Getting rid of some misc vintage/classic speakers

[darrenk]

Hey guys,

I've recently ended up with a bit of a collection of a few miscellaneous vintage speakers. Being a sucker for speakers without homes, I've been "saving" many of the homeless speakers I've seen at garage sales and Goodwill and the like. I was thinking that with the Tent Sale coming up and people coming into town, if anyone wants to lay claim on them and pick them up then, that would be cool.

I've got a pair each of the following:

Fisher XP-7
Radio Shack Optimus 1
Genesis Physics Model 33
JC Penney MCS something-or-other (actually built by United Speaker Systems, the same makers of MacIntosh speakers, and use a phenolic dome tweet, phenolic dome mid, and 12" woofer, very interesting!)

Condition is fairly rough on most of them, and some may need re-foaming, etc.-- it depends on how much time I have before the sale. I haven't even tested most of them, but will do so as people are interested. I'm not looking to make a mint on these, merely passing them along to the tweaker/vintage enthusiast who wants to check out these pieces of speaker history.

Or, if no one wants them, we can have a speaker-tossing competition at the tent sale much to DLD's horror.

If you're interested or have questions, please email me at <A HREF="mailto:[email protected]">darren_kuzm [email protected]</A>. If you have any comments or interesting facts about them, seems like a great subject for the forum here.

See ya,

Darren

[davidyohn]

Re: Getting rid of some misc vintage/classic speak


> I've got a pair each of the following:

> Fisher XP-7
>
If you have any comments or interesting
> facts about them, seems like a great subject
> for the forum here.

> See ya,

> Darren

The Fisher XP7 was actually a really decent sounding speaker from the mid-60's. They had a 12" woofer with an old-style Alinco magnet, rated at about 100 watts I believe. I used to have a set of these and loved them. A good project speaker for someone...

[hongrn]

Re: Getting rid of some misc vintage/classic speak


How about an improvised trapshooting range for those speakers? Hahaha...

Hong

[dancarroll]

Re: Getting rid of some misc vintage/classic speak


> How about an improvised trapshooting range
> for those speakers? Hahaha...

> Hong

I did not know Bogie was gonna be there ;)

[nick29498141]

Re: Getting rid of some misc vintage/classic speak *PIC*




They usually don't last that long with me..lol... The damage is actually due to the left channel of an old pioneer reciever blowing while playing, the whole cone assembly fell off. Hey David: If you have any intrest in the cone tweeyers and glass super-tweters they are in fantastic shape.

NK

Hope to see you at the sale!

[dlr]

Re: Getting rid of some misc vintage/classic speak


Isn't that a ribbon tweeter of some sort? If so, I'd be interested in them for testing purposes.

dlr

[davidld]

MCS/Hecht dome mid *PIC*




Does the MCS dome mid look just like this one?

[Jeff B.]

Re: Getting rid of some misc vintage/classic speak


> Hey guys,

> I've recently ended up with a bit of a
> collection of a few miscellaneous vintage
> speakers. Being a sucker for speakers
> without homes, I've been "saving"
> many of the homeless speakers I've seen at
> garage sales and Goodwill and the like. I
> was thinking that with the Tent Sale coming
> up and people coming into town, if anyone
> wants to lay claim on them and pick them up
> then, that would be cool.

> I've got a pair each of the following:

> Fisher XP-7
> Radio Shack Optimus 1
> Genesis Physics Model 33
> JC Penney MCS something-or-other (actually
> built by United Speaker Systems, the same
> makers of MacIntosh speakers, and use a
> phenolic dome tweet, phenolic dome mid, and
> 12" woofer, very interesting!)

> Condition is fairly rough on most of them,
> and some may need re-foaming, etc.-- it
> depends on how much time I have before the
> sale. I haven't even tested most of them,
> but will do so as people are interested. I'm
> not looking to make a mint on these, merely
> passing them along to the tweaker/vintage
> enthusiast who wants to check out these
> pieces of speaker history.

> Or, if no one wants them, we can have a
> speaker-tossing competition at the tent sale
> much to DLD's horror.

> If you're interested or have questions,
> please email me at <A HREF="mailto:[email protected]">darren_kuzm [email protected]</A>
> . If you have any comments or interesting
> facts about them, seems like a great subject
> for the forum here.

> See ya,

> Darren

Not only were the MCS speakers build by a decent manufacturer, the were designed by Keith Johnson. Keith was one of the most highly regarded recording engineers of the day and was famous for designing the monitors used in most of the studios he worked in, including designing and making his own ribbon tweeters. The MCS speakers are actually very nice speakers with an exceptional lineage. Gotta hand it to Penney's - they took it seriously at this time.

Jeff B.

[nick29498141]

YGM *NM*

[unknownuser]

Cheeze-ball


> Isn't that a ribbon tweeter of some sort? If
> so, I'd be interested in them for testing
> purposes.

> dlr
Usually the 'ribbon' in cheeze-ball speakers is a decorative faceplate over a 2" paper cone tweeter.


(Originally posted by: djk)

[dlr]

Re: Cheeze-ball


> Usually the 'ribbon' in cheeze-ball speakers
> is a decorative faceplate over a 2"
> paper cone tweeter.

Jeff's post below makes me believe they're the real thing. If Keith Johnson was involved in the design, it's likely to be a respectable unit.

dlr

[davidld]

For goodness sakes dont tell Pjay


That you can make a speaker out of a cheese ball or he will have a prototype at the next big DIY event!

> Usually the 'ribbon' in cheeze-ball speakers
> is a decorative faceplate over a 2"
> paper cone tweeter.

[kenperkins]

Re: Getting rid of some misc vintage/classic speak


Are you talking about THE Professor Keith Johnson? I just recently made a recording of the Astounding Sound Show for a friend. It's to this day one of my reference recordings when tweaking. Excellent!

[davidld]

I would like to see


someone here taking on the project of restoring those MCS speakers using the original drivers so we all might get to hear what they sounded like. If they have a dome tweet and 12-inch woofer that was TOTL. (the ones I salvaged the dome mid from for my HT speakers used a simpler cone tweeter, and, I think, 10-inch woofer) Very few MCS speakers were ever made,and they feature the William Hecht-designed and pattented domes. I have the entire crossovers for mine, and the crossovers were very complicated.

United Speaker eventually moved to FL and got renamed Phase Technology which is very much a current company. Bill Hecht is still chair of the company, tho it appears his son is now running it day to day. Bill has several patents starting from the 60s for the dome mid that was used in the MCS line.

United Speaker was the design contractor/builder for nearly all the McIntosh speakers built in the 70s and 80s. As I have pieced together the story, Penney was hoping to get into the serious component stereo business in the early 80s, and contracted United Speaker to design and build a line of speakers along with Technics to build a line of MCS-labeled receivers. Obviously none of this ever caught on at all with Hi Fi buffs, who largely saw the MCS label as just another inexpensive and inferior house brand for Penney. After a short period of time, maybe only a year or two, Penney pulled the plug on the whole idea. But the MCS speakers and some of the Technics receivers still show up. The vintage guys occasionally still pick the stuff up at garage sales and are always amazed to see the quality and careful construction when they tear into it. Obviously its not labeled McIntosh or even Marantz, but that's part of what makes it all so interesting.

[darrenk]

Re: MCS/Hecht dome mid


Hi Dave,

It looks similar, but is actually the natural orangish phenolic color. I'll have to shoot a photo.

> Does the MCS dome mid look just like this
> one?