Are Vintage Speakers Like Vintage Tyres?

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shunpillay

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Hi.

I would love to hear about experiences from vintage collectors more experienced than I.

I love classic motorcycles and was lucky to be able to take care of four beautiful bikes for a while. There are lots of similarities between the Vintage Motorcycle community, and the Vintage Hi-Fi community, including a deep appreciation for period-correctness. Even I would go through ridiculous amounts of effort to source NOS nuts and bolts, or original manuals printed in the correct year for my bikes. Crazy Town. 🤦‍♂️

However, as obsessed with details Vintage Motorcycle enthusiasts are, VERY few insist on original tyres (and period-correct air :rolleyes:). Tyre technology has simply advanced so much, that there aren't any strong arguments for riding with original rubber.

As I prepare to sell off a vintage system that I recently completed, I can't help but feel that my old speakers were a lot like old tyres. The state-of-the-art has simply progressed so rapidly, that my old speakers actually held back the complete enjoyment of my other vintage gear. An old Accuphase amp, or an old Linn Sondek can to this day shine without apology. But an old pair of AR speakers? Not so much.

These are my subjective observations based on ONE build. Not a great sample size, which is why I ask this question. Have you experienced vintage speakers that you reckon, to this day, will not hold back a modern Hi-Fi? Or do you reckon vintage speakers are in fact like vintage tyres - to be preserved but not used?

I would love to learn about vintage speakers that can hold their own in direct comparison to modern equivalents today, so I can fuel my reading (and Day Dreaming) moving forward.

:)
 

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