Question for high-end audio industry person?

Question

I'm interested in knowing whether speakers in 1987 are really better than today's typical sony panasonic logitech speakers. By 1987 I mean a top of the line CD Audio player that's pretty big and bulky and speakers that cost $10,000 or more. By today I mean the speaker systems you buy at BestBuy for less than $500.

My question has to do with curiosity. Back in the 80s people were using audio cassette tape. Charlie Sheen's character in the 1987 movie Wall Street had a CD player in his pad.

Are we really lucky now? Any mp3 player (of today) is better than cassette (of yore), but what about 1987 CD audio system with the best speakers of its time?

Answer 1

lol - i thought you wanted answers from people in the hi end audio field!!!!

contrary to what has been said(!!!) there are louspeakers..not just from 1987...but from as far back as the 1960s that will thoroughly TROUNCE anything under $500 you can get today!!! google vintage quad electrostats to take a look at just once example or the Rogers LS3a(very different, not QUITE as nice but excellent as near-field monitors).

the reason for this is that 'speakers are an old technology and there are many MANY good vintage examples... you can buy SOME of them (though not the quads unfortunately) for very little money.
as for audio tape? even a compact cassette can sound better than mp3 if you use something yummy like a Nakamichi Dragon player...to some extent you will always have hiss with cassette but hi-end gear like the dragon sounds TOTALLY different to what most people think of when they think audio cassette!

CD circa 87....mmmhmhm - not so good because it was relatively new but there are some good CD transports out there...i think Kenwood produced the first and that'll still trounce most cd players, certainly budget ones, if linked to a good DAC.

vintage amps are the same as vintage speakers - not alot has changed in the past 20 years.

if you do a lil research you can find vintage amps and speakers that'll really impress you and...because most people think similarly to the views held by alot of your other 'answerers'... there are some great bargains to be had. that's cos consumers buy with there prejudices not with their ears - (hence BOSE's strange cult following!!!) (ok, ok - they're not awful, just very expensive compared to what someone who knows anything about hi fi could source)

finally - though this isn't in response to you specifically - vuinyl is still regarded by most hi-fi reviewers as the gold-standard for music repro' because they don't have the upper and lower frequency restrictions of cd...this only becomes really apparent when you use good speakers and a good deck but is very obvious if you can get to a hi-fi show and have a listen for yourself. (the other reason is that changing analogue to digital and then back again, which is what your hi fi does every time you spin a cd, ALWAYS loses some information..vinyl is an analogue source, put through analogue ampolification, to analogue transponders(speakers) so, if done well, sounds more like the original live musical event.

ps - just in case you think i'm a 'flat-earther'...at the moment i'm listening to a digital source(water-cooled, over-clocked pc) through a hand built DAC feeding two digital amplifiers i have modified extensively and running ribbon-tweetered transmission line speakers) and i LOVE digital!! most people have never heard what EITHER formats can do when done properly...i just prefer the ease of use of digital to analogue and am willing to take the small drop in sound quality that is inevitable.

thanks for the chance to rant i REALLY enjoyed that!!!

=P

=D

Answer 2

Hi. I am still using a pair of loudspeakers i purchased in 1984(Rogers Studio Ones) which were only $1,600 a pair (fairly expensive for that period) because i have not heard anything better with todays offerings. The principle of the Moving Coil Loudspeaker has not changed. Also Electrostatics,Planars, and Ribbon Speakers have been around from the early 80's.CD Players reached a high level of performance and the best ones were very expensive.Vinyl Record are much better to listen to, because of the musicality they have which is lost in CD's.The invention of the Compact Disc Player was supposed to see the end of the Turntable.But Vinyl did not go away and today it is more important than ever. Music lovers are sick of the sterile uninviting sound of the CD.They have gone back to the "warmth" of vinyl . Many young people (and older ones also) have never heard a vinyl record played back on top quality equipment. If they did i'm sure most would be surprised just how good the sound is.

The "average person" thinks CDs are marvellous and sound better than 'old fashioned records" This is exactly what the inventors (Sony and Phillips) hoped for when they launched CD with the logo "Perfect Sound Forever".Well,as it turns out CDs are not perfect and they don't last forever.Some of the best CD Players you can buy today use vacuum tubes and the sound is more '"analogue".They are more expensive than normal Players, but the quality of sound is worth it.

EDIT.....People today want ease of operation and simplicity in preference to high fidelity sound reproduction Most of them only listen to synthetic disposable pop rubbish which does not require quality equipment.

EDIT....Speaker Manufacturers now have another market with Home Theater becoming part of everyones life.
They can make their speakers cheaply without the quality demanded by Audiophiles.(Bose ?) That is why they are inexpensive.Most people just want plenty of bass and sound effects if they are not music lovers.Of the 400 or so brands of speakers available,there are only 15 or so really good speaker manufacturers.There are literally hundreds of poor speakers on the market.

Answer 3

no matter what the device you choose, you'll find better quality and better overall sound in todays products. Back in the day we had records. But now we have DVD audio which allows for uncompressed sound. These days manufacturers are developing 5.1 and 7.1 speakers for full digital sorround sound. (By the way, Panasonic and Logitech are two different companies) What we had in 1987 may have been top of the line then, yet now you can get 10x or more better quality, half the price, and half the size. Not only has speaker and audio technology improved, but also the way those speakers and etc. been developed and built. I reccomend bose or infinity.

Answer 4

Yes, today digital affords us the computer link capabilities that the 80's could not. The Bose compact radio/CD is astounding for sound and quality. Make sure you have a decent base system. Like Denon, Bang and Olofson or H-K.
Build from there and try the Bose 501 or 701's. I had the 701's and they were great.