AK teamwork = a crazy pair of Fulton Modular J's with RtR ES tweeters
- Thread starter SpeakerLabFan
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I am new to the forum and had not seen this thread before...I had a pair of the RTR ESR-6 that I used in place of the midrange and tweeter portion of the JBL 88+12...this was an incredible combo...
....I eventually replaced it with a ESS Heil tweeter...was fun but never as resolving or musical as the electrostats.
....I eventually replaced it with a ESS Heil tweeter...was fun but never as resolving or musical as the electrostats.
sheltie dave
Addicted Member
I joined the club, with the E bass module, FMI 80s, and the RTR units. I'm dancing for being able to listen to one of the legends from back in the day. :thmbsp: And they are huge when stacked - bigger than the KHorns.
Susurus
Resolution:6.62×10^-34
Out-standing~!
I will ask you if you could take a close-up of the name badge low on your bass cab? Mine came without that...or a grill...:sigh:
Set the mid module back a bit from the front for better time-alignment. On my set a little tape guide was there that corresponded to the instruction sheet. Different setback for the optional mid modules.
And I'm impressed at the mini-Dolly Parton tweeters on your Klipsch too. Going all out. Nice veneer too...
What are you driving them with?
I will ask you if you could take a close-up of the name badge low on your bass cab? Mine came without that...or a grill...:sigh:
Set the mid module back a bit from the front for better time-alignment. On my set a little tape guide was there that corresponded to the instruction sheet. Different setback for the optional mid modules.
And I'm impressed at the mini-Dolly Parton tweeters on your Klipsch too. Going all out. Nice veneer too...
What are you driving them with?
sheltie dave
Addicted Member
Susurus, here is the badge for the E woofers...
The KHorns have a wood Martinelli horn coupled with a JBL 2470 mid driver, and the Dolly Parton is a JBL 2404 babycheek horn for the tweet. They are driven by one of these three amps depending on the week and/or what a visitor wants to hear..From to to bottom, a custom walnut set of NOSValves VRD monoblocs, a Nakamichi PA7 Stasis amp, and a ARC D115 tube amp.
Back in the day, TAS held the Fultons to be much better than KHorns, so we shall see who is king of the hill these days. It is always a blast to try a different flavor of ice cream to see if it is to your liking:thmbsp::yes:
If you have a user's manual or instructions for wiring these up, could you post or email them?
The KHorns have a wood Martinelli horn coupled with a JBL 2470 mid driver, and the Dolly Parton is a JBL 2404 babycheek horn for the tweet. They are driven by one of these three amps depending on the week and/or what a visitor wants to hear..From to to bottom, a custom walnut set of NOSValves VRD monoblocs, a Nakamichi PA7 Stasis amp, and a ARC D115 tube amp.
Back in the day, TAS held the Fultons to be much better than KHorns, so we shall see who is king of the hill these days. It is always a blast to try a different flavor of ice cream to see if it is to your liking:thmbsp::yes:
If you have a user's manual or instructions for wiring these up, could you post or email them?
sheltie dave
Addicted Member
Thanks for the prompt reply Susurus! I now have a complete set of instructions for wiring these modules up, and some info on what/how these units were designed to work:thmbsp:
sheltie dave
Addicted Member
How do you Fulton owners set them up in your listening room re distance from rear and side walls. I am going to set ours up on an ARC D115 100 wpc tube amp today, and get everything tweaked in for a soon to be held public flogging/listening session, and I want to dial them in a little.
A couple lurkers and AK members have been over for low key sessions, and the do sound fairly impressive with an Apt Holman amp and Acurus pre, but I know we can upgrade a little. Any thoughts and observations are appreciated.:thmbsp:
A couple lurkers and AK members have been over for low key sessions, and the do sound fairly impressive with an Apt Holman amp and Acurus pre, but I know we can upgrade a little. Any thoughts and observations are appreciated.:thmbsp:
These speakers are really unlike any others. Bob Fulton was a real genius with sound. I have the Jmod setup with the large bass module. The base module I have is 26" wide x 22" deep and stands 33" high. It has the front firing 10" and the down firing 12". Bass this thing can put out is earth shaking. If not for their size and weight(there only negative), I would say these are the best speakers I have ever had. They certainly are the best I have ever heard.
I bought my set from the original owner who had purchased them while living in California. He knew Bob Fulton and these were actually tweaked by Bob himself at his home. I asked what tweaks Bob made and he said when Bob talked it was so over his head he really couldn't tell me. Bob loved to tweak these as you can see by pictures of his elaborate crossovers. The owner of the speakers I now have told me Bob was never satisfied with the sound any of his speakers produced, he always thought he could do better. His goal was to make a speaker which would ultimately sound exactly like the instruments and singers on the recordings and not like a speaker.
I will tell you that since I have had mine I have determined that the bass mod loves power. I think you need a fast powerful amp to control those woofers.
Congrats on finding a real piece of musical history. I know I will never let mine go! Here is some info I found.
Description: Four-way, five–drive-unit, floor-standing loudspeaker (J-Modular, including two Model 80s). Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Power capacity: 60W program.
Dimensions: 17.5" H x 9.75" W x 8.5" D (Model 80); 33" high x 18" W by 18" D (Model J woofer).
Price: $188/pair (Model 80, 1973), $1196/pair (Model J-Modular, 1975–1977); no longer available (2006).
Manufacturer: Fulton Musical Industries, 4428 Zane Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55422 (1973–1977). Company no longer in existence (2006).
I bought my set from the original owner who had purchased them while living in California. He knew Bob Fulton and these were actually tweaked by Bob himself at his home. I asked what tweaks Bob made and he said when Bob talked it was so over his head he really couldn't tell me. Bob loved to tweak these as you can see by pictures of his elaborate crossovers. The owner of the speakers I now have told me Bob was never satisfied with the sound any of his speakers produced, he always thought he could do better. His goal was to make a speaker which would ultimately sound exactly like the instruments and singers on the recordings and not like a speaker.
I will tell you that since I have had mine I have determined that the bass mod loves power. I think you need a fast powerful amp to control those woofers.
Congrats on finding a real piece of musical history. I know I will never let mine go! Here is some info I found.
Description: Four-way, five–drive-unit, floor-standing loudspeaker (J-Modular, including two Model 80s). Nominal impedance: 8 ohms. Power capacity: 60W program.
Dimensions: 17.5" H x 9.75" W x 8.5" D (Model 80); 33" high x 18" W by 18" D (Model J woofer).
Price: $188/pair (Model 80, 1973), $1196/pair (Model J-Modular, 1975–1977); no longer available (2006).
Manufacturer: Fulton Musical Industries, 4428 Zane Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55422 (1973–1977). Company no longer in existence (2006).
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TAPEPATH
Active Member
Enjoying FMI 80s
Hello,
I used to be a Fulton Musical Industries dealer in the Washington, D.C. area many years ago and marveled at how Bob could produce product after product that sounded so good. From speakers, to records, to speaker cable, to turntable mats, everything set benchmarks for great reproduced sound. Recently I've had to move my system from a fairly large, open area that was ideal for ML CLS to a considerably smaller room.
I wanted to find a medium sized speaker better suited to the room, but not give up much quality. The sound character of the complete Fulton J Modular system has always stuck in my aural memory and I wondered if I could put one together. Fortune smiled and I was able to buy a pair of FMI 80s and have set them up today. My heavens they sound amazing!
The next step is to see if I can blend my Janis W1 woofer to them, this was a very viable combination if I remember correctly. Then I'll try and add a pair of Decca ribbon tweeters to the top end. But, for now it's just good music!
Cheers, Ken
Hello,
I used to be a Fulton Musical Industries dealer in the Washington, D.C. area many years ago and marveled at how Bob could produce product after product that sounded so good. From speakers, to records, to speaker cable, to turntable mats, everything set benchmarks for great reproduced sound. Recently I've had to move my system from a fairly large, open area that was ideal for ML CLS to a considerably smaller room.
I wanted to find a medium sized speaker better suited to the room, but not give up much quality. The sound character of the complete Fulton J Modular system has always stuck in my aural memory and I wondered if I could put one together. Fortune smiled and I was able to buy a pair of FMI 80s and have set them up today. My heavens they sound amazing!
The next step is to see if I can blend my Janis W1 woofer to them, this was a very viable combination if I remember correctly. Then I'll try and add a pair of Decca ribbon tweeters to the top end. But, for now it's just good music!
Cheers, Ken
kfa888
Addicted Member
I have one of those and you are the first person i have seem mention it. I freaking LOVE the sub. Sounds great and is not super sensitive to placement given it's top firing design. I run it with some MK sats and the sound is VERY good.
TAPEPATH
Active Member
Ah, yes, the Janis W1 and Interphase amp/controller designed by John Marovskis, another guy with a great ear. One of Stereophile's most significant 100 audio products. It came with a frequency response graph and distortion measurements. I've not heard every subwoofer out there, but it's the only one that sounds like real music to me. However, the Fulton woofer and the Fried "coffin" woofer were ones I could easily live with as well.
Cheers, Ken
Cheers, Ken