Gale GS401 Re-foam Project

[MartinT]

Ok, both tweeters and both midranges in place and bolted up with final socket-head bolts.

Why did I think it was a good idea to use all 8 holes for each woofer?! I've had a few incidents of 5-6 bolts going in and then a Tee-nut gets pushed off. Now I have a new technique of putting all 8 bolts through the driver chassis holes and offering them all up to the holes, 'snagging' each bolt into the thread very gently. Once I've achieved that, I can tighten them up safely. One woofer in, three to go...

You need patience for a job like this. No rushing.

[MartinT]

After playing find-the-Tee-nut several times, all bolts are home and tightened. I am pleased that both speakers have good air tightness - push a bass driver in and the other pops out and then slowly returns. Just the right leakage for a closed box infinite baffle design. There is quite a lot of cabinet finishing and polishing to go, but needs must and I need to hear them.

Running low level signals in reveals that all drivers are operating fine. Time soon to fire the big amp into them...

[The Grand Wazoo]

Oooh-er - looks fab Martin!

[MartinT]

Here they are on a pair of stands playing music. I have mirror-imaged them to get an idea of their stereo performance. I know that classic 401As were used horizontally on chrome stands, but I don't go a lot on the ungainly look and a very wide horizontal baffle. In any case, these 401Cs look better in an upright pose.

So you want to know how they sound? Let me get some welly into them first to loosen them up
I tell you what, though; that Peerless midrange driver is a peach.

[synsei]

They are looking very smart Martin, well done you

[MartinT]

Not bad for £38.69 on eBay 'breaking for parts', eh? Ok, I've spent a fair amount on the crossover components but they were blown and required rebuilding anyway, so I created new ones. Otherwise, it's glue, bolts and oil/polish, mostly.

[MartinT]

I've put a few hours on the 401Cs and the bass drivers continue to loosen up slightly while the crossover beds in. These Gales are in no way warm and cuddly or 'classic' in the worst traditions. They are punchy, wide open and remarkably detailed. They do boogie very well and catch the rhythms in music infectiously. There is no tonal slant as is so evident on many speakers of that vintage. Playing a variety of material it's obvious very quickly that the quality of the midrange sets them on a pedestal. That Peerless driver is good. I rescued mine with some Aileen's tacky glue rather than re-foam them, which was advised only if really necessary. I'm glad I've kept them original as they sing so very well. Female voice soars and is free of the cabinets. In fact, they image very well with tight focus but not as much depth as I'm used to. The bass is very tight and belies the size of the cabinets. It digs deep and can belt out an impressive volume while still holding things together. I think the good internal cabinet bracing and overall rigidity of the box helps a lot here. The tweeters are excellent in that they don't at any point bring attention to themselves, they just extend rather well and sound clean and detailed. My Chord power amp has no trouble driving the difficult load, exactly as I expected it to.

It's clear that Ira Gale chose his drivers with care. I wonder how he came across the AR woofers? Perhaps from hearing a pair of 4as? Whatever, they make a seamless combination in a cabinet that would seem on reflection a little small for the job. Good bit of design work there.

Comparing the 401Cs with my big Ushers is very unfair, there's 35 years of technology between them. However, I do it only because the Gales are so very good on an absolute level. The midrange of the Gales ultimately shows a little boxiness - they are slightly cabinet-bound compared with the superb, open and cabinet-free nature of the beryllium inverted dome Usher driver. It's testimony to Peerless that their midrange driver comes so close. The soundstage on the Gales is impressively wide but depth takes a hit. That could be down to the angular box nature of the Gale cabinets, I'm guessing. Bass ultimately doesn't extend down as far, obviously. Finally, they are not as dynamic as the Ushers, which often surprise me when setting a level and then having my head blown off. Then again, nothing I've heard are as dynamic as the Ushers. The Gales kick well enough, impressive for their size. So all in all, the Gales come off exceedingly well.

I can honestly say that I haven't heard many medium sized speakers of any vintage that sound as good as these restored Gales and I am pleased as punch that I found them. They will form a second system when I move house and will become my official show speakers

[Rare Bird]

Hi Martin
They look good

[MartinT]

They sound pretty good too, Andr'e. I've decided that I will refoam the midrange drivers at some point as I feel there is more to come from the midrange. Otherwise, a little tidying up of my repairs and a proper polish and they'll be good to show.

As for the rest of my gear, I know you just want to lurk until I've gone and then collect it all for yourself

[istari_knight]

You got those grills on yet !?