David Dicks of CommonSense Audio

I've been active as an audio hobbyist for more than 35 years now. Currently, I live in the St. Louis area. I started designing, building, and selling my own speaker designs more than 15 years ago. This came about because I found that almost all modern speakers exhibit what I call 'The Four D's'--they sound dead, dull, dark, and distant. Modern speakers are designed to 'test well' but these companies don't seem to care what they actually sound like. Most vintage speakers from the 50's, 60's, and 70's are better than what's available in the stores today. This led me to start collecting vintage speakers (and other electronics) and eventually led to designing cabinets for vintage speaker 'drivers.' In my worldwide search for the best sounding speakers, we now carry Lowther, PAudio, Fostex, and our own brand--Audio Nirvana. Our speakers are very unusual as they use only a single fullrange driver with no crossover. Yet they still extend to the lowest bass notes and the highest treble. Once you've heard a single, pointsource speaker you will never be able to listen to anything else. They are that good. We offer more than ten different cabinets which customers can buy--in four different wood finishes. Or, we can provide free cabinet plans, a parts list, and setup tips so customers can build their own speakers. We also offer a free 'custom' service, designing cabinets to our customer's particular needs. There is no charge for this service if the customer buys the speaker components (raw drivers) from us.

We also sometimes take quality vintage gear in trade. And this is offered for sale on our website. We also sell new and used vacuum tubes for tube equipment. In addition, we have a lot of vintage 'pro-audio' gear like microphones and P.A. amplifiers. We also sell vintage audio literature (books, magazines, advertising brochures, owners manuals, etc.) Maybe the most interesting part of our site is a 'Recommended CD Page'. Once you get a great system, you'll find it's no use unless you find the best quality recordings to play. This is an extensive listing for reference only--we don't sell them. Finally, we offer a links page to other great audio sites. Feel free to email (speakers@charter.net) or call (314-579-0088) at any time. Thanks for your interest in our company.