Jump to content

Flashback67

Regulars
  • Posts

    15
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Recent Profile Visitors

The recent visitors block is disabled and is not being shown to other users.

Flashback67's Achievements

Member

Member (2/9)

5

Reputation

  1. To Those that have been following my posts. There have been multiple detours along the path of restoring the Frazier speakers. But the good news is the house audio system now filling our lives with music almost every hour we are home, and not sleeping. For the last month I was worried the final sound performance after the many days of work would disappoint. While waiting to sort out problems with the speaker components I temporarily installed a pair of very good Polk three way ceiling speakers in each room to check out the wiring. The Polks sounded good, but they don't compare to the FraziersNot only am I extremely pleased and amazed at the sound quality and warmth of the Frazier speakers, my wife is also. So my decision to restore versus replace the Fraziers is now vindicated.Since it has been so long since I started this project, I am posting a photo of what all ten Fraziers looked like before restoring. Rebuilding the Foster tweeters were the longest delay in the project. I had to rebuild them three times before they had the right sound and kept their original efficiency. The third time I learned my lesson and didn't rebuild all ten before testing them with the woofers in cabinets.The original domes in my Foster tweeters were paper. We tried two different Titanium domes and two different phenolic domes before deciding on the PRV phenolic domes. To me they sounded better than even what is sold as Foster replacements. Also their quality of construction is much better. BTW cut down 2" PVC pipe caps fit perfectly as replacements for the Foster tweeter caps.The new custom 2700 Hz crossovers replace the original single wax cap and were potted in rigid foam before installation.Restoring the cabinets was a slog to get done. Not only were there ten, repairing and sealing the cabinets had to be done on a ladder with my neck craned back. My respect for Michael Angelo had grown enormously.The original cabinets had a slotted port on each end. But these ports vented into the ceiling and did nothing. So I converted the cabinets to a sealed design. This definitely improved the sound and with the Altec 8" woofer efficiency is not a problem. Especially with them now having a modern coil on a Kapton former. A modern amp driving them helps too.From the final product photo you can also see the L-pad is now mounted on the cabinet front where it can be used. Also you can see the Altec woofers are now mounted to the cabinet front versus the back.All the cabinets were stuffed with Acoustifil and the drivers sealed to the cabinet with Kent caulking. I have maximized my Parts Express coupons at every chance.The final touch was polishing the brass Frazier badge that was originally on the back of the woofers (hidden from sight for 50 years) and affixing it to each cabinet front. The last task remaining is fabricating new grills for all ten speakers. The originals were just a wood picture frame with cloth stapled at the back and screwed to the ceiling. I have a plan for something cleaner looking with hidden fasteners. But I am in no hurry to cover up my hard work.
  2. Sorry, I traded in the 4x10 for a 3x7 and some other parts.
  3. Sorry, l am the last person on earth not to use Facebook. Please respond with message.
  4. Well it has been a month, so I thought I would provide an update on the Frazier home sound system project. All the drivers are out of the cabinets and the new diaphragms and re cone kits are in. The fellow rebuilding the drivers is picking them up today. Pulling the drivers from the cabinets yielded a few surprises. There are actually three different models of speaker cabinets used in the home's installation.Outside there are four units I have yet to disassemble. They have an 8" woofer and a 3" diameter cone tweeter. Strangely the cones are still intact even after being outside for 50 years. Must not be normal paper cones. Inside there are six sealed cabinet design speakers as shown in the attached drawing I made. Finally in the houses two bedrooms there are four ported cabinet speakers. These speakers are the same dimensions as the sealed cabinets except for being a inch deeper. The two slotted ports don't exit the front of the speakers however, they exit the top and bottom. This means they exit into the ceiling joists. At first I thought that the drywall had been installed over the port. But probing with some stiff wire revealed they exited into the ceiling. I finally found the answer rereading the old Todd Crane post. It seems the ported model came in two parts, the speaker cabinet and a port kit that fit on top. They didn't install the port kit and left the opening in covered. My plan is to cover the ports and make the cabinets sealed. One final surprise was that in one of the cabinets a 4" X 10" tweeter horn was used instead of a 3" X 7" (see photo). This cabinet was a bear to remove the drivers from. All the others had the tweeters held in by front removable screws. The large tweeter was fastened in from the back. With the small tweeter removed I could reach in to remove the woofer fasteners. With the large tweeter I need to work through the woofer basket holes.I will be trading the large tweeter for a small one to install with an adapter plate I will fabricate. More in a couple weeks.
  5. Could use some help from the 2 channel forum. Back in 2009 Todd Crane posted on this site the following regarding Frazier ceiling speakers: "The other's were 8 inchers, but one did have a baffle box that fit above the ceiling, so you'd get a little more bass out of it. models #'s: F8-2T-10 with a med duty 8" and a 3" cone tweeter. F8-2C-10 1 med duty 8" driver. F8-3T-10 3 tiered unit ( the other are 2) same stuff as the F8-2T-10, and a sloted f-1200 Modified Helmholtz tuned slot enclosure to fit above all the ceiling speakers. ( the same that we used for all our home speakers." Can Todd Crane or anyone else give me more information on these 8" ceiling speakers? Especially outside dimensions and where the port is located. Installed in my ceiling there appears to be two different types of cabinets. One is approximately 14.5" deep and the other is 12.5" deep. Both are about 11.5" wide. No other dimensions are available without cutting into the ceiling. The builder may have covered over the port with plaster board on some of the speakers. Thanks in advance.
  6. Could use some help from the FUG forum. Back in 2009 Todd Crane posted regarding Frazier ceiling speakers: "The other's were 8 inchers, but one did have a baffle box that fit above the ceiling, so you'd get a little more bass out of it. models #'s: F8-2T-10 with a med duty 8" and a 3" cone tweeter. F8-2C-10 1 med duty 8" driver. F8-3T-10 3 tiered unit ( the other are 2) same stuff as the F8-2T-10, and a sloted f-1200 Modified Helmholtz tuned slot enclosure to fit above all the ceiling speakers. ( the same that we used for all our home speakers." Can Todd Crane or anyone else give me more information on these 8" ceiling speakers? Especially outside dimensions and where the port is located. Installed in my ceiling there appears to be two different types of cabinets. One is approximately 14.5" deep and the other is 12.5" deep. Both are about 11.5" wide. No other dimensions are available without cutting into the ceiling. The builder may have covered over the port with plaster board on some of the speakers. Thanks in advance.
  7. DJK, I found a retired aerospace engineer that rebuilds vintage hifi equipment as a hobby. He has already rebuilt multiple Frazier horn tweeters. He is also re conning my woofers, which are Altec 403A ALNiCO based.
  8. Thanks, however I found a more direct replacement. No modification required. http://www.ebay.com/itm/331666323775?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
  9. The architect for our house was Lee Roy Hahnfeld, who studied under Wright. I contacted Frazier Audio and the told me nicely, go away. No support or products available for equipment prior to 1987. My internet searches for adequate replacements has been coming up with more questions than answers. But by luck or good fortune I may have found the light at the end of the tunnel. Today I meet with a retired aerospace engineer to buy 10 later model replacement Frazier tweeters. When I showed the man my old Frazier Alnico tweeter I brought for comparison, he said "Why don't you restore these? I can get the parts." He is also is pretty confident he can recone my woofers. His quote is also with in my pain tolerance. So that hat is now the plan. Tomorrow I start pulling out speakers. And I now feel I can remove the old woofers with a much smaller cut in the cabinet face.
  10. I am repairing a built in home stereo system that uses Frazier speakers in every room. Each speaker is a 12 x 12 x 16 cabinet with an 8" woofer and a 5 x 7 tweeter. The tweeters are the black bell type with alnico magnetics. The tweeters are blown in at least 2 of 12 tweeters, and there are at least a couple more. Knowing that there is a lot of common driver parts between Klipsch and Frazier, I am posting my questions here and in the Frazier sites. Checking the internet I cannot find any diaphragm replacement kits. Are there any available? Next option is I have found some 5 X 7 Frazier replacement tweeter assemblies at a decent price, but the magnetic arrangement is different. Instead of the tall small diameter alnico style magnet under a plastic cup, it has a short large diameter magnetic and no cup. The tweeters are marked on the back with: Frazier F-3x7 N4850-F 114850-F U.S.PAT. 3,898,393 Are these equivalent specs? And what are the differences? Thanks in advance
  11. Thanks John, I checked the woofers and they are 8 ohm. It has been awhile since I have played with audio electronics. So when I measured the speaker diameter I mistakenly measured the cone, not the outside basket diameter. In short, I already have 8" speakers. And the cabinet hole requires no modification for installation. Great news since the woofer replacement options are much larger. Now the the bad news. The tweeter is blown. And there are at least a couple more. Checking the internet I cannot find any diaphragm replacement kits. Are there any available? Next option is I have found some 5 X 7 Frazier replacement tweeter assemblies at a decent price, but the magnetic arrangement is different. Instead of the tall small diameter alnico style magnet under a plastic cup, it has a short large diameter magnetic and no cup. The tweeters are marked on the back with: Frazier F-3x7 N4850-F 114850-F U.S.PAT. 3,898,393 Are these equivalent specs? And what are the differences? Thanks in advance
  12. Thanks John, I already have calculated the box internal volume and calculated the crossover frequency for the current capacitor, 6625 Hz at 8 ohm. I hadn't taken a meter to measure the speakers resistance yet, but based on the 3.0 MFD capacitor using 4 ohm put the crossover frequency at 12,000 HZ. So I am guessing I actually have an 8 ohm speaker. Will check with a meter tonight. But are Frazier woofers and tweeters of this vintage typically 4 or 8 ohms? Oh, if you look carefully at the photo of our house you can see that the roof is flat. No attic for access. Had not considered upgrading to 8". But may be a good idea. Definitely greater number of options.
  13. I know the cabinet internal volume and the capacitor spec. I thought if I couldn't get the TS for the old woofers I could use specs for the Frazier tweeter to come up with a good match. There are no markioon the tweeter, by the flange dimensions are 3" X 7" and is 6.5 long.
  14. Checked with a couple speaker repair shops. There is no cross reference of replacement parts to 6.5" Frazier speakers. If I send them the speaker they will try and match it. But no promises. If they can repair it the cost is $60 plus shipping. And I have 12 speakers to repair. What makes this option even more difficult is since the speakers are installed on the inside of the cabinets, the only way to remove them whole is to either cut up the cabinet or cut up the ceiling. If I can use a replacement speaker I can cut the old speaker to come out the hole and install the replacement on the outside.
  15. Just joined the Klipsch F.U.G. forum at the recommendation of some one on the Audiokarma forum. My wife and I recently purchased a Mid Century Modern home circa 1967. Architecturally the home was ahead of it's time, with a big open floor plan, electric drapes, remote lighting controls, and a media room stereo speakers in every room. We would have never been able to afford a home like this built new, but because the neighborhood schools are not the best, the price was right. Sadly though the floor plan did not provide any good locations to position my Klipsch Cornwalls I had owned for 30 years . So I sold them for more than I paid for and started a fund to up grade the homes audio system. In the home's custom built solid oak media center survived a visually pristine Dual 109 turn table and a Sony 250 reel to reel player. My original plan was to just keep the turn table and reel to reel and replace everything else with modern electronics starting with the speakers. At one time I had dreamed of buying a tube amp to power my Cornwalls, but priorities change. The first speakers on the list for replacing were the wall mounted speakers in the media center. Pulling off the grills I was surprised to discover a pair of coaxial 15" EV Wolverine LT- 15 speakers. I learned how to adjust the "Brightness" knobs and the speakers started to come alive. With a little work on the surrounds and powered by a good amp they should sound great. After the pleasant surprise discovering the Wolverines I decided to find out what was behind the grills in the 6 other room's 12 ceiling stereo speakers. What I found was both good and bad. The good was instead of finding a simple 6" speaker screwed to a hole in the ceiling I found 12 "small" acoustic suspension Frazier speakers. The "small" speakers measure 12' X 12' X 16', have a 6.5" Frazier woofer, a Frazier horn tweeter, and are constructed of 3/4" high grade plywood (see photos). Very heavy and painted black. The bad, the woofer surrounds were literarily gone, and the cones crumbled to the touch. Even worse the woofer is installed from the back and the cabinets must have been installed in the ceiling before the plaster board, so the hole in the ceiling is smaller than the speaker making easy removal impossible without cutting the cabinet. Now my request for technical help. I had been searching the web for a potential woofer replacement and had come out empty handed. My searches centered on home stereo woofer replacements and found only high power (100 watt) replacements for modern speakers. Turns out however there is a market out there for low power, high efficiency replacement speakers for vintage portable guitar tube amps! Eminence Speakers manufactures a 20 watt 6.5" woofer with good specs that may be a perfect replacement . Plus it is made in the USA. Check out the Eminence 620H specs a : https://www.eminence.com/pdf/620H.pdfCan any of the F.U.G gurus take a look at the specs for the Eminence 620H and give me guidance if the 620H would make a good replacement for the Frazier woofer? The best I can determine the Frazier horn tweeter gets flat between 5K and 20K. The installed capacitor is 3.0 MFD 50 VDC. Thanks in advance for any help finding a replacement.
×
×
  • Create New...