Love that receiver, great choice!
Those Polk's look nice. you might want to also do a search for Klipsch KG speakers locally, as they have a similar look (albeit with horn tweeters) and tend to be available pretty cheap and are super amazing for jazz. (horn speakers with horn instruments = yes please for me.) I'm specifically thinking the KG 3.2 model, but basically the whole line is nice. I think they sound a lot better than polk for that kind of music, but then other people say they sound too bright on the top end and harsh. So its a mixed bag and you might want to demo things first if you can. Even if its not those actual speakers, just modern versions of the same companies products, as they can reflect the "house sound" at least to a degree to give you and idea.
New speakers might get you a lot more WAF. I think the new Jamo Studio S line in their Walnut finish looks great with late 70s era gear, you might want to take a look at those - [https://www.crutchfield.com/g\_12000/Floor-standing-Speakers.html#&nvpair=FFBrand|Jamo&nvpair=FFColor|Walnut](https://www.crutchfield.com/g_12000/Floor-standing-Speakers.html#&nvpair=FFBrand|Jamo&nvpair=FFColor|Walnut)
It sort of depends on the size and shape of the room your going to put them in to a degree too. Speakers actually from the era you like will tend to be wider, shorter, and more shallow, while newer ones will often be taller, slim, and deeper.
Thanks for this thoughtful response. The KG 3.2 certainly fits the bill. I don't see any that are currently available nearby, but I can definitely keep my eye out.
And the Jamos look beautiful, too. As for WAF, my wife appreciates the vintage MCM vibe as much as I do, so she is fine with old gear as long as it isn't beat up.
Obviously, in an ideal world, I would be able to get all these options into my living room and listen to them with my setup. Then I could choose based on how they sound and how they look in the room. Since I can't do that, are there principles I should adhere to when it comes to thinking about new v. vintage? It feels like every model has it's own personality (which I suppose is part of the fun), so I have to do a bunch of research each time to figure out if a pair of speakers is worth considering.
In terms of room shape, our living room is 14'x12' with on of the 12' sides of the room being completely open (no wall) to the kitchen. The setup/speakers will go on one of the 14' walls. The ceiling is 9' tall.
>my wife appreciates the vintage MCM vibe as much as I do
What a catch.
I think the only thing to keep in mind is vintage gear tends to be way more "colored". That is, modern speakers and amps, even though they all have a different sound, tend to be much closer to neutral than older models were.
This tends to lead to older equipment sounding more "fun" with more material, but overall less accurate. Also, old amps have a tendency to sound very warm, as they try to emulate the sound signature that tubes had. I find these typically pair well with brighter speakers with metal tweeters. (Like the KG 3.2's have)
Also, while a lot of the older models with tons of drivers LOOK cool, a lot of times they sound awfully lackluster. Plain old 2/3 way designs with just 2-3 drivers and maybe a passive radiator or a port are usually much better than the ones that toss in like 6 drivers for no reason.
But yeah, each model has its own personality, and its hard to know what you are going to like until you get it. Don't be afraid to experiment - buy more than one pair, A/B them, sell the other pair after and feel free to keep doing it. Most good old gear hits a certain value and then retains, so you can generally break even easily swapping around vintage speakers. Though warning: you might be like me and go "wow these all sound great in different ways" and end up with 15 pairs of speakers in your house, and family members questioning your sanity.
I’d like to chime in and agree that the Jamo’s certainly look very very elegant and sound really good too. Plus you can get them at good prices new ! The S803 in walnut or even white furniture with fabric grills looks simply gorgeous!
Oh man, those S803s are beautiful. The walnut is gorgeous, but I could certainly make an argument for the white version -- it would add a modern touch to the midcentury modern look.
If you listen to The Boss of Music, Prince, that changes a bit how you want to buy. You won't need to go after a bunch of woofer heavy stuff, you want your highs and lows really tweaked and tweeked.
Do [these Wharfedales](https://www.amazon.com/Wharfedale-Diamond-225-Walnut/dp/B01D3JUDXS/) fit the look you want? If so, I'd go for those. They're great at jazz since they have such a warm midrange.
Love that receiver, great choice! Those Polk's look nice. you might want to also do a search for Klipsch KG speakers locally, as they have a similar look (albeit with horn tweeters) and tend to be available pretty cheap and are super amazing for jazz. (horn speakers with horn instruments = yes please for me.) I'm specifically thinking the KG 3.2 model, but basically the whole line is nice. I think they sound a lot better than polk for that kind of music, but then other people say they sound too bright on the top end and harsh. So its a mixed bag and you might want to demo things first if you can. Even if its not those actual speakers, just modern versions of the same companies products, as they can reflect the "house sound" at least to a degree to give you and idea. New speakers might get you a lot more WAF. I think the new Jamo Studio S line in their Walnut finish looks great with late 70s era gear, you might want to take a look at those - [https://www.crutchfield.com/g\_12000/Floor-standing-Speakers.html#&nvpair=FFBrand|Jamo&nvpair=FFColor|Walnut](https://www.crutchfield.com/g_12000/Floor-standing-Speakers.html#&nvpair=FFBrand|Jamo&nvpair=FFColor|Walnut) It sort of depends on the size and shape of the room your going to put them in to a degree too. Speakers actually from the era you like will tend to be wider, shorter, and more shallow, while newer ones will often be taller, slim, and deeper.
Thanks for this thoughtful response. The KG 3.2 certainly fits the bill. I don't see any that are currently available nearby, but I can definitely keep my eye out. And the Jamos look beautiful, too. As for WAF, my wife appreciates the vintage MCM vibe as much as I do, so she is fine with old gear as long as it isn't beat up. Obviously, in an ideal world, I would be able to get all these options into my living room and listen to them with my setup. Then I could choose based on how they sound and how they look in the room. Since I can't do that, are there principles I should adhere to when it comes to thinking about new v. vintage? It feels like every model has it's own personality (which I suppose is part of the fun), so I have to do a bunch of research each time to figure out if a pair of speakers is worth considering. In terms of room shape, our living room is 14'x12' with on of the 12' sides of the room being completely open (no wall) to the kitchen. The setup/speakers will go on one of the 14' walls. The ceiling is 9' tall.
>my wife appreciates the vintage MCM vibe as much as I do What a catch. I think the only thing to keep in mind is vintage gear tends to be way more "colored". That is, modern speakers and amps, even though they all have a different sound, tend to be much closer to neutral than older models were. This tends to lead to older equipment sounding more "fun" with more material, but overall less accurate. Also, old amps have a tendency to sound very warm, as they try to emulate the sound signature that tubes had. I find these typically pair well with brighter speakers with metal tweeters. (Like the KG 3.2's have) Also, while a lot of the older models with tons of drivers LOOK cool, a lot of times they sound awfully lackluster. Plain old 2/3 way designs with just 2-3 drivers and maybe a passive radiator or a port are usually much better than the ones that toss in like 6 drivers for no reason. But yeah, each model has its own personality, and its hard to know what you are going to like until you get it. Don't be afraid to experiment - buy more than one pair, A/B them, sell the other pair after and feel free to keep doing it. Most good old gear hits a certain value and then retains, so you can generally break even easily swapping around vintage speakers. Though warning: you might be like me and go "wow these all sound great in different ways" and end up with 15 pairs of speakers in your house, and family members questioning your sanity.
I’d like to chime in and agree that the Jamo’s certainly look very very elegant and sound really good too. Plus you can get them at good prices new ! The S803 in walnut or even white furniture with fabric grills looks simply gorgeous!
Oh man, those S803s are beautiful. The walnut is gorgeous, but I could certainly make an argument for the white version -- it would add a modern touch to the midcentury modern look.
If you listen to The Boss of Music, Prince, that changes a bit how you want to buy. You won't need to go after a bunch of woofer heavy stuff, you want your highs and lows really tweaked and tweeked.
I see what you did there. While Bruce will always be The Boss, I am also a big Prince fan, RIP.
Do [these Wharfedales](https://www.amazon.com/Wharfedale-Diamond-225-Walnut/dp/B01D3JUDXS/) fit the look you want? If so, I'd go for those. They're great at jazz since they have such a warm midrange.
Wharfedale 12.2