Vintage 1967 Built In High End Home Hi Fi
- Thread starter Flashback67
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Flashback67
Member
Thanks Tony.
The last task remaining is fabricating new grills for all ten speakers. The originals were just a wood picture frame with cloth stapled at the back and screwed to the ceiling. I have a plan for something cleaner looking with hidden fasteners. But I am in no hurry to cover up my hard work.
Flashback67
Member
If there is anyone out there still following my posts on this project, today I can officially say the home audio system is complete.
Fabricating the 10 speaker grills were a slog to get through, but I am very happy with the final results. I found grill cloth that matched the ceiling paint very closely at Simply Speakers, and bought speaker grill hidden fasteners from Parts Express.
The original grill frames were made from picture frame moulding and attached to the ceiling with visible screws and the grill cloth was stapled into the center of the frames. To make the grills look more contemporary I filled in all the holes and painted the frames. Then I stretched the cloth over the frames like a modern speaker and used the hidden fasteners to let them snap to the ceiling.
That finished up Frazier ceiling speakers. But there have been some changes to the system’s electronics since my earlier posts...
Fabricating the 10 speaker grills were a slog to get through, but I am very happy with the final results. I found grill cloth that matched the ceiling paint very closely at Simply Speakers, and bought speaker grill hidden fasteners from Parts Express.
The original grill frames were made from picture frame moulding and attached to the ceiling with visible screws and the grill cloth was stapled into the center of the frames. To make the grills look more contemporary I filled in all the holes and painted the frames. Then I stretched the cloth over the frames like a modern speaker and used the hidden fasteners to let them snap to the ceiling.
That finished up Frazier ceiling speakers. But there have been some changes to the system’s electronics since my earlier posts...
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Flashback67
Member
For the house system’s electronics I had this image of controlling volume, audio source, TV channels and radio stations all from my iPad or iPhone. The goal was to have all the flexibility of modern wireless systems, but with the audio quality of wired system with really good speakers.
To do this on a budget I started off using a Yamaha R-S700 receiver with dual zone capability. To allow operation of zone 2 using wifi I purchased a Harmony Hub by Logitech.
What a piece of junk the Harmony Hub turned out to be. After 6 months dealing with Logitech tech support they still couldn’t get the Harmony Hub to operate either the receiver on zone 2 or the Sony TV. Operating zone 2 directly from the receiver was also no joy. Reminiscent of programming a 20 year old VCR.
Luckily I bought both from Crutchfield. Even though 6 months had passed they accepted both back at full price. I replaced them mwith a Yamaha A-S801 integrated amp and a Yamaha WXC-50 preamp with WiFi capabilities.
The WCX-50 controls the input to the 16 channel Russound amp and the A-S801 powers the 15” speakers in the TV room. Using the Musicast software the WCX-50 provides us WiFi control of everything we wanted except the TV. While the S-S801 has intuitive old style controls for the 15” speakers when serious listening is desired. The two units are inter connected to allow streaming from the WXC-50 to the A-S801, and the CD, turntable, and reel to reel from the A-S801 to the WXC-50. Wife is now very happy with the ease of use.
While the Frazier speakers sounded very good sitting on a table for testing, when mounted in the ceiling the room acoustics were a problem. So despite the purist negative stigma attached, I installed a professional grade ART EQ355 equalizer to provide room correction. Now I am very happy too.
Now that the house audio is done, the next project will be upgrading the TV room system.
To do this on a budget I started off using a Yamaha R-S700 receiver with dual zone capability. To allow operation of zone 2 using wifi I purchased a Harmony Hub by Logitech.
What a piece of junk the Harmony Hub turned out to be. After 6 months dealing with Logitech tech support they still couldn’t get the Harmony Hub to operate either the receiver on zone 2 or the Sony TV. Operating zone 2 directly from the receiver was also no joy. Reminiscent of programming a 20 year old VCR.
Luckily I bought both from Crutchfield. Even though 6 months had passed they accepted both back at full price. I replaced them mwith a Yamaha A-S801 integrated amp and a Yamaha WXC-50 preamp with WiFi capabilities.
The WCX-50 controls the input to the 16 channel Russound amp and the A-S801 powers the 15” speakers in the TV room. Using the Musicast software the WCX-50 provides us WiFi control of everything we wanted except the TV. While the S-S801 has intuitive old style controls for the 15” speakers when serious listening is desired. The two units are inter connected to allow streaming from the WXC-50 to the A-S801, and the CD, turntable, and reel to reel from the A-S801 to the WXC-50. Wife is now very happy with the ease of use.
While the Frazier speakers sounded very good sitting on a table for testing, when mounted in the ceiling the room acoustics were a problem. So despite the purist negative stigma attached, I installed a professional grade ART EQ355 equalizer to provide room correction. Now I am very happy too.
Now that the house audio is done, the next project will be upgrading the TV room system.
Attachments
Flashback67
Member
Thank you Mark. The system is bringing us a lot of joy. I never used Pandora or Spotify much before restoring this system. Now I am hooked.
One thing we lost changing from a receiver to an integrated amp was a tuner. I was about to buy a vintage Yamaha T-2 tuner I found locally. But it turned out we could access our favorite PBS, Jazz, and Classical radio stations on the internet. So no pressing need. I may still get the T-2 just because I like it at the right price.
Being a Yamaha fan you will notice we changed to a silver face on the integrated amp. Personally I always preferred the vintage look of the silver. Turns out it also makes reading the markings a lot easier.
One final reason for going with a silver face is to match the new reel to reel recorder. It is not worth the time or money for me to restore the old Sony recorder that came with the house. At the same time it is hard to justify spending any money on a reel to reel when we only have the one tape that came with the house.
While shopping a local vintage audio shop however for a tuner I found a Pioneer RT-707 recorder in excellent shape and a warranty. Instead of buying it with cash, I traded my old Carver receiver and CD player for it. I am looking forward to playing with a media I always wanted but could never justify owning.
The plan for my next project will be to modify the media cabinet to install the Pioneer recorder below the left speaker to match the Yamaha integrated amp on the right.
In my next post I will outline my plan for modifying the media cabinet speakers.
One thing we lost changing from a receiver to an integrated amp was a tuner. I was about to buy a vintage Yamaha T-2 tuner I found locally. But it turned out we could access our favorite PBS, Jazz, and Classical radio stations on the internet. So no pressing need. I may still get the T-2 just because I like it at the right price.
Being a Yamaha fan you will notice we changed to a silver face on the integrated amp. Personally I always preferred the vintage look of the silver. Turns out it also makes reading the markings a lot easier.
One final reason for going with a silver face is to match the new reel to reel recorder. It is not worth the time or money for me to restore the old Sony recorder that came with the house. At the same time it is hard to justify spending any money on a reel to reel when we only have the one tape that came with the house.
While shopping a local vintage audio shop however for a tuner I found a Pioneer RT-707 recorder in excellent shape and a warranty. Instead of buying it with cash, I traded my old Carver receiver and CD player for it. I am looking forward to playing with a media I always wanted but could never justify owning.
The plan for my next project will be to modify the media cabinet to install the Pioneer recorder below the left speaker to match the Yamaha integrated amp on the right.
In my next post I will outline my plan for modifying the media cabinet speakers.
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Flashback67
Member
My audio project for this winter will be replacing the pair of EV Wolverine LT15 Triax speakers (actually Duplex with a wizzer cone) with GPA 604-8H III Speakers and N604-8A crossovers. I was debating restoring the LT15s. But if I am going to invest a lot of man hours modifying the cabinets, I want the the GPAs. Plus I think I am slowly turning my wife into an audiophile.
The LT15 cabinets (see photo) were not built with any consideration of resulting sound quality. The left and right cabinet volumes are different, they should be ported, and the right speaker doesn’t even have a back. EV published a great guide for building cabinets for their speakers. But the great furniture craftsman that built the media center never read it.
For the longest time I struggled to come up with a way to fit the 9 cubic ft of volume the GPAs required in the media center without changing the front of the cabinets. The oak and walnut veneer is beautiful and next to impossible or very expensive to match.
In the end I couldn’t come up with any design that didn’t require replacing the cabinet fronts. The speakers need to be lower to get the tweeters closer to ear level and there was no room for ports.
Then one day I remembered that there were two big shelves in the garage that looked to be made with the same veneer as the media cabinet. I unloaded all the boxes and cans stacked on the shelves and discovered they were made using the same veneer. And while the side that had stuff piled on it for 50 years was marked up, the back side was like new, and a perfect match to the cabinets. Obviously the boards were left over from making the cabinets and used for shelves.
So now I can completely replace the speaker cabinet fronts. On the right I will keep the Dual turntable and Yamaha integrated amp where they are, but the Sony reel to reel will be removed. Then lowering the bottom of the cabinet 2 inches gets me 9 cubic ft plus a little.
On the left I will lower the cabinet about a foot to get the 9 cubic ft. The Pioneer reel to reel will be installed below it in the same position as the the Yamaha integrated amp on the right.
On both sides the GPAs will mounted with the tweeters at about 42 inches above the floor and with two round ports above each speaker.
I have discovered when I take my time I can do some really good cabinet work. I modified the media cabinet already to allow the flat panel screen to swing out and give access to the shelves I built behind it. Installed three hidden cooling fans. There was also a lot of damage from 50 years of bad modifications to repair.
So I am looking forward to this winter project. Will post updates and photos as with the Frazier project.
The LT15 cabinets (see photo) were not built with any consideration of resulting sound quality. The left and right cabinet volumes are different, they should be ported, and the right speaker doesn’t even have a back. EV published a great guide for building cabinets for their speakers. But the great furniture craftsman that built the media center never read it.
For the longest time I struggled to come up with a way to fit the 9 cubic ft of volume the GPAs required in the media center without changing the front of the cabinets. The oak and walnut veneer is beautiful and next to impossible or very expensive to match.
In the end I couldn’t come up with any design that didn’t require replacing the cabinet fronts. The speakers need to be lower to get the tweeters closer to ear level and there was no room for ports.
Then one day I remembered that there were two big shelves in the garage that looked to be made with the same veneer as the media cabinet. I unloaded all the boxes and cans stacked on the shelves and discovered they were made using the same veneer. And while the side that had stuff piled on it for 50 years was marked up, the back side was like new, and a perfect match to the cabinets. Obviously the boards were left over from making the cabinets and used for shelves.
So now I can completely replace the speaker cabinet fronts. On the right I will keep the Dual turntable and Yamaha integrated amp where they are, but the Sony reel to reel will be removed. Then lowering the bottom of the cabinet 2 inches gets me 9 cubic ft plus a little.
On the left I will lower the cabinet about a foot to get the 9 cubic ft. The Pioneer reel to reel will be installed below it in the same position as the the Yamaha integrated amp on the right.
On both sides the GPAs will mounted with the tweeters at about 42 inches above the floor and with two round ports above each speaker.
I have discovered when I take my time I can do some really good cabinet work. I modified the media cabinet already to allow the flat panel screen to swing out and give access to the shelves I built behind it. Installed three hidden cooling fans. There was also a lot of damage from 50 years of bad modifications to repair.
So I am looking forward to this winter project. Will post updates and photos as with the Frazier project.
Attachments
TomBig58
Super Member
I had just joined AK when you started this thread and, being an HVAC guy working in many high-end vintage homes, have followed your journey closely. In fact when I started reading it today I was like "wait a minute, I remember this!" Beautiful work and quite the labor of love. Keep up the quality improvements, keep us posted, and congratulations on the wife"s conversion. It could be the best part of this whole restoration/upgrade!
Flashback67
Member
Thanks Tom. We plan to stay in this home for a long time. So as you say, it is a labor of love.
Marine0811
I love it loud!
Nice job! Too bad the EV’s are being replaced as they have a cool look to them
Flashback67
Member
Flashback67 here. I am finally back with and update on the media cabinet project. Sorry it has been almost a year. But the passage of time has a way of going by quickly and unnoticed when you are busy. The house also decided on its own that replacing the two AC units, the dishwasher, and rebuilding the wood deck and all of the retaining walls around the house took precedent over my audio system project. But this is an audio site, and I am ready to discuss fun stuff. Over the past year I have spent many hours sketching different speaker configurations for the media center. Most of them utilized the Altec 604 coaxial as the basis. I started off trying to keep some of the electronics in the two side areas behind the hinge screens. But I came to the conclusion that it was best to make use of all the volume on the sides and relocate all electronics to the area above the TV. This area is nice and deep, ventilated, and can be totally hidden by two doors that slide out from either side to disappear when open. This also gives me the freedom to change electronics more easily should I want to play with different amps, preamps or sources.
I thought I would try to fit an MTL configuration into the space available. And while I could just about make it fit, the compromises I needed to make did not guarantee success. While volume was adequate, port location and cross-sectional area we’re not optimal. Going back to a conventional bass reflex design was the best option. But I was hoping to get deeper base in the conventional 604 would get in a bass reflex cabinet. Also the 604 tweeter height was a little bit taller than my seating height on the couch. Without electronics in the area I could mounted lower, but the screens on the doors have woodframe bars that would block the tweeter with the door closed. So a complete re-think was required.
I had been reading a lot about the Altec Model 19, and had heard only good things. So using the dimensioned drawings I found of the Model 19 cabinet My plan changed course. Using the modern GPA 416-8B in a 8.8 cuft bass reflects cabinet gets me a respectable 25 Hz bottom end. While installing the the Altec 811-B horn below the 416 can get me the tweeter height closer to optimal. Reading the Model 19 manual I even discovered instructions on how to position the cabinets upside down for studio use. As a final bonus, the drivers clear almost all the screen obstructions.
I was looking for some karma sign to tell me this was the best direction to go with the cabinet design. The sign came from an ad on eBay for Altec 811 horns for sale in perfect original condition, and just 15 minutes drive from my house. Within one hour of seeing the ad I purchased the horn’s and brought them home. They were just as described perfect condition and they only cost me $90. In seeing these huge aluminum monstrosities my wife commented “Well if you don’t use them for the speakers, I can make them into some very interesting flower vases”.
Over the past year I have been putting aside funds for this project. Last week I spoke with Bill at GPA and told him I would be putting in an order for all the parts I needed within the next few weeks. Oklahoma City is just a 3 hour drive North for me. So I can pick up all the components and save both shipping and worry.
Now I need some input and comments from the audio karma community. Please take a look at the attached plans and let me know what you think. I am especially interested in any comments regarding the port location and size, placement and type dampening material to use, and any thoughts concerning cabinet rigidity. The top, bottom, and sides of the cabinets are 1.5” furniture grade plywood. The front and back of the cabinets will be 0.75” furniture grade plywood with 0.75” MDF bonded to it. I am thinking that with this thickness there is no need for any internal bracing. But I need some reassurance.
In looking for boards to use with the right veneer, I actually found another treasure trove. There are enough good boards for me to build matching shelving for the electronics I plan to use. The electronics is another discussion for another post. I have some ideas for modern equipment, but they may be full of Shiit.
Flashback67
Member
Copy of cabinet plans attached below of high-resolution.
Great job, interesting thread. Any chance of exterior photos of the home, it looks like an outstanding example.
Flashback67
Member
Flashback, that home is fabulous. You should document your work on it in the mcm thread. I’m in Southlake, what part of Dallas are you in.
After reading the whole thread, all I can say is-"damn, what a journey "! You've probably got as much time in documenting this trip on AK as the project itself! Huge congrats on your vision, upon realizing what you had & deciding what to do with it. Most people would've likely ripped it all out & covered the holes. Now, for to relax & enjoy. Crank it up!
as for cooperative wifey, 
Lucky you!
as for cooperative wifey, Lucky you!
