('71-'76)  $500 

In excellent cosmetic condition and sonically perfect, this pair of the Original Large Advent (OLA) speakers with the desirable "bullnose" frames are, of course, legendary. 
The recently refoamed woofers assure their continuing long life of pumping out that very satisfying bottom end.

The enclosures have the rare "chamfered / beveled edge" frames with beautiful walnut veneer tops/sides. 

The 10" drivers have the masonite woofer frames and the metal mesh screens over the famous "fried egg" tweeters (designed by Henry Kloss) and are as exquisite today as they were some 50 years ago. 

The grill fabric is new and was purchased from a supplier that recreates the identical fabric used on the original Advent speakers back in the 70's; it has the same distinctive white linen weave characteristics.

The sound?  Uncolored and neutral, very efficient, easy to drive.  With almost universal agreement, the sound from the Large Advents have no squawk, honk or hollowness, no papery or metallic flavor from disc surface noise, no flabby mid-bass boom.  The extreme low end is very deep, evidently good to at least 35Hz, and the highs are extremely smooth, sweet and detailed because of those the famous tweeters mentioned above. Uncolored and neutral sound, very efficient, easy to drive...those are the keywords for some of the best loudspeakers ever made.

Specs: 
Two-way direct-radiator loudspeaker.
Crossover frequency: 1kHz.
Balance control: Tweeter switch selects flat, +3dB, or –3dB.
Impedance: 8 ohms.
Power capacity: 100 watts (maximum)
Dimensions: 14"W x 11.5"D x 26"H
Weight: 37 lbs each

The back story:
(as described in Stereo Review magazine during the mid-70's:
"By all the accepted standards of evaluation, The Advent Loudspeaker is an accurate reproducer of sound as any top-line system we have heard. We feel, though, that listeners who have no particular preference for a certain aspect of or kind of reproduced sound will be as happy with the Advents as with anything costing up to five times as much. Maybe even more so."

Here's a great link that describes in detail the Large Advent speakers:
https://www.theprojectasylum.com/electronicsprojects/adventspkrepair/adventspkrbrochure/adventspkrbrochurepg1.html

About Advent...
The legendary Henry Kloss founded Advent Corporation in 1967. (Kloss was the "K" in KLH) The name came from the legal description the advent corporation ("advent" means "approaching" in Latin.  Around 1968, Kloss had quit KLH to develop a low-cost projection television, but had trouble financing the leading-edge research and development that was still required. To earn some money, he decided to build a high-performance, low-cost, dual-driver speaker system with a 10 inch woofer called simply The Advent Loudspeaker (later given the retronym "The Larger Advent", after introduction of "The Smaller Advent Loudspeaker"). It rivaled the sound of the then top-line AR Model 3a (which used three drivers and a 12-inch (30 cm) woofer), but only cost about half as much.
Advent produced a number of different versions of the 2-way Advent including: The Advent Loudspeaker, The Smaller Advent Loudspeaker, The "New" Advent Loudspeaker, Advent/2, Advent/3, 4000 series and 5000 series to name a few. They were usually offered in both wood veneer and vinyl-covered "utility" cabinet versions, which other than appearance were acoustically identical.
Henry Kloss left Advent around 1977 and, eventually, long after Kloss’ departure, Advent ran into hard times and never emerged from a bankruptcy declared in March 1981.

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('85-'87)   $800  (extremely rare)

Obtained from the estate of the original owner, this pair of Spectrum 410 are in near mint cosmetic condition and completely operational.  They are so rare that it's quite possible they are the only known pair in the country to be "almost" completely original and also includes the original factory spec sheets and warranty card.  Except for the newly fabricated grill material, they are 100% original.

These are a mirror-imaged design and the heavy floor standing cabinets are made out of thick (and gorgeous) walnut veneer.  They also have custom built, black iron stands (on wheels) that tilt back about 5 degrees.  The heavy (50 lbs each) enclosures were sanded and refinished.  The original grill cloth was in bad shape so we had to construct new semi-transparent fiberglass screen material onto the original factory frames.  We also recreated the Spectrum Audio speaker badges.

Very rare!
We are not used to coming across such fine vintage speakers while also being unable to find much about their history of design and production.  One thing for sure, these speakers have a phenomenal soundstage.  Fortunately, we stumbled across the best description about the Spectrum 410 from the guys at Audiophile Nirvana and we took the liberty of sharing their complete description below.

NOTE: Audiophile Nirvana began as a group of audio enthusiasts and engineers in Knoxville, Tennessee during the early 1980’s. One of the members moved to Atlanta and created the North Georgia Audio Society in 2006. In 2015 Audiophile Nirvana became its official publication. As members from both groups became acquainted the two groups became indistinguishable from one another and evolved into the Audiophile Nirvana Group.

From Audiophile Nirvana:
"Spectrum Loudspeakers was a speaker manufacturer based in Toledo, Ohio. It was founded by two engineering graduates who, much like Snell, set out to design and build high quality speaker systems using commonly available drivers. The company was well known for its quality control. Each driver was tested before being approved, which resulted in roughly 25% of all the drivers supplied to them being rejected. Their cabinets were also very well constructed. The front baffle on the Model 410 is an excellent example of this.  It’s 1.5″ thick bonded MDF, covered  in hand oiled walnut or oak veneer.

We received a pair of the Model 410s that had been recently restored by our friends over at Audio Electronics Repair. The 410s showed up at Audio Electronics Repair during the time they were doing a complete restoration on a pair of Altec Lansing Model 14s that had been salvaged from an estate sale for our testing system. The somewhat unique design of the 410 made us curious, and we asked the owner if we could borrow them.

It was clear that Spectrum Loudspeakers had given careful thought to the design of this speaker. What could easily have been a bookshelf with limited capabilities was turned into a wonderful floor-standing speaker. The attention to detail was everywhere apparent on the 410. The binding posts sit high on the back side, directly behind the crossover and driver to minimize wire length and improve amplifier damping. Instead of the cheap plastic binding posts found on so many speakers, Spectrum went with nickel-plated, studio grade, five-way binding posts. This was at a time when most manufacturers were still using spring loaded clip connectors. 

By choosing to make the 410 a ported tower they were able to maximize the low frequency response of the system and minimize distortion.  They placed the 410 on two black wedges causing it to be tilted back about 5 degrees. This improved time alignment and made the drivers on-axis with a normal listening position. The 410 was sold in mirror image pairs.

The cabinet is 38.5"H x 14.5"W x 11.5"D and weighs about 50 lbs. The 410 utilizes a 10″ low frequency driver along with what appears to be a polymer dome tweeter set into an acoustic lens. Spectrum claimed the system had a frequency response of 28 Hz to 20kHz with a sensitivity of 90db, and a nominal impedance of 6 ohms.

Listening Tests
We hooked the 410s up to a Bryston 4BST and DAC. We started off the listening tests with Diana Krall’s cover of Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word (Live) from her album Wallflower. The first thing we noticed was the 410s overall timbre and tonal accuracy followed by how its low frequency output matched that of a 12″ studio monitor. When we switched to the much more challenging track Temptation from Girl in the Other Room, we were even more impressed by the low frequency response of the system. After increasing the toe-in slightly, we were treated with excellent imaging. Vocals and instruments were easily separated, and the depth of the stage was at once apparent. Both tracks were conveyed with startling realism, and the dynamics of a live recording session.

The design of the 410 set it apart from almost every other speaker we had ever tested. It didn’t require additional raising or tilting to be perfectly matched to the listening position.

We tried to over-power the speaker by pushing the volume upwards on Madonna’s Impressive Instant from her album Music. The aural circling came through with the realism we would expect from a professional system, and perhaps more importantly, the transducers didn’t begin to exhibit distortion until well beyond a comfortable (safe) listening level.

The 410s remained with us for a week where they were tested with a wide variety of music. The only noticeable issue was their tendency to make poorly mastered recordings that favor high frequencies even more distressful. That being said, only a few speaker systems exhibit the level of control required to play back these recordings without fatiguing your ears, and they are far more expensive than the 410s.

Conclusion
If you’re looking for a well made two-way system, and can find a pair of Spectrum Loudspeakers Model 410s (they are rare), grab them. You won’t be disappointed with this system"

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('84-'89)  $4000  (perfect & extremely rare)

Obtained from the estate of the original owner, this amazing pair of B&W Series 80 / 808 speakers are completely original and in perfect operating condition.  Even the enormous, heavy grills are original and in excellent condition.

The 808 is a 3-way speaker system utilizing 5 drivers: two 10.5" woofers for the bass, two 4" midrange speakers and a single .05" dome tweeter for the treble, mounted in a bass reflex enclosure.  The gold plated, tri-wire  speaker banana jacks have the original factory jumpers installed for demo purposes.

NOTE: Most of the information regarding these speakers is readily available online.  We have borrowed some of that info as presented here.

The midrange drivers are manufactured from Kevlar, the same material used for bulletproof vests. Because the material is virtually indestructible, it`s incredibly expensive to form. The advantage is that once formed it never deteriorates or changes shape, vibrates uniformly and it endures an enormous amount of movement without damage. The highly efficient crossover network that sends the proper frequencies to the proper drivers, also compensates for time and phase, so all the sound reaches your ears simultaneously.

Product Summary
In some specialized music contexts, reproduction to reference standards is often required at very high sound levels indeed. This requirement presented yet another challenge to our design team and it is the raison d’etre of Model 808, which completes the trio of B&W master monitors.
Five completely new drive units are built into the three-way system with double the sensitivity of conventional professional monitors and overall frequency linearity free from coloration and distortion.

Tech highlights:
The TX32 tweeter achieves wide dispersion and extended frequency response. Yet it is capable of high sensitivity and well able to withstand the high currents involved. The Ferrofluid between the coil and pole piece cools the critical voice coil.
The problems posed by the necessary large enclosure of the 808 are met by the closed box system of utmost rigidity. To defeat coupling with the larger bass enclosure, a quarter-wave transmission line rear-loading system is incorporated.
Two 11" bass drive units operating within an enclosure of 220 litres fulfill both the bass extension and sound pressure level requirements. To achieve 91dB efficiency in the bass extension computer predictions indicate a fourth order alignment vented system and 808’s drivers are optimized around this design.

Back story (info from the Audio Base website):
The development of the 808 began in October 1981 when President Nimro Nakamichi asked B & W President John Bowers to co-develop it. After that, based on the specifications presented by Nakamichi, two engineers conducted repeated technical negotiations and Mr. Bowers conducted hearing coordination in the trial listening room. The development took three years.In the specifications presented by Nakamichi, there were 3 specific things written.

First, the flat frequency characteristics should be used to eliminate the colorization in the same way as in 801F to achieve an ultra-low distortion rate. Second, the efficiency should be twice that of 801F to obtain 91 db at 1W input power. Finally, the maximum sound pressure obtained in the listening room should be on the order of 120 db (125 db at peak).
The background to these requirements was the judgment that the monitoring capability of digital recording would become an essential requirement for pro-monitor speakers in the future, and that it would be necessary to support not only classical music but also all music sources.

To achieve these specifications, the B & W project team began with the design and manufacture of driver units with low distortion even at high sound pressure levels. The Nakamichi advice on total integration. The results are reflected in the Quarter-wave Transmission Line system for medium-to-high-range enclosures, the shape of the enclosure, and sound creation. In addition, B & W's expertise is fully utilized, including vibration analysis using a laser interferometer and the adoption of a computer-based crossover network using numerical optimization technology information.

It is interesting to note that Abbey Road studio in England was one of the first studios to install and use the model 808.  That fact alone contributed to the legend of these incredible speakers.

Specs:
Type: 3 way, 5 driver loudspeaker system
Frequency Response: 30Hz to 20kHz
Impedance: 8 ohms
Sensitivity: 91dB
Bass: 2 x 11.8"
Midrange: 2 x 4"
Tweeter: 1 x proprietary TX32
Enclosure volume: 7.8 cubic feet
Finish: walnut
Dimensions: 25"W x 21"D x 42"H
Weight:  180 lbs each

About Bowers & Wilkins...
The sleepy coastal town of Worthing in South England might not look like a hotbed of 1960s freewheeling experimentation, but for audio fans it’s a place that’s synonymous with innovation.

Thanks to the first Bowers & Wilkins speakers built there in the early years of the company, music lovers could experience albums such as Sgt. Pepper and Pet Sounds in new, mind-expanding depth and clarity.In 1966, John Bowers set up his company with his partner Roy Wilkins and  began assembling speaker systems in the workshop of their electronics shop and designed their first speaker, the P1.  The profits from this beginning allowed them to invest in new calibration equipment. 

By 1968, the high quality "Domestic Monitors" (DM1, DM3) brought more recognition from the audiophile community.In the 70's, with John Bowers at the head of the company, things really took off...with the development of curved cabinet forms and the use of new cone materials such as Kevlar, they hit it big with the Model 801 which almost immediately became the reference speaker of choice for many of the world's leading recording studios. 

Also, the first model DM6 from acclaimed designer Sir Kenneth-Grange appeared in 1976.  The later DM7 was the first that featured the iconic "tweeter-on-top" that's still used today.In the 90's the appearance of the (now very famous) B&W "Nautilus" which totally upended the preconceived notions of speaker design.Even though John Bowers passed away in 1987, today, in the so-called digital age, B&W just keeps moving along with its latest versions of the Diamond Series and so much more.

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(2008)  $600

In spectacular cosmetic condition and fully operational, this stunning pair of Jamo S-606 were first introduced in 2008.  They were thoughtfully designed using luxurious "dark apple" (aka cherrywood) laminate for the sidewalls and narrow strips running the length of the front of the baffles.  The rest of the enclosures feature piano black gloss laminate for the tops and front baffles.  Removing the grill reveals the inline drivers with the mids featuring silver metallic phase plugs.  

The S-606 was originally part of a surround system that was dangerously close (yet substantially better) than some of Jamo's well known and respected, so-called "budget" models.  Obviously (to us), these S-606 towers were definitely the heart of that system.  As a standalone set, this pair of S-606 is a very high quality speaker system with each enclosure weighing in at about 53 lbs each. 

Our in-store "shootout" with the Jamo S-606 against a pair of more expensive Sonus Faber Venere 2.5.  Hands down, the Jamo sounded better to us using the same amp and same demo tunes.
So...in our humble opinion, the S-606 sounds even better than they look.

The S-606 is a 3-way bass-reflex design (ports on the rear) with five-way gold plated binding posts and jumpers.
Each 42" tall cabinet features a single soft dome 1" tweeter (with textile base) and two 5" MF/LF (midrange) drivers (fitted with heat dissipating metallic phase plugs instead of dust caps.)
The tweeter and mids are placed into a separate sealed compartment that improves isolation with the woofer.  The 8" woofers are placed on side walls of the lower part of the enclosures.

Reviewed everywhere, the consistent comments were "the Jamo S-6060 are focused, dynamical, open, accurate, and neutral by tonal balance".
We might add that, like every high quality speaker system, it's best to drive them with good quality amp power to bring out the best they have to offer.

Specs:
System type:  3-way
Enclosure type:  Bass-reflex
Frequency response: ± 3dB42 - 20000 Hz
Nominal impedance: 6 Ohm
Amplifier Requirements:  15 - 210 watts
Sensitivity: (2.83V/1m)89 dB
Dimensions: 42"H x 7.5"W x 13.5"D
Weight: 53 lbs. each

About Jamo...
Jamo is a Danish manufacturer of loudspeakers.  The company was founded in 1968 by Preben Jacobsen and his brother-in-law, Julius Mortensen. The company name is derived from the founders' surnames. At one point, Jamo employed more than 400 workers at its factory in Glyngore and grossed hundreds of millions of dollars; in 1994, it was Europe's largest speaker manufacturer.

In 1998, the company had produced and sold more than 11.5 million units. In 2002, businessman Anders Hoiris was hired as director to reverse declining sales. His efforts proved unsuccessful; a major company backer, FSN Capital, then transferred its interest in the brand to Jystke Bank.  Hoiris then resigned. Company production has, since 2004, been located in China. Jamo was taken over in 2005 by the well known American firm Klipsch Audio Technologies which Hoiris had arranged for before his departure.

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(Early 2000's)   $500      (extremely rare)

These very rare HTD Level 4 speakers were built using only expensive, high-tech components featuring gorgeous carved enclosures with a stunning, authentic piano black laminate finish and real mahogany. Essentially, the Level Four speakers are a high level audiophile speaker system that's as exciting to listen to as it is to look at. 

Only around for a few years, the HTD Level 4 speakers were incredibly difficult to design and produce in a cost effective manner.  The time consuming production *process resulted in a limited run mostly due to cost vs ROI.  They simply could not justify continuing to sell them at their original price point of $400/pair.  It was either substantially raise the price or discontinue the model.  So...they decided to halt production.  The Level 4 are almost completely under the radar today.  They are a collector's dream...

This modest sized speaker produces a big, warm and smooth sound that is both musical and powerful. For use primarily as a bookshelf speaker that needs to be placed on heavy duty stands.

The Level FOUR includes the following features:

~6.5" drivers with doped pulp cones, butyl rubber surrounds, cast aluminum baskets, 2.5" voice coils, and high-efficiency neodymium magnets
~silky smooth 1.1" ferrofluid cooled silk dome tweeters
~3rd order crossovers on both the tweeters and mid-range drivers
~Dual bi-wireable gold-plated 5-way binding posts
~Removable shaped wood and cloth grills
~Knife-edge fit and finish cabinets made of CNC carved 1" MDF with internal bracing
~Internal tuned channels that end in front firing, elliptical ports for enhanced bass
~Video shielded for safe placement near a TV

*True Piano Finish- 
Most medium-grade and even some high end speaker brands use an inexpensive vinyl covering called "simulated" piano finish (although the word simulated is often omitted). This plastic material is shiny but it looks nothing like the true, rich high gloss finish that HTD creates. Others simply use a glossy paint and call it "piano finish". We use a multi-step process of applying lacquer, drying, sanding and cleaning. This process was repeated a minimum of seven times and took about fourteen days per speaker cabinet! The result was obvious in the stunning, deeply rich finish of every Level FOUR model.

Specs:
Power Handling:   110 watts RMS, 150 watts max
Frequency Response:  45 Hz - 20 kHz +/-3dB
Impedance:  8 ohms
Sensitivity:  88dB
Woofer Driver:  6.5" doped pulp with butyl rubber surround, cast basket, 2.5" voice coil, 4 OZ neodymium magnet
Tweeter Driver:  1.1" silk dome, 5 + 3 OZ ferrite magnet
Crossover:  3rd order on both tweeter and woofer at 2500Hz
Dimensions (HxWxD)  16" x 8 3/4" x 11 1/2" (bottom) 10" (top)
Weight (each):  27 lbs

About HTD...
HTD spun out of a company that began designing and manufacturing high quality audio equipment for many of the biggest brands in home audio in the early 1970's. They leveraged their expertise in designing and producing quality audio gear for others into the creation of their own HTD brand in 1998. The first HTD speakers were sold direct to consumers in January 1999 and Home Theater Direct, Inc. became its own company in early 2001.  With the advent of the internet, their decision to sell only direct to consumers was easy. Selling direct saved the customers' money by eliminating the price increases tacked on by distributors and retailers, as well as by catalogers and other internet stores.   HTD (Home Theater Direct) is a different kind of home audio company. They only sell what they make, and their HTD brand is only sold directly to consumers.

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('88-'90)  $300

This pair of Pioneer S-T100 speakers are in exceptional cosmetic condition and fully operational.  They are best described as a bit of a conundrum.  At one time, Pioneer designed some incredible speaker systems (like the legendary HPM Series, S-1010, and a few others).  But then, like other Japanese "big names", they also pumped out a lot of "just ok" models.  During the late 80's Pioneer produced the S-T100 and, to some, it was a shock because they sound really dang great!  

Priced at $600/pair and packaged in heavy oak cabinets, Pioneer described these as their "vertical twin bass drive system" design.  Apparently, Pioneer decided that "it's all about the bass" with the S-T100 because they can go deep.  For those that prefer to taper that deep bass, the ports can be "tuned down" with the included foam inserts. 
Thanks to an intelligent crossover design, the mids and highs are also excellent.  Overall, the Pioneer S-T100 is a remarkably great "under-the-radar" speaker system.

Each oak veneer enclosure has all the original drivers including two 6.5" mid-bass units (with enormous magnets) and a single high quality 1" cone tweeter.  There are twin front-firing 1.5" bass ports placed horizontally, mid center on either side.  On the rear are standard banana connections.

The highly customized enclosures were created out of necessity because the grills were toast.  For grills, all the mid-bass drivers have custom 6.25" chrome rings with black fiberglass screen material.  The tweeters have chrome rings attached to curved, black metal protective screens.  The bass ports have 2" round wood attachments.  The overall effect exposes all the beautiful oak on the front baffles instead of hiding it behind typically ugly black grill cloth.  The enclosures were finished off with curved (radius) edges up front.

Comments from owners on AudioKarma:
"Pioneer S-T100. Bad ass...think they are the Boss and sound like they are. Early 90’s and incredible..."

"I've had the Pioneer S-T100's and after listening to them against many other loudspeakers in a fairly high end audio store, I thought they beat the competition quite handily..."

Specs: 
Impedance: 6 ohms
Frequency range: 35 to 40k hz
Sensitivity: 91 dB
Max power: 150 watts 
Dimensions: 23"H x 13.5"D x 10"W
Weight: 32 lbs each

About Pioneer speakers...
Pioneer electronics started in japan by Mr.Nozomu Matsumoto in 1937. He was a very passionate individual who loved music and loved technology. He took it upon himself to create a loudspeaker built in japan that would reproduce the same quality and performance of the products that he was buying from overseas. Nozomu Matsumoto’s first business was a radio repair shop where he was fixed and repaired products made by others. In the same shop, he began creating Pioneer Speakers.

Mr.Nozomu Matsumoto built these speakers because he wanted to share with people the same strong passion and excitement he experienced while listening to imported speakers. "Pioneers’ original mission was to share the listening experience with more people." – Mr.Naoto Takashima (Director, Tohoku Pioneer)

"Pioneers strength is the ability to deliver our founder’s philosophy to practically any listener at all price points. By applying technology and experience developed for TAD and other high-end pioneer speakers, even our least expensive speakers achieve our mission". – Mr.Naoto Takashima (Director, Tohoku Pioneer).

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