audio_exp

Member
Hello all this is my first post on AK, I don't know what took me so long. :)

I have a pair of EV S15-3’s for about 15 years now that I just love and fell in love with when I was a kid back in the early 80's. Well I plan to bring them back to life and make them my new listening room speakers. I know that these are not "audiophile" but do have the bones to make a very nice musical presentation.

The EVM-15L and the VMR's are original and work perfectly but one tweeter needs service. I think I may have a EV original replacement diaphragm. My pair was made in 1982.

My plan is to do a refurbishment to them by cleaning up and re-finishing the cabinets, re-building the cross-overs with new caps, re-seal the speaker cone edges, replace all the stock 24awg speaker wire with 14awg & replace stock 1/4” speaker jack's with heavy duty binding post’s.

The EV S15-3 manual:
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/43742/Electro-Voice-S15-3.html

The S15-3 uses a OEM EVM-15L 15” low frequency speaker:
https://www.electrovoice.com/binary/EVM-15L%20Series%20II%20EDS.pdf
and according to the specs it’s designed for use with a TL606 box design.

TL606 Box Design:
http://www.realoldiesradio.com/docs/EV/ElectroVoice_TL606.pdf
The suggested stepdown peak boost frequency for the TL606 is 45Hz.

So my first question and I thought I would ask some of the EV experts on here.

1. Is the S15-3 a TL606 Box?

2. If it Is a TL606 box is the S15-3 already made with the “Step-Down” integrated in the port design or would I block one of the ports?

3. If is Not a TL606 but still a T/S design, how can I figure out approximately what the “Peak Boost Frequency” should be as I would like to take advantage of the "Step-Down" feature and add an outboard Active EQ at the correct boost frequency?

I would be grateful for any info and help.
Thanks
 
Last edited:
Project just getting started pictures to follow...
Could still use some help with the peak boost frequency of this cabinet.
 
Last edited:
Cool project !

Add a good subwoofer to fill in the bottom.

Les Claypool used one for a while and I just saw some live footage of Sting using one as well
F9FE1EAA-F6BA-49F7-B8CE-23B6E77F1DB3.png
 
Hello all this is my first post on AK, I don't know what took me so long. :)

I have a pair of EV S15-3’s for about 15 years now that I just love and fell in love with when I was a kid back in the early 80's. Well I plan to bring them back to life and make them my new listening room speakers. I know that these are not "audiophile" but do have the bones to make a very nice musical presentation.

The EVM-15L and the VMR's are original and work perfectly but one tweeter needs service. I think I may have a EV original replacement diaphragm. My pair was made in 1982.

My plan is to do a refurbishment to them by cleaning up and re-finishing the cabinets, re-building the cross-overs with new caps, re-seal the speaker cone edges, replace all the stock 24awg speaker wire with 14awg & replace stock 1/4” speaker jack's with heavy duty binding post’s.

The EV S15-3 manual:
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/43742/Electro-Voice-S15-3.html

The S15-3 uses a OEM EVM-15L 15” low frequency speaker:
https://www.electrovoice.com/binary/EVM-15L%20Series%20II%20EDS.pdf
and according to the specs it’s designed for use with a TL606 box design.

TL606 Box Design:
http://www.realoldiesradio.com/docs/EV/ElectroVoice_TL606.pdf
The suggested stepdown peak boost frequency for the TL606 is 45Hz.

So my first question and I thought I would ask some of the EV experts on here.

1. Is the S15-3 a TL606 Box?

2. If it Is a TL606 box is the S15-3 already made with the “Step-Down” integrated in the port design or would I block one of the ports?

3. If is Not a TL606 but still a T/S design, how can I figure out approximately what the “Peak Boost Frequency” should be as I would like to take advantage of the "Step-Down" feature and add an outboard Active EQ at the correct boost frequency?

I would be grateful for any info and help.
Thanks
The TL 606 is a sub woofer box
 
The TL 606 is a sub woofer box
The TL606 is not what you would call a “Sub” today as many Sub woofers today can go down to the mid 20Hz range, The TL606 makes it down a little below45Hz using the “step-down” method.
I do know that a TL606 with a VMR makes an awesome Bass guitar speaker!

In the case of the S15-3 it states in the manual it’s good down to 50Hz but I am almost certain it goes lower than that from what I remember, maybe somewhere around 40Hz I think?

I just wonder if the S15-3 is the same internal dimensions as the TL606? Or is it something else? I will have to take some time and measure the inside dimensions of the cabinets and the ports.
 
Last edited:
Although not exactly the same the later version of the S15-3 is the S-1503 and from looking at the specs I'm going to guess and say the size of the cabinets are almost identical and although the drivers are a bit different (higher power handling) the S15-3 it's most likely tuned at around 45Hz?

Compare the two models for yourself, Here are links to both models:
S15-3 Manual:https://www.manualslib.com/manual/43742/Electro-Voice-S15-3.html
S-1503 Manual:https://www.manualslib.com/manual/43734/Electro-Voice-S-1503.html
 
Last edited:
Here is a picture of the crossover network for the S15-3. The unit on the left in the picture is the Tweeter protection device witch is simply 2 diodes back to back and a big power resistor. These are the weird TO-3 style diodes, but standard diodes would work just the same. The idea is when the power going to the tweeter exceeds it's maximum rating the extra power is dumped into the resistor. Some think these devices have an effect on the sound of the tweeter but it should be basically invisible to the tweeter unless you drive the hell out of the tweeter. I will do some tests later to see if the protection device has any effect on the fidelity of the tweeter and decide if I want to leave it in circuit.

On another note I found the caps to be quite a bit off value and even found the ESR to be as high as 2.5 ohms!
So it time to change out the caps.
The blue polyester cap however did test perfect so that one stays.
And as you can see the stock wire used is just 24awg. I will replace all internal wire with 14awg copper stranded, Most likely won't sound any better but it will make me feel better:)LOL

 
Last edited:
I just wonder if the S15-3 is the same internal dimensions as the TL606? Or is it something else? I will have to take some time and measure the inside dimensions of the cabinets and the ports.

Had a chance to take some measurements here are the S15-3's inside box dimensions including ports:
26.5" Tall
22.75" Wide
11.25" Deep
That seems to work out to 3.9 CU.FT (The TL606 is 3.2)
However the S15-3 has 2 port tubes and the TL606 has cutouts so there is some more math there but that's too complicated for me to add into the whole formula. :(
-
PORTS X 2:
4" Diameter x 3.5" Long
 
Last edited:
EV had given up building Hifi speakers by the time your speaker was produced. Its a musical instrument PA speaker. I am not fond of sub woofer but in this case the suggestion of adding a separate or pairs of subs is probably the best solution. But the sub is will have to be efficient with a lot of power to keep up with your EV speakers. That means, JL, JBL, Meyer, etc. Remember the sub cone will have to have the same cone area and the cone will have to travel 4 times as far as one of your single 15's. So if the EV cone moves a 1/4 inch, the subs single 15 will have to move 1 inch. Two 15's a half inch and 2 12's about .7 inches. I would use two subs one under each EV for best results. EV Altec and JBL made some single 18 inch subs that would work. But read the specs on each potential system before you buy. Remember the lower you want the subs to go, the more the cone has to travel making the speaker less efficient requiring more power.
 
Last edited:
EV had given up building Hifi speakers by the time your speaker was produced. Its a musical instrument PA speaker. I am not fond of sub woofer but in this case the suggestion is probably the best solution. But the sub is will have to be efficient with a lot of power to keep up with your EV speakers. That means, JL, JBL, Meyer, etc. Remember the sub cone will have to have the same cone area and the cone will have to travel 4 times as far as one of your single 15's. So if the EV cone moves a 1/4 inch, the subs single 15 will have to move 1 inch. Two 15's a half inch and 2 12's about .7 inches. I would use two subs one under each EV for best results. EV Altec and JBL made some single 18 inch subs that would work. But read the specs on each potential system before you buy. Remember the lower you want the subs to go, the more the cone has to travel making the speaker less efficient requiring more power.

I never expected this speaker to be a "sub" because it's not, It's 3-way "full-range". Right now I just want to get the most I can from the S15-3 and down the road if I decide I need more bass I will add a sub.
 
Well lucky me, I just found 2 new old stock EV T350 tweeter diaphragm's and 2 more VMR's in storage that I forgot about ! WOT WOT!
Great news with the NOS diaphragm's one of my tweeters was not working correctly anyway so now I can replace both at the same time.

NOTE:I noticed that the original and replacement EV diaphragm's have a darker brown color whereas the replacements you get these days are a much lighter color. I don't know if it matters but I thought I would just mention it.
 
Last edited:
After careful consideration since these speakers are going to be my main music speakers and they are never going to be “on the road again” I decided to update the look of the speakers to suit my taste.
The cabinets are solid as a rock and are in great condition for there age (37 years old made in 1982) but do have some nicks and bumps and the aluminum frame is fairly rough, Soooo….

I have decided to apply a Dura-Tex coating to the cabinets, I like the look and that it hides small imperfections well, durable easy to apply and Non-Toxic also it will give the speakers a sort of an aggressive modern industrial look witch I like.
I will remove the grille and mounting cleats as well as eliminate the aluminum frame and maybe make a more elegant speaker grille in the future.

 
Last edited:
I meant you would have to add subs, not change your speakers. Leave well enough alone. These model woofers were never know for deep bass performance anyway. The magnet structure is all wrong tying to get lower bass in a small cabinet with longer excursions. Increase the cu ft to 16 cu ft un ported and you should get below 30 HZ. But who wants that big of an enclosure?
 
I meant you would have to add subs, not change your speakers. Leave well enough alone. These model woofers were never know for deep bass performance anyway. The magnet structure is all wrong tying to get lower bass in a small cabinet with longer excursions. Increase the cu ft to 16 cu ft un ported and you should get below 30 HZ. But who wants that big of an enclosure?

Yes if you need big deep bass you need a true Sub Woofer. I just want just to clean these up and make a few improvements and use as full range 3 way just as the speaker was designed for.

BTW if I do decide to put a sub under each cabinet I would use these. If you like deep bass with SPL that will blow your uncles hair piece off then a pair of these are just for you. The EV SB180:)

Here is the Manual:https://www.electrovoice.com/binary/Sb180_Engineering_Data_Sheet.PDF
 
Last edited:
So while I'm waiting for some parts I thought I would give the drivers some attention.
One tweeter is bad but lucky for me I found 2 new old stock EV diaphragm's in my storage.

Replace both tweeter diaphragm's with NOS.

The woofers and VMR's work perfect but they need the cone edges re-doped.

The woofer basket edges look gray and tarnished so I use a gentle Scotch-Brite pad on my air tool to polish them back to the new shinny aluminum.

I will also upgrade the speaker terminals to spring loaded type.

I will also upgrade the VMR wire from 24awg to 14awg and replace seals.

I keep tape over the woofer pole vents to avoid any debris from getting into the magnet during the restoration.
 
Last edited:
Cool project.
I'm not sure of your wood working skills, but since these will be in your main home system, not roadie speakers, why not consider veneering them with some beautiful wood.
 
Cool project.
I'm not sure of your wood working skills, but since these will be in your main home system, not roadie speakers, why not consider veneering them with some beautiful wood.

I'm not sure about my "wood working" skills either LOL :)

I did think about doing veneer but I have never done that before and would most likely make a mess out of it also as it is I am
probably spending more on these speakers than I should but I would rather put more into the crossover parts and other upgrades to the drivers.
I do still think the Dura-Tex will look very nice with these big speakers..

But I bet if done by a very qualified cabinet maker these speakers would look Awesome with a beautiful wood finish. Maybe Walnut! :)

BTW here is another version of this speaker the PI15-3. PI means Permanent Install.
Again the same 15L, VMR, T350 just a horizontal layout and yes this model was offered in vinyl simulated wood grain with a particle board cabinet.

Back in the 80's EV went nuts with the 15-3 design.

I would love to have these but they are kind of rare in good condition.
Most of these were sold for theaters, school auditoriums, production rooms and other industrial markets. Most you will find have been poorly painted, missing parts, blown speakers and almost always have big holes drilled into them for wall or ceiling mounting. The rest were thrown in the trash by their owners as they thought they were junk back then :(




Here is a studio monitor made by EAW back in the 90's. http://www.novelty.fr/iphone/materiel.php?id=308
It has a Dura-Tex finish. I think it looks nice and understated but not boring.
BTW These monitors sound amazing! I think they were loaded custom SEAS drivers.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom