Anyone recognise these?

[seoirse2002]

Anyone ever heard of these or even had a pair?
I cant find anything on the web and little or nothing concrete on google about them...
Maybe someone can tell me some info.
http://theartofsound.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=122&pictureid=956
http://theartofsound.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=122&pictureid=955

[istari_knight]

Kef b200 (or a clone of) & plastic tweeter.... I would expect a sound similar to JPW mini monitors with more bottom end but dont take my word for it I've never heard them.

Just noticed they were assembled by Peter & Paul :lol:

[seoirse2002]

I think its Pat and Paul:scratch:

[seoirse2002]

Hardly mini monitors....more pics

http://theartofsound.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=122&pictureid=958

http://theartofsound.net/forum/picture.php?albumid=122&pictureid=957.....anyone know them?

[istari_knight]

From the pictures we can see they are an infinite baffle design, Bass drivers are doped paper, the tweeters look like Audax TW010 variants... Like I said, similar to JPW mini monitors apart from the cabinet/bass driver size... The technology used is exactly the same.

In a nutshell, 80s budget speakers using basic drivers but as ever rose tinted spectacles push prices far higher than actual value. FWIW I saw them on eBay & thought the final price was :mental:

All IMHO of course, If you like them thats all that matters :)

[Puffin]

Hi George, They seem to have the same Mid/Bass driver as my Griffins (1970's vintage) I believe that mine are Kef somethingorother?

IMO they should sound alright. Are you ever going to stop buying speakers!!!?

Rob ;)

[seoirse2002]

Hi George, They seem to have the same Mid/Bass driver as my Griffins (1970's vintage) I believe that mine are Kef somethingorother?

IMO they should sound alright. Are you ever going to stop buying speakers!!!?

Rob ;)


Cant help it!!...also the guy was using them with pretty decent stuff (MF) so they must be ok...he offered to let me hear them first and if I dont like them not to take them. He reckons they are pretty rare,but sound great...we shall see...:scratch:

[Reid Malenfant]

Bass drivers are doped paper
Actually, if they are Kef B200 then they are doped plastic, Bextrene to be precise, though it's possible they have been reconed like some manufacturers did with Kef drivers. These look original though ;)

It depends on the model of bass driver used, there are more than three types of B200, though only three used that chassis.

My guess is it'll be the highish Qts type & not the lower Qts type that had a bigger magnet (more expensive) or the big magnet high power version ;)

They shouldn't sound too bad as long as the crossover was designed correctly (big midrange peak from the breakup of the Bextrene cone), though they may well be a bit prominent in the mid bass, say 60 - 80Hz..

[istari_knight]

Oh dear... worse than I thought ;)

Only joshing, the B200's in my TLS50's sounded wonderful.

[Reid Malenfant]

TLS50, not your average speaker :D

[seoirse2002]

Thanks for the info guys.....
though it looks like no one actually ever heard of the brand or the model then...I thought maybe someone would have recognised them or even sold them at some stage in a hi fi shop....but if they were a typical 80s budget speaker as has been suggested,surely someone would remember them?
Previous owner thinks they came from the US and the stands are original to the speakers....
Ill soon find out if they're any good..:cool:

any more help appreciated:)

[YNWaN]

I doubt that they came from the US as it would be very unusual for American speakers to have only 4mm sockets. Also, it looks very much as though the stands were made by the same people who made Linn Kan and Sara stands and the welded Heybrook and Epos stands - I don't know of any US speakers that had such stands.

[synsei]

Paragon Acoustics are based in St Paul, Minnesota ;)

Paragon Acoustics Inc
2966 N Cleveland Ave/Site B
Saint Paul MN, 55113
Ramsey County

[YNWaN]

I don't think they are the same company that made these speakers though (there is also a Paragon Acoustics in Berkshire).

[synsei]

Confusion reigns :lol: ;)

[Ammonite Audio]

That bass unit looks rather like a Dalesford (D50/200 perhaps?) - it probably quacks like many of the Bextrene drivers from that era.

[seoirse2002]

I doubt that they came from the US as it would be very unusual for American speakers to have only 4mm sockets. Also, it looks very much as though the stands were made by the same people who made Linn Kan and Sara stands and the welded Heybrook and Epos stands - I don't know of any US speakers that had such stands.

mmmm...linn Kan,Sara,Heybrook,Epos,
If thats the kind of company they were keeping I wont mind at all....still no definite answers though or even any previous users:(

[YNWaN]

I'm surprised neither of the Dave's remember them - but then, I'm surprised I haven't seen them before either!

I thought the mid/bass looked like a Bextrene cone too.

[Butuz]

Stands look like Linn ones? Nice and sturdy!

Butuz

[goraman]

Early Paragons from the mid to late 80's I have seen these before similar in sound to the later Missions I believe they go down to42hz.
Here is a brochure from the 90's from that company.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Paragon-Trillian-Speaker-Brochure-/380175736410?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item58843d5e5a#ht_1577wt_1103
There was a chain of Pacific Audio stores here in the U.S.A. and they had there own speakers and recivers,not a cheap date, fairly high quality stuff and very popular in Sacremento Ca. I heard menny different models of them back in the 80's they used mostly Vifa and Seas parts.
I have heard the exact models you have they where common here in nicer systems mostly paired with Concept or Marantz receivers sometimes sold in packaged system deals.
Welcome to high end mid to late 1980's California Audio! If you had those speakers in 1982-1985 anywhere in Ca. you got respect.
I seem to remember them doing really well with Cindy Lauper and Prince back in those days.
They where known to have very tight and punchy bass for there size. The cabinet bracing is very solid.

[YNWaN]

Well, my apologies to all - it would seem that they are American! They are very European in terms of their build though.

[synsei]

I vaguely remember a pair of Paragon speakers similar to these getting a very good write up in Practical HiFi sometime in the mid 80's. I'm not sure whether it was actually this model though.

[goraman]

The receiver usually paired with these speakers was a monster,over built by Pacific Audio in limited numbers. 160 watts per channel RMS into 8 ohms and Conservatively rated even at that!
The receiver line was called Concept and the biggest in the line was the 16.5 you couldn't hardly lift it ,I seem to remember 70lbs. Somewhere around 2000 where ever made and they bring top dollar if you can find them. There House speakers where Paragon and had to handle there largest receiver, they didn't build junk.They also produced Concept speakers,a Q series turntable and cassette deck.
http://classicreceivers.com/concept-16-5

This was the big deal system when I was in high school.

[seoirse2002]

Early Paragons from the mid to late 80's I have seen these before similar in sound to the later Missions I believe they go down to42hz.
Here is a brochure from the 90's from that company.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Paragon-Trillian-Speaker-Brochure-/380175736410?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item58843d5e5a#ht_1577wt_1103
There was a chain of Pacific Audio stores here in the U.S.A. and they had there own speakers and recivers,not a cheap date, fairly high quality stuff and very popular in Sacremento Ca. I heard menny different models of them back in the 80's they used mostly Vifa and Seas parts.
I have heard the exact models you have they where common here in nicer systems mostly paired with Concept or Marantz receivers sometimes sold in packaged system deals.
Welcome to high end mid to late 1980's California Audio! If you had those speakers in 1982-1985 anywhere in Ca. you got respect.
I seem to remember them doing really well with Cindy Lauper and Prince back in those days.
They where known to have very tight and punchy bass for there size. The cabinet bracing is very solid.

Thats pretty much what the guy told me...but he was'nt too sure,and I nearly let them go:doh: but I thought,cheapo speakers dont come with those stands,and the gear they were used with was far from cheap,so I took a shot and was prepared for whatever I got...my faith in this forum continues and Ill be putting them through their paces tomorrow!!!!
Thanks to all who put the effort in to identify them for me and many many thanks to Goraman in CA for identifying them:)....any more info gratefully received!!!
Dont you just love it when this happens?:cool:

[seoirse2002]

The receiver usually paired with these speakers was a monster,over built by Pacific Audio in limited numbers. 160 watts per channel RMS into 8 ohms and Conservatively rated even at that!
The receiver line was called Concept and the biggest in the line was the 16.5 you couldn't hardly lift it ,I seem to remember 70lbs. Somewhere around 2000 where ever made and they bring top dollar if you can find them. There House speakers where Paragon and had to handle there largest receiver, they didn't build junk.They also produced Concept speakers,a Q series turntable and cassette deck.
http://classicreceivers.com/concept-16-5

This was the big deal system when I was in high school.

Happy days are here again!!
I better dust off my old Sansui and Marantz receivers!;)