Yeah, I had several old consoles when I was in my teens (had a few recently I bought for the speakers.) They always sounded musical and could be listened to all day without fatigue. You could hear the shortcomings, like rolled off treble, no deep bass and a box boom around 80 Hz, but these were easy to overlook when the music sounded so good. Sometimes I find myself missing those console days when music was such an effortless joy to really listen to all day. Maybe that's part of the reason I am currently listening to 1959 speakers on open baffles with paper cone tweeters and using a 1964 tube amp to drive them. I do cheat, however, by using a ss powered sub. A little story:
When I was 17 (almost 18), I bought my first new component system (Pioneer ss integrated amp and Pioneer Project 100 air suspension speakers with 10" woofers and cloth dome tweeter.) When I first fired it up, I can still remember the feeling of hearing more treble and bass, with real DEEP bass, than I'd ever heard before. I was lost in this for about 15 minutes or so when I distinctly remember a slight discontented feeling that haunted me for a few years. Something about the music wasn't quite right anymore, but I couldn't put a finger on what it was. That easy, relaxed feeling wasn't there anymore. The music now drew attention to itself, where before it was just "there", sounding like just it belonged there. Reading, and believing the popular stereo mags at the time, I upgraded a couple of times. The sound chaged (usually for the better, but not always), but still lacked something. This happened in the mid 70's. In the early eighties, I had a small pair of AR speakers (AR 28b). A friend gave me an old mono utility amp (6V6 PP design). I hooked this up to one of my AR's and sit there with my jaw hanging. The highs were a bit rolled off and the lows just a bit warmer, but the MUSIC was coming through. This started my quest for speakers that liked tube amps, and better tube amps. In a way, I've been moving back toward the systems of my youth, but trying to correct their faults without harming the musical magic. I've discovered that some speakers just plain sound their best with ss, others with tubes. The ones I'm happiest with tend to be consisting of rather efficient wide range drivers crossed high to a tweeter, and using a powered sub for the deep bass. Since I went back to the open baffle (similar to the open back console speakers but without the boom resonance), I've been the happiest. It's been quite a journey, but it looks like the round trip is almost done, as I'm right back where I started, only on a higher quality level. I'm pretty happy with what I'm listening to now. Good presence and musicality.
BTW, I still prefer LP's over CD's for their shear musicallity, in spite of LP's shortcomings. Just wish the music I liked the best was being produced more on LP's.
Dave 
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