Sony APM-990 - Vintage Monster Speakers from Sony

Here are some pictures of a huge pair of speakers that I encountered in a thrift store recently. They were Sony APM-990 Speakers. Apparently, these vintage speakers were known for having square woofers.

I haven't found much information online about these monsters. But, according to the label, these vintage floorstanders were 220 Watt speakers designed for 8 ohms of impedance.  One of the thrift store workers hooked them up to whatever stereo receiver was available on the shelf and they had enough power to boom big sound throughout a fairly large retail store.

It's amazing that such brawny speakers can be obtained for about $40.  This pair seemed to be pristine.  Even the particle board cabinets didn't have any obvious chips.

The music pumped from these monsters wasn't from a genre I particularly like and the volume was cranked way to high.  I can't really say I got a good feel for the sound quality of the Sony APM-990 speaker system.  Does an Accurate Pistonic Motion create better sound?  I'll never know and our new apartment doesn't offer the space to find out.  (Plus, our new downstairs neighbor seems nice!)

Are these the greatest speakers of the 1980s?  Probably not.  Of course, the audiophiles over on Audiokarma.org seem to think they are crap.  But, with $40 and an old Van Halen CD, you probably can't go wrong.

Old School Stereo Speakers

Long, long, ago, my dad told me that when it comes to speaker quality, you want a speaker with a big, heavy, magnets.  It was old school advice, but it was good advice.  Old school big floor-standing speakers give big bass, handle power well, and can last for a very long time. 

Technics SB-2845

Over the past couple of years, I've played around with big speakers a few times and I've always been impressed with the sound quality they provided.  Unfortunately, I live in a big city apartment where big bass and big sound are probably not going to be appreciated.  Nevertheless, I absolutely loved my huge Technics SB-2845 speakers and the Cerwin-Vega VS-100s that preceded them.

Cerwin-Vega VS-100 Floor Standing Speaker

One day, I will have a house and a man cave.  That cave will contain some bad ass stereo speakers.  Oh yes, it will.  Those speakers will probably be new.  I'll want something new and sleek and imposing. 

Cerwin Vega SL-15 Speakers (Amazon Photo)

As of 2025, I'm living in a big city condo and big speakers still elude me. If I had the money, I'd check out Cerwin-Vega SL-15 Speakers! They are the successor to the old vintage powerhouses and you can check a pair of them out here here on Amazon!