Identify this speaker

L

lkiller1231

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 10, 2009
Messages
272
A few weeks ago, hoping to have some replies on the information about the speaker, I posted this speaker on the "Post your speaker and headphone rigs" thread. Unfortunately, it was to no avail:(. So now I really do look forward to an answer about what is speaker really is. Can someone PLEASE help me?

This is all the information my father gave me:

This speaker is from the 70s.
It is paired with a Pioneer SX-424.
The speaker is labeled as "Sound Research Labs"

That's it:D.

Well, here are the pictures. If you guys need more, I can always take some shots;)

The Speaker...
3484090855_183a7de12e_b.jpg


The Receiver...
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They are all close-ups. Sorry for the bad pictures:rolleyes:
 
A picture that shows the whole speaker might be more useful :)
 
Sure, I will take some more shots tomorrow.

Also, the speaker had been sitting in the corners for about 20 years until I started to notice it and hook them up with the pioneer again. There were mold on the speaker also, but it still sounds great.

Any information on how to get rid of the mold on the wood surface?
 
Could be there if you have a model number: (Might be hidden behind the front grille)

http://www.audiocircuit.com/index.php?c=SQE
Click on the Dynamic speakers link on the right.

There's not a lot of information, but there's a link to the mfg. I think you'll have more luck if you contact them directly with a model number.

As for the mold, NO BLEACH. Use detergent with water, throw away the rag you used to clean it, dry the thing as quick as possible and place the speakers in a dry-enough place to prevent mold from growing. (It'll still be inside the wood, but if there's no water, it will not grow and eventually die.)
 
Hmm, good help, but I believe that the site had already been "abandoned" as I found there are NO AUDIO PRODUCTS on the site. Well, here are more information.

I've flipped the "5 year warranty" label and saw there are another page on the back. Since I want to preserve this speaker to this fine condition, I tried to flip it without breaking it (it is stapled). I saw it said (Model Number: SR 1010), and I found the warranty is to be mailed to Culver City, California. I hope this clue will help.

Also, I BELIEVE that the speaker is hand-made.

Well, if you want some full body pictures, here they are :D
I am really sorry about the bad pics, I didn't use the tripod, and I was using a point and shoot.

3574542214_2e936416e4.jpg

3573733769_e8e6896bac.jpg

3573737489_a10de5c6aa.jpg

3574546104_ba761dbec7.jpg
 
Shrimp, I hope you are not trying to screw up my thread, as I am seriously looking for help.

Bee, I will get some back shots ready tomorrow :D
 
Many old speakers, especially on low-scale production like those, are always handmade. ;)

I just checked the Sound Research Labs website on archive.org, and it looks like they might just not have configured their web store. The phone number on that link is still associated to Sound Research Labs when you do a reverse lookup search.
http://web.archive.org/web/20071224123227/www.soundresearchlabs.com/Contact-Us_ep_5.html
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I believe you should call them and see if they already made speakers.
 
More importantly, all old speakers, including those, are crap. Especially 2-ways with pro-style horn tweeters like yours.
 
Depends, some are junk, some are better than a lot of new stuff, but they're probably better than Bose, Logitech, or the computer-audio Altec Lansing crap.
 
dandragonrage said:
More importantly, all old speakers, including those, are crap. Especially 2-ways with pro-style horn tweeters like yours.
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Uhhh... That's not true. At all.

Bose 901. Klipsch Heresy, Ohm Walsh's... List goes on!
 
More importantly, all old speakers, including those, are crap.
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I dunno about that but I was heavily into audiophila from the early 70's to the mid 80's and Sound Research was not a quality speaker.

BTW, I'm glad they sound good to you but it looks to me like the foam surround from your woofer is completely missing. ;)
 
Bose 901. Klipsch Heresy, Ohm Walsh's... List goes on!
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I guess our tastes are vastly different.

Let's go with Acoustic Research AR3a's, Dalquist DQ 10's, any Acoustat model and so on.............
 
dandragonrage said:
More importantly, all old speakers, including those, are crap. Especially 2-ways with pro-style horn tweeters like yours.
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Most uninformed post I have ever seen. I have some 30 year old Celestion's that will prove you wrong all day long.


OP have you tried posting this on an audio enthusiast website? Not that there aren't a lot of people here who know their stuff. But the more obscure things might need a bit more help from people with little to no interest in computers.
 
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BTW, I'm glad they sound good to you but it looks to me like the foam surround from your woofer is completely missing.
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Hehe, I didn't notice that. With speakers like that, bass can only sound like crap. (unless he's driving them very easily)

To lkiller1231, it's totally normal for old woofers to lose their foams. Foam used to contain formaldehyde, which causes it to fall apart after 20-30 years.

You can buy a pair of foam surrounds with all the hardware needed to install them for about $40 shipped, but maybe they're not worth the investment...

Especially 2-ways with pro-style horn tweeters like yours.
Click to expand...
You're right, but with new foams, these speakers probably beat 99% of the computer speakers on the market.
 
OP have you tried posting this on an audio enthusiast website?
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The link to the Audio Circuit is to an audio enthusiast site.

These speakers were entry level at best and along with that receiver were the "599.00 list price that we're selling for 99.00" deals in the late 70s.

They were one of the Circuit City/Best Buy type brands of their time and were never considered an audiophile brand.
 
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kydsid said:
Most uninformed post I have ever seen. I have some 30 year old Celestion's that will prove you wrong all day long.
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I'd put money on myself being able to design a speaker from scratch that will blow any vintage speaker away. And I'm only a mediocre amateur speaker designer. I am not John Krutke by a long shot. By the way, what model are those speakers you have?

Also, lol at Bose 901s. (Yes, I've heard them.)

Just because someone says something in a way that you don't like doesn't mean they're clueless. Anyone think that you could get Scan-speak Revelator performance 30 years ago? If so, geez, better let those guys know so they can stop wasting their time. (Though when they let a lot of their designers go and release Illuminator which is slightly WORSE than Revelator, they screwed up, but Illuminator still kicks the crap out of any vintage competitor)

Some people like vintage cars. Most like them for the style. There are lots of old cars that I love the style of. But if anyone thinks they can actually beat any decent new car in a race without tons of customization, then what would you say to that?
 
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I'd put money on myself being able to design a speaker from scratch that will blow any vintage speaker away
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Maybe, but you're blanket statement about old speakers being "crap" is exactly that....CRAP.
 
dandragonrage said:
More importantly, all old speakers, including those, are crap. Especially 2-ways with pro-style horn tweeters like yours.
Click to expand...

Tell that to my classic "The New Advent Loudspeakers" as they were called.

Amazing tonality. I just need the woofers repaired, getting kinda rotted from age.
 
dandragonrage said:
Just because someone says something in a way that you don't like doesn't mean they're clueless. ......But if anyone thinks they can actually beat any decent new car in a race without tons of customization, then what would you say to that?
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I think the speakers are CL6's if I recall.

I wasn't how it was said it was what was said was flat wrong no matter how said. You made a blanket statement that is just plain wrong and you managed to do it again. Their are plenty of old cars that will run rings around new cars, just like speakers or anything else in life. With the exception of computers: old does not mean crappy useless or underperforming compared to new. This is especially true in the world of speakers and audio in general where advancements in tech over the last 50 years are very minor when compared to other consumer electronics.

Maybe when you are older you will understand. :p
 
Both statements were true. And tell me what old car will outperform new cars of the same class. Tell me what full-on high-power sports car from the 60s, 70s, whatever, will outperform a new Corvette. Look up some old Nurburgring race videos/results.
 
Some people like vintage cars. Most like them for the style.
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If we're using that analogy, since Scan-Speak only makes transducers not speakers, they may make the engine but you need to put it in a complete car.
 
Old Hippie said:
If we're using that analogy, since Scan-Speak only makes transducers not speakers, they may make the engine but you need to put it in a complete car.
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The engine, suspension and many other parts other than the body :p

Vintage drivers simply can't come anywhere near the low distortion of modern drivers, and they do even worse in the distortion:Vd area (that is to say that modern drivers have both more Vd AND lower distortion)

Point being this: My calling them "crap" is an opinion, and modern speakers are definitely better. Does that mean everyone would consider old speakers "crap"? No. But I do. Even if not, they are not as good, and are not worth using. TO ME. Or, IMO, to anyone, if they require such extensive fixing.
 
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dandragonrage said:
Also, lol at Bose 901s. (Yes, I've heard them.)
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First thing that came to my head, probably should have stuck to listing ARs, Advents, and such.

EDIT: If the old speakers aren't good enough to use, what about the housing? Would replacing the woofer, horns, and i suppose the crossover be worth it?
 
Well, again, this is my opinion - though it's not going to be a very specific one - but that depends on the cabinets themselves. If they are heavy duty enough, then the only problem I see is finding a combination of drivers that will fit in the same cutouts. It's especially a problem with speakers like the ones this thread was started for that use horn tweeters. You may also have to adjust the tuning if the cabinets are ported, but that should be easy. (Note that if you come across something like a transmission line cabinet, then don't even bother - they're good, but VERY specific to chosen drivers).

Personally, for crossovers, I use an active, adjustable crossover (currently a Behringer DCX2496). Takes more amp. channels, but much easier to work with.

For drivers, there are two ways to go. You can go for the ultra low-distortion route with stuff like Scan-Speak Revelator, etc., or you can go for Lambda Acoustics woofers (http://www.aespeakers.com/), who recommend a good ribbon tweeter like RAAL. I prefer Scan-Speak. Lambda woofers are not the newest drivers out there, but they do a good job.

I might use like 4 Peerless 8" woofers in my next pair of speakers. My current speakers use an Adire Extremis 6.8 which is an impressive driver for what it is, but it is not the lowest distortion driver. The Vifa XT19's I'm using are some of the best tweeters ever made for the real high end stuff. I'm thinking maybe Peerless SLS (or XLS?) woofers, Peerless HDS (or S-S if I can justify the extra cost) mids, and possibly the XT19 again. The S-S tweeters are better if you're playing them lower (like down to 2.5 or 2kHz) but I tend to prefer the smaller tweeters.
 
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Does that mean everyone would consider old speakers "crap"? No. But I do. Even if not, they are not as good, and are not worth using.
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That's enough for me.
 
Wow this thread has really gone OT. The OP was asking if anyone could help identify their speaker and now we are comparing old vintage cars to a new Corvette.

And I am not sure how a Corvette is supposed to make an analogy to a speaker....unless the OP is going to ride his speaker in a street race against modern sports cars, in which case I guess he will lose all the time since I think his speaker probably has a dismal 0-60 mph time spec.

Back to the topic...unfortunately I don't know what those speakers are though they do look intriguing. If they sound wonderful, then thats the most important thing IMO Ikiller. I also had old unknown speakers in the past (Knight speakers). They also sounded very nice. Maybe go to some old school stereo stores and see if any of the owners (if they are in the 50s) recalls the brand.

If it needs upgrading, I bet that cabinet would be great for putting in new drivers.

Edit: Oh and if anyone ever offers me a set of old Ohm Walsh speakers from the 70s, or a ultra modern set of PC speakers, I think I would choose the Ohm. It is interesting since just a while back on this forum there was a thread on how wonderful old vinyl sounded...which is the exact opposite of the discussions being done here.
 
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PC speakers? That'd be like comparing a Chevy Aveo to an old Corvette. I like my car analogies. I make speaker analogies on car boards, too.

Those speakers will ESPECIALLY sound like crap since the surrounds on the speakers are gone. And the tweeters are probably in really bad shape inside as well.
 
dandragonrage said:
PC speakers? That'd be like comparing a Chevy Aveo to an old Corvette. I like my car analogies. I make speaker analogies on car boards, too.
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Which is almost as bad as comparing an old speaker to a new speaker and generalizing that every old speaker is crap because they just don't compete with new ones.

If OP likes the sound of them, then they are great speakers at any price.
 
Old Hippie said:
I dunno about that but I was heavily into audiophila from the early 70's to the mid 80's and Sound Research was not a quality speaker.

BTW, I'm glad they sound good to you but it looks to me like the foam surround from your woofer is completely missing. ;)
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Thanks a lot for the heads-up:), but this thing still got the foam around the woofer. Check the picture again carefully:D But I am not sure since that "thing" that sticks to the woofer had dried off and fell apart. I am not sure if that will ruin the sound quality

dandragonrage said:
More importantly, all old speakers, including those, are crap. Especially 2-ways with pro-style horn tweeters like yours.
Click to expand...

And let me tell you that my Dad had devoted a great deal of money on this set;) I had watched Star Wars with the set and the clarity is just amazing!

DragonMaster said:
Hehe, I didn't notice that. With speakers like that, bass can only sound like crap. (unless he's driving them very easily)

To lkiller1231, it's totally normal for old woofers to lose their foams. Foam used to contain formaldehyde, which causes it to fall apart after 20-30 years.

You can buy a pair of foam surrounds with all the hardware needed to install them for about $40 shipped, but maybe they're not worth the investment...


You're right, but with new foams, these speakers probably beat 99% of the computer speakers on the market.
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I will take some macro shots of my woofer later:cool:
 
I'm with Old Hippie.. I prefer the tone of a vintage loudspeaker over newer loudspeakers, at least in that price range. I have no idea about the $2000+ stuffs.

Those speakers do seem Klipsch-ish. Check ebay for re-foaming kits, should be fairly easy.
 
Those look like clones of old Acoustic Research AR 4x series since you mentioned the knob in the back. Looks like Audiovox bought them out about 5 years ago.
 
The best speakers I've ever heard are Klipsh Cornwalls from the late 70's early 80's.

Just amazing.
 
lkiller1231 said:
Oh, also there is a knob on the back of the speaker. What does that do?
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Those "knobs" usually changed the balance between the drivers to increase/decrease the ratio of treble to bass.

They accomplished this in various ways, attenuating individual speakers or changing the crossover points, but you'll hafta play "follow the wire" to make sure.

Your dad may have devoted what was to him a great deal of money but I assure you, these speakers were entry level at best.

If they were classics, there would be much more information on the audiophile sites. I've owned many older speakers (Dalquist DQ 10, various Magneplanars, AR3a, Acoustat model 4) and there's a wealth of info about them.

But, if they sound good to you, go for it! :D
 
Old Hippie said:
Those "knobs" usually changed the balance between the drivers to increase/decrease the ratio of treble to bass.

They accomplished this in various ways, attenuating individual speakers or changing the crossover points, but you'll hafta play "follow the wire" to make sure.

Your dad may have devoted what was to him a great deal of money but I assure you, these speakers were entry level at best.

If they were classics, there would be much more information on the audiophile sites. I've owned many older speakers (Dalquist DQ 10, various Magneplanars, AR3a, Acoustat model 4) and there's a wealth of info about them.

But, if they sound good to you, go for it! :D
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So, you mean those speaker DOES exist:confused:

And one more thing, yesterday I had given some more time listening to this pair of speakers and found one of the speakers gives out a cracking sound in deep low bass.

I don't know whether the woofer is broken but in cosmetic condition, it looks good, maybe better than the other speaker since the other had all the molds on the surface.

The only difference between the two speakers is the speaker wire. The speaker wire that was connect with the speaker that has the problem was in a poor condition and I believe that it is oxidized. Will that make the difference?

I think this pair of speaker is not heavily used since I just pulled this out from the basement and my father told me that he had abandoned it for almost 20 years.
 
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