You’d be just the person to ask about the comparative sound of Rectilinear iii’s vs. the other impressive speakers you mentioned in your post. How do the Recs stack up against your AR3s, La Scala’s and Bozak 401s?
Anybody heard Rectilinear iii Highboys?
- Thread starter Old Driver
- Start date
Yes I've had that happen also and in those cases the recap obviously proved to be worth it. I was only referring to speakers that were already sounding good to my ears and had all drivers working fine.
They stack up just fine. As I indicated, they are the only one's that haven't undergone any type of internal restoration, and yet I find them easily as enjoyable to listen to with all kinds of music as the others. The La Scala's of course are dramatically different in size and efficiency, so they can play much louder, but that's of little importance to me as my normal listening levels usually don't go beyond 70-75db. I prefer slightly warmer sounding speakers, so the La Scala's don't get as much play time as I rotate as the 401's, III's and 3's. They are all fairly similar in their presentation, and on any given day, each of them becomes my favorite.
Now I’m kicking myself for not buying the AR3s too when I bought the Rec iii’s
Unless you're willing to put the 3's through the extensive restoration they require to get them back to sounding as great as they do once that happens you made the right move. The III's are great speakers.
Blue Shadow
Waiting for Vintage Gear from this century
Some do it by recapping one speaker and comparing.
In your case the old caps did not work causing no midrange. So you did compare before, speaker not working right and after with the speaker having all drivers work.
On some speakers I’ve done there are distinct improvements in mid and hi frequency output from obviously wrong low output. This made the speakers sound correct. But as you say, hard to tell recapped vs as new. We just accept the newly updated speaker sound.
The Rectilinear III higboys have the woofers screwed from the inside, so removal is impossible unless the baffle containing all of the drivers is removed via the dozen or so screws. Your picture is the same as mine.
Sorry for the confusion with my earlier post. Yes you are 100% correct. My Rectilinear iiis had the woofer attached to a front baffle with a gazillion screws. 16-18 I think just like in the picture. After screw removal, the baffle just comes out of the cabinet.
I should have been clearer. My explanation on recapping was more generic, as in,”generally how do you recap” vs. specific to the Rec iii’s.
After a lot of recap jobs on different speakers, this was the first time I ever encountered a baffle that was screwed rather than glued.
Once removed, I could reach the board and it’s capacitors without having to remove it.
I found it best to start unscrewing each screw by hand one at a time then finishing with a cordless drill in reverse. After the years being imbedded in the baffle, it’s easy to strip the screw heads if you start backing them out with a drill first. At least mine were really in there tight. Lesson learned……
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I found a nearly mint pair of Highboys along with a pair of mini III’s. Currently running the Highboys in my out of town apartment bedroom system along with a restored HK Citation 11/12 combo. 
onepixel
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I bet that sounds sweet!
Nice set-up.
I have no complaints, they sound very good IMO. Very full at low volumes. On occasion I let the Sansui play
Are the Highboys any different sounding than the Lowboy version, other than the mid and high frequency being closer to the floor?
I've owned the lowboys, wirh functioning drivers, crossovers, etc and they weren't my cup of tea. I had some Bozak 305 and 301 and I wouldn't put the Rectilinear in the same class. That's me, but I'm an Altec, JBL horns, and Klipschorn guy, so my taste in sound reproduction is tilted towards dynamics over frequency response I guess.
I've owned the lowboys, wirh functioning drivers, crossovers, etc and they weren't my cup of tea. I had some Bozak 305 and 301 and I wouldn't put the Rectilinear in the same class. That's me, but I'm an Altec, JBL horns, and Klipschorn guy, so my taste in sound reproduction is tilted towards dynamics over frequency response I guess.
Bozak's are definitely more dynamic then the III"s. I have Highboys, and while they are not acoustic suspension, they are much more alike to the AR, KLH, and other East Coast varieties. Darker, softer sound IMO, especially compared to the 3 brands that you listed.
absolve2525
Super Member
Did you happen to recap your low boys? It made a huge difference in mine. Also, angling them back or putting on stands. Did yours have the two level controls on the back? Fine tuning and cleaning those also makes a dramatic difference. Also, ditching the plastic molded grills for something less obstructive. Mine came with a set of grills that was just fabric and an outer wood frame. Previous owner made them.