Against the background of the general rise in prices for everything that is possible, today is the time to acquire the acoustics of your dreams, especially the one that was the subject of the desire of audiophiles twenty years ago. These days, many of the top-shelf models of the era can be bought for 50 or even 40 percent of the then retail price, making the purchase a temptation that is difficult to resist.
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| (1998) |
The cute little monitors released in the late 90s will especially appeal to listeners who appreciate the ability to play loud and not exhausting in a speaker. They may not have been the most dynamically capable or transparent monitors, but the scene they created was almost flawless, thanks to the use of the proprietary Uni-Q coaxial speaker. It mounted an inch soft dome tweeter in the center of a 5 "main driver with a polypropylene cone. The side panels of the cases were finished with a varnished veneer, and there were three finishes available. One monitor weighed about 9 kilograms, the sensitivity was 90 dB, the impedance was 6 ohms.
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| (1999) |
DALI Grand Coupe
The large bookshelf monitors were the youngest in the Grand series and could produce very high-quality bass. True, the low sensitivity of 85 dB and the 6-ohm impedance required a good and muscular amplifier, but the speaker's ability to pump the room was amazing. The weight of each speaker was 10 kilograms, the set of speakers consisted of a proprietary soft dome tweeter and the main speaker with a diameter of 165 mm with a composite cone, and a crossover filter was switched on at a frequency of 3 kHz. Acoustic design - bass reflex, two small ports of which were brought out in the lower part of the front panel. They were tuned to 38 Hz, which allowed the pair to bass cleanly and confidently.
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| (1999) |
JBL Ti 2K
The crown of the production program of the European JBL plant in Denmark, the series with the K index, was very popular in Russia at one time, and for good reason. All models in it had a bright and very dynamic sound, and the bookshelf monitors were no exception. They were able to digest serious levels of input power and did not give up even in front of tracks with very powerful low-frequency components. The low brightness of the titanium tweeter required additional effort to absorb early reflections, but in an acoustically prepared room, the sound was simply wonderful - fast, clear, with powerful bass and a wide stage. A feature of the model is that the bass reflex port is located on the bottom panel, as well as the terminals for connecting acoustic wires, so the legs are mandatory. Each speaker weighs 13 kilograms,
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| (1999) |
Jamo D830
Like the D870 floor standing monitors, the bookshelf monitors in this series were equipped with top-of-the-line SEAS drivers - a 25mm silk dome tweeter and a 165mm magnesium diaphragm mid-bass driver. I must say that many audiophiles even preferred the sound of monitors to floor-standing brothers, and for good reason. The front panel of solid thickness was made of NCC proprietary composite material, the system sensitivity was 90 dB at a nominal impedance of 4 Ohms. The weight of one monitor was 12 kilograms, the large bass reflex port was located on the back wall. The sound of the model was distinguished by a very even tonal balance, with good timbres and dense bass.
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| (1994) |
Acoustic Energy AE2 Signature
An improved and expanded version of the first monitors of the company, released in 1988 under the name AE2, received a luxury version of the Signature in 1994, which was distinguished not only by a luxurious finish with a lacquered veneer of the precious subgenus of wood but also by a slightly redesigned crossover. The model was equipped with two mid-low-frequency drivers with 110-mm metal cones and a 25-mm tweeter also with a metal dome. One speaker weighed at a rather small size of about 20 kilograms, while the stands recommended by the manufacturer cost half the cost of monitors. The main feature of the model is stunningly dynamic and mature sound, which is difficult to expect from such small speakers, with a wide and deep stage and tight bass. Some of the stiffness in the upper-middle usually went away as it warmed up. The sensitivity of the monitors was 91 dB,
(1998)
JM Lab Electra 905
The youngest model of the first generation of the Electra series. For the first time, technology that debuted in the top-end Utopia is now available at a reasonable price. The monitors were equipped with proprietary Dapolito configuration speakers, they included the famous inverted tweeter with a coating of titanium oxide, as well as two midrange-woofers with a diameter of 140 mm with sandwich cones, in which a layer of syntactic foam was enclosed between two membranes of fiberglass. The solid height of 47 cm and the weight of 14 kg required a lot of space and the use of powerful stands to install the speakers, but the effort was worth it. With the right combination of electronics and the right placement, the monitors rendered a flawless scene in all directions, and the bass, while not tectonic, had great attack and speed.
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| (2002) |
Dynaudio Special Twenty-Five
The release of anniversary versions of expensive monitors from the Danish company is always an event on the speaker market, and the 2002 model was no exception. The luxurious finish of the cabinet with natural veneer was not the main feature of the speakers - in this model, the Dynaudio developers decided to move a little from the absolute neutrality, which they always gravitate towards, and make a little more cheerful and emotional monitors. And they did it - the model gives out a seemingly impossible bass for its size thanks to 200 mm midrange-woofers and a huge FI port on the rear panel, and the use of a 1st order crossover filter allowed keeping that share of emotion and openness that is sometimes lacking prim and serious Danes.
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