Electro Voice Regency cabinets found in good shape

[Mofi]

I bought these a few months ago not far from home. The seller had them listed on eBay as CHURCH SPEAKERS. (see item number: 273027973335) He still has them listed. Go figure? It sounds funny but they even smell like an old set of church speakers. I figured the boxes alone were worth what I paid. Now that I know what they are, they're in really good shape for their age. Maybe they really were in a church!

I just discovered what they are a few days ago. Turns out they’re a set of EV Regency cabinets with a single Utah driver. They play okay but sound like what you’d expect. Crap! Yes that’s FACED house insulation inside. I suspect they were either built from an EV kit or built by EV. No telling what the original drivers were.

Not sure what to do with them. They’re a folded horn design. I thought about a cheap 2 or 3-Way system or maybe turn them into subs. Maybe keep the classic theme going and rig them for a tube amp.

My first impression is to bring them up to an EV spec speaker but I just don't want to put that kind of money into them. Would you guys have any ideas for me? That Utah Celesta drive definitely needs to go (12" w/ whizzer cone). It appears that the front baffle will remove from the inside. I may just have to move them along to someone else.

Thanks for any input!!

 

[drbiggles]

Welcome to AK!

It's been a while since I looked up the review for that driver. I seem to remember it was not very highly thought of. That being said, here's what I would do. Remove the fiberglass insulation. Install 2" thick 100% cotton upholstery batting on the bare surfaces inside the cabinet. It's not easy to find, but nothing else will work as well with this cabinet design. I've done tons of A/B testing with infinite baffle, ported and folded horn cabinets and their batting. I even have a pair of late 1950's EV Regency cabinets I've done batting tests with. Fiberglass gives your bottom end a dull thud, non musical. The cotton batting on the other hand, makes a remarkable difference in your bottom end. It becomes smooth, warm, and the precision returns. If you decide that you still don't want to keep the Utah drivers, no big deal. You're going to have to line the cabinets anyway, no harm done. The EV Regencys were designed for 15" woofers or full range drivers. The one I prefer is the EV SP15b, a full ranger. You can cross this over at 5k and run a tweeter from there up. A total package and a 2-way to boot. I wish you were local, I could give you an audition with the SP15b. It easily digs down to 30Hz and the midrange is wide and lush, a wonderful presentation.

Biggles

 

[Nat]

A full (15 inch woofer, horn midrange, horn tweeter)Regency speaker is very very good. Obviously sourcing the drivers might be pricey, but there are many worse ways to spend that kind of money in the speaker world.
Before despairing of the Celestas, though, check the suspensions - those yellow cloth suspensions can harden a lot, which affects sound greatly. If not supple, I'd do the brake fluid thing to see if it helps. You may need to do it a couple of times if it works and you keep using them.

 

[Mofi]

Thanks Nat,
I was looking as some drivers yesterday but this whole hurricane thing got in my way. I did pull one of those Utah drivers and it looked okay. Suspension seems fine but there's no way of knowing for sure. A stiffened suspension would make sense, with the highs rolled off so much.
I'm not familiar with the brake fluid treatment. It is any more than brushing on light applications of brake fluid to the surrounds? Does the spider need any similar treatment? It would be interesting to try this treatment of the surrounds, regardless of if I keep them around or not.
After that I'm sure I'll need to dive into exactly WHICH 15" woofer and horns will work best in those cabinets. You likely can't tell from my pictures but those cabinets are in REALLY good shape. There's no dents or dings to speak of and the finish is good too. At least I have something good to begin with.
Thanks again for the suggestions!!

 

[drbiggles]

Hey Mofi,

If you've pulled a Utah and the surround seems fine, then give it a shot. Some decent play time tends to loosen up old surrounds. It's all about trial and error, see what results you get. Then, you can move on from there depending on how things work out.

I've worked with and tried a proper EV, late 1950's 3-way system in those Regency cabinets. I've worked with 2 different 15" full rangers in the same cabinets, an EV SP15b and a JBL D130. I don't have the money to simply buy what I need to fill my Regency cabinets with a 3-way for myself. I found the D130 to be sorely lacking in bottom end and the highs were rolled off equally as steep. I sold them off. The SP15b's are absolutely dreamy, and they're affordable. Especially compared to the other choices available.

There are 2 PDF files you should have. One is "SP15 and SP15b EDS.pdf" and the other is "X8 & X36.pdf". These 2 files give you the data on the 15" full rangers and the crossovers to go with! The SP15b's frequency range is 30-15,000Hz. Yeah, the higher range in that drive is suspect and gets really dirty. That's why you'll use an EV T-35 horn tweeter crossed over at 3500Hz using a second order crossover with a 12db slope. The schematic for that is in one of those PDF's. You want the X36 crossover. You can buy original crossovers on ebay. However, the capacitors have long since drifted and are useless. You'd think one would simply replace the caps. Unfortunately, EV chose to bed the entire crossover in fricken TAR. So, to reuse the original crossovers, it requires some work to get them tar-free.

Or, you can look around locally for a while and see what kind of 15" drivers you can come up with for cheaper. Once you have those, you can put a game plan together on how best to add a tweeter and a proper crossover to make it work.

Biggles

 

[Mofi]

I was looking thru Parts Express offerings this morning and there's quite a bit there. Since I discovered that these are Regency cabinets, I've been puzzled about the vertical placement of those big horn loaded drivers in the original design. Logic seems to dictate that these be placed horizontally but . . . Any thoughts on that?

I did think about a big 15" full range with crossovers but individual drivers may be more cost efficient. We'll see. I'm very early into this! I'm leaning into as efficient driver group as possible, so a more classic type tube amp can drive them. I'm more a monster power guy than a tube guy but it makes sense for these cabinets.

What do you think about the structure of the cabinet and front baffle? It seems to be 1/2" plywood and possibly 3/4". I'll need to measure. I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to add another layer to stiffen things up or does that folded horn design make that sort of irrelevant? I'm looking at a new front baffle regardless.

That also brings up the question of sound deadening material. We'd discussed the 2" cotton batting and I'm assuming that goes on all interior surfaces with possibly the exception of the front baffle and the exterior facing part of the side vents. Sound about right? I'm just trying to figure our much I'll need.

If you guys have any thought or ideas, I'm all ears and would appreciate the feedback and any direction you can offer.

Thanks Bigs!

Randy

 

[drbiggles]

Hay,

Okay, hunker down for a moment. From perusing late 1950's audio magazines, I found the following information. There are 2 different versions of the EV regencys. There is your version, which is listed in the magazines as a kit. There is also a commercial lowboy version, which is what I have. You have the same version that Dyche has, the driver layout can surely be found there, hopefully. I've included an image from one of my cabinets that give the layout for the lowboy version. I suggest using 3/4" plywood for the front baffle. I wouldn't bother doing anything else. If you're interested in building a modern version from scratch, then you can build it with thicker everything with mega bracing. Here's how I view these old rigs. A huge part of why many of us drag these things home and make them right is nostalgia. They're something our parents or grandparents had, a sound that we grew up with. Some cabinet resonance, some goofy design, or whatever is all part of the deal. Will lining them with some deadening material and installing bracing improve their sound? Surely. But it won't be what we remember from our past. And it's a lot of damned work and extra money. I suggest starting with the simple path to completion. If once they're done and you cannot live with their performance, then begin the deadening and bracing journey.

If these were mine, I would line the top, bottom, sides and backs with cotton. You want to catch the backwaves from the woofer from those angles. They need to nicely dissipate into the cotton.

3/4" ply for the front baffle.

I run these Regencys loaded with a single SP15b with a 6 or 8 watt Fisher tube receiver, a console pull. My wife can hear Johnny Cash playing from her car as she pulls into the driveway. All doors and windows closed. Will that do? Even at moderate levels, you're not even pushing 1 watt through them.

Biggles

 

[Nat]

Oddly enough (and assuming I understand correctly), the dispersion of horns is broadest perpendicular to their long axis. So a vertical horn will have wide horizontal dispersion, and less vertically. Waves disperse perfectly spherically from an infinitely small source, and beam more from larger sources.

 

[Mofi]

Thanks Biggs,

I think we're on the same page here. That 3/4"baffle is pretty much a given for me. I'm wondering what I'll find with that cotton batting. I may have to use layers if I can't find the 2". I'll just have to call around and see what's out there.

I've been running those Utah drivers during the day since they're out in the garage. I have them plugged into an old NAD 2325 receiver that's rated at 25 wpc. At a normal volume it's actually running hotter than I'd have thought. Maybe it's just that driver. I did some down and dirty frequency tests and those drivers are rolling off STEEPLY at 50Hz and 5kHz. The difference in 5kHz and 6kHz is rather startling. I'm not surprised.

 

[drbiggles]

You're welcome sir! Yeah, about 50Hz sound right. I have used 4 layers of 1/4" cotton batting used in blankets. Affix loosely, not stretched tight. I haven't noticed any issues, bass still has a wonderful musical tone to it vs fiberglass. I can't say from personal experience, but I wouldn't be surprised if the bass digs down a little deeper with the cotton. It sounds like that Utah driver is a Full Range driver. Which means it's a woofer and a midrange, needs a tweeter to bring it up. You're real close to your second sound test!

Biggles

 

[quiet]

Well folks I happen to have a pair of EV Empire speakers with SP15B woofer and two horns. This is the objective. However I don't have the best EV horn package.
To stuff the speakers with all Ev parts is going to cost a lot of money and the parts are not readily available any day of the week.
I bypassed the cross and ran the SP15B speakers full range as a test. Not good. The top end loss was not even remotely acceptable.
I suggest the more common EV SP12B woofers and KLH 17 or other tweeters with one cap crossover into the empty cabinets after removing the Celesta's.
The SP12B/17 will not handle as much power without a proper crossover.

 

[Mofi]

A brief update on the EV Regencies:
In a nutshell, I haven't done crap with them since the fall except......

I've been driving them in the garage with an old NAD receiver with a BANGIN 25wpc. Good enough right? Not exactly spectacular.
A few weeks back my local audio group had a meet-up and several of the guys brought some gear in to demo and maybe to sell. I took a few old Phase Linear amps so the guys could see some big meters again. One of the group was really taken with my PL700. I brought it back home and thought I'd better hook it up to make sure it still worked. Naturally in the garage it was going to hook up to the NAD/EV combo. Luckily the NAD had some preamp outputs.

Let me tell you, that PL700 grabbed those Utah drivers by the short and curlys and shook the hell out of them. Don't get me wrong here, I know 350wpc will rip those old drivers to shreds but it really got their attention. I have a new respect for the speakers and those drivers. I still want to upgrade but the power increase was surprising.

It makes me think of those very efficient speakers out there that are being driven with 10wpc or less. How would they sound with 100wpc? I think that's a good avenue for anyone to explore.

 

[tom trickett]

SCORE!! Electrovoice Regency cabs with Altec Lansing 604c’s
I just picked these up a few days ago! I took a chance for very little money and it paid off! The cabs are rough but the Altecs are in fantastic condition and they sound Amazing!

 

[drbiggles]

Yay!!!!!!!

Biggles

 

[tom trickett]

People are telling me I need to rebuild the crossovers but honestly the speakers sound great to me. And I think aside from refinishing and replacing the cloth I am going to keep the cabinets the same I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts or advice for me?

 

[drbiggles]

Capacitors are also safety devices for our vintage drivers. Over decades, they’re values wander and they leak frequencies. For me, I would not gamble my 60 year old horn tweeters on 60 year old capacitors.

Biggles

 

[tom trickett]

Good point thank you!

 

[Mofi]

Nice drivers Tom!! Those Regencies I posted pictures of are long gone. They wound up with a sister-in-laws nephew. If you're interested I might be able to track them down. Located in N.C. or maybe Atlanta if you're close to either. Those drivers are dynamite. Hope you get to enjoy them for years.

 

[tom trickett]

I really appreciate that! But I am located in PA and I am excited to get the regency’s redone ( I know they don’t have the recommended internal volume ) but honestly they shake my house lol and I like their “compact” size! Btw I did have a set of Tannoy LGM’s and these are way more exciting to listen to, don’t get me wrong the Tannoy’s were nice but a little boring.

 

[Nat]

I picked up a pair of mismatched University cabinets about the same size, maybe a bit deeper. One had an Altec 604 in it, the other one had a dramatically less good driver - might have been a Utah without even a whizzer cone. The 604 by itself was one of the most exciting systems I've heard. I once had a single Regency with the full set of top drivers, and that was similarly revelatory, though back then - the mid 70s - I assumed that old speakers must not be that good, so my expectations were lower. I don't live in a big enough house for 604s, alas.