Modern speakers vs Vintage speakers

[Salectric]

View attachment 120447


Some of nice vintage speakers are also on sale.

we 555w system with original 16A, ks6368 horns....

LANSING 287 driver & X-overs, Power supply

westrex a-11 amplifier system

westrex 2080.2090 with horn system

westrex 753A speakers

western electric 757A speakers

neumann vms66 with cutting head, cutting amplifier system, manual, etc.,

TRANSFORMERS : we, peerless, utc, triad transformers

Thus I will try to audition them this weekend.

I will let my impression or video soon.

Just an amazing assortment of rare gear!

 

[jeff1225]

I had been to my favorite vintage store in Seoul.

Western 757A monitor sounds very pleasant and refined.

Its dynamics is pretty good but not going very deep.

I am not sure it will work well with my Rel 31 subwoofers.

I heard a pair of the 757A with Sibltone 300b SET amps at CES many years ago. Still can’t get that sound out of my mind.

 

[Salectric]

I heard a pair of the 757A with Sibltone 300b SET amps at CES many years ago. Still can’t get that sound out of my mind.

That's probably the same system I heard at the 2011 RMAF. For a year or two they were taking the 757a/Silbatone system around the show circuit. Like you, I still have a permanent memory of the sound of the 757a.

 

[Zeotrope]

This one is not original Western field coil system but replica made in Japan.

But it sounds fast and go deeper.

I asked shop owner whether he can find me Western original field coil systems.

He need advance money and three months to find it.

See if they have the RCA1428/1443 field coil midrange. Those who have heard them say they are better than the WE counterparts and one of the best midrange ever made.

 

[Zeotrope]

The RCA1428/1443 used to be fairly inexpensive - under $5k for a pair - but I haven't seen any on eBay or Hifi Shark for some time.
I have mine in a Bill Woods Conical Horn. Frequency response is flat (+/- 2 dB) in room! from 600-8000Hz - covering the main 4 octaves with one driver.
These drivers are a beast - they weight about 50lbs each. Voice coil is massive. They are literally built like a tank. They are 90 years old and will last way beyond our lifetimes.
To put the accuracy of how these are built into perspective - the temperature of the cases are within 1 degree C! These is with 90 year old wire!

[Trying to attach a photo and it's saying it's too large. It's under 1MB - must be an error!]

 

[Ron Resnick]

What do people on this thread think of the sound of Classic Audio loudspeakers?

Are they a legitimate alternative to vintage loudspeakers?

 

[Salectric]

What do people on this thread think of the sound of Classic Audio loudspeakers?

Are they a legitimate alternative to vintage loudspeakers?

I have listened to the Classic Audio speakers each year at CAF for at least ten years and I believe I heard them at RMAF before that. Big rooms and small rooms. I have never liked their sound and not only because of the insanely loud volume.

 

[morricab]

What do people on this thread think of the sound of Classic Audio loudspeakers?

Are they a legitimate alternative to vintage loudspeakers?

They look like an interesting alternative but never heard them.

 

[Ron Resnick]

I have never liked their sound

Thank you. Could you please elaborate?

Why have you never like theIr sound?

 

[Salectric]

Bass is powerful but loose and lacking in detail. Upper midrange and treble are shrill and irritating. To my ears they sound nothing like live music.

Just one person’s opinion, but I have had the same reaction each time I’ve heard them.

 

[Ron Resnick]

Bass is powerful but loose and lacking in detail. Upper midrange and treble are shrill and irritating. To my ears they sound nothing like live music.

Just one person’s opinion, but I have had the same reaction each time I’ve heard them.

Thank you.

 

[DasguteOhr]

I had been to my favorite vintage store in Seoul.

Western 757A monitor sounds very pleasant and refined.

Its dynamics is pretty good but not going very deep.

I am not sure it will work well with my Rel 31 subwoofers.

If there is a RWO Fostex LS3 speaker in this shop. please let me know..thanks
Exsample Photo

 

[chet atkins]

I started with the super tweeters pointing up at the ceiling, but had to cover the upturned opening with a sheet of toilet paper to prevent it filling up with dust when not in use. I then considered bouncing the sound off the back wall. I have made a video of the set up so you can see how the bounce the sound to the listening position without the need for ladder work above my treble horn. The magnet is sitting on computer foam, the speaker surround frame on the back corner of the bass cabinets. The recording is just a record I like, nothing audiophile, and you may hear some room reflections as I haven't treated the room, but you will get the feeling anyway.

(1) Chet Atkins--Tennessee Polka, 1950s Color! - YouTube i have around 150 chet albums

 

[je2a3]

Back in the 90s, I was fortunate to have heard a pair of Western Electric 753As, 753Cs + a single 757A. All of these classic monitor speakers left a profound imprint in my sonic memory. However, even then, they were already beyond my budget. All I could afford then was a pair of Altec 755As.

I still have the Altec 755As which are now housed in Dr. Bae/Silbatone cabinets.

For greater extension in the frequency extremes, higher SPLs and minimum compromise in the midrange, I built a WE753C inspired pair of speakers using Altec 414A drivers + 32C bent horns = Altec 753C.

WIshing all American members a great Thanksgiving holiday!

 

[hopkins]

I recently setup a pair of Altec 755C for use in a small room (office), near-field.

I love them: lots of detail, very easy and relaxing to listen to.

One of the two speakers is not in very good condition but I found another to replace it (should arrive in a few weeks).

This was taken in my living room.

These types of speakers really need to be experienced live (not through a video) to understand what they offer over modern loudspeakers.

 

[je2a3]

I recently setup a pair of Altec 755C for use in a small room (office), near-field.

I love them: lots of detail, very easy and relaxing to listen to.

Congrats!

Before I acquired my 755As, I was already listening to 755Cs in G.A. Briggs inspired open baffles.

They're also in Silbatone boxes now.

One of the two speakers is not in very good condition but I found another to replace it (should arrive in a few weeks).

I'm glad you found a nicer unit! 755Cs and 755Es with original cones and voice coils aren't as affordable nor are they as easy to find nowadays.

This was taken in my living room.

Nice!

These types of speakers really need to be experienced live (not through a video) to understand what they offer over modern loudspeakers.

Very true! I upload videos mainly for the visual aspect.

 

[hopkins]

These speakers, will all their flaws, have something really special that I have never found in modern speakers (or headphones). What they do well is something that I obviously value. It is hard to put in words. "Intimacy" with the music?

It has something to do with the "precision" of the cone movement. I don't understand why they are not replicated, or even improved upon, today - with all the technology at our disposal...

 

[je2a3]

These speakers, will all their flaws, have something really special that I have never found in modern speakers (or headphones). What they do well is something that I obviously value. It is hard to put in words. "Intimacy" with the music?

It has something to do with the "precision" of the cone movement. I don't understand why they are not replicated, or even improved upon, today - with all the technology at our disposal...

IMHO, even if Western Electric (later Altec) engineers from that era had access to the finest test equipment, they used their ears as the final arbiter in sound system design. They were also exposed to/familiar with the sound of acoustic instruments being performed without amplification as evidenced by 1930s Bell Labs stereo recording experiments with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski. That's just one example of their aesthetic references!

 

[Ron Resnick]

It has something to do with the "precision" of the cone movement. I don't understand why they are not replicated, or even improved upon, today - with all the technology at our disposal...

It is an interesting question. What about the full-range AER drivers? Surely they must be precise?

I understand about the light weight and thus speed of vintage cone driver paper. (This is why some designers, such as Peter Noerbaek, use vintage 15 inch woofers in their new loudspeakers). But I don't understand why this paper doesn't dry out over time?

 

[hopkins]

IMHO, even if Western Electric (later Altec) engineers from that era had access to the finest test equipment, they used their ears as the final arbiter in sound system design. They were also exposed to/familiar with the sound of acoustic instruments being performed without amplification as evidenced by 1930s Bell Labs stereo recording experiments with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski. That's just one example of their aesthetic references!

Thanks for the interesting article.

Slightly off topic, but in reference to those first stereophonic experiments mentioned in the article, there is a Duke Ellington recording from Feb. 3, 1932, that was made with two microphones on two separate discs and that can now be heard in stereo:

Duke Ellington: Stereo Reflections In Ellington : Duke Ellington : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Tracklist: 1. Mood Indigo (Stereo) 2. Hot & Bothered (Stereo) 3. Creole Love Call (Stereo) 4. East St Louis Toodle-Oo (Stereo) 5. Lots O' Fingers...

archive.org

The sound quality is impressive.

That three song medley recorded on February 3rd (first three tracks of the CD) was issued on the first LPs: http://jimbutterworth.co.uk/4rcagram.htm