Best Vintage Speakers for Metal Music

Our 4 Best Vintage Speakers for Metal Music in 2022

Today I am looking for the best vintage speakers for metal! Recently, I also looked at the Best Vintage Speakers For Rock Music and had a lot of fun doing so. So much fun that I thought I would get a little louder, wilder, and more badass and look at speakers which I feel are great if you are a metal head and want something that is not just going to rock, but also look the part too. I was lucky in that I grew up in the 80s with parents who were real rockers, it was not unusual for kids to knock on my door and be greeted by my dad in a Guns n Roses T-Shirt blasting some Back in Black.  As a result, heavy rock and metal have always been something I have enjoyed and that is what inspired me to make this list.

Back In Black

Ok, so I know that saying a certain set of speakers has a style is kind of odd, but hear me out. What I am going for here are speakers that I feel fit that whole metal aesthetic. As a result, the one thing that all of these speakers must have in common is that they are black! I would also have accepted blood red or machine gun grey, but they do not exist!!! What the heck actually, someone needs to make a set of speakers that are blood red, that would be awesome!

The Best Vintage Speakers for Metal Reviews

Turns out finding speakers that are “metal” in my opinion was way harder than I thought it would be! As a result, we may not have as many speakers here as I would have liked. There may also be a bit of a crossover with our best speakers for rock music guide too However, I have made sure to pick a nice selection for you. Also, as we are all metal heads, I have a few music recommendations for you too.

  1. Samsung MX-T40 Sound Tower
  2. Yamaha NS-F210BL 2-Way Bass-Reflex Floorstanding Speaker
  3. Klipsch R-41M Powerful Detailed Bookshelf Home Speakers
  4. Sony SSCS5 3-Way 3-Driver Bookshelf Speaker System

1. Samsung MX-T40 Sound Tower

I am starting off with this awesome-looking Samsung MX-T40 Sound Tower! I love the design of this thing and while I have only had it to test out for a little over two weeks, I am very happy so far with it. It is worth noting that the MX-T40 is the smaller version of this as there are also the T50 and T70 versions of this. the T40 is currently priced at $197.99 which I actually think is a steal for something like this. What made me want to have this on our best vintage speakers for metal list was that it looks like some kind of monolith like in 2001: A Space Odyssey or even the Dead Space video game series. The dimensions are 10.6 x 11.5 x 20.9 inches and it weighs in at a little over 14 pounds so it is a decent size.

This is a Bluetooth speaker, but it does also have your standard AUX port on the back for your stereo or whatever. I hooked this up to my phone so I could use Spotify and also this cheap CD player that I found at a thrift store. The first thing I noticed was the bass! This thing is loud and the bass seriously rocks. If you like to listen to your music loud, I can hand on heart tell you that you will not be disappointed with this thing here at all. Being loud is one thing, but this is not just loud, it also has great vocal clarity which is great too.

What Other People Are Saying

As of me writing this, this is quite a new product so there are not a ton of customer reviews just yet. However, there are as of writing 156 customer reviews and 88 percent of these are positive reviews so I take that as a very good sign. I found a fantastic video unboxing that shows off this thing very well and it should help give you a better idea of if the style is for you or not. One thing I will say is that on places like Amazon, the reviews for this and the two more expensive models are all thrown in together so make sure it is the right models review you are looking at.

SAMSUNG SOUND TOWER (2021MODEL) MX-T40 UNBOXING

Music Recommendation

Ok, so I am going for one that is sure to be controversial here. No matter if you call it “nu-metal” or “rap metal” the fact of the matter is, this kind of music was huge for a few years during the late 90s and early 00s. My personal favorite was Limp Bizkit and their Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water was an album that I listened to like a million times. Even now, this is an album that is on regular rotation on my gym playlist as it gets me jacked up all the time.

I have really enjoyed my time with the Samsung MX-T40 Sound Tower. Actually, I know we are looking for the best vintage speakers for metal here, but I do think this manages to walk the fine line of looking like something from the 80s, but at the same time having more than enough modern perks to make it ideal for many different kinds of people. It has amazing sound quality and the bass truly does kick some ass. As of writing, this is in our garage and my wife has been using it for when she works out… granted she listens to absolute garbage through it, but it is garbage that sounds good thanks to the quality of the speaker.

Pros:

  • I like how it is like a monolith
  • The current asking price for this on Amazon is fantastic
  • It is very easy to connect your devices too
  • It has physical ports that you can use on the back too!

Cons:

  • It does take up a fair bit of space
  • It may lean slightly more towards being modern than vintage if I am being honest

2. Yamaha NS-F210BL 2-Way Bass-Reflex Floorstanding Speaker

Next up we have this Yamaha NS-F210BL 2-Way Bass-Reflex Floorstanding Speaker and notice I say “speaker”? That is right this is just for one so you are looking at just under 300 bucks for a pair of these so they are not exactly cheap. These if you ask me look more high-class metal. By that I mean they are the kind of thing I would imagine a rich rockstar would use to listen to music. These are tall and thin with the dimensions of the speaker being 9.4 x 9.4 x 41.4 inches, the height may be the main issue here, depending on where you want them to be of course. I connected these to my Sony STRDH590 5.2-ch Surround Sound Home Theater Receiver and was very happy with the result.

Yamaha always makes good audio equipment. My grandparents had this old organ type thing when I was a kid and that was made by Yamaha so it is a company, I have a long history with. These speakers are made with HD in mind and I know that is probably making you think more about movies than music, but I can tell you that these things sounded great and I sure as hell put them through the wringer, testing all kinds of stuff out on them that I know very well. I do feel that these will have a bit of breaking in to get them at their peak, but that is just part of the fun when it comes to having a great set of speakers in my opinion.

What Other People Are Saying

These are currently sitting at 85 percent when it comes to four- and five-star reviews over on Amazon and that sits pretty well with me. To be honest, there are more than a few people complaining that they did not realize this was just for one speaker! Before you start yelling that these are different speakers in this video review, these are the same, but just a different color. Be sure to give this video a quick watch if you want to get a better idea of how impressive the sound quality of these is.

The Best Floor Standing Speakers 2021 – Yamaha’s NS-F210 Review

Music Recommendation

For this music recommendation, I am going to suggest Official Live by Pantera. I am a massive Pantera fan, but for some reason, they never really get a mention by me which is a damn shame. They have some great albums under their belt, but if I am in the mood to listen to some Pantera, it would probably be Official Live that I play. The vinyl of this just sounds fantastic and features some of the biggest hits and a few deep cuts as well. It is an album that just ticks all of the boxes for what I want from a Pantera album. b

I think that this Yamaha NS-F210BL 2-Way Bass-Reflex Floorstanding Speaker truly is great and that even though you have to buy two and that does bring the price to around 300 bucks is not bad at all. I think that these certainly have a bit of “metal” about them and the black version that I have looked at today does have a bit of an 80s vibe which is certainly in the “vintage” spirit that we are all about today.

Pros:

  • I like how slim these are
  • They sound fantastic
  • I was very impressed with the vocal clarity at louder volumes
  • They just have a very 80s kind of vibe going on which I love

Cons:

  • You have to remember to order two!
  • I am not sure that some people will like the slim profile

3. Klipsch R-41M Powerful Detailed Bookshelf Home Speakers

For only $109.99 these Klipsch R-41M Powerful Detailed Bookshelf Home Speakers really are what I would call a steal! I am a massive fan of what Klipsch does and they have yet to let me down. These have a very 80s style to them thanks to that black woodgrain type thing they have going on and that is something I just love when it comes to my stereo equipment as that is what I great up with. The fact that Klipsch was able to get the price of these as close to 100 bucks as they did is pretty mind blowing. I think that when you are looking for the best vintage speakers for metal, you simply must have a set of speakers that look like these on the list. These are bookshelf speakers so they come in at a rather modest 7.87 x 5.75 x 11.3 inches so they take up very little space.

Even though these are what I would class as a budget priced set of speakers and they have a rather small stature. I was still impressed by the sound quality and these do feature what they call their tractrix horn technology which is in many of their more expensive speakers. I will admit I was a tad concerned that there may be a bit on the “tinny” side when it came to the sound, but that was not the case at all. Even at louder volumes, I was nodding my head as the sound quality truly was very good. I think that these sitting next to something like this VInYL MUSIC ON Retro Record Player would be very cool!

What Other People Are Saying

Be sure to have a good watch of the video below which is also an unboxing. I have actually watched a few videos about these speakers and pretty much everyone has the same reaction that I did! That is where they are surprised at just how good the sound quality is even though they are small and affordable. In terms of customer reviews on Amazon, these are very popular. There are 2838 customer reviews for these (as of writing) and a phenomenal 96 percent of these are positive!

Klipsch R-41M Bookshelf Speakers Review

Music Recommendation

I am going for some classic hair metal here with Motley Crue: Greatest Hits. Specifically, I am talking about this collectors’ edition vinyl which is done on a very cool red smoke vinyl. This album is awesome and to give you an insight into how “weird” I am. I have this album, but I also have the regular version too which is the one I listen to so as not to ruin that gorgeous smoke red vinyl…. I know, I know, I really do have a problem! I am a big believer that you can never go wrong with the MFing Crue!

You cannot go wrong with Klipsch and these Klipsch R-41M Powerful Detailed Bookshelf Home Speakers are fantastic. I know that you look at these and see that close to 100 bucks price tag and think that there has to be a catch, but there really is not. These are made with the same love and care that all other Klipsch speakers are, even the expensive ones! I love these things and think if you are on a budget, you will have a hard time beating these.

Pros:

  • The 80s look of that black wood is very cool
  • I think that these are excellent value for money
  • The sound quality is very impressive
  • They do not require a great deal of space

Cons:

  • Might not look imposing enough for some of you metal heads!
  • These are wired only

4. Sony SSCS5 3-Way 3-Driver Bookshelf Speaker System

If you have read any other speaker guides that we have on here, you will notice that Sony is a company that I adore. That is why I really wanted to put these Sony SSCS5 3-Way 3-Driver Bookshelf Speaker System on here. I have mentioned these speakers in the past, but the black design that these have I feel does make them ideal for our best vintage speakers for metal guide that we have going on here today. At 148 bucks, I feel that the asking price is more than fair. Sony are a company that I do like so the fact that these are all black apart from that Sony logo on them is something that I do think is really cool. These have your standard hookups on the back of them, but they do not have wireless so that is something to consider before buying these.

Even though these are bookshelf speakers, these pack a real punch to them. Sony always manages to bring it when it comes to sound and they have never let me down and I have been using Sony gear for nearly 40 years at this point! These manage to be nice and loud, but even though they are cheaper, they do not have bad reverb or anything like that. I was very happy as I was listening to music with these and at louder volumes, the fact there was no distortion was something that really did impress me. I can hand on heart say that even when they are at the lower end of the pricing spectrum, Sony always manages to bring it in terms of the quality.

What Other People Are Saying

I found a very cool video review for these speakers and I think it is well worth checking out. They take the grill off and give a really good overview of what makes these Sony speakers so great. The reception to these speakers on Amazon is fantastic! They are currently sitting at 95 percent 4 and 5 star reviews. What is even more impressive is that there are actually over two thousand reviews for these things! The few negative reviews that I did come across appeared to be from people who were unlucky and got a defective unit out of the factory.

BEST SOUNDING 3-Way 3-Driver Bookshelf Speaker System Sony SSCS5 (Pair) REVIEW

Music Recommendation

On the day that I write this, Joey Jordison the incredibly talented drummer and songwriter from the band Slipknot passed away. He was such a talented musician and Slipknot are a band I love so I decided to recommend We Are Not Your Kind which is a great album and the title track was actually the theme song for WWE NXT which is really cool. If you love your metal loud, aggressive, and fast, you cannot go wrong with this album or anything from Slipknot really. Rest in peace big man, you were a true legend in the world of metal!

I always think that Sony does a great job and I will always admit that I am a die-hard Sony fanboy. The Sony SSCS5 3-Way 3-Driver Bookshelf Speaker System really is great and ideal if you want something that manages to be of a high quality, but that is not going to break the bank either.

Pros:

  • These have that classic Sony look which is awesome
  • The sound quality of these is very impressive
  • The overall build quality of these speakers is great
  • These are excellent value for money

Cons:

  • They do not offer Bluetooth connectivity
  • Might be a tad on the compact size for your setup

What Are The Best Vintage Speakers For Metal?

In this guide, I have actually personally tested all of the speakers in this article. I can right now tell you that I liked all of these speakers and if anyone has any of these as their main speakers I would give them a fist bump in appreciation. For me though and as I have to pick a winner in this best vintage speakers for metal guide, I am going to say if you want something affordable and compact, the Sony SSCS5 3-Way 3-Driver Bookshelf Speaker System is the way to go. They may be basic, but they sound great and I love the way they look like they are from the 80s. My other choice is the Samsung MX-T40 Sound Tower this thing just kicks some serious ass and the way it has Bluetooth and other connectivity options makes it a speaker that can do it all which might suit your needs better.

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