Ultra Cool Retro Realistic Speakers!!!!

Jayrosc

Super Member
So I've been planning on installing a sound system in an AirBnB rental unit that I'm working on. Until today the plan was to use a Marantz 2240 along with a pair of Boston A150's.
BUT.
Today I found this pair of really cool looking speakers. They work. There's sound coming from both the tweeters and the bass drivers, but the bass is really thin. Makes me wonder if the bass drivers need a re doping. The problem is that these are are made to NOT be opened. Anyone have any idea whats inside these things?
 

Attachments

  • realistic solo 3 #1.jpg
    realistic solo 3 #1.jpg
    78.8 KB · Views: 327
They are fabulous looking speakers! Definitely cool!

Maybe the grille is thin plywood with the fabric on top and it is tacked down or glued to the front baffle?

I found some pics of the Solo 3A which imply six sticky pads /velcro by the look of it.

solo 3A.JPG
 
It might not be real "easy" to gain access, but they must have had a way to service them back in the day?
 
It might not be real "easy" to gain access, but they must have had a way to service them back in the day?
Found it. The back is screwed on, but someone, my guess is the previous/original owner, did a really good job of hiding the screws with wood filler! I'm not shocked, the guy had a pretty decent woodshed in his basement and he was the one that added those legs, which are quite sturdy. I guess I'll spend some time digging the filler out and hope I can open them up. I'm guessing cloth surrounds that need some of that goop Roy Cobb makes/sells. I've still got some from when I did a pair of AR2's.
 
If those are in fact Solo-3A's, I would doubt they have foam surrounds...nor would I think that they would have a true r-l-c crossover, probably just a high pass capacitor on the tweeter, though on that I cannot be sure...

Not to diss your find at all though, I would have sprung for them too. The cabinets were very nice. But Solo-3A's were relatively inexpensive in their time. 8" woofer...or full range speaker, may be ported bass-reflex...

Might agree that the "square shadow" could imply Electrostats...that top gold emblem at top of cabinet is pretty old...mid 60's?
 
Last edited:
If those are in fact Solo-3A's, I would doubt they have foam surrounds...nor would I think that they would have a true r-l-c crossover, probably just a high pass capacitor on the tweeter, though on that I cannot be sure...

Not to diss your find at all though, I would have sprung for them too. The cabinets were very nice. But Solo-3A's were relatively inexpensive in their time. 8" woofer...or full range speaker, may be ported bass-reflex...

Might agree that the "square shadow" could imply Electrostats...that top gold emblem at top of cabinet is pretty old...mid 60's?
These are the original Solo 3's. Looks like from early 60's. Research shows they have a dual, 3 inch tweeter set up. Thats whats in that square. I believe the woofer is full range but really lacks bass. If I knew more about electronics, like ohm ratings and speaker efficiency, i'd drop a better woofer in these because its the cabinets that I really want not the drivers. But I'm afraid if I just put anything in there it will screw something up!
 
A good full range 8" replacing the woofer couldn't hurt, always reversible...do these just have high pass caps on the tweeters or does it have a "real" crossover?
 
A good full range 8" replacing the woofer couldn't hurt, always reversible...do these just have high pass caps on the tweeters or does it have a "real" crossover?
Have not done the surgery yet to get them open so I don't know what type of crossover, if any, is inside. My concern with new woofers is that I don't understand speaker efficiency. I wonder if I get a woofer that is less efficient than the original it might alter the power that goes to the tweeters and end up making an unbalanced sound between woofer and tweeter. I have no idea how to gauge efficiency of original speakers! Of course, I may just be over thinking this.
 
I had a pair of 3 or 3A here a few years back. A woofer was dead and a very generous AKer sent me an original replacement and wouldn't even accept shipping cost for it. I passed them on as they were OK but not impressive. But far too nice to trash.

Wish I could remember what was inside (xover) but I don't. BTW, a single cap on the tweeter is in fact a 'real' crossover, it's just a very simple one. Whether it was done more as a cost saver or because the speaker was balanced the best that way is the question.

If you were going to replace the woofer you'd need impedance curves for the tweeters I would think, in order to design a crossover to mate with the new woofer. It's a can of worms, IMO.
 
They are fabulous looking speakers! Definitely cool!

Maybe the grille is thin plywood with the fabric on top and it is tacked down or glued to the front baffle?

I found some pics of the Solo 3A which imply six sticky pads /velcro by the look of it.

View attachment 1281658
Swore i saw a shot decimated speaker that looked like a knock of these . I told habitat I’m not paying $20 for such junk speakers haha!!:angel:they went out of business there prices were insane I only bought one pair there realistic mc 1200
 
Back
Top Bottom