A recurring feature curating interesting speakers for sale on Craigslist from around the Pacific Northwest.
ESS AMT 1b Heil Air-Motion Transformer System Speakers
Listed at $580 in Tigard, OR, this pair measures 16.5×16.5×35.5" and is described as being in good shape with amazing sound. The ESS AMT-1b is powered by Oskar Heil’s patented Air Motion Transformer — a pleated diaphragm that squeezes air rather than pistoning it, delivering legendary transient speed and wide dispersion that set these 1970s speakers apart from virtually everything else on the market.
Klipsch Cornwall Speakers
This early-1980s pair, owned by the seller’s late father since new and priced at $3,000 in Portland/Vancouver, is reported to be in perfect working condition. A cornerstone of Paul Klipsch’s Heritage line since 1959, the Cornwall’s folded bass horn delivers over 98dB/W/m efficiency, making it one of the most dynamic and easy-to-drive floor-standing speakers ever built for home use.
Polk Audio SDA 1 Stereo Dimensional Speakers
Offered at $975 in Vancouver, WA in mint condition with the rare interconnect cable included, this 50–500W-rated pair is described by the seller as placing instruments and vocals exactly where they were recorded. Polk’s SDA (Stereo Dimensional Array) technology uses that interconnect to cancel inter-channel crosstalk between the towers, producing a soundstage that extends dramatically beyond the physical speaker boundaries — one of the most innovative spatial designs of the mid-1980s.
JBL L65 "Jubal"
Priced at $1,800 in Kennewick, WA, this all-original pair carries only minor cosmetic flaws and the seller recommends a room of 200 sq ft or more to let them breathe. Introduced around 1976 and named for the biblical inventor of music, the JBL L65 Jubal pairs a 15" woofer with a slot-loaded midrange and titanium-dome tweeter in a walnut cabinet — a combination that earns it a place among the most collectible and dynamically effortless vintage JBL consumer speakers.
Dahlquist DQ20i
Listed at $700 in College Place, WA in very good condition, this open-baffle phase-coherent 3-way originally retailed for around $2,000 new. The DQ-20i was Jon Dahlquist’s final design, celebrated for its unusually wide and deep soundstage — a product of its open-baffle midrange/tweeter array — and remains a reference point for audiophiles who value imaging and top-end detail over easy driveability.
Altec 416a Woofers
This used but very good pair of 15" drivers is offered at $600 in Kennewick, WA, with one having been professionally re-coned in Portland. The Altec 416 is a storied pro-cinema woofer from the 1950s–70s, used in the iconic Voice of the Theatre systems and coveted by DIY horn builders worldwide for its cloth surround longevity and the kind of authoritative bass few consumer drivers can match.
Speakerlab Three’s, Floor Model Speakers
Priced at just $160 in Edmonds, WA, these working floor-standers are in excellent condition with solid cones and originally retailed between $1,200 and $1,500. Seattle-based Speakerlab built a loyal regional following in the 1970s–90s by offering Klipsch-inspired horn-loaded designs as kits and finished speakers, and the Three stands as their large flagship model — a genuine piece of Pacific Northwest audio history.
1978 Klipsch La Scala (Single Speaker)
A single 1978 birch-finish La Scala in excellent condition with original box and paperwork, offered at $1,000 in Shelton, WA — note that this is one speaker, not a pair. Designed by Paul Klipsch himself in 1963 for live PA applications, the La Scala’s fully horn-loaded three-way design achieves roughly 104dB efficiency and bass extension to ~50Hz, and finding a single original example this complete and well-preserved is a genuinely rare event.
ADS B7 Bookshelf Speakers
Available at $150 in Sequim, WA in excellent condition with all drivers working — and an optional third unit for $50 more — the ADS B7 is a standout value in the vintage bookshelf market. Massachusetts-based ADS earned a strong audiophile reputation in the late 1970s–80s for sealed acoustic-suspension designs like the B7, whose polypropylene woofer and soft-dome tweeter deliver ruler-flat response and precise imaging that routinely outperformed speakers at much higher price points.
Mirage M-7si Dipole Floor Speakers
Listed at $600 in Redmond, WA in excellent all-original condition, these 80 lb/each, 3-way towers feature an 8" woofer plus a rear-firing driver in a bipolar/dipole configuration. The Canadian-made Mirage M-7si uses that rear driver to generate an omnidirectional soundfield that blurs the boundary between conventional and room-filling speaker designs, earning the brand a devoted audiophile following for its enveloping, spacious presentation.
Cerwin Vega VE15 15" Home Stereo Speakers
Offered at $650 in Marysville, WA with only minor cosmetic storage scratches, the seller aptly calls these "monsters" — and it’s hard to argue with a pair of three-way floor-standers built around a 15" woofer. The Cerwin Vega VE-15 was the brand’s flagship consumer speaker in the 1980s–90s, prized by rock and home theater enthusiasts for its thunderous bass output and high sensitivity that can physically pressurize a room.
Role Audio Sampan Speakers
Priced at $835 in Burien, WA, this MLSSA-matched pair measures just 4"×4"×37" and uses a single 3.5" titanium full-range driver in a transmission line enclosure. Handbuilt in small quantities by Role Audio of New Hampshire, the Sampan’s crossover-free, single-driver design achieves true point-source, time-coherent reproduction — a cult favorite among audiophiles for whom midrange purity and pinpoint imaging matter more than bass extension.
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