Scott Speakers

[coonmanx]

I think that Scott had some decent speakers around the end of the 70s and very early 80s but then they went the way of so many other companies that were concerned more about marketing than quality. I almost bought a pair of Scott bookshelf speakers off of the Bay because they had the same tweeters in them as my Speakerlab 1s. I can't remember the model number (maybe S166). I finally decided against getting them since they only had 6 1/2" woofers. But I recognized that Philips soft dome tweeter that they were using (the same as in my Speakerlab 1s).

Actually there is a shot of them here on this page (with a lot of other speakers).

http://www.vintageshifi.com/m31.html

I actually think that those S166s would sound great if paired up with a subwoofer.

 

[allsmith]

If they are the s-15's from 1973, they are rated pretty good from consumer reports. Thank Treker for posting the reports... http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=486249

 

[Susurus]

Welcome to AK!

...
Also i have Ar-5,Ar-5-6,Jbl 4312,Jbl 4313 and this little Scott very organic,natural and forward sound... A love them...

So you have both East and West Coast types with those JBLs! Good to be versatile.

 

[asterion]

Well I just found some yesterday for 20.00 here is a pic. Hooked them up this morning to my SX-838 Pioneer and they sound pleasant enough.They look great. Have not yet figured out how to pull off the grill cloths, as they seem tucked under the edges of the molding and not flush with it. Whatever the grill cloth is made of I am not sure but they look like new.
I'll give them a spin for a while.



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[PDRCanada]

I have a pair of S-197.......since about 1981, they were used when I received them. They have a dome (enclosed) mid. Is this stock or an add on....I ask cause the pic above shows 197s with a paper cone mid......thanks.

 

[baowah]

176b

I find zero info about HH Scott 176 B - maybe somebody knows it here.

 

[shimelho]

I just picked up a pair of Scott Audiophile Series One bookshelf speakers at a pawn shop for $45 last week. They were made in 1987 and pretty heavy for their size. I am very pleased with how well they sound, especially considering that I am driving them with a Yamaha AV surround sound receiver which I consider to be pretty bland (temp setup until my Sherwood receiver arrives next week). These speakers are definitely keepers.

 

[Joewag]

I couldn't weigh in on this thread before. Lots of speakers...no Scott's. I changed that this morning at an early preview church tag right here in town. These are some very clean Scott S-11 speakers I purchased for ten...fifteen if you count the early fee..dollars. I've hooked them to whatever was handy,in this case an old technics sa 301 and an aiwa three head cassette deck I recently repaired. I've been working my JBL L112's for a couple of weeks and while the difference was not negligible, neither was it overwhelming. In my opinion whatever it's worth, these are very listenable speakers. They're soft on the ears with a very low fatigue factor. I think when you find a bargain on early Scott's you should snag it. If nothing else, when you give them away to a poor relative, they'll owe you some love and respect.

 

[TooBlue]

Hey all,

Reviving this old thread yet again, lol. Recently picked up a pair of S10s and a pair of S15s. Going to use them for A&B speakers on a Hitachi SR-804.

I like their sound, but wonder if I could get a bit better high frequency response by replacing the cone tweeters. Any suggestions for a suitable drop-in?

 

[jrug]

Friend of mine just gave me a pair of HH Scott S6B bookshelf speakers to clean up. The cabinet is remarkably solid--some of the thickest veneer I've encountered, and the overall design is attractive, with a thin black band around the grill. The old grills had warped and the gold-thread cloth was hard and stiff. Made some new grill frames and covered them with linen/cotton Aida needlepoint cloth from Michael's. Now they look like mini ARs. The sound is adequate--great for small room or office, but not as defined as modern bookshelf speakers. The drivers are sealed with a hardened putty so I didn't open them, but they could probably use a cap upgrade. Paired them with a Fisher 203 for a nice little vintage system--play my iPad through the aux inputs. I wouldn't toss 'em...

 

[Gary_L]

I've just dug out my old 197bs and will replace the caps, switches (broken and can't change position) and woofer foam (split). They still work but stuck in the midrange/tweeter -6dB position. I've had them since around 1980 so will be nice to hear them up and running again - last time they were used in anger was in my old cinema room over 10 years ago.

In the shop I compared them to some Wharfedale Mach 3s IIRC which were the speakers I intended to buy, but preferred the sound and bass of the Scotts from what I remember, and they were a little cheaper too, so came out with those instead.

There's a fuse on the crossover which looks like it protects the tweeter. It measures around 0.9 of an ohm. Would that have been taken into account when building the crossover do you think?

 

[Jerry Fuller]

I have to chime in here! I was the speaker production manager for Scott from late 1980 through the close of the Woburn production plant in 1985. At that time the company was bought by Emerson Radio and the company moved to NJ. (After their purchase, I have no information, except they sold the 'name' to a company in Asia and that I heard their products were not allowed to be sold in the States, for whatever reason.) I can tell you that during my time, I worked very closely with the design engineer and can attest to his absolute devotion to produce absolutely quality speakers! We did not produce junk! Our products at the time still competed favorably with Bose and Boston Acoustics! In fact, The late Mr. Scott was a good friend of Dr. Bose, as well as a competitor. I well remember when we researched a new speaker, and tested prototypes in an an-echoic chamber, we could shake the building! If you, or anyone, finds a set of Scott speakers from the pre-1986 era, hang onto them! Will they compete with 21st century technology, perhaps not, but they are still quality speakers! (After 1986, 'caveat emptor'! (Buyer beware) Thus endeth my self-defensive rant.

 

[Jerry Fuller]

I've just dug out my old 197bs and will replace the caps, switches (broken and can't change position) and woofer foam (split). They still work but stuck in the midrange/tweeter -6dB position. I've had them since around 1980 so will be nice to hear them up and running again - last time they were used in anger was in my old cinema room over 10 years ago.

In the shop I compared them to some Wharfedale Mach 3s IIRC which were the speakers I intended to buy, but preferred the sound and bass of the Scotts from what I remember, and they were a little cheaper too, so came out with those instead.

There's a fuse on the crossover which looks like it protects the tweeter. It measures around 0.9 of an ohm. Would that have been taken into account when building the crossover do you think?

Yes the fuse was part of the entire package in design.

 

[quiet]

I have to chime in here! I was the speaker production manager for Scott from late 1980 through the close of the Woburn production plant in 1985. At that time the company was bought by Emerson Radio and the company moved to NJ. (After their purchase, I have no information, except they sold the 'name' to a company in Asia and that I heard their products were not allowed to be sold in the States, for whatever reason.) I can tell you that during my time, I worked very closely with the design engineer and can attest to his absolute devotion to produce absolutely quality speakers! We did not produce junk! Our products at the time still competed favorably with Bose and Boston Acoustics! In fact, The late Mr. Scott was a good friend of Dr. Bose, as well as a competitor. I well remember when we researched a new speaker, and tested prototypes in an an-echoic chamber, we could shake the building! If you, or anyone, finds a set of Scott speakers from the pre-1986 era, hang onto them! Will they compete with 21st century technology, perhaps not, but they are still quality speakers! (After 1986, 'caveat emptor'! (Buyer beware) Thus endeth my self-defensive rant.

And what would be the flagship speaker prior to 86?

 

[HTHMAN]

I have to chime in here! I was the speaker production manager for Scott from late 1980 through the close of the Woburn production plant in 1985. At that time the company was bought by Emerson Radio and the company moved to NJ. (After their purchase, I have no information, except they sold the 'name' to a company in Asia and that I heard their products were not allowed to be sold in the States, for whatever reason.) I can tell you that during my time, I worked very closely with the design engineer and can attest to his absolute devotion to produce absolutely quality speakers! We did not produce junk! Our products at the time still competed favorably with Bose and Boston Acoustics! In fact, The late Mr. Scott was a good friend of Dr. Bose, as well as a competitor. I well remember when we researched a new speaker, and tested prototypes in an an-echoic chamber, we could shake the building! If you, or anyone, finds a set of Scott speakers from the pre-1986 era, hang onto them! Will they compete with 21st century technology, perhaps not, but they are still quality speakers! (After 1986, 'caveat emptor'! (Buyer beware) Thus endeth my self-defensive rant.

I have 2 pair of speakers I pulled from a late 60's Berkeley console - woofers, mids, tweeter and crossovers. Would they be worth building a cabinet?

 

[Jerry Fuller]

And what would be the flagship speaker prior to 86?

If by flagship you mean top of the line, that would be the Bostonian Pro 100B, They had 15" woofers, two midranges with switches, and 3 tweeters. one midrange and two tweeters were mounted o the top of the cabinet. Trust me when I say they could play the 1812 Overture (with cannons) and make your ears bleed! LOL! Perhaps our next level speakers would be the 199T and 188T Series. our 166 series shelf speakers were a nice small package, too.

I have 2 pair of speakers I pulled from a late 60's Berkeley console - woofers, mids, tweeter and crossovers. Would they be worth building a cabinet?

IMHO, that would be a worthy project!

Let me just say, we're going back over 30 years, and I'm now nearing 70 years old, so my memory isn't what it used to be. However, I am still PROUD of the pieces we produced back then. I personally had several Scott systems (granted I was an 'insider'). one in our bedroom and another in the living room. The main system had the Pro100B's. I would still be using them, but we had some mischievous cats who decided the woofers were scratching posts and totally destroyed both units!!! Somehow, one cat got inside the cabinet and wreaked havoc with the crossover! Since the company was gone by then, and I had lost all my contacts with suppliers, they were toast. I have a consignment dealer on the lookout for any Scott speakers he may come across. The 'force' of brand-loyalty is still strong with this one.
I hope I've been of some help to you.

 

[quiet]

Yes that is good info. I would be looking for a speaker with all the drivers in the box. Something that might be able to locate.

 

[Bidu35]

Hello all,

As said in my introduction, I found and bought a pair of Scott Pro 100 speakers few monthes ago !
They are in very good conditions ; only the woofer is not the original one anymore...

As I recently found a pair of Scott 197B speaker woofer, can anyone confirm that they are the same as original Pro 100 ones ? Jerry : do you remenber ?

Regards from FRANCE !
Bruno

 

[Kipskiddy]

To revive an old post, here's a pair of HH Scott S-11B built in 1969. Seem to be in good shape and sound nice. Very heavy and sturdy build. I couldn't pass them up at Goodwill for $20.

 

[audio-ed]

I bought a pair of S-17's a while back.From the early 70's . Beautiful walnut cabinets. Reminded me of AR4ax's . I was pleasantly surprised at the way they sounded.