<<and below, the EMI 300C most ambitious and most carefully designed of US mass-market
Benjamin, is today one of the world's rarest speakers, here awaiting the trash picker on a sidewalk of New York City, some fifty four years after purchase. Chipboard is veneered over and braced delivering 10Hz-20KHz
Frequency Response with wide-band amplifiers with a tube rectifier. On the American west coast, a pair of 300 discovered in a beach house were broken up and sold off in component parts. Cloth grilles at the sides were decorative over
solid panels. 10Hz low note is unlikely bettered with modern
sub-woofers, relatively high in distortion but manage a deeper 5Hz.
Left, the lower-middle-class Acoustical Manufacturing Co. had offered this massive elite only Ribbon horn speaker in 1951 for the British nobility instead of WERC Dual-Concentric then followed with the 1960s QUAD ESL57 imported to the US by Harvard Law graduate Irving 'Bud' Fried. Right, the mass-market 1960s Ribbon speaker, Mordaunt-Short MS-700 with DECCA Kelly horn and Fane cone speakers.
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Left, Richard Allan of the vintage tube amplifier are mounted in large baffle corner speakers with the rectangular port to maximize low-frequency effect but are aimed at large volume rooms with high ceilings. These speakers need low Damping Factor tube amplifiers and are followed by a West Yorkshire country set. In smaller cottage rooms such speakers deliver a less effortless, spacious effect but still hold an audience. Of no use to lower society BBC LS3/5A listeners.
Right, Bristol, CT Clock & Watch Museum. Favorite wristwatches that were chosen by the most powerful people in business and finance.
John Harrison demonstrated Longitude clocks to members of the Royal Society who'd spoken on his behalf to the Board of Longitude and considered it worthy of a sea trial. In 1736, Harrison sailed to Lisbon on HMS Centurion under the command of Captain George Proctor and returned on HMS Orford. Harrison was no specialist in wire springs and the Longitude clock made slow progress.
Tapio Kรถykkรค of Finland hero of late-1960s hippies. Brita Bonde of Charleton.
Below Tannoy speakers were made in Scotland from the 1973 year until recent Chinese globalization. Old Tannoy was once made in London.
Right, an audition of Manley Snapper power amplifiers using a louder Super-Tweeter on top to lift treble and avoid the usual, midrange dominant tube sound. Manley amplifiers persist with Output Transformers despite the American 1950s lead from Electro-Voice.
Right American Bozak of the 1950s used varying thickness woofer cones with aluminum squawker and tweeter. The mass-market elite speakers aren't widely discussed. The Bozak B501 was an American tube speaker found in Queens NY
with bespoke dealer EMI, few share what equipment was used. They'd a
sharper treble so suited certain equipment better, a closed, elite society speaker. The Japanese B501 link shows a custom speaker with an
Altec-Lansing 605A core in a B501 cabinet. The tube amplifiers that work best with 605A are better known but most prefer the 604C. However,
these are Americans with a lifetime's experience in matching up tube equipment. Roy Cohn.Below the Beard P100 was downmarket from Radford TT100 tube amplifiers.
Note the EMI 550 tweeters in the DLS629 from the EMI 19 x 14 inch 901.
...vintage Benjamin issue of the Scope EMI 812 bears a speech dome similar to the EMI squawker right of a 1970 year Mordaunt Short MS077.
Right
a bullet entry hole in a tweeter from British Rhodesia that had been in a mansion. The German features of the tweeter used are very interesting to enthusiasts. The double asbestos resin board for strength, the heat, and flaking of paint caused by the bullet. Rola H4BG 3187 are similar solid back four inches. Bullet damage at the front of the tweeter cone that goes to 18KHz.
Above US design 5881 military tubes, adopted in USSR and optimized for fighter aircraft, useful for portable guitar use. Very small Output Transformers suggest a modern, OTL type tube amplifier, a speaker impedance matching coil - not matching an output tube. From Japan,
those used by a European elite, only for sale in Greece as too expensive for the UK, are of dubious suitability for vintage EMI left.
The 1967 year flatter looking diaphragm KEF T-27 Mk.2, 8 ohms, 6535
tweeters and the crossover is of some rarity value. The fan in the power supply above likely retains the sweet sound of carefully matched components, higher quality power usually needs a much bigger, heavier amplifier. 
Right,
the EMI front mount cutout for a 205 14 x 9 is seriously complicated using high-density chipboard, somehow crafted, not something for everyone. Yet some machining process is likely to have done it in an instant. The brown staining is from an H.J. Leak style post that braces the front and rear baffles for ultimate strength and deep bass. Again the thickness of the baffle seen aims to get the deepest low note available. Note the thin wire is likely pure silver strand, so pricey new but available in old cabinets of elite origin. Left the tweeter in the elite only EMI 205 cabinet above
is a rare, early aluminum...
...dome version of the plastic dome 6535 KEF T-27
but made to mesh with an equally short-lived, aluminum domed KEF M65 mid-range, elite only as unsuited to mass production, difficult to make and enthusiasts struggle getting a stereo pair as matched only at the factory from many examples. Aluminum dome T-27 meshed with an aluminum mid-range of EMI 14A/770N. Below EMI 14A/1720 aren't horn-loaded nor the later mass-market T-27. 1960s EMI has a real 'clear...
...mid-nineteen sixties 14A series, likely aimed at Solid State of early vintage. Mass market-ready hard domes like the Wharfedale XP2 arrived a decade later after a great many development issues. EMI 14A/1720 are best used with elite 1960s equipment and viewed as very expensive to make, they were used in Expert Gramophone, reflector speakers yet to be seen on the internet. Below effect of power supply and amplified spurious noises on Frequency Response.
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Left, HACKER L.S.1500B of 1973 with Peerless middle-range,
dome tweeter and an EMI 711 on a thick chipboard baffle. The British
Dynatron radiogram company began trading in 1927 and the Hacker name
came from two brother engineer owners. The LS1500B speakers were made under the
1967 Dutch Philips buyout ownership and very specialist germanium circuity was still being used in their radiograms of the early 1970s. The factory was based at Maidenhead, near the Henley-On-Thames yacht event and had a number of EMI speaker models, the L.S.500C, L.S1000 and L.S.1500. The year 1972 was the last year before the new European Britain.
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Right, the late 1970s
Marantz 2016 was replaced by a 1980 'B' version and predated by the
2015 and 2010 from 1973. Lowest power has the sweetest sound complicated by
higher Damping Factor of 45 in 2015 for the JBL L100, below and
F.R. 15Hz-50KHz, THD 0.9% and 15 watts. 2.2 micro V tuner sensitivity in 2010 is aimed at areas nearer broadcast masts than a critic's preferred location...
...Wrong location user claims that 1980 2016B sound less good stems from
its relatively high 47 micro V needed for best FM stereo sound within
city suburbs and nearby broadcast masts but similar FM receivers made by
Carver etc are even less sensitive. In the later 2016 receiver above
Damping Factor was reduced to 35 in a bid to make secondhand 1960s
speakers sound better. F.R. is only 20Hz-20KHz, 16 watts has 0.5% THD
as aimed at the 1960s KLH Model Six below and its subsequent competition. In the 1980 model 2016B, Damping Factor was reduced to a
late 1960s 30 of the 1972 harman/kardon 930 up page, it's aimed at the 1973 year JBL L55. THD is reduced to 0.15% at 16 watts. Note the KLH Model Six below and JBL L100 left each sound best with different equipment.
Low
power 1970s Japanese receivers are largely aimed at improving upon some old 1960s tube amplifiers and receivers in need of servicing at a time many radio techs were unhappy to help. Old, asbestos resin printed circuit boards below have solder tracks coming easily unstuck. Tube amplifiers best for servicing are 'point to point' soldered.
For the amateur, the best for tricking out has most components under chassis. Ones with a very few components need service techs familiar with test equipment to best match replacements to other elements. The
ECL 83 output stage below is in fact very complicated despite its
few parts as it was a tube optimized for double-ended, push-pull
operation. Many such tube amplifiers could prove beyond most amateur abilities. Kit amplifiers like Dynaco are best.
Rare power amplifier made from a Rogers HG-88/II integrated chassis.
Left in the mid-1950s Fisher 100 there's a Damping Factor control, its effects not too clear with versions of Altec Lansing Duplex and at the time, most amplifiers under 11. But an amplifier with
Damping Factor 30 will suit some 1960s speakers better than one with the same power and Damping Factor 60. The Marantz PM94 has a Damping Factor of 200 for the speaker right, since controlling many voice coils is more difficult.
Right although Altec Duplex
is still made today, here in Urei form, experts claim the length of speaker wire is all that needs our attention. The Marantz Model 8 was a 1950s tube amplifier of the American academic middle-class, and comes in an early Al-Ni-Co motor Model 8 and slightly more powerful 8B for the less sensitive and 1960s ferrous, ceramic magnet motors, both versions used germanium rectifier stud diodes and Damping Factor was 20 for the Altec-Lansing 17, a very complex area of devotees.
Rare power amplifier made from a Rogers HG-88/II integrated chassis.
Left in the mid-1950s Fisher 100 there's a Damping Factor control, its effects not too clear with versions of Altec Lansing Duplex and at the time, most amplifiers under 11. But an amplifier with
Damping Factor 30 will suit some 1960s speakers better than one with the same power and Damping Factor 60. The Marantz PM94 has a Damping Factor of 200 for the speaker right, since controlling many voice coils is more difficult.
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Right, 1950s Stephens Trusonic with the British elite listeneing to an Eames speaker. Pioneer uses the Altec pattern horn with the more cells creating a 3D image and the rear bass horn seen. The Frequencies produced may have sounded deep but more than anything were very loud, only about 60Hz in bass despite the volume effects. The plywood baffle is rigid and helps give a sharp image but is expensive and harder to work with than chipboard. The wood finish is interesting and these need special amplifiers with a low Damping Factor and expensive low power, giving deep low frequencies. Modern Bang & Olufsen can give reasonable results.
Right an alnico magnet 10 watts Coral CX10-1 from a range of high output low power tube speakers around 25Hz-16.5KHz F.R. STA-18B above has 4-16 ohm ability to power all such vintage items. Coral among other brands offer speakers that buyers of STA-18 already had in gramophone cabinets. Today it's possible to get such items but they're rare.
Left a Rola Celestion speaker with a lightweight magnet, small voice coil, and GEC coaxial tweeter may sound very good with REALISTIC
STA-18 receivers as very loudspeakers but not as polished as more modern items. If there's any hum or noise, it is heard where many modern designs mute it. Below Akai made Marantz 1515, a low
output version of the powerful 1550 don't use the Sanyo power modules
found in 1010 and 2000 that Sanyo crafted before the downmarket Technics
SU-Z2. Note the horizontal tuning dial style makes a return. 2000 has
Damping Factor 36 with 30 watts and 8 ohms, THD is only 0.04%,
15Hz-50KHz. These sets are very good if carefully rebuilt using the highest quality components. Otherwise, they're not too great as stock.
Marantz 1010 steel case and single Sanyo power pack module.
Marantz 2000 wooden case and two Sanyo power pack modules.
A 1970 year British Metro-Sound Plus tuner is FM only from RCA integrated circuits.
Similar front ends in expensive Metro-Sound above as the rare REALISTIC STA-48 below.
Enthusiasts make some conclusions about sound or tuning quality. The most basic comprise a small cube of portable radio style miniature tuning capacitors where expensive sets had more metal in variable capacitors, many of the better, boxed as above. Small mains transformer sound quality depends on the materials used and in these old radio sets, may be surprising.
The REALISTIC STA-48 up page has Solid State Output Transformers where the RT-VC right has grey Siemens brand Output Capacitors (QUAD 303 and Marantz 2015 vintage) needing known speakers for the best match. Marantz 2010 is an Output Capacitor (OC) type. Later amplifiers are OCL and OTL types, the precise meaning of lacking the Output Transformer or Capacitor is best studied in their circuit diagrams.
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Left
Marantz is rated in the US as CTS of Kentucky tailored speakers, here an alnico magnet woofer suits their rare and sought after 2010 OC stage receiver. 2010
owners are likely using other Alnico V magnet woofer speakers.
Although Mr. Shimada of Japan invented OTL in 1952, the sets were largely developed for a US elite by Wiggins of Electro-Voice with variable Damping Factor. Japanese Solid State engineers gave it much thought, early elite tube designs from Carad are rarely viewed.
Right the Audio-Services Dyna-Sonic 4T. In the United States, this EMI 92390AL was offered in the mass market DLS529X. The 4T baffle is in mass-market
chipboard and four German BBC Lorenz tweeters of 18KHz Ferrite magnet type on plywood with Tannoy origin onboard crossover that EMI began using in later versions of 13 x 8 and 14 x 9.
Brown wadding as shown is how BBC Sound Engineer Alex Shackman would damp a 92390AL. The tweeters are only 2W each and connected to give
8-watt handling at a time when the AlNiCo EMI 97924 below was 10W
rating. The AlNiCo Lorenz LPH65 gives 17KHz but at only 2WRMS and so loud that in the 4T, resistors and a master volume fit them best with the amplifier in use. The 2T uses two elite only 17KHz versions of the 97924.
Right the AlNiCo V magnets in these yoke type EMI 97924, differ greatly in size suggesting some are 17KHz, the 15KHz magnet thinner.
Left
the types of Lorenz LPH65. 'A' is the 37KHz Ferrite grey basket with a
screw for repair. 'B' is a gold basket type. C is the 18KHz Ferrite in the 4T above and SABA Studio A with a much larger size magnet although only 2W rated. D is the 2W rated 17KHz AlNiCo.
Note the tone of the Ferrite type is colder than AlNiCo. The Ferrite
EMI is over 3 inches in size and 20KHz. The Lorenz LSH-85 electrostatic of 3.5 inches diameter fits the early 1960s broadcast core EMI 319. Below types of Lorenz electrostatic tweeter. Upper is LSH-85 for Hi-Fi and lower are LSH-75 for Lo-Fi.
Right the Lo-Fi was an elite only,
early and more expensive bespoke dealer adjusted system often
Single-Ended and with narrower Frequency Response than Hi-Fi. The copper mesh is a gold foil type. Click on the image for full view. DuKane Duke-30 1961 year. Fane Ionofane 1965 year.
Left a mass-market Lowther speaker, the Accolade 4
that in prohibitive shipping weights resemble IMF Transmission Line
Systems coming at knockdown prices secondhand. Lowther sells over IMF
TLS on good sensitivity, depending on whether AlNiCo or ceramic magnet drivers are chosen, a suitably large listening room is available and a
very high-quality tube amplifier. Although large-diameter speakers of this style with black 'dispursement' cones are seen in elite houses of the United States, Lowther units sold in the UK are usually of small diameter as seen here. Who'd made the large diameter remains a
mystery? Below 'green box' 40-1341B used Luxman L-230, a 10Hz low note had cheap build. 1341 low notes and quality were artificially enhanced.
Right REALISTIC 40-1341B, an Ohio Rube's take on Lowther Voigt 8 inch above. Green box, 90dB/1w/1m foam edge, 15KHz top, 35 watt, Res 55, 15.2oz magnet. Aqua box color '40-1286C'. 9.8oz magnet resembles Wharfedale Chevin XP2
but 93db/1w/m 18KHz, Res 57, 30 watts. 1970s cloth edge 1286 was 25w,
30-20, 70Hz resonance - we could feel deep notes below the Res values but didn't hear them. The 1983 year REALISTIC bass enhancer helps.
Left an upmarket Lowther speaker advertised on a Persian Rug. The wooden center part helps disperse the treble. Such folded-horn speakers often get criticism for an odd low-frequency tone. The expensive tube amplifiers used need their efficiency and accuracy. The AlNiCo magnet motor seen below isn't in all Lowther cores, some are Field Coil and others Ferrite. The 1951 year Permoflux below and 1955 Electro-Voice Baronet are suited for small baffle mounting. The 1940s and 50s had large enclosures, Wharfedale with sand-filled panels to deaden the 'boxy' sound often resulting.
Below far removed from Lowther of Queen Anne's Gate, Mission is popular in a lower market part of London, England, known as Chelsea. It may be surprising just how affluent we'd have to be to have enough time spare to indulge in such pursuits. AlNiCo magnet speakers suit different amplifiers from Mission Cyrus 1 below, for the Mission 780 Argonaut with SEAS Norwegian tweeter or Freedom 770
- Farad Azima's only Anglo-Iranian speaker, it has a point-to-point
soldered crossover. Engineers hired by Mission won the early 1980s lower market buyer.
Maryam Eisler
Right Anglo-Iranian
design Mission Cyrus acquired a 'Lion badge' power transformer, lower
noise resistors in a fiberglass board replaced carbon types in asbestos
resin. Far-eastern type finned heat-sink and stereo balance control,
the minimalist original above with no Balance knobs.
Right SANYO Technics SL1200, a later disco version of the broadcast studio National Technics SL-150
below, neither needed in domestic settings, downmarket models prevent
feedback howl at high volumes, the sound quality may fall short of
Garrard, Thorens, Goldring, AR, etc.
Right the larger type of Output Transformer capable of driving speakers with a separate squawker and tweeter. These amplifiers are
Hi-Fi 10 watts and need careful matching. It's best if possible to use a
similar core to the one in the console as trial and error with other vintage speakers may take some time.
Left, SONY turntable PS-4750 was a Trio-Kenwood design with a stone-resin cast plinth. Modern reviews rate these above Rega Planar 2 in abilities but in truth, they have a dull, opaque sound lacking in detail, and whilst very good for loud music in the same room, they're not going to beat an American AR turntable, Ariston, or Linn Sondek. The pick-up arm may well limit the available quality. Some low-cost turntables are good if recorded, or in a different room from speakers, their sensitivity to howl spoils a sweet, detailed ability.
Right, Sugden Connoisseur is an idler drive with 78rpm and strobe used in Consoles both in the US and in England. The later BD1 is a belt-drive used with the SME arm in transcription plinths and with straight arms in lower-cost versions. The BD1 was chosen by followers of the Bedale Hunt in England. Sugden was Yorkshire based. Below, the Pioneer turntable always had mass-market friends, this being the PL-7-UB with a 78rpm position.
Below, the AR Revival is a US-made turntable based on the 1970s AR turntable that the Scottish made Linn Sondek was created from. In Scotland, the turntable is fitted with a Linn Basik LV X tonearm seen below but in the United States, a Grace G-747 tonearm is used as seen left below. The tonearm is mounted on a floating chassis to prevent
feedback howl. The US tonearm is slightly better than the Japanese LV X.
Below, the AR Revival is a US-made turntable based on the 1970s AR turntable that the Scottish made Linn Sondek was created from. In Scotland, the turntable is fitted with a Linn Basik LV X tonearm seen below but in the United States, a Grace G-747 tonearm is used as seen left below. The tonearm is mounted on a floating chassis to prevent
feedback howl. The US tonearm is slightly better than the Japanese LV X.
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