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Fried Model M Speakers

cjmustang69

cjmustang69

Well-Known Member
Here are a couple of photos of Fried speakers I picked up today. Bottom cabinets in pretty nice condition - the caps which sit over tweeter/midrange are pretty rough. Should be easy to fix or make replacements. Biggest disappointment is 1 of the tweeters isn't working. I pulled the tweeter and see it is a KEF T27 tweeter. I'll switch tweeters this weekend between speakers and determine if it is a tweeter or x-over issue. On the bright side, even with the tweeter issue, I'm impresseed with the sound quality of the speakers.
 

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Very nice, do you know what the other drivers are? Looks like KEF B110 & B200 to me, but it's late and i've had a drink or two so I could be wrong.

If i'm not wrong then basically you have a pair of LS3/5a's sat on top of the transmission-line bass units from the IMF TLS50's.:banana:
 
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I haven't pulled any of the other drivers to identify them. I likely will do so this weekend when I'm attempting to sort the tweeter issue. Once I pull them, I'll post what I find.
 
I think that Skinley has it right. T27s aren't hard to find, and oddly enough, just buying a pair of Kefs with the tweeters in them may be cheaper than buying the tweeter by itself. Nice score.
 
I had a pair of those back in the '80's.

They are pretty much like LS3/5a's on a transmission line bass unit..The other drivers are the B-110 and B-200(large magnet version)
They are a sweet speaker and with good power you will like them.Very neutral and revealling.
Mine did not have the top hat,so yours can be a good as new once restored.
One thing,don't overdrive them.You will find it hard to find the bass driver.The B-110 and T-27 are easier to find.

Matt............tubeornotube
 
Thanks so much for the information on these speakers and the drivers used in them. I looked everywhere I knew to look on internet about this model when I saw them listed on Craigslist near me. I found very little information. I recognized the Fried name from the 70s and bought them sight unseen. After listening to them this evening and reading about the drivers contained in them - I'm glad I did. As far as overdriving them, I plan to be careful. I've recently moved to tube amp (Cary 280SA V12) and tube preamp (ARC SP16) so I don't think I'll be driving them too hard.

Homer - you are not far from me and are welcome to stop by and hear them sometime - just let me know if you're interested.
 
I can't remember..were the crossovers mounted on the back of the midbass/tweeter cabinet or hidden inside?..I recall it being very substantial though..Good luck with your Frieds and hope you find a T-27,if indeed that is the problem.

Matt
 
Yes, the x-overs are mounted on back of midrange/tweeter units. They are pretty impressive - I'll take a few photos and post tomorrow evening. I looked on Ebay and see there are T-27 tweeters available so at least if the tweeter is issue - I believe I'll be able to find one. They appear to be expensive, so I hope to do some research and see what other KEF speakers may be available with the T-27 tweeter.
 
Took a couple of pictures with grills and tops on this evening - as I wrote earlier the woodframes of tops are pretty fragile and I'll need to have another set made in future.
 

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I snapped a photo showing x-over mounted on back of mirange/tweeter housing - as you remembered Matt. I also pulled the woofer in speaker with problem tweeter - it is a KEF B200 SP1022 as mentioned in earlier reply. While I'm waiting to resolve the tweeter issue, I'd like purchase some black vinyl laminate to put on speaker bases. Does anyone know where the vinyl laminate can be purchased without ordering online?
 

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Update on Fried speakers - I sent the bad tweeter and a woofer to Millersound last week. The woofer worked, but I noticed a very slight rubbing sound when I played music. Bill was able to repair the tweeter and also took care of the rubbing in woofer. For anyone needing speakers repaired, I can't recommend Millersound highly enough. I installed the tweeter and woofer tonight and am enjoying them this evening. First impressions are very positive for these speakers. The mids and highs are very smooth and the bass is surprising from the 8" woofer.
 

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I've been listening to these Fried speakers for over a week now. These are one of the most balanced and smoothest speakers I've owned since I've gotten back into the audio hobby. The mids and highs are extremely smooth, image very nice, and present a wide soundstage. The sound is laid back and not at all fatiguing. For a speaker brand and model I've read little about - it is really a nice sounding speaker. As noted earler in this thread - the tweeter and midrange are the same as used in the Rogers LS3/5A, which I suppose helps explain the Fried's performance.
 
I had the "M", and later purchased the upgrade kit, to convert it to the M/II speaker. I also had the "superstructure" that fit over the satellite, along with all the grills. It was a very impressive looking speaker.
I sold them years ago, and moved on to the G/IIA speakers. Now, I have the Studio 8, upgraded from the Studio 7.
 
Those look great. I saw a pair of Q/3's with stands that are fine looking. Don't know much about them though.

Rome
 
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