1/2 a Score - Museatex

[Drugolf]

Well, what does one do with one Museatex speaker? Yep one darnit. A buddy of mine stumbled onto this at a local thrift for the princely sum of $10 and grabbed it for me. I thought what the heck for $10 since in pairs it is apparently something special. How the heck does it become a loner like that. He asked if the match was there in back and they said no.

This is the Hybrid 6 version. Not too many of any models made it seems so it's too bad it has lost its mate. Any of you Canadians want to give us the rundown on these?

 

[biscuithead]

I have a trailer half full of orphans. I am trying to convince myself of a 3 year max store time... if I haven't found a mate for it, then it gets sold/parted out after 3 years. So far, I've only done this once. I'm a hoarded. I know nothing about Museatex, but it certainly looks to be worth saving. Have you ever set up a 1958-59 three channel stereo system?

 

[moray james]

planar magnetic panel uses a 1.25" single layer voice coil easy load almost purely resistive at just over 6 ohms. I have a pair of later versions and one has a panel issue which I don't have the time or interest to mess with. I don't have the tooling to service these any more and parts are mostly all gone now. I was one of the co founders of Highwood Audio who made first the Sumo Aria planer loudspeakers and then joined up with Ed Meitner then from Montreal to build the Museatex versions in Calgary. Any locals want to grab these and have some fun? Let me know but do it fast I am moving in a few weeks and they won't be included in the move. Regards moray james.

 

[frommerstop]

Not a planar magnetic at all, they were much closer to Bertagnis, or Yamaha. Using an "acoustic hammer" to excite the panel (styrafoam for BES, wood laminate for Yamaha, or mylar in this case) causing ripples that create sound. Actually, much like a Walsh transmission line.

They were very nice speakers, it's a shame you only got the one.

 

[Pio1980]

Ed Meitner had an unusual approach to the physics of sound reproduction. I experimented with a modified HK T60 mimicing Ed's platterless TT. Sounded euphonically spaceous but not accurate sonic retrieval.

 

[frommerstop]

Ed Meitner had an unusual approach to the physics of sound reproduction. I experimented with a modified HK T60 mimicing Ed's platterless TT. Sounded euphonically spaceous but not accurate sonic retrieval.

Yeah, it was a cool table, and it worked pretty well if the record was heavy, but with all the super thin records it was awful!

 

[moray james]

Not a planar magnetic at all, they were much closer to Bertagnis, or Yamaha. Using an "acoustic hammer" to excite the panel (styrafoam for BES, wood laminate for Yamaha, or mylar in this case) causing ripples that create sound. Actually, much like a Walsh transmission line.

They were very nice speakers, it's a shame you only got the one.

yes they are a planar driven by a 1.25" voice coil with a very large magnet assembly that was more like a tweeter assembly than a woofer very tight gap dual shorting rings and a copper clad pole piece. diaphragm is 150 gage HS Mylar same material as Acoustat used only ours was thicker. I think that I should be a reliable source of information I was a co designer and co founder.

 

[frommerstop]

yes they are a planar driven by a 1.25" voice coil with a very large magnet assembly that was more like a tweeter assembly than a woofer very tight gap dual shorting rings and a copper clad pole piece. diaphragm is 150 gage HS Mylar same material as Acoustat used only ours was thicker. I think that I should be a reliable source of information I was a co designer and co founder.

Sorry, I didn't know you were involved so closely with them, I'm humbled & impressed, I'm truly a fan of the design!
However, with all due respect, as one of the designers, you must be aware the term planar magnetic has been largely acepted to refer to speakers that use a fixed magnetic field that covers the entire surface of the driver, such as Magnepan (who, I believe coined the term), Eminent Technologies, Monsoon, etc. A system that moves the mylar as a pistun, like an electrostatic speaker.

Am I off base in understanding the principal of operation with the Melior ( & Sumo ) was to cause a rippling waveform along the mylar, NOT to drive it uniformy. This is the antithesis of a Magneplaner, or electostatic for that matter, is it not?

I understand your not wishing to be lumped in with Bertagnis, there is no comparison in effectiveness, your Meliors are far more refined, and a truly first rate speaker, but can you not see the similarities with their "Geostatic" are stronger than they are with any Magnepan.

 

[frommerstop]

I just reread your comment & realize now that my response came from my misreading your statement. I somehow thought you were arguing that the Melior was a planar magnetic, when you clearly said it was a planar driven by a 1 1/2” voicecoil. I apologize Moray.

I’ll retreat, with a red face now!