had an akai amp and tape deck.. amp was better than you would have thoughtQuote:
Originally Posted by walpurgis
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had an akai amp and tape deck.. amp was better than you would have thoughtQuote:
Originally Posted by walpurgis
More goodies for the collection. Just won these on ebay. Anybody recognise them?
http://i67.tinypic.com/seu8g4.jpg
http://i67.tinypic.com/2pothf7.jpg
Were it not for the die-cast baskets - I would have said EMI 13 x 8" ellipticals, but those I think had pressed metal baskets.
So, no idea. Do tell!
They kinda look like my grandfather's slippers :D
S.
They are EMI. But they were sold as unidentified. These are one of the 14a/770 series I believe. The cast chassis elliptical EMI's were used by Monitor Audio, Proac and Mordaunt Short amongst others and of course in EMI's own systems. The grey vinyl roll surrounds are unusual, these are normally black.Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry
Your grandfather is Frankenstein's monster? That explains a lot :DQuote:
Originally Posted by southall-1998
Come on then Geoff what are they man?
Other than more big bass drivers you're never going to use.
Not that there is anything wrong with that. I like drivers. :)
EDIT oh I see you told us already. Barry wins.
Date? i used something similar to make (well made, but atrocious) speakers in school, circa 1965/6.
Didn't even know about sound baffles etc.! Single valve, bought in electronic shop,on a strip chassis, amps......
EMI made a variety of 13" x 9" elliptical speakers from the fifties into seventies.
Some basic and cheap and others like those just bought by me, much more advanced and quite expensive at the time.
They could sound very fine, others not so much. The alloy framed versions had slightly greater overall dimensions, but the cone measurements were fairly constant. Some had aluminium cone centres, some didn't. Same with the PVC cone surrounds, the cheap models did not feature them. Several featured tweeters mounted across the front of the speaker in various configurations.
A friend of mine had a pair of speakers using an EMI 13" x 9" elliptical with two (2" diameter?) tweeters fitted across the minor axis. The two tweeters were at a slight angle to one another. From memory they didn't sound too bad, but it was nearly fifty years ago!Quote:
Originally Posted by walpurgis
Still going strong... [emoji4]
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0070d46b20.jpg
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They look in lovely nick for speakers approaching fifty years old.
I built something similar in the seventies.
http://i65.tinypic.com/nz50ea.jpg
I bunged the little PL-12D/M75ED deck into the system last night. It makes music!
I sure as hell don't hear a grand's worth (or more) of difference between this and my regular turntable set-up.
http://i67.tinypic.com/30vhr8m.jpg
If you couldn't afford a Linn/Grace/Supex in the early '70s, the Pioneer PL12/Shure M75E was, according to all the hi-fi magazines around at the time, the next best thing to have.Quote:
Originally Posted by walpurgis
wins nothing in the pretty stakes but they do sound decent. rarely use my TT at moment again even tho its sounding great. finding deezer and my cd collection enough tbh
I might push my luck and see if an ADC 10E Mk.IV will work in it with a light headshell. You never know. :)
I know MC's function well enough in a PL-12D when a beefy headshell is used.
They keep sounding better every time I upgrade another component, I thought I would probably upgrade them first but they're sounding so sweet with valve amplification.Quote:
Originally Posted by walpurgis
Well the vintage 14 x 9 EMI drive units arrived today. They are in great condition. I'd forgotten how big and heavy these are, very hefty, the package must have weighed thirty pounds. These are the longer throw version, just the job. The grey vinyl cone surrounds are unusual, they are usually black. Extended frequency range too 25Hz to around 7kHz if I recall.
Excuse the crap photo. :)
http://i63.tinypic.com/2lxnx1.jpg
Big cast cages. Look nice
Gonna have to rig up some test boxes. Got quite a few speaker units to try out. I just want an idea of tonality and balance before thinking about crossovers etc. There were no TS parameters when the the vintage items I like were made. I'm thinking maybe 80 cubic litre sealed boxes for the EMI's.
Got some other units on way too.
That's big
Yup! :)
Still using my akai amp in my office set up, my first amp bought early '80's.Quote:
Originally Posted by struth
More pocket money spent. Amp and speakers on the way.
Akai AM-A202
http://i66.tinypic.com/2yv44df.jpg
Eagle DL67
http://i63.tinypic.com/vfky08.jpg
The amp is just a bit of fun and yes, I have already got a pair of these Eagle speakers. They are the ones with top notch Coral drivers inside. I want two pairs of the bass/mid (full range) drivers.
Forearms are itching. Just been stripping a pair of speakers with glass fibre inside. Should have pulled the lagging out first! :rolleyes:
Got some nice drive units though. :)
http://i65.tinypic.com/2a0g5ci.jpg
Well that's a turn up.
The old Akai AM-A202 integrated amp I bought just for a bit of fun arrived today. I expected it to sound OK, but it's way better than that. It sounds remarkably good, if anything I suspect it edges the Cambridge P60 I also got recently and that a good'n too. The Akai is doing a great job with the KEF Corellis. Phono stage is decent. It seems punchy and clean, nicely transparent and tight bass too. Result!
I think it dates from around 1980, sliders, graphic equaliser and all.
http://i67.tinypic.com/r1embp.jpg
good news... The one I had was a good one too.
Very spoilt for choice now. Something may have to go. Probably later than sooner though.:D
guessing there is no rush, and why should their be mate. if you need room you can always sell a cartridge ;)
Looks a lot like the Fisher 'Studio Sound' gear from around the same era. They often had a five band eq on them. I wonder if there was ever a connection?
Some of those Jap brands were not that big in reality and I suspect they contracted out a lot of the budget stuff to OEM. Alan Sugar sort of hints at it in his book but he doesn't outright say it.
Brand engineering before they had a name for it.
Some Akai gear from about then was made by Mitsubishi I believe, maybe Fisher sourced amps from there too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Macca
When you see all the same switches, symbols, and so forth, and same case size, It would make sense. Very incestuous the 1980s Japanese hi-fi industry.
Mitsubishi better known for this of course (or they were).
https://i.imgur.com/HzyZOck.jpg
I've always wondered who made the lovely Harman Kardon amps and receivers from the seventies. They were marked 'made in japan'. Same applies to Marantz. Despite both brands being American.
One of the only “bad” systems I’ve ever heard was an 80’s Harman Kardon solid state system. The whole rig was Harman, speaker’s and all. I find that even good companies skimp on these all included systems, I had a Sansui system all matching that was awful.Quote:
Originally Posted by walpurgis
But it may have just been set up poorly? Or the owner was cranking the knobs wrong? It was so shrill I couldn’t stand more than one or two songs before I had to leave the house! I invited the gentleman over to hear my Adcom/Vandersteen setup of that day, and he flatly refused, and said he already has the best why would he want to hear mine? Last time I ever see him. The urge to tell him it was a steaming pile was strong! But I refrained and took my leave. If he believes his $600 system is the best in the world, who am I to Pop his bubble?
But of course you’re talking about the 70’s! And yes, there was some very good stereo coming from Japan in the day. In the days before integrated circuits.
Russell
By that time Harman Kardon had been sold to a stictly profit motivated conglomerate and the previous high standards had gone out the window. I had referred to their nice seventies gear, the later stuff was poor until the company was re-integrated, but I don't think it ever quite recovered.Quote:
Originally Posted by alphaGT
I had chance to hear a tubed Harman Kardon amp very briefly once. It was most impressive and fluid in the midrange. But it may have been from the late 60’s? This was in the 70’s and it appeared well used then.Quote:
Originally Posted by walpurgis
Russell
If you need to let something go i maybe interested in the Pioneer PL12...:)
That's staying mate :).Quote:
Originally Posted by dantheman91
Something has to go. I now have at least ten sets of amplification, but what do I part with? I can only use one at a time, but I like them all. Dilemma!! :)
Been pondering. I think this may be on the cards:
http://i65.tinypic.com/286u7p3.jpg
And may hopefully end up looking something like this. Except I have gloss piano lacquer finish in mind.
http://i67.tinypic.com/14dzozs.jpg
Got to flog a couple of bits (large ones) first, to make room.
I have the drivers. High time I made use of them!
http://i64.tinypic.com/5l28ow.jpg
I have matching tweeters too.
Oooh Ducky :eyebrows:Quote:
Originally Posted by walpurgis
Nice Geoff, that would be an interesting project no doubt! I will be watching for those!
nice looking drivers. where are you putting the tweeters?
Attachment 23747Reminds me of these....
http://frugal-phile.com/tom-zHorn.html
I used a Merrill 4 inch unit, and off-cuts from house renovation/alterations!
Sit, largely unused, in bedroom.
(My 3 inch Merrills went into the Zigmahornets that sit by my desk here.)
The tweeters will probably go in separate, but matching modules to sit on top. Not sure they'll be needed yet.Quote:
Originally Posted by struth
ah, ok.. little pods maybe .. might just need a supertweeter
Response graph.
http://i66.tinypic.com/25f83ya.jpg
Just dug out my VTL Deluxe valve pre-amp. Not used it for a while. It's a David Manley design and sounds fabulous. It also has the best integral MM phono stage I've ever heard. I may be moving this on soon. I'll connect it up later and have a listen (if I'm not too hot :rolleyes:).
http://i63.tinypic.com/107l2ty.jpg
http://i66.tinypic.com/33jtysp.jpg
Nice... Showz da innards!:eyebrows:
Marco.
Looks like a serious bit of kit. No bling.