Coastsider
Curmudgeon
All of this talk about WTLC's lately got my attention, so when a pair showed up locally this week I took the leap. In fact I just got them back to the house a couple of hours ago and will attach some garage "arrival" shots.
Of course the woofers - all four - are cheap replacements which I knew going in, and so will require re-replacing. I did some research over the last couple of days ever since deciding I would probably get them, and determined that the suggested replacement for the stock WTLC 8" woofer is the same as the suggested replacement for the stock Qe 8" woofer so using my facility for simple deduction I started looking for Qe woofers as well as WTLC woofers as I also deduced that I would probably have more luck finding them than I would the originals. As luck would have it, or fate some might say, I not only found a pair of Qe's with one bad EMIT local to me that I won't feel too guilty about gutting, but also a loose pair of Qe woofers on eBay for a reasonable price. Problem sort of solved.
The only other issue is a possibly bad Walsh tweeter. I haven't pulled it and tested it yet but when I demo'd the speakers it was not making any sound. Fortunately the other one does work and I have spares enough to replace the bad one if it is indeed bad.
The really good news is that the cabinets, grills, and tops are in very good condition and even include the glass for the tops as well as both badges. Some of the black vinyl, or whatever it is that covers the top of the cabinets is coming loose but can easily be glued back down.
I am not going to use these until I have finish replacing the woofers and the bad Walsh if necessary. I know the woofers will not be original but they will be a close cousin to the originals. They have paper cones like the WTLC woofers, but butyl surrounds instead of foam. I was even thinking of coating the two for the bottoms with this stuff called "The Wet Look" that I got from Parts Express. It is meant to protect paper cones but might, by applying a couple of extra coats, add some stiffness such as Infinity did with the tar like substance they applied to the bottom drivers on at least some WTLC's, as well as the 12" woofers in all of the iterations of the Monitor series. I'll think about that a bit more and probably experiment on some old drivers I have first. I will also have a close look at the crossovers but will probably put off any thoughts of recapping for another time unless I find something that requires immediate attention.
Since I am so short of space, the WTLC's will likely replace a pair of Ohm Walsh 2's that are conveniently just about the same size. The fate of the Ohm's, which I really like, is as yet undecided since the WTLC's will not be ready to move in for awhile giving me some time to think about it.
Of course the woofers - all four - are cheap replacements which I knew going in, and so will require re-replacing. I did some research over the last couple of days ever since deciding I would probably get them, and determined that the suggested replacement for the stock WTLC 8" woofer is the same as the suggested replacement for the stock Qe 8" woofer so using my facility for simple deduction I started looking for Qe woofers as well as WTLC woofers as I also deduced that I would probably have more luck finding them than I would the originals. As luck would have it, or fate some might say, I not only found a pair of Qe's with one bad EMIT local to me that I won't feel too guilty about gutting, but also a loose pair of Qe woofers on eBay for a reasonable price. Problem sort of solved.
The only other issue is a possibly bad Walsh tweeter. I haven't pulled it and tested it yet but when I demo'd the speakers it was not making any sound. Fortunately the other one does work and I have spares enough to replace the bad one if it is indeed bad.
The really good news is that the cabinets, grills, and tops are in very good condition and even include the glass for the tops as well as both badges. Some of the black vinyl, or whatever it is that covers the top of the cabinets is coming loose but can easily be glued back down.
I am not going to use these until I have finish replacing the woofers and the bad Walsh if necessary. I know the woofers will not be original but they will be a close cousin to the originals. They have paper cones like the WTLC woofers, but butyl surrounds instead of foam. I was even thinking of coating the two for the bottoms with this stuff called "The Wet Look" that I got from Parts Express. It is meant to protect paper cones but might, by applying a couple of extra coats, add some stiffness such as Infinity did with the tar like substance they applied to the bottom drivers on at least some WTLC's, as well as the 12" woofers in all of the iterations of the Monitor series. I'll think about that a bit more and probably experiment on some old drivers I have first. I will also have a close look at the crossovers but will probably put off any thoughts of recapping for another time unless I find something that requires immediate attention.
Since I am so short of space, the WTLC's will likely replace a pair of Ohm Walsh 2's that are conveniently just about the same size. The fate of the Ohm's, which I really like, is as yet undecided since the WTLC's will not be ready to move in for awhile giving me some time to think about it.
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