I picked up some cool old speaker cabinets on CL

[dajack761]

I had a nice find on Craigslist this week. Some speaker cabinets that are probably 50 years old or so. They look to be in good shape and don't really need anything to restore their appearance. I think I'd like to remove the old fiberglass, stiffen them internally and re-seal the joints. The current baffle is for a 12" speaker. Looks like one baffle is installed upside down so flip it after I pull the insulation out. They are a little bigger than my EV Marquis 300's. I'm not sure if I want to make it another separate full-range system or if I can seal it enough to make it a sub to augment the bottom end of the Marquis's.

 

[drbiggles]

Hey man,

NICE !!! With those big ports, sealing isn't going to do anything. Bracing never hurts though! If the baffles are easily removed, you could make new ones and build anything you want. The world, or these cabinets, is your oyster.

Biggles

 

[squirrelnest]

Those cabinets look real nice....should be fun to get them up & running.

 

[dajack761]

Hey man,

NICE !!! With those big ports, sealing isn't going to do anything. Bracing never hurts though! If the baffles are easily removed, you could make new ones and build anything you want. The world, or these cabinets, is your oyster.

Biggles

Hey Drbiggles!

Thanks! i just opened the back of one long enough to snap the picture. I'll remove the fiberglass when I can take it out on the porch, then I can get good look at that baffle. You're right, lots of possibilities there. They even make great end tables.

 

[dajack761]

Those cabinets look real nice....should be fun to get them up & running.

Hey Squirrelnest,

I'm looking forward to it. It should be fun. I think I have all my winter audio projects laid out now, 2 RCA tube amps to play with and now the speaker cabinets.

 

[superdog]

Those are real nice.Definitely worth doing something with those.

 

[dajack761]

Those are real nice.Definitely worth doing something with those.

Thanks Superdog! I'm going to give it a shot.

 

[nolasally]

Acousticraft is the maker

 

[ragtopolds6]

nice fid...love this hobby

 

[dajack761]

Acousticraft is the maker

Hey Nolasally,

Thanks! I've been trying to find the name of the manufacturer since I first saw them. You've hardened the target for my internet searches.

 

[dajack761]

nice fid...love this hobby

Thanks! This is a great hoppy and Ak'ers are a great group of folks to support it!

 

[nolasally]

They were a speaker cabinet maker. Not a Speaker maker. People in the golden days bought Jensen, JBL, EV, bozak, University etc. and loaded them in cabinets as such. I have 2 pr of your same cabinets. One set has Wharfedales and the the Altecs

 

[dajack761]

They were a speaker cabinet maker. Not a Speaker maker. People in the golden days bought Jensen, JBL, EV, bozak, University etc. and loaded them in cabinets as such. I have 2 pr of your same cabinets. One set has Wharfedales and the the Altecs

Very cool! Did you have to remove the baffles at any point? Did you feel the need to reinforce or reseal the cabinets at all.

 

[nolasally]

No I did nothing to them. If they were good enough for my forefathers then they are good enough for me. I also dont feel the need to recap everything I lay my hands on either!!

 

[gdmoore28]

Nice find, Jack!

Like a number of other folks here, I'm a big fan of old traditional styling. In my mind, there is no reason that a speaker box has to look plain, drab, and uninteresting. Those Acousticrafts offer some measure of style and traditionalism that blends well in the home.

I seriously doubt that those will serve well as a modern subwoofer considering that most subwoofer drivers today are intended for compact sealed/vented enclosures. Traditional subs function best in much, much larger cabinets.

In my mind, those simply scream for the kind of speaker they were intended for - ideally a coaxial. Considering that classic coaxials such as the Altec 604s are unaffordable for common folks, I'd be looking at some of the new generation of Celestion or Eminence coax drivers. Of course, for more money, there are some great hi performance coaxials in other brands, too. (And don't forget the older University and EV coaxials.) You have a lot of options with these cabinets.

Keep us informed on your progress!

GeeDeeEmm

 

[drbiggles]

Hey,

I'm with GD, too big, not really suitable for a proper subwoofer cabinet. In fact, it'd be a waste of vintage cabinetry. It would easy enough to buy some affordable subwoofers and either build, or have built new cabinets. That way, you could tuck them away so they're not so prominent.

Any new ideas rattling around in your head?

Biggles

 

[superdog]

Once again.Real friggin nice cabinets! I would have gave $25 for those quick.

 

[Eric n Kc]

Hey
I think those cabinets would have me gutting my Tannoy Cheviots.
Those are pretty. Me like. Eric

 

[dajack761]

Nice find, Jack!

Like a number of other folks here, I'm a big fan of old traditional styling. In my mind, there is no reason that a speaker box has to look plain, drab, and uninteresting. Those Acousticrafts offer some measure of style and traditionalism that blends well in the home.

I seriously doubt that those will serve well as a modern subwoofer considering that most subwoofer drivers today are intended for compact sealed/vented enclosures. Traditional subs function best in much, much larger cabinets.

In my mind, those simply scream for the kind of speaker they were intended for - ideally a coaxial. Considering that classic coaxials such as the Altec 604s are unaffordable for common folks, I'd be looking at some of the new generation of Celestion or Eminence coax drivers. Of course, for more money, there are some great hi performance coaxials in other brands, too. (And don't forget the older University and EV coaxials.) You have a lot of options with these cabinets.

Keep us informed on your progress!

GeeDeeEmm

Hey Gdmoore
I tend to agree with you. I love the look of the vintage cabinets and as a matter of fact I've been looking at EV, University and Knight coaxials on eBay. to get some ideas what cabinets they were used in, I checed the old Allied catalogs. To be honest, I could look through those catalogs all day. I probably will snag a set of coaxials when I find some that are reasonably priced or maybe offer to trade some Dynaco's for a set. Right now the cabinets are serving rather nicely as end tables while my EV Marquis 300's are serving as my main speakers. The idea of using the new cabinets as subs is intriguing because I like the idea of using both sets of speakers at once. Probably overkill for classical music, but it's just something else to play around with. I wouldn't be altering the cabinets outward appearance, just making sure nothing rattles or buzzes. Plus, I have friends that are tripping over spare subs. I played around with some box modeling software to get some ideas on what might work in that cabinet and you are right most modern subs work in small boxes and most of the rest need huge cabinets. I did find one that might work, now I just have to find out whose got one their not using. The quest continues.

Hey,

I'm with GD, too big, not really suitable for a proper subwoofer cabinet. In fact, it'd be a waste of vintage cabinetry. It would easy enough to buy some affordable subwoofers and either build, or have built new cabinets. That way, you could tuck them away so they're not so prominent.

Any new ideas rattling around in your head?

Biggles

Dribiggles, I see your point. Prefab modern subs are pretty easy come by these days. I have a couple sitting around my place now come to think of it. I do love the look of the vintage cabinetry and I'm currently using them as end tables. If I play with sub idea too, they'll serve a dual purpose. If I'm honest, I think the Acousti-craft cabinets are way more attractive than my EV Marquis 300's, but I really love their sound. A little voice in the back of my head just said "I wonder how those drivers would sound in the new cabinets?" I guess that would be the idea rattling around in my head. Hahahahahaha.

Once again.Real friggin nice cabinets! I would have gave $25 for those quick.

Thanks again Superdog! I know man, I always hear about people snagging a really good deal, well I guess it was my turn this time. The gentleman that I bought them from said I was the first of many to call about them. At that price, I wasn't surprised, I'm just glad he held them for me.

Hey
I think those cabinets would have me gutting my Tannoy Cheviots.
Those are pretty. Me like. Eric

Yup Eric, as I've been writing this post, I started thinking the same thing about mine. Thanks!

 

[biscuithead]

Nice find, Jack!

Like a number of other folks here, I'm a big fan of old traditional styling. In my mind, there is no reason that a speaker box has to look plain, drab, and uninteresting. Those Acousticrafts offer some measure of style and traditionalism that blends well in the home.

I seriously doubt that those will serve well as a modern subwoofer considering that most subwoofer drivers today are intended for compact sealed/vented enclosures. Traditional subs function best in much, much larger cabinets.

In my mind, those simply scream for the kind of speaker they were intended for - ideally a coaxial. Considering that classic coaxials such as the Altec 604s are unaffordable for common folks, I'd be looking at some of the new generation of Celestion or Eminence coax drivers. Of course, for more money, there are some great hi performance coaxials in other brands, too. (And don't forget the older University and EV coaxials.) You have a lot of options with these cabinets.

Keep us informed on your progress!

GeeDeeEmm

FWIW

I am in the process of loading some old cabinets with these Celestions :


I've been playing with the filter points. I think I will cross them at 6k and let a horn cover the rest. What I've heard of them so far is VERY impressive.