It’s back – the Speakers of Craigslist, a periodic round-up of what’s interesting on my local Craigslist these days. Sorry for the hiatus, putting these together is a bit of work! As always, I am not affiliated with any of these listings, and you should contact the poster of the add with questions or to make a purchase. Craigslist moves quickly, so if the ad is gone, it’s probably already been sold but the info is still good for getting a feel for the market. And so without further introduction…
1. Pioneer CS-88 Lattice Grille Speakers
Down in Tacoma there’s a decent set of Pioneer CS-88 speakers for sale. Pioneer’s vintage speaker line is known to sound quite good when fixed up, and this would be a perfect pairing for an amp or receiver like the Marantz 2245, for example. They could use a quick shot of blush remover, Howard’s Restore-a-Finish, and some wax (about the most basic refinishing you could do) but look like they’re intact and solid. They’re asking $100.
2. JBL L220 Vintage Monitors
Old-school JBL sure commands a high price sometimes, and these L220s are no exception. They just received new foam, and the veneer looks to be in good shape. They even have the original grilles, although those look a little discolored. If you like JBL, you’d like these for sure, if you’ve got deep enough pockets. The owner is hoping to trade for a travel trailer, or $2200 cash.
3. Vintage LTC100 Loudspeakers
Originally selling for $680 a pair between 1976-1980, these speakers look to come with an interesting bipolar design (similar to some Infinity speakers of the same era) with a rear-firing tweeter along with the compliment of front drivers. They look like they’re in great shape, too. $265 in Marysville, WA.
4. Realistic Mach One Speakers
Realistic, Radio Shack’s house brand before their slow decline and eventual demise, are actually a somewhat underrated speaker. A 3-way design with a large woofer, multicell mid, and horn supertweeter they’re certainly a commanding presence in the room with the multicell tweeter aperture visible above the grille. These look to be in average condition and could certainly use a good cleaning or light refinishing (and maybe a crossover recap by now) but look to be all there. The seller is looking for $175. There’s a review on Audiokarma, too.
5. “Decorator” Klipsch Cornwall Speakers with Crites Upgrades
Klipsch is still one of my favorite speaker brands, and if you’re familiar with them at all then you know about the Cornwalls. The big brother to the Heresy, these feature an extremely efficient (>100 dB 1 W/1 m) 15″ woofer and EV mid-range and tweeter horns. The owner indicates they’ve received Crites upgrades, too. They’re in what I might call “polarizing” mid-century modern style cabinets that could use some touching up, but the seller’s asking price is extremely reasonable for what they are at $850.
6. Early Klipsch Heresy Speakers
Speaking of Klipsch, the Heresy is a fantastic smaller speaker. Originally designed for sound reinforcement in public-address applications back in the day, they’ve been in production for quite a few years, but these early variants are from the ’60s and fully operational on their original components. The seller speculates these use an EV woofer (along with EV tweeters) rather than the Eminence woofer found on some later variants. These early speakers, with the ’60s grille cloth and early emblems, sure do look nice. The seller is asking $650 for the pair.
7. Bose 901 Series I Speakers with Equalizer
For whatever reason, Bose speakers seem to command a real premium that isn’t always well justified, but this seller is right on the money. He’s got a set of Series I speakers with the matching Active Equalizer (necessary for correct sound reproduction) for a spot-on price. The Series I and II used cloth surrounds, too, so there’s nothing that needs to be re-foamed although at the time of posting, the seller wasn’t aware of that fact and listed the surrounds in unknown condition. (The equalizer might need some service though, even if it currently plays – check out Rain City Audio for help with that!) A fantastic deal at $300.
8. BSR Model 158 Speakers
I’m mostly familiar with BSR for their work in turntables, but apparently they’ve made some speakers, too. While I’m not up on the specifics these sure do look interesting with a large woofer, midrange, and something that looks suspiciously like a ribbon or planar tweeter. I haven’t done much research on these, but suspect they’re worth a bit more than the $100 the seller is asking currently, so this might be a real bargain.
9. Knight Floor Speakers
Knight speakers were originally kits back in the day, and like Heathkit speaker kits, there were quite a few versions. Without some more information it’s tough to tell for sure, but some models were more or less University/Altec speakers you put together yourself. Even the more entry level offerings would turn up with Utah and other prized drivers. I bet these are a great bargain no matter their drivers at $30 for the pair, though.
10. Lewis Erath LWE 1 Vintage Speakers
Reported as tri-amp capable speakers in their original condition, these feature the excellent EV T-35 horn tweeter, a 5″ midrange and a 15″ Eminence woofer. They look a bit rough around the edges, but I’d expect performance similar to a Klipsch Cornwall if I were to guess. Certainly worth $200 the seller is asking.
