Downsize, Upsize (Part II)

by Karl Nehring

For those who might not have read Part I, which you can see here, at this point in the story I had just re-enlisted in the Army early in 1971 and used part of my cash bonus to purchase a pair of Bose 901 speakers. Because Bose recommended a minimum of 60 watts per channel for the 901s, I also sold my Kenwood receiver and purchased a more premium Pioneer unit rated at 65 wpc. (Some old-timers might remember the McIntosh clinics, in which McIntosh dealers would have a representative from the McIntosh factory come to their store and set up a test bench. The dealers would invite customers to stop by and bring their amps and receivers in to get measured to see whether they met their published specs and how they stacked up against McIntosh and other gear the dealer might be peddling. I was quite happy to find out that when I brought the unit in for testing at one of those clinics more than seven years after I had purchased it that the McIntosh rep, a really professional gentleman in a white shirt and tie, found that the old Pioneer met or surpassed all its specs. In fact, he commented that it was a first-class receiver, a cut above most of the units he had tested of its vintage.) Some audio buffs turn their noses up at the idea of the Bose 901, but at the time, it truly was a remarkable product, especially in relation to what else was out there. I had come close to purchasing KLH 5s, but preferred the 901s overall.

 

A few more quick comments about the 901s before I move on. First, in terms of music listening, the early 1970s were – at least for young white American males like me – the era of rock and fusion. The record collection my wife and I had assembled comprised mainly our 60s rock records, some folk (Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, etc.), a few orchestral LPs, and a rapidly growing number of jazz-rock fusion releases (e.g., Return to Forever, The Inner Mounting Flame, Bitches Brew), and this stuff sounded really good through the 901s. Another thing to recall is that after the original 901s, Bose decided they needed to be more efficient, and went from a sealed to a ported design, giving up some bass to gain some efficiency. No, I am not saying the Bose 901s were the be-all and end-all; however, they were certainly not as bad as some folks have claimed. Anyway, back to the story…

We returned to the USA in January of 1974, bringing the stereo system with us and continuing to acquire new LPs to enjoy through the 901s, including Weather Report’s Mysterious Traveler, Antonio Carlos Jobim’s Stone Flower, and Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark. In February of 1975 I was honorably discharged from the Army. Because BYU had a policy that granted those on academic suspension the opportunity to re-enroll upon their successful completion of military service, Marilyn and I moved our two young sons, our records, and our stereo into a small basement apartment in Provo, UT, in April. That very first semester, I signed up for an elective course in music appreciation that would change my life, for the professor, Dr. Earl, made classical music come to life in a way that immediately captured my attention and imagination. The next thing you know, I was buying all manner of budget-label classical LPs. My time in the Army plus my becoming a family man had made me much more mature, meaning that now I was able to do well in my classes. Not only that, I had a beautiful wife, two healthy kids, a rapidly growing record collection, and the world’s best speakers. What more could I possibly want? 

 

As you might guess, I soon found out…

 

One fateful day I strolled into a stereo store to purchase a replacement stylus for my cartridge. The salesperson asked about the rest of my system, and when I mentioned rather smugly that I owned Bose 901s, he said something along the lines of, “well, those were certainly exciting when they first came out, but they’ve been surpassed these days. And if you like them because of that reflected sound, I can show you something right now that does a better job.” I then spent some time listening to some Sonab speakers from Sweden that did indeed do a better job. Needless to say, when I got home and told Marilyn that I had heard speakers I liked better than our 901s, she was not too thrilled. You see, when I had bought the 901s, the line I used on Marilyn was that we would never again need new speakers. Hmmm. 

 

Although I did not wind up with the Sonabs, hearing them started me on my speaker quest. I spent a lot of time hanging out at various audio stores, records in hand, listening to various speakers. I was quite taken by the Dahlquist DQ-10s, but could not afford them. Then I discovered a brand-new speaker that I liked even better than the Dahlquists, the DCM Time Windows, but no, I could not quite afford those yet, either. So at this point I finally wound up purchasing a pair of Polk Audio Monitor 10s (right), which sounded quite good for their asking price. And they were big speakers. Maybe not huge, but certainly big. They had a full sound, with some heft and impact, but also a reasonable amount of detail and transparency for speakers in their price range.

So it was the Polks through the rest of our in time in Utah, where in the spring of 1977 I completed my undergraduate studies. It was a great feeling to leave this time not as I had been forced to leave eight years previously – academically suspended – but as the recipient of two bachelor’s degrees (communications and philosophy). We then headed back to Ohio for a year of grad school at Kent State; by the end of that school year, I had been invited to join the staff of The $ensible Sound, an independent audio magazine that focused on more affordable equipment, and I sold the Polks with the idea that when we got settled in our next residence (I had been accepted for grad school at Ohio State), I finally would get the Time Windows that I had been wanting and saving for.

 

In the summer of 1978 we moved into the house where we still live today, in a rural area northwest of Columbus, Ohio. Here I finally had the luxury of a relatively large room that could serve as a dedicated audio room. In addition, our nearest neighbors lived a quarter-mile up the road, so I could play loud music any time, night or day – unless it would disturb Marilyn or the kids. I quickly set up my new pair of Time Windows (left) which produced some remarkably good sound in our new home. I had picked up an Onkyo A7 integrated amplifier to replace the old Pioneer receiver, and then came a used Son of Ampzilla (I retained the Onkyo for a time for its preamp section). But hey, I digress once again. Back to speakers!

 

After the Time Windows came KEF 105s (right), which offered better bass heft and impact than the Time Windows could offer. By now I was doing more and more with The $ensible Sound, at some point becoming Associate Editor, and then later, Editor. I had all kinds of equipment showing up for review, including speakers. I’m not exactly sure just what speakers I actually owned and which I had on extended review from among the following, although most I believe I owned, and most of which were relatively large speakers with plenty of bass wallop. At any rate, after the KEF 105s came a pair of Vandersteen 2Cs, which seemed to have better transparency and imaging than the KEFs. Somewhere along the way was a pair of B&W 802s, beautifully made but just too warm-sounding. The next two pairs were both from JSE, featuring the patented “Infinite Slope” (~100 dB/oct) crossovers designed by Richard Modaferri (legendary McIntosh tuner designer and one of the nicest people in the business), the medium-sized Model 1s and then the full-sized Model 2s.

 

Then came the Carver Silver Edition Amazing Loudspeakers (left) – this pair was a long-term loaner, which at some point received upgraded ribbon drivers that were installed by Bob Carver himself. Alas, although these speakers did indeed sound amazing most of the time, the ribbons tended to buzz occasionally when hit with plucked guitar notes at energetic listening levels. So I decided it was time to go back to a speaker with dynamic drivers, so I started doing some research and making some inquiries around the industry. Finally, after extended consideration and consultation, I made up my mind and ordered a pair of large, full-range speakers with extended bass response. It would prove to be a fruitful and fateful decision.

 (to be continued)