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aquapiranha
23-01-2009, 23:20
I was given a pair of Goodmans Magnum -K loudspeakers by a very nice chap the other day. They are big stand mounts, and very heavy and well put together too. the chap bought them in December 1968, and they cost him £80 4/- which I am guessing was a pretty penny back then, especially since the Quad "decoder" he bought on the same invoice cost just £16 -/ - in comparison!.

They are in good condition, but the grilles are fixed so I am loath to prise them off to check for damage. I am unable to test them at the moment as I am amp-less, but I will post my findings as soon as I can.

In the meantime if anyone can shed any light on these classics (all I have is the original sales brochure) I would be very grateful!

Marco
23-01-2009, 23:36
Got any pics? :)

Marco.

Ali Tait
23-01-2009, 23:51
If they have Goodmans 12" full rangers in them,the Speakers alone are worth a bit.

aquapiranha
24-01-2009, 09:54
I don't think they are full range drive units Ali. According to the brochure they have 3 drive units, a 12" crossed over to the mid at 1500 Hz and a treble unit at 6000 hz. I will try to post a couple of pics in a bit Marco, but like I say they have fixed grilles, so not much to look at...

Marco
24-01-2009, 10:10
It would still be nice to see, though, Steve :)

Marco.

aquapiranha
24-01-2009, 10:44
sorry about the rubbish pics...

You can see they are pretty big. ( check out the "muso" on the front of the brochure, listening to the painstakingly positioned speaker on the sideboard..) The cabinet thickness can be seen on the recess in the back housing the controls.

I am very very grateful to the lovely chap who gave them to me, and I cannot wait to hear them!

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb256/aquapiranha/Goodmans%20Magnum%20-K/Photo0020.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb256/aquapiranha/Goodmans%20Magnum%20-K/Photo0017.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb256/aquapiranha/Goodmans%20Magnum%20-K/Photo0019.jpg

Ali Tait
24-01-2009, 11:00
12" bass units would also be worth something.

Marco
24-01-2009, 11:24
Nice, Steve. I love that sort of stuff :)

Let us know what they sound like. When you visit, I'd also like to hear how they sound in my system, and compare them to the Spendors - another classic BBC-orientated design.

Marco.

aquapiranha
24-01-2009, 11:30
No problem Marco, I will get over as soon as I can.

Ali, I have no intention of selling them, they are lovely and it would be an insult to the nice man who gave them to me.

Ali Tait
24-01-2009, 13:02
Let us know how they sound.

aquapiranha
26-01-2009, 11:04
well I have had them powered with the stand in arcam alpha 3 amplifier, and they sound very good considering the age of them (I don't know but imagine the crossover components could do with a bit of tlc?) when cranked up they could easily pass for a good quality floorstander from some modern manufacturers.

Marco
27-01-2009, 11:18
Not bad for freebies, then! :eyebrows:

I suspect that they're quite insensitive, though, and may need some driving...

Considering their size, I bet that the bass is good, too! Have you checked the cone surrounds for any possible rotting?

Marco.

aquapiranha
27-01-2009, 11:50
I do have the specs for them, I will check the sensetivity. as for checking the drive units, it looks like they do not have removable grilles, so I am not sure yet - don't want to damage them by forcing them...

Marco
27-01-2009, 14:46
There should be some way of getting them off - of if not it's 'rear entry' case, but it's something I'd definitely be having a look at.

Regarding sensitivity, I'd expect them to be somewhere around 85db.

You'll need some decent stands though to hear them at their best - what are you using at the moment? :)

Marco.

Mike
27-01-2009, 15:11
The grills should come off!... see pic below.

http://www.valveaudio.co.nz/photo_gallery/goodmans.htm

Mike
27-01-2009, 15:12
Hang on...

The one with the grill off is probably a different speaker... Sorry! :doh:

Marco
27-01-2009, 15:21
And it is, ya eejit! :lolsign:

There must be some way of getting at the drive units, though...

Marco.

P.S And it's: "grilles" - we're not talking about your favourite type of barbecue ;)

Mike
27-01-2009, 16:22
And it is, ya eejit! :lolsign:


P.S And it's: "grilles" - we're not talking about your favourite type of barbecue ;)

:upyours:

alb
27-01-2009, 16:52
Sometime speakers from this era have the backs screwed on, if not then the front surely must come off. Could be velcro.

pentode10
27-01-2009, 16:54
I think I remember these.
They're a three way design with a sort of dopped 12" paper bass driver and a rather well made paper (blue I think ) mid driver and cone tweeter.
I think the latter versions had a less well made mid but used a dome tweeter.

I have a pair of the later type in the workshop but they have the 8" bass unit.
The fronts on these are fixed with velcro.Not sure if yours are the same.
I use them with a little 5 watt single ended valve amp with plenty of volume
so they must be quite efficient.I suspect yours would be similar

They tend to have a warm sound with some mid bloom which is quite nice really.

Hope this helps.
Andy.

aquapiranha
27-01-2009, 16:54
Chaps, chaps....no need to fight...LOL

I will have another look later, I just did not want to damage them trying to get a peep..

:lol:

alb
27-01-2009, 17:24
No fighting intended.:)
Time to be a bit adventurous, methinks.

aquapiranha
27-01-2009, 17:27
Adventurous? or rash?

Hmmm....

Marco
27-01-2009, 18:49
Don't be a big girl - get in there and do what needs to be done! ;)

Whip their 'kegs' off and have a peek at their furry bits :eyebrows:

Marco.

aquapiranha
27-01-2009, 20:05
OK. After a failed second attempt at a full frontal assault, I thought an attack from the rear would be more successful (!).

I removed the many screws that secured the back, and then...nothing. They appear to have been glued! I bent my best steel rule trying to prize it open, but like the oyster in John Stienbecks novel, it was obvious I wasn't going to get to this pearl easily.

So, I screwed some "bigger" screws into a few of the now vacant holes and got out Old Faithful - the claw hammer!. After some effing and jeffing finally the cover came off... and this is what I saw..



http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb256/aquapiranha/Goodmans%20Magnum%20-K/Photo0025.jpg


After wrenching out the foam we are left with...


http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb256/aquapiranha/Goodmans%20Magnum%20-K/Photo0026.jpg


Here is a CD for scale, that is a whopper of a cast basket there.... oh, you can see where the front panel is BOLTED on from inside...good job I went for another option!


http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb256/aquapiranha/Goodmans%20Magnum%20-K/Photo0030.jpg

and...the money shot....


http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb256/aquapiranha/Goodmans%20Magnum%20-K/Photo0031.jpg

Marco
27-01-2009, 20:24
Oooh... Defo not a 'fur coat and nae knickers', job! Quite a nice pair of 'panties', there! :eyebrows:

Marco.

SPS
28-01-2009, 09:26
the large bass driver looks like an audium 51 without the magnet cover fitted

its very hard to say without comparing.. the magnet strength is the key...
dont know enough about the smaller drivers to comment

i bought a single 201 speaker ( same as the 51 but with a wizzer) and that sounded so much more life like without the cabinet back in place, i was suprised, the bass output was not much less

steve

Marco
28-01-2009, 09:57
It looks like quality to me, Steve, and a very nice little acquisition :)

With some judicious tweaking to some crossover components (upgrading caps, etc) they should be a truly fab pair of speakers.

Steve (Aqua), what stands did you say you were using again?

Marco.

aquapiranha
28-01-2009, 10:43
Marco. Stands? you must be referring to the small sealed full rangers I had them sat on as a temporary measure! :)

I think you may be right, they are certainly well built and use good quality drivers etc. but I am not sure...I have at the moment 5 pairs of speakers, and I can only use one at a time!

:lol:

Marco
28-01-2009, 11:06
LOL. If you're not using them on proper stands then you've probably only heard about 60-70% of their potential! :eyebrows:

If I were you I would try to obtain some inexpensive second-hand speaker stands on Ebay or somewhere so that you can assess things properly. You need ones that get the tweeters at ear height from your seating position, keep the speakers absolutely rigid and level, and also decoupled from the floor. I would suggest some lightweight 'open frame' metal types with spikes. This will make a HUGE difference.

Don't settle for half-measures, my man - do the job right! ;)

Marco.

lexi
28-01-2009, 11:32
There`s a bit of serious speaker kit in there with the lovely paper cones and Alnico magnets. The fact that the paper is still blue will be because the grilles have been on all that time. Playing with grilles off it dulls down to a grey colour eventually .......probably dust and UV. I suspect in time these speakers may go up a bit in value. Little Maxims are fetching between between 2 and 3 hundred now.

aquapiranha
28-01-2009, 11:50
Wow!

i am not sure that these magnum - K's have the same "cult" value as the other smaller maxims etc. who knows? but the drivers certainly look purposeful and as a whole they weigh a ton!

Marco
28-01-2009, 12:36
Alnico magnets? Yummy...

Very noice indeedy - but get some bloody stands for the buggers! :eyebrows:

;)

Marco.

aquapiranha
28-01-2009, 13:01
I do not think the woofer has an alinco magnet, but I will check later. The mid and tweet I am not sure, they may be alinco.

Marco
28-01-2009, 13:03
You're ignoring the stand issue - why? :)

Marco.

aquapiranha
28-01-2009, 13:19
No, I am FULLY aware of the need for good stands. I had some atacama SE24 filled with sand, but they belonged ot my brother and were too tall anyway. I will keep an eye out for some!

Marco
28-01-2009, 13:45
Nice one. Partington are rather good :)

You could also go fully retro and obtain something with castors ;)

Marco.