Hofy Posted December 28, 2002 Share Posted December 28, 2002 Here are a couple of pics of speakers my grandfather built around 1959-1962. Jensen horn tweeter and midrange. Lafayette woofer and crossover. About the only thing I can think of doing is refinishing the wood outside and new grills. Maybe replace the batting inside? They sound excellent as is right now hooked to his old Eico ST-70. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted December 28, 2002 Share Posted December 28, 2002 Cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 I always liked the sound of the old Jensens when they were current models. If you like the sound then by all means dont "fix" them. I suspect the sensitivity is quite high and am not suprised that they work well with his old Eico - (from what I've heard that is considered one damned fine amp BTW - treat it with TLC) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hofy Posted December 30, 2002 Author Share Posted December 30, 2002 Thanks Mike and Lynn. My motto is "If it isn't Broken don't fix it" Or is it "If it isn't Broken fix it til it is." ? As I said the only thing I plan to do to the speakers is refinish the cabinets, new grills, and maybe replace the batting inside. What is the material Klipsch used in early 1960s speakers? As for the Eico I fixed that real good when I first got it around 1992. My first attempt to re wire it for 6L6 tubes ended with burned wires and 600 volts blazing through yours truly! I have it working again but need to restore it proper. Thanks to this forum and links I can now do it right with the proper 7591 tubes. A little background on this equipment. My grandfather built both the speakers and amp from 1959 to 1963 from the dates penciled inside the pieces. Sadly he passed away in 1971 at 57. Way too young. My grandmother gave away all his stereo and camera and darkroom equipment after his death. Fast forward to 1992. I pay a visit to grandma and she asks me to move grandpa's old stereo cabinet to the other side of the room. I lift one end and it is pretty light. I go to move the other end, HEAVY! I ask her what is in it. She replies it is his old amp. Having been totally infected with the audiophile bug while in the army a few years before I knew this meant TUBES! Sure enough, Eico ST-70. I told her that I thought she had given away all his stuff when he passed away. She replied that she had, except his amp and speakers. Speakers? Where? Down in the basement wrapped in plastic trash bags since 1971. I got my inheritance home that night and hooked it up to my Rotel 855 CD player. (Sorry no turntable). I never hooked up the Carver/Polk stuff I had again. I have gone through several pieces of equipment since then but still come back to the "family gear". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 Wow ! Very nice inheritance you have there. Cosmetics are also very nice. I bet that they will rival most built today for sound quality and output. Great pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 Here is some info that you might find useful : http://home.netcarrier.com/~rstevens/st-40.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike stehr Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 Hofy, you didn't happen to have 600 volts blazing through you when you took that Avatar pic? Nothing like having a family heirloom that you can listen too and enjoy for years to come! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hofy Posted December 31, 2002 Author Share Posted December 31, 2002 ---------------- On 12/30/2002 11:55:08 PM lynnm wrote: Here is some info that you might find useful : http://home.netcarrier.com/~rstevens/st-40.html ---------------- Thanks for the link Lynn. I have already been to the site but for some unknown reason I never book marked it. It is now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hofy Posted December 31, 2002 Author Share Posted December 31, 2002 ---------------- On 12/31/2002 3:19:05 AM mike stehr wrote: Hofy, you didn't happen to have 600 volts blazing through you when you took that Avatar pic? ---------------- Actually, something more powerful. Chili! The avatar pic was taken at the 2001 Wisconsin State Chili cookoff Championship where I was competing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Mobley Posted January 1, 2003 Share Posted January 1, 2003 They have chili in Wisconsin? how did that happen? I thought they they only had chilly in Wisconsin. Tom (who just finished whipping up a batch of Carroll Shelby's good stuff. Yeah, I know it's a mix but WTF, it's good.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 Dammit, did you ever luck out...that's a true inheritance! Those loudspeakers are beautiful! I wish you the very best in restoring them. They remind me a little of my dad's first stereo speaker pairs he bought in '62 in an Army PX while stationed at Chartres, France. Actually, there's really no comparison...my dad's are a 2-way sealed bookshelf with a 1 1/2" cone tweeter and 6" woofer in an enclosure that looks alot like yours. On the cane grill is a little plaque: BELL, with a triangle shape and the letters "TRW" in its middle. The loudspeaker's back panels read: Bell Sound Division; Thompson Ramo Wooldridge, Inc., Columbus, Ohio, Model S.S.1...can't find anything about them on the internet! The internal construction looks very similar to yours, including the bracing and the batting. Unfortunantly, the original woofers were discarded (no idea when) and cheap Radio Shack 6inchers with whizzer cones were put in their place (tweeters are still original). Without their original woofers, they might as well be burned. They sound heinous! I'd love to get another tube preamp...maybe a classic from Fisher, H.H. Scott, Marantz, McIntosh, or now from EICO...see: http://users.rcn.com/fiddler.interport/EICO.HTM The EICO ST-70 is new to me...maybe I'll go integrated instead! You have a sweet system right now; I can understand your reluctance to go back to your Carver/Polk Audio system (I sold most of my Carver gear. The CD player will be next...never thought I would until I heard McIntosh; see my link), I hope you enjoy it for many years to come! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hofy Posted January 6, 2003 Author Share Posted January 6, 2003 THanks for the comments, jt1stcav. I'll see what I can find out on those speakers of yours. >>1992 Carver SD/A-450 Not even a real Carver. Bob was long gone by 1992. What do you have in mind to replace it? (The stuff I had was from the early/mid 80s when I was stationed in Germany. And grandps stuff still kicked the stuffing out of it.) BTW do NOT go with an ST70. Only because the output tubes are 7591s. Not the easiest tube to find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ltyson Posted January 7, 2003 Share Posted January 7, 2003 Fellow Klipschers. I don't normally like to see this but since it is a fixed price....I have a ST70 on ebay at a buy only price of $100.00. Check it out: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1950564987 Tyson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjb294 Posted January 16, 2003 Share Posted January 16, 2003 That does look totally cool. I wish I could learn to do something like that. It looks fun. Any tips on learning? RJB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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