Your Loudspeaker history

I just had a home demo of the Kudos 505. Interesting speaker. Still a little on the bright side for me. I think my units weren’t run in properly. how do you find yours?

Hi Andre,
I’ve owned Cremona Auditors since they were the current model. I keep thinking I can improve on them as they’re now coming up for 20 years old but have not had much success.
I believe the speaker room interface is one of the most important things in HiFi and there’s a chance that I’ve lucked out. I’ve a bad room that’s 4m W, 4.2m D, 2.2m H and has solid walls apart from a huge window on one side. The old SF’s like to be positioned with quite severe toe in, so that you can just see the outside of the cabinets from the listening position which I think helps out with reflections in my room.
Although they look much the same, the original Auditors were designed by Franco but the M’s weren’t. The M’s are slightly larger, have a bass port about twice the size and on paper their tweeter should be better. The M’s have a more neutral response but I found the tweeter to sound slightly metallic on some recordings. I also had to pull them out into the room further due to the increased size and bigger ports. The original Auditors treble is not as bright and they have more bass warmth which sounds better to me. It may not be totally realistic but makes everything sound good.
I’ve listened to some of the smaller Olympicas but the sound has changed from the Serblin designs and I find them too bright.
I’ve always fancied a pair of original Guarneris or Mementos but again, they are bigger speakers and with the stands also really tall I’am not convinced they’d work in my room and it could be a costly mistake if I were to buy a pair.

My T505s are now well run in and don’t sound bright, having replaced my rather tired SBLs with them in 2021. They work well with my room and the occasionally exuberant NAC 282! They are quite ruthless at revealing the quality of the source both cosmetically and the quality of the audio mix in a recording/live TX etc.

Interesting, the Naim SL2s I had were a faster sounding speaker. Very live compared to the Kudos although the Kudos does have their merits. Why did you make the switch- what do you think you’ve improved on? I’m eager to know as I returned them to the dealer suggesting they should be run in some more before my next audition

For me, it’s the sense of scale, imaging and depth of the presentation that convinced me to change my speakers. The T505s draw you in to the music in the same way the SBLs did but with the additional sense of scale. My SBLs were made in 1987, albeit with new drivers and crossovers in 1999 and 2005 but since most parts are now obsolete I made the decision to change when I was offered a good deal!

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Here’s a list of my boxes in order of ownership…

Monitor Audio R-252 (still current).
Linn Index.
Rega Elas MK1 (current - AV system).
Rega Kytes (current - AV system).
Naim SBL.
Linn Isobariks.
Mission 751 (as a stop gap).
Royd Minstrel.
Monitor Audio R-352.

Still in play in the main 2C system and rotated as the urge strikes are Monitor Audio R-252s and the Rega Elas. I’m now toying with the next acquisition. I do fancy trying some Dyns or Neats, and I also keep looking at Troels Gravesen’s designs and wondering if I’m up to the task of a self build kit. I also like the idea of a streaming preamp hooked up to a pair of active ATCs as well. So many options!

Pedropete, many thanks for sharing your experience. Even I have less experience myself, I understand and share what you say. At the moment have original Auditor and like it more than M version, in opposite to many other owners.
Bought them after Signum, which I’m really missing. Not perfect speaker, but I liked them.
Also both model were much demanding to room positioning, so most likely will sell Auditor, as have changed living space.
Wish to have Guarneris (Franco’s), what a lovely speakers.

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Same here on the Arros

Starting from late 80’s -
Infinity RS 1000
B&W DM602
B&W LM-1 w/ subwoofer
Aerial Acoustics 5B
Spendor S5e
ProAc Tablette 8 Signature
Harbeth SHL5
Harbeth Compact 7ES-3 30th Anniv Edition

KLH model unkown - MID seventies till mid eighties
Etude not sure about model nut believe was Clio
Mission 750 LE
Proac Studio 125
PMC Twenty5 22
Dynaudio Contour 20i - Since feb 2021 until now
PMC Twenty5 23i ordered end december and delivery forseen end january

Yes, I did the same re my NBLs. I wanted to make sure I liked the veneer before the boxes were assembled. When Grahams arrived with my SBLs several years earlier, I told them to take them away as I didn’t like the rather plain veneer!

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Another short list…

1969 (ish) - Wharfedale Unit 3 kits in either Linton or Denton sized cabinets. Got me through uni and a few years working.
1975 - B&W DM6 (the pregnant penguins).
1996 - Proac Response 2.5. Still my main speakers.

Along the way, had a couple of 2nd Systems:
1985 (?) Royd Conistons - still going as my computer speakers.
2005 (?) Proac Tablette 2000s - since donated to my daughter.
2015 Kef 301s and a BK subwoofer (for the TV).

I hung on to the DM6s for about 10 years then passed them on to my son. Last year, he had them rebuilt by Anapeach Loudspeaker Restorations. They’re really good!

A very short list

1983 - AR 18LS
2004 - Totem Mite
2022 - Spendor D7.2

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Dynaco A25, 1974
Mission 70, 1984
B&W 804d2, 2013
Sonus Faber Amati Tradition, 2021

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Ah, it’s been a long time …

1972 Wharfedale Melton. I was a newbie and liked the extra bass as opposed to my old record player!

1974 Spendor BC1s. Compared them to Kef 104 and Missions. Still kept my Thorens 160 and Trio 4002 to drive them. Kept them for several years, adding Tandberg TCD310, Rotel RX802
circa 1983 (or 4) I had enough spare cash and got a Linn LP12/Lingo/Asak +Naim Nait.

within a year the upgrade bug hit, and I swapped the Nait for 32/HiCap/250 (the old CB versions). Ran them into Passive Linn Saras

A little later I decided to go active, and got a Naxo and 4 135s. Again using Active Saras

Later still, I listened to the Naim SBLs, and (ran them active with the above) which I kept for a long time. They are now part of my youngest son-in-law’s system. I gave them to him along with a Naim 52/52PS. He uses a Naim 250 as his amp.

It as about then that I retired and SWMBO decided that the living room was her domain, and I retired to my “man cave” (aka my study) where I already had a second system.

In the study was a system consisting of Arcam Alpha, Naim AV2/DVD5/250/145/200, Royd Edens (front), B&W CC6, Royd A7s (rear), Rega Vulcan Sub.

Over the years this has gradually morphed into its current stage of NDS/555DR/552/300/Arcam AVR850/Naim n-System. The LP12 and its accoutriments lives on a wall shelf. I preferred my original living room system, but caved in the “the boss’s” wishes (sigh). The AV2 and DVD5 are currently in use as a CD player along with a Naim 175 (it’s my youngest granddaughters system as assembled by her father - recycling unused equipment.

Don’t see much point in trying to alter this current system with all the space and other constraints of my study.

Russ,

I’m full of regrets, but ditching the Kudos Titan’s is not one of them. To say the ProAc K6 Signature is in another universe of sound quality would be an understatement . I was on the path to upgrading to the 808 Titan’s, but after hearing them at a friends I didn’t hear much improvement. Nicer cabinet, but same basic sound signature. The move to ProAc started with a pair of Tablet 10’s that I used in my office. I was blown away by their musicality, it was hard to get anything done when the Tab10’s were playing. A home comparison with the Titan’s confirmed that I preferred the ProAc sound, even though they were not suited to my large room.

I am lucky to have a few trusted sources when it comes to speakers. I was planning to purchase the K3, but my friends suggested the K6 Signature was best suited to my 500 system. I had to purchase them without a demo (much like my T88s). It didn’t take long to realize how much better they were. Not just musically better, but so much more scale and detail. I like to describe the K6 as Quad’s that makes bass. I’ve heard a lot of speakers, some that cost 10x and nothing compares. I do believe the K6 Signature is one of the best speakers available today, perhaps only bettered by the K10 which I hope to own some day.

I know a lot of folks on this forum love their Kudos speakers and that’s cool. This is my opinion and my experience. My only regret is selling the DBLs. That’s another story.

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JBL 88
ProAc D2D
NAIM Ovator S-400
ProAc D30RS

In between the JBL 88 and ProAc D2D speakers there were a couple all in one systems that I used from Pioneer and Sony while living in apartments. Basically a receiver, CD player with speakers.

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Not a long list.

Heybrook 0.5
Rogers LS4a
Mission 782
B&W PM1
B&W 804d3

Pretty short list for me. From the 80s to early 90s some Kenwood and Polk Audio speakers I don’t recall the names of. Maybe even a JBL in there.

From the mid 90s to current:
Monitor Audio Silver 9i
Kef 104.2 Raymond Cooke series
Naim Ovator S-400

80’s : B&W DM2
90’s : BNS Sound Column 3
2003-2009 KEF RDM3
2009-2019 AudioPhysic Virgo V
2019-present Sonus Faber Olympica 3