Tube Goodness and University Medallion XII's

Hi all...
I have been on a quest to find a good pair of speakers to mate with my Eico HF-22's and think I'm pretty close.
I was able to pick up a pair of University Medallion XII's off the OKC Craigslist.

As soon as I spotted the listing, I did a quick search here and the general consensus was they were a pretty decent speaker, efficient and would probably do well with tubes.

So five days later, a good mechanical cleaning and with the drivers tested...I'm groovin' like crazy. These Universities are a great match for the Eico's.
Very clean, smooth and articulate. The bottom end doesn't shake the walls, but what bass is there is reproduced well with no flabbiness.
The Sphericon Super Tweeter is just right...not shrill at all. The 8" mid is a good "bridge" too.
All in all...very pleased!

Ugly, like the way AR3a's are ugly...but I assure you, it's only skin deep.

The veneer on the cabs are pretty trashed and the grill frame styling is not my cup of tea.
I think a total "cab rehab" is in order. Including a new skin, a new grill frame design and a similar base with legs.

A few questions...
1) Can anyone get me the height of the base?

2) A good photo of the data sticker on the back?

3) The woofers had a thin sheet of foam rubber over the openings of the basket...long since rotted away...anyone know the benefit or purpose for this?

4) Anyone got a couple of grill badges?

Thanks all.
Martin

Medallion's Rehabbed

FWIW...
It's the proverbial "silk purse from a sows ear".

New solid mahogany veneer. Solid mahogany grill frame and stands.
The wood stain was a custom mix to mimic the woofer surround.
The bevel angles are the same for the grill, the legs, as well as the face on the stands.
Grill material from PE.

Much thanks to Eric "captouch" for acquiring the badges for me. :thmbsp:

Now they look as good as they sound.

Just had to show somebody.
Martin

Wow, nice job Martin! Stylin' looking speakers!

Dude, those look fantastic! Great job on the refinish. I am totally-jealous. Those cleaned up really-nice. I love the contoured grills and that University emblem. Total class.

I bet the upper-bass and mids on those is just perfect.

Where'd you get the stands? Those are nice. And did you just re-veneer/re-cloth the original grill-frames, or did you make new ones? If you made new ones, well then you sure did a great job. I agree that the new material fits those cabs way-better than the original stuff they used.

Gang-Twanger,
Thanks for the nod.
Because the speakers came with a choice of 5 grill trim choices, the construction was a 2 piece design. A frame in which the cloth was stretched over and a decorative frame that slipped over that.
I was still able to use the "grill cloth" frame (which had the grill guides attached), and then construct any style of decorative frame I wanted as long as I adhered to some of the original dimensions.

The stands I built from scratch. I have a feeling that the original height was based on aesthetics rather than on any sonic enhancements. So, I just guessed at their height from other photos posted. :thmbsp:

Everything about the sound is "just perfect".

Martin

marloubow said:

Gang-Twanger,
Thanks for the nod.
Because the speakers came with a choice of 5 grill trim choices, the construction was a 2 piece design. A frame in which the cloth was stretched over and a decorative frame that slipped over that.
I was still able to use the "grill cloth" frame (which had the grill guides attached), and then construct any style of decorative frame I wanted as long as I adhered to some of the original dimensions.

The stands I built from scratch. I have a feeling that the original height was based on aesthetics rather than on any sonic enhancements. So, I just guessed at their height from other photos posted. :thmbsp:

Everything about the sound is "just perfect".

Martin

Click to expand...

The new grillcloth you chose is definitely a better match for those things. Better than that black stuff. Now you can catch a little glimpse of the drivers through it. Much-better IMO. If I had a stock pair with the original stuff, I'd leave the grills OFF.

When it came to making some sort of stands for my W90's, my main concern was getting them high-enough off the floor so that the tweeters were at eye/ear-level, but I didn't measure or anything. Thankfully the height turned out to be just right (about 7 to 7.5 inches) because those things are a PITA to move. I can't lift them myself, not with my back.

Spectacular job on those!!! You are very talented!! Wow! Dang! Yeah! The fit, the finish, the style of your stands and grills!! Yeah! Nice job!!Right on man!!:thmbsp::thmbsp:

allsmith said:

Spectacular job on those!!! You are very talented!! Wow! Dang! Yeah! The fit, the finish, the style of your stands and grills!! Yeah! Nice job!!Right on man!!:thmbsp::thmbsp:

Click to expand...

I know, right? He didn't even have them that long, and yet what a transformation. I am truly-jealous. Those are keepers for sure. Speakers like those make '60's and '70's rock and pop music sound "right"...

Thanks for the kind words gentlemen.

A word about the grill cloth from PE.
It's not really a cloth, but more of a woven plastic threading. It's quite stiff and in my opinion not that easy to pull tight. I ended up using a pair of canvas stretching pliers.
The sample photos at PE are not very accurate. I had to order twice to get what I liked. But to their credit, I only had to pay shipping on the second order.

They will send samples upon request, which I recommend.

Here is what I ordered...http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=261-815

Gang...how could you be jealous of any speakers with those W90's? :screwy:

Listening to some Robben Ford at the moment...dig it!

When I get motivated about a project, it usually consumes me to the end. So I'm getting more picky about the stuff I decide to rehab. Only so much time in this life, rehabbing audio gear should be fairly far down the list of life's priorities.

If you think these speakers were a project...they were a "walk in the park" compared to the Eico HF-22 project.
http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=405199

But so far it's all been worth it. :thmbsp:

Enjoy
Martin

Bitchin'