Electro-Voice Leytons - Any info/opinions?

Roypercy

Super Member
Saw apair of these locally in really nice shape, never heard much about them.Any owners out there? What could they be compared to?

Thanks!
 
These were the entry level "low resonance compact enclosure" EV systems of the early 1960's. Referring to my trusty 1961 Radio Shack catalog (everyone has one of these, right?), this is a two-way. Really, more of an augmented fullrange. The fullrange driver should be a Wolverine LS-8 (a very nice AlNiCo FR with a whizzer and hefty cast basket), with an EV 12BW (or similar) woofer augmenting the bass. THe next model up (Esquire) added a T35 (or T35B) horn tweeter. I have a pair of Esquires and I think they're quite good (for the short $ they cost me): Efficient and articulate -- "tube friendly" but reasonably sized. Sort of an early take on the bookshelf speaker idea, but from a different perspective than Villchur et al. Actually the configuration of the AR-1 is very similar to the Leyton, but the former used a Western ELectric 755 as the "midrange/tweeter"!

The only potential problem is that I think EV made some of these models over some period of years. I have seen Esquires with a much chintzier 8" "midrange" driver than the LS-8. I don't think they could've gotten away with the cheesy closed back MR of the later Esquires in the Leyton, since the latter has no tweeter to help in the treble.
 

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Thanks for the info, Mark. I think I'll probably pass on 'em; I need another pair of speakers like a hole in my head (which is probably what the wife would give me if I brought any more speakers home!)

Roy
 
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