Topic: SURPLUS SPEAKERS

[Lord Foo]

sir lordfoo, yung nakita nyo bang dialtone speaker is yung satellite na pwede pang surround? magkano kaya? thanks 

Hi.

The units mentioned by Professor Sandawa were also the ones that attracted my attention. Ung victor zero5fine looks okay. Heavy enclosure.

The diatones were the ones mostly used by the stores as display speakers. yun bang pinapatunog to attract attention. Puedeng pang surround.

Ung 106 medyo malaki.  Problem is i really went on a listing spree...not listening spree so hindi ko pinakinggan muna ung mga speakers. There were so many. I wanted to check them out on the net and focus on the ones i like when i come back.

there were two nice looking vintage pioneers in that i saw. Ung isa three way na wood finish ang dating. You'll find this at the Little Chatty store. Pinapatungan nung mga tape players. (OT there was a Tascam Tape recorder dito last time.  Mabigat. Wala na pagbalik ko.) Ung isa pang pioneer,  medyo modern ang itsura. Two woofers with a horn in between. But they are big ang heavy speakers. Hindi yata kasya sa kotse.

Actually, if you check sa japanese listings... ung Victor Zero5 ang mataas ang Yen value. I didnt see any of the famous six digit yen speakers.

[Lord Foo]

Sir Sandawa,

Off topic.

I just got hold of a pair of 1970s Kef reference 104 speakers.  Have you heard of them?

Enclosures are okay. Surrounds are okay. Drivers are okay.
but when i drove them with the Sansui AUDxdecade amp. The performance was very very disappointing. Do you think its the crossover? or are these speakers not really good? the label at the back said they were made in Maidstone England. Any suggestions sir?

http://www.kef.com/history/1970/model104.htm



 
Foo

[shuttertrigger]

thanks for the info Lordfoo 

[sandawa]

Sir Sandawa,
I just got hold of a pair of 1970s Kef reference 104 speakers.  Have you heard of them?
Enclosures are okay. Surrounds are okay. Drivers are okay.
but when i drove them with the Sansui AUDxdecade amp. The performance was very very disappointing. Do you think its the crossover? or are these speakers not really good? the label at the back said they were made in Maidstone England. Any suggestions sir?
Foo

sir Foo, may nagdaan sa aking KEF 104 back in mid '80s but it sounded good and comparable with the EVs, ARs and JBLs, i kept during that time. it requires good placement though since it was less efficient despite its size (and looks more like a Kabuki-type, if i still recall, compared with US-made vintage gear I had then.) may bumili sa akin agad ng five figures, so, binenta ko.

if you're comparing it with your AR-90 and Yamaha NS-1000, inferior nga ang KEF-104. i just checked the Orion bluebook used by traders and insurers as reference in the US and it showed a used KEF 104's recommended re-sale value today at only $200. in comparison, the small KEF 101/s2 that i own has a used value of $250. your Yamaha NS-1000 has a re-sale quote of $620 while your AR-90 was pegged at $350.

[Lord Foo]

sir Foo, may nagdaan sa aking KEF 104 back in mid '80s but it sounded good and comparable with the EVs, ARs and JBLs, i kept during that time. it requires good placement though since it was less efficient despite its size (and looks more like a Kabuki-type, if i still recall, compared with US-made vintage gear I had then.) may bumili sa akin agad ng five figures, so, binenta ko.

if you're comparing it with your AR-90 and Yamaha NS-1000, inferior nga ang KEF-104. i just checked the Orion bluebook used by traders and insurers as reference in the US and it showed a used KEF 104's recommended re-sale value today at only $200. in comparison, the small KEF 101/s2 that i own has a used value of $250. your Yamaha NS-1000 has a re-sale quote of $620 while your AR-90 was pegged at $350.

i also posted the question at the AK forum and got some questions back. Eto po ung reply ko:

I went downstairs and tried the speakers again. I realized there's an Ab after the model number. (So its a KEF reference 104ab.)

I used a Sansui AUD707Xdecade amp. It's 100+wpc i believe. I've placed an AR90 in the A speaker set and the Kefs in the B speaker speaker posts.

I tried Norah Jones' "Come away with me" and the live version of Eagles' "Hotel California".

BASS

The bass is not as full and deep as the AR90s but they seemed okay for the size of the speakers. I don't know the words to use, but though the AR90s bass is better, the kef's bass is still pleasant to my ears.

Mids

Norah jones' voice came out accurate and She wasn't nasal at all like she was in some speakers i used.

Treble.

I have to really place my ears to the tweeter to really hear the tweeters. They work but are overpowered by the bass.
Compared to the AR90s' treble, the kef's are i really lousy. Almost inaudible.
I tried moving the selector switch from - to Ref to + to no really discernible effect. The treble is no unpleasant, its just not there!!!

There are no buzzes, wheezes, coughs or any rattling sound.

I pulled out my screwdriver and slowly opened the biggest woofer...and found out its just a radiator with a large piece of foam behind it and other foam pieces lining the speaker box.

The middle speaker's metal surrounding the magnet ( i dont know what that is called), was covered with a white powedery substance. My, that's a very heavy small speaker.

I couldnt remove the tweeter without prying against the wood and thus damaging it so I desisted and put everything back. I wouldnt know what to do with the tweeter anyway.

Plugged the speaker again and listened for about half the norah jones CD. In summary, I guess i like the bass but not the high's which was almost non existent. the mids are also okay.

Well, i expected the AR90s to outperform the kef's but the difference in the highs is too much.

(m sorry i lost my digital camera so i can't post pics)

[sandawa]

KEF's highs really don't sizzle i think, since that also were a bit off for my 101/s2 compared with my other speakers. maganda ang low and middle ng original 101s2, but the highs are a little lacking. what i did was to change the UniQ configuration, got a pair Wharfedale Modus Vivendi tweeters and mounted these on top of the box and the result was significantly more pleasing highs. the new KEF Reference series already have tweeters mounted on top.


the KEF101s2 with a Wharf Modus Vivendi tweeters mounted on top. its highs now sound more pleasing. the original is UniQ design with the HF unit in the middle hole of the LF's voice coil.


6 of 9 pairs of speakers in my little room. wife kicked me out of the master's bedroom years ago due to my increasing collection of what she calls "junk" (vintage) hifi - KEF101s2 and JBL316Pro on top of Epos 14 and Denon SC104 which sit on Diatone DSa7 and Design Acoustics PS10.

[Superman]

nice set of speakers, sir... hope to hear them in september...

[Lord Foo]

You have great speakers mr. sandawa.

I've finally made my first speaker purchase at the pier.

I found this, Victor Bookshelf,  an oak colored Victor SX-3 with one tweeter not working. I knocked on the box lifted the speaker and felt solid woodwork.

The store guys was selling the unit as is. Talked to to the guys and they had one of the tweeter  wires resoldered for 100 php and the tweeter lived. While they were doing that, I noticed through the tweeter hole that the speaker was totally filled inside with a foam like substance.

http://page.freett.com/knisi/sx-3.htm
Back at home...I connected the victors to a sansui aud707xdecade and a Sony 337ESD and they began to sing... i say wow!!!

[sandawa]

Sir Foo,

how much was it? i know SX-3 was a classic as per K-nisi website but my problem was my first speakers in 1980 was a JVC and it sounded too flat, and until now that experience kept me from buying an SX-3 available here in Davao.

with your post, i'm having second thoughts. how does it compare with your bigger speakers such as AR, Yamaha or KEF (i'm more familiar with those brands)? if the price here would be lower than your buying price, i might consider getting the pair i saw.

[Lord Foo]

Okay i did the match up with the AR90 and a Tannoy MX1 bookshelf (not the ns1000 which is upstairs and is too heavy to bring down.) I used a Sansui AUD707Xdecade amp and a Sony 337ESD player. Songs were Norah jones, come away, Hotel California live. A chesky cut of spanish harlem. Sultans of Swing by dire straits. and a car audio bass shaker cut.

In a nutshell, the AR90 beats both speakers hands down in all departments. O would recommend the SX3 considering its size, build quality and cost. (In fact, I'd like to see a 6.1 home theater set up using three pairs of the SX3.)
If i were forced to rank them. Ar90 will be 9. Sx3 will be 7.5 and MX1 will be 4. SX3 is good value for money. Considering that it is a two way 50 watt speaker it is not as far behind as the big AR90 as you might expect. It is definitely a much better sounding speaker than the dimunitive Tannoy MX1.

The SX3 is much nearer the sound of the AR90 than the MX1.

AR90 12 by 15 by 42.4 inches. Five way. Not ported. Low, Mid and high tone controls.
SX3 11 by 11.5 by 20.5 inches. Two way. Only one control for High.
MX1 6.5 by 8.5 by 12. ported. Two way. No tone controls.

Bass: AR90 with its two sidefiring 12 inch woofers really pounds out bass. The SX3 also does give out great bass, filling the room with bass but not as deep as the AR90. The MX1 produces only midbass and this is just as expected from such a small bookshelf. I'd use this only for surrounds.

MidRange: AR90 and SX3's midrange is almost at par. Distinct instruments, clear vocals. Nora Jones comes out nasal in the MX1.

Highs: All speakers belted out natural highs. Both AR and VictorSX3 however outperforms the MX1.

At high volume, the MX1 quickly lost quality of sound. The SX3 followed suit at very loud settings (its a 50 watt speaker after all). I quit upping the volume before i detected quality loss in the AR90.

[m0b1u5]

good day sirs,
     i found a good looking pair of Polk Audio SDA2 speakers in a thrift shop and was tempted to bringi them home.  I haven't heard them yet though as I was in a hurry to meet a friend.  Has anybody has knowledge about these speakers, their SDA feature and the DIY interconnect cable as I didn't see any included with the pair?  IIRC, its tweeter indicated Silver Coil tweeters, has two midrange and a round flat diaphragm woofer. I'll go back to the shop and investigate further.

thanks   

 

[sandawa]

SDA2 is a big floorstander. retailed at $1.2K brand new in mid '80s and still selling int eBay roughly $350 per pair. haven't used a Polk before but a friend of mine here in Davao treasures his pair of Polk CRS

[Lord Foo]

Is anybody here familiar with the Yamaha NS670? I've found a lot of info on the NS690 but not the 670.

foo.

[sandawa]

Yamaha NS-670

Orion Audio Bluebook: released in 1974; original price at $460/pair; current resale value at $45.

Stereo Review 1977 Directory: 3-way speaker system; 10 inch woofer, 2.5 inch midrange, 1.24 inch tweeter; freq. response 40-20K hertz; 50 watts continuous; midrange and tweeter controls; 8 ohms; 22.75X12.75X10.5

[m0b1u5]

i went to pier last saturday, new arrivals were mostly speakers.  I saw these, Lo-D HS-70f flat diaphragms, Yamaha 460 and 690.

[m0b1u5]

SDA2 is a big floorstander. retailed at $1.2K brand new in mid '80s and still selling int eBay roughly $350 per pair. haven't used a Polk before but a friend of mine here in Davao treasures his pair of Polk CRS

they were really big, I'm now having secound thoughts due to space constraints. 

thanks sir sandawa.

[av_phile1]

good day sirs,
     i found a good looking pair of Polk Audio SDA2 speakers in a thrift shop and was tempted to bringi them home.  I haven't heard them yet though as I was in a hurry to meet a friend.  Has anybody has knowledge about these speakers, their SDA feature and the DIY interconnect cable as I didn't see any included with the pair?  IIRC, its tweeter indicated Silver Coil tweeters, has two midrange and a round flat diaphragm woofer. I'll go back to the shop and investigate further.

thanks   

 

These are mid-80s high end speakers that defined what Mathew Polk termed as True Stereo speakers employing a unique set of drivers and crossover networks that are said to maintain true point source propagation.  I think these are also part of their SRS holographic speaker systems where the left speaker progressively cancels the sound coming from the right speakers and vice versa so you achieve headphone quality stereo imaging.  These series were my dream speakers at that time. I suppose they still are.   

If what you saw still uses the same drivers and crossovers, in short in mint condition,  by all means get one.  And if your room is not large enough to house them, get a bigger room or house.    Ofcourse don't forget to audition, my impressions are based on those oohs and aaahs on Stereo Review at the time.  I don't recall these speakers were ever distributed locally at that time. 

[Lord Foo]

i went to pier last saturday, new arrivals were mostly speakers.  I saw these, Lo-D HS-70f flat diaphragms, Yamaha 460 and 690.

NS690

Sir...This is the one at Little Chatty?   i think ako nakakuha nung Yamaha 690. I've been looking for either a yamaha NS500 or the 690 for a long while.  One of the subwoofers conked out and one of the mid range speakers also conked after two days. My brother and I opened the unit. (sayang wala akong camera).  Solid yung construction, malalaki ung mga speaker magnets. Thick and great looking plywood for the enclosure. One of the woofer wires was disconnected so we just soldered it.  The mid range was harder to fix, but my brother found the open coil and with minimal effort reconnected the cut coil.

The 690 is now playing well again. All I can say is that I am very happy with the speaker.
http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?lp=ja_en&trurl=http%3a%2f%2fpage.freett.com%2fknisi%2fns-6903.htm

LOD HS 70F

I also saw this unit and it looks good. Didnt audition it though. However, the model praised by the Japanese Nisi listing ist the higher model LoD 90F

http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?lp=ja_en&trurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.niji.or.jp%2fhome%2fk-nisi%2fhs-90f.htm

[m0b1u5]

yes sir that was it.  i asked the attendant about that and he said na yung outer rubber ng woofers were replaced and he did know the price yet.  BTW, how much did you pay for the pair?

thanks.

[shuttertrigger]

i went to pier last saturday, new arrivals were mostly speakers.  I saw these, Lo-D HS-70f flat diaphragms, Yamaha 460 and 690.

sir, may nakita ba kayong mga TT sa pier? thanks! 

[m0b1u5]

once lang ako may nakita na Kenwood pero sobrang gaan nung inangat ko, nawalan ako ng interes tuloy...

[egp]

dennispm,
I am presently using the polk SDA-crs+ . This is the compact brother of the SDA2. So far I have been very happy with this . The soundstage is one of the widest I have ever heard. To really appreciate the speaker you need the interconnect. The right speaker is connected to the left SDA speaker via this interconnect. If you put the balance knob of your amp to full right, you will still hear a little music on the left speaker ( I think polk designed the SDA speaker to be out of phase with the opposite speaker) . This is what gives these speakers a wide soundstage. Hard to go into the technical aspects of this but you can read all about this here: http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/

If you decide to pass this purchase, I would be very interested to purchase this. I have been trying to look for one to pair with my crs+. let me know . tks

[m0b1u5]

ok sir.  I hope they'll still be there when I go back.

[egp]

By the way the SDA2 does not use woofers but the flat thing in front is a passive radiator. I think this is something like a ported speaker but covered ang ports with the radiator.

[Lord Foo]

sir, may nakita ba kayong mga TT sa pier? thanks! 

Come to think of it. I seldom see turntables at the pier.


Last weekend I saw a Pioneer PL512 or 514 selling at 700 pesos. Walang rubber band and walang shell and needle.

Try also the thrift shop along aurora blvd. near EDSa.

[shuttertrigger]

Come to think of it. I seldom see turntables at the pier.


Last weekend I saw a Pioneer PL512 or 514 selling at 700 pesos. Walang rubber band and walang shell and needle.

Try also the thrift shop along aurora blvd. near EDSa.

sir lordfoo, tayo ulit dito..hehehe..thanks again...

[Lord Foo]

Got my Third pair of surplus speaker from the PIER.
First was a Victor SX3
Second was a yamaha NS690.
Third is a Victor SX3III.

[sandawa]

how much did you get the SX3III? there's a pair here selling at P3.5K. i've heard surplus hifi prices in Manila has gone down significantly.

[Lord Foo]

I got the first pair (an SX3) for 2 thou and the 2nd pair (an SX3III) for 2.8thou.
I am intending to get a third pair of the SX3 to try a 6.1 Home theatre set up.

The SX3 is a mighty bookshelf. I also love the SX3's wood enclosure. I'll also schedule a change of capacitors of the units one of these days.

Maybe you can still push the SX3's price there a bit lower. Claim that:

a) its only a two-way speaker,
b) it is only 50 watter and\
3) the Brand (Victor) is not as well known as Pioneer, Sansui or yamaha. 

Foo

[shuttertrigger]

Try also the thrift shop along aurora blvd. near EDSa.

medyo OT, san po ba nakakabili ng mga plaka sa may cubao? thanks