh no...does this mean that I can't be average anymore ?

Great question. Stanley Marcus , founder of Neiman Maricus once said:
It is one thing to own , another to appreciate ".

Why would one want to be average ?

[scott fitlin]

I never indicated that a Hartsfield was for the masses or the average person. People who purchase Hartsfields or Paragons are not average.
Used or new. They are bought by either hobbist or collectors.

The avereage household today generally doesn't have an audio system
but an entertainment center , the audio supplements the video.
There are very few audiophiles around today. Very few audio stores.

I Might add not every household owns a Rolex or a high performance German car. Is audio any different ? The masses are average, high end audio is not average.

Yo, Wolf, TODAY the HT system IS what TELEVISION was 40 years ago. People may not see the need for supreme audio systems, but they will not go without TV.

[SEAWOLF97]

Why would one want to be average ?

so I can wear sheeps clothing.. ...actually it was the best way to hide within the military , or at IRS time or during negotiations or on internet forums....

but they will not go without TV.

No TV in my LR ...they's hidden away.....LR is audio ONLY. As the TV's break, I'd like to not replace them.

[scott fitlin]

No TV in my LR ...they's hidden away.....LR is audio ONLY. As the TV's break, I'd like to not replace them.

Do you have children?

Let me see a household with a 5 year old, a 10 year old, and a 13 year old WITHOUT a TV, OR HT system!

I won't say anything, but I bet that house will rectify the TV situation, DIRECTLY!

[SEAWOLF97]

Do you have children?

Let me see a household with a 5 year old, a 10 year old, and a 13 year old WITHOUT a TV, OR HT system!

I won't say anything, but I bet that house will rectify the TV situation, DIRECTLY!

Uhh Scotty...I turn 61 in April ..my dotter in 39 and a DJ in Germany, my 29 y.o. son is headed for the U of London in September...dont think either of them will complain.

[jcrobso]

Yeah ???/ well i also own a Klipschorn,,,BUT with JBL drivers,, Take that Bullwinkle..

JBLs in "K" corner horn is very nice!
I own pre 1970 JBLs and love them, I own post 1970 JBL also, to each his own. The new JBLs are just way out of my price range, but vintage JBL is not.
If you can afford the new JBL speakers I think that that is great!!
But my champagne sound system on beer budget does not allow this.

[scott fitlin]

Uhh Scotty...I turn 61 in April ..my dotter in 39 and a DJ in Germany, my 29 y.o. son is headed for the U of London in September...dont think either of them will complain.

But when they were younger, AND living at home?

OTOH, kids with the DJ bug don't care much about TV, I didn't!

[SEAWOLF97]

But when they were younger, AND living at home?

back then the TV was more a monitor for the VCR so I could control what was watched....lots of "Gumby & Pokey" and "Yellow Submarine" , even as grownups they still appreciate those. I do too.

prolly made my kids weird (non-average)

[scott fitlin]

back then the TV was more a monitor for the VCR so I could control what was watched....lots of "Gumby & Pokey" and "Yellow Submarine" , even as grownups they still appreciate those. I do too.

AGREE!

[SMKSoundPro]

WOW!!!

I am sure am glad i stayed out of this one!!!

And, I am grateful for my superb vintage old school JBL and Crown hi-fi's to let me hear the beautiful sounds of the crashing good china and shattering leaded crystal goblets as all of you were spouting off to one another!

I am going back to work. How about you?

Love you guys, and Miss Heather, but come on...

scotty.

[hjames]

WOW!!!

I am sure am glad i stayed out of this one!!!

And, I am grateful for my superb vintage old school JBL and Crown
hi-fi's to let me hear the beautiful sounds of the crashing good china
and shattering leaded crystal goblets as all of you were spouting off to one another!

I am going back to work. How about you?

scotty.

Nah, they'll be snapping at each other for another page or 2 -
I don't think they have the critical mass of the old days
so it won't tear down through another 6 pages
like the old rant and rip sessions did ... (thank goodness!)