Modern speakers for a Sanyo G2711-Super-2

[ken0204]

Hi All,

I have one of the above and wonder if more modern speakers would make better use of that lovely mellow amp?

The original speakers are rated at 10 W and 8 ohms so what spec could I look at to make best use of the 10W output? A lot of newer speakers have a 2way wiring option - is that relevant here?

All help grateful! Thanks Ken.

[paulsherwin]

Any 8 ohm hifi speakers with normal sensitivity will be fine. Speakers that allow bi-wiring can just have the terminals linked - it's snake oil anyway.

Watch eBay for speakers on sale near to you collection only. 1970s Wharfedales and Goodmans are always a good bet for this sort of equipment with a pleasant, forgiving sound, but there are a huge number of options. Don't go for high end speakers as they will tend to reveal the limitations of the equipment. If paying real money for old speakers, always remove the grilles and check for damage or rotting cone surrounds. If you want to buy new, the budget Eltax and Gale speakers sold in Richer Sounds are good value, but the smaller ones may sound a bit bass light.

You sometimes see suitable speakers at car boots or on Freecycle/Freegle. My bedroom system uses a pair of Wharfedale Super Lintons I found on Freegle.

[G3VFB_Anton]

Ken & welcome to this wonderful forum.

I have a couple of Sanyo MC-303 twin unit speakers that would sit well with your Sanyo amp. They measure H 40" - W 27" - D 20"

Please send me a PM if interested- (click on my User name to the left)

[Edward Huggins]

More sensitive speakers will improve things even more. A pair of (floorstanding?) Tannoys with 91db sensitivity would be ideal. I notice you say "modern" speakers? This does not mean they will be any better than ones that are 30/40 years old.

[paulsherwin]

Modern speakers will actually be less well suited than older ones. The general trend in speaker design over the last 40 years has been to improve detail and timing, and to emphasise the upper midrange 'presence' zone. This makes music sound very accurately reproduced and 'in your face' with the right equipment, but is very revealing of the limitations of mass market 70s stuff like music centres. The result is rapid listener fatigue.

Even the best music centres were not intended to be accurate high fidelity reproducers.

[Records]

+1 i used to own a Hitachi amp mid 1970s and i tried it with modern speakers, to my ears it just sounded tired, it was much better with speakers around the same age.
It works in reverse sometimes too, a modern amp with older speakers doesnt always sound quite right either.

[Radio Wrangler]

I have no idea of what your preferences for sound are, nor of your tastes in music. So the only answer is "It depends..." It's something you have to try yourself. There have been good and bad speakers made for many years.

One advantage of picking up a pair of older speakers is that if you try them and like them, you have a bargain. If you try them and don't like them, you can flog them for around what you paid and do it all over again with a different type until you find something you can live with.

If you have the space, larger speakers are unfashionable nowadays, but size carries with it an advantage that is hard to beat, if not unbeatable.

Some classic speakers have acquired cult status and fetch silly prices (The BBC LS3/5A design and its clones, or anything with a Tannoy dual concentric driver in it) But there are many ou there you might like and can afford. Larger Wharfedales, KEFs, Celestions can sometimes be found as absolute bargains.

Watch out for drive units with plastic foam surrounds... many have gone crumbly nowadays.

Car boot sles can be fruitful

David

[Steve_Bell]

#3 - are these sizes really in inches? They seem rather large.

[ken0204]

Thanks everybody for all your great opinions and information.

This gives me a good steer what to look for.

Much appreciated!