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Unknown, but ima start fiddling with the 810s first since they’ve been mentioned so often. I’ll definitely check the fuses. On the one that’s labeled “bad tweet”, it looks like it’s possible that one of the wires going into the dome is compromised- if that’s the case it might be as simple as cleaning any coating off of the wire and quickly hitting it with some solder. I’m hoping for something simple, I’d like to keep the original drivers in it. (Top wire in pic)
Anyone have any experience with the realistic Optimus-9s? They look funky and I kinda dig ‘em.
I think I’m gonna hafta learn how to refinish cabinets.
Soldering that wire that close to the dome will be difficult. You need to protect the dome from the heat. I would use a small piece of wax paper first as it shouldn't stick to the dome that much, cut a slice and slip the wire through the slit sticking up, then add a piece of thin cardboard from a cereal box, also cut a slot to slip the wire stub by the dome into so it sticks up above the cardboard. Once both ends of the original wire are prepped for soldering a quick little dab of solder is all you should need. You can also make a little jumper extension to join the two ends. If that doesn't work, then send it, actually both to Richard So for rebuilding. I say both so both will be equal with equL output.
Refinishing the cabs shouldn't be too difficult. Let's see detailed pics of the cabs and see what they will need. Great speakers worth restoring.
Glenn
 
Lots.of stuff to play with. Like others, I suggest thinning the heard quickly to maintain domestic tranquility.

Good luck & have fun with them :)
 
Those RCA speakers may not be half bad, they were from RCA's Dimensia line from the 1980s and were trying to move upscale from the less expensive stuff they were known for. The Acoustic "Studio Monitor" is the classic white van speaker, but might be good for a bonfire, especially if you play them while you light them up.
 
So far I’ve listened to the 810, the altec 886a, and the Optimus-9.
Optimus-9s sounded a little muddy in the miss. The 886a’s actually sounded pretty decent. The 810s sound great even with one bad tweeter. I’m pretty sure they’d be happier with much more power. The tweeter is definitely dead, shows an open connection on a multimeter. That wire isn’t compromised, it just looked like it. Not sure if it’s fixable or how to fix it. I don’t want to just slap another random tweeter in it.
Someone asked for pics of the cabinets- here’s a couple pics of one, they both look similar. Nothing peeling, no major gouges or anything just faded and scratched.


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Cat condos. Large empty speakers look like cat condos to me.

The neighbor's cat walked in my house and crawled in a port tube. I had to carry the speaker outside and bang on it, it didn't work. Finally I just left the speaker outside. They do like big speakers to hang out in.
 
Just fire the speaker up- they'll come out post haste. Our mother cat had kittens in my frankenstein home theater sub with two 12's and 4" aeroports . I honestly don't know how that pregnant cat fit thru that port. I had to take the speaker out of the cabinet and relocate the cat family to a nice cardboard box.
 
Rather than soldering that wire close to the dome, use conductive glue. I have fixed headphone drivers like this before.

Great score BTW.

.. dB
 
Do y’all think I should send the tweeter to Richard So or buy something like the Peerless style K010DT?
 
I've seen that ad, nowhere near the available covered storage to sort it.

Glad to see some White Van representin' (Acoustic Studio Monitor 3311)

Congrats, lotsa chaff but the wheat is golden.
 
Do y’all think I should send the tweeter to Richard So or buy something like the Peerless style K010DT?

I think most ADS fans would cringe at seeing a non-ADS driver in a set of 810's. If I couldn't fix the tweeter myself, I would send to Richard or look for an exact replacement on eBay or in Bartertown.
 
As most everyone has mentioned, score on the L810s alone.

I've owned a lot of speakers (including a few other models of ADS/Braun) in my life ,but, I've had my L810s for almost a decade. I don't know if I could ever part with them.
 
I sent an email to Richard So, I’m anxiously waiting for a response. I’m gonna go ahead and keep the l810s original and restore the cabinets with the restore-a-finish recommended above. What type should I buy? The only walnut that I saw on amazon was a dark walnut and I don’t think that will match.
As far as the other keepers- the altec 886a’s are good to go and will probably be moved into the house tomorrow. The three advents- I’ll probably buy new surround kits for the 2 pairs that have original drivers. The set that has one unoriginal woofer- I’ll probably hunt down an original and redo the surround on the other. In the meantime I may pull woofers from something else just to get them functional in the meantime.
I took the weird socks off of the AR’s today and the surrounds on the woofers are completely shot- I have no clue if they’re worth bothering with.
The MCS- I’m potentially willing to put new surrounds on them but it’s not a priority, I’ve never heard a set of them so it makes it hard to justify putting any money into them. They may just get woofers pulled from another set.
Unfortunately, the Scott is just a single, it didn’t have a mate. Maybe it’ll become part of a giant mono-stack in the shop/garage, but most likely I’ll just pull the drivers.
The Optimus-9’s that caught my attention just don't have the clarity that I’m looking for. They’ll probably go along with about a ton of other stuff. That’s a shame but only because I really dig the look of them.
There’s a few other pairs in my potential keep pile but I can’t remember what they are, my mind drowning in all of the speaker brands and models that have recently taken up residence in my shop/garage.
 
Do y’all think I should send the tweeter to Richard So or buy something like the Peerless style K010DT?
Yes. Send both so their output is equal. These must have the correct, original tweeters. ADS is well known for the sticky dome tweeters and mids and they are superb.

The cabs need a sanding, then a refinish with your product of choice. I've restored many cabinets and am quite happy with Watco's natural color danish oil. It makes the wood glow and really brings out the beautiful wood grain. Here's a couple examples of a set of AR3's before and after extensive work.

Glenn
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The MCS speakers and the Advent Babies are also pretty well regarded. IMO the JBL cabs aren't worth refilling, you'd spend more on the drivers than they're worth. Agreed that the ADS are probably the best of this lot. The Scotts look interesting, they have dome tweeters, and should at least be worth a listen. Most of the rest of them are Kabuki (Kenwood) or rack system quality. Don't spend too much time on them, sell them for a nominal sum or put them on Craigslist free.

Assuming the MCS speakers look like this, they're worth repairing.

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I remember those being shown in the 1978 JC Penney Christmas catalog and always wondered how well they performed.

Any idea who manufactured them?
 
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