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can anyone identify these?

MaDHaTteR

MaDHaTteR

KEF maniac
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the boxes say mordaunt short ms 400 , serial number 1210, but the drivers i belive may be kef, one certainly is it has a lable on the back[the tweeter in the middle] any model numbers for these drivers or imformation or indeed if they are supposed to be in the speaker cabinets would be greatly appricated.


thanks for your time and merry christmas:)
 
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HMMM???
Mordaunt-Short used to make their own drivers, so I find it strange you get a Kef tweeter in there. OTOH that middle tweeter does look like a T37 from KEF.

The oval bass driver certainly is not the B139 oval driver from KEF. I don´t know if they made any others, but I doubt it. I don´t recall any oval drivers by MS either. To me it looks like something pulled out of an old console. I could be wrong of course.

In short it looks to me like a strange mix of drivers and box. Maybe some handy guy put all these different drivers in a Mordaunt-Short box?

Jorge
 
Looking at the cab, nutserts, layout and finish I would not think this is a DIY but I guess it could be a really good one.

How does that thing sound?
 
Did sound nice, but i have just split the unit down and removed all the drivers to sell seperatly on ebay. i acctualy bought these off ebay 3 nights ago i was the only bidder, and i won the for the starting bid off 9 pounds 99 pence!? is it me or that cheap? i was supprized there was no other bids.

Next question i guess then is should i sell the drivers seperatly or as complete speakers?,all the drivers are stamped 72. i guessed they were kit speakers too as the fronts looked alot worse than the rest off the cabinets, i could easly put them back together.

thanks for the replys
 
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MaDHaTteR said:
Did sound nice, but i have just split the unit down and removed all the drivers to sell seperatly on ebay. i acctualy bought these off ebay 3 nights ago i was the only bidder, and i won the for the starting bid off 9 pounds 99 pence!? is it me or that cheap? i was supprized there was no other bids.

i know the value is alot more than that because i have sold a pair off the super tweeters at the top{coles 4001} for cosiderbly more than 10 pounds.

Next question i guess then is should i sell the drivers seperatly or as complete speakers?, i guessed they were kit speakers too as the fronts looked alot worse than the rest off the cabinets, i could easly put them back together.

thanks for the replys
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Hmmmmm let me get this straight. You bought a set of speakers you knew nothing about on ebay, then you come over to AK and ask questions about the speakers, only to strip them down and sell them again on ebay - all with the input you milked from AK's members?

Goodbye......... :lurk:
 
Seems to be an ever increasing occurrence around here. Doesn't anybody get into vintage audio to actually keep the stuff to enjoy rather than flip it?

- JP
 
JimmyNeutron said:
Hmmmmm let me get this straight. You bought a set of speakers you knew nothing about on ebay, then you come over to AK and ask questions about the speakers, only to strip them down and sell them again on ebay - all with the input you milked from AK's members?

Goodbye......... :lurk:
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im sorry if i have hit a sour note here ,i did not realize it was a crime to ask questions about speakers u intend to sell.im 22 and tring to build up my knolage and ps. i am genuinly interested in vintage audio, thats why i occasianaly trade in it.and im not a buissness im just some guy with an interest too all things noisy:P to be perfectly honest i dont think the music i listen to is right for these speakers anyway, it would be a shame to break them.

sorry to anyone i offended.
 
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depends entirely on your motives. if your intention is to use the information gleaned here for profit then AK is not the place for you. there is otherwise nothing wrong with flipping gear you pick up. if you have a genuine interest in audio gear then jump in with both feet and have fun.
 
I agree with what Dingus said and have an additional note for the newbe.
Go back to photobucket and resize your photos to 50% so they can be seen properly on this site.
I too use photobucket but I try to keep all photos the size of the page as Ak has requested.
Enjoy yourself here but try to keep in mind the knowledge available is for your head and ears and not intended to fatten your pockets.

Gary
 
That's an EMI woofer and I agree that the mid looks like the Kef T37. The tweeter might be the Coles that several manufacturers used in the 70s (I think it may have actually been a headphone driver). I am less bothered by people using AK as a reference source than I am by parting out old speakers -- I hope you actually listened to them before taking them apart.
Mordaunt Short has a website, and used to have a short history of their products, and this might be their first speaker.
 
I seriously doubt these were a home brew speaker unless the kit was sold with all the drivers mounted on the baffel board from the factory and you designed and built the box to mount it to.
I have a pair of KEFs designed exactly this way in Kit form. The DIY box builder used junk plywood for the boxes and glued the baffels in so now to get them out or to even get to the internal components I have to cut the cabinets away from the baffel boards and start again from scratch building cabinets for them. Not a good design practice but the speakers are very nice sounding in their nasty looking cabinets.

Gary
 
Gamalot,
I beg to disagree. In this particular case the front baffle is easily detachable and is the part that looks the most shaby.
What made me think, right from the start, that these were home brew speakers was the rubish particle board front panel ( I doubt MS would ever use that ), and the way it is screwed to the box.
Furthermore the oval hole for the bass driver seems to have been made by a hand held routter, and the bolting of that same bass driver with kitchen cupboard fixings is contrary to everything I´ve seen from Mordaunt-Short even from their earlyest days with models like the Pageants and the Festivals.
Now the rest of the cabinet could be MS IMHO.
Jorge
 
hifi_nut said:
Gamalot,
I beg to disagree. In this particular case the front baffle is easily detachable and is the part that looks the most shaby.
What made me think, right from the start, that these were home brew speakers was the rubish particle board front panel ( I doubt MS would ever use that ), and the way it is screwed to the box.
Furthermore the oval hole for the bass driver seems to have been made by a hand held routter, and the bolting of that same bass driver with kitchen cupboard fixings is contrary to everything I´ve seen from Mordaunt-Short even from their earlyest days with models like the Pageants and the Festivals.
Now the rest of the cabinet could be MS IMHO.
Jorge
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If you open up a B&O for instance or many US made speakers from the same 60's to early 70's period, you would see the exact assembly details shown in the photos. Further, they are details a hobbyist from the same period would not likely duplicate themselves. Nylon wire clamps, reverse mounted drivers, neatly stapled velcro, etc. Nothing about them indicates to me that they were anything other than factory made or kit supplied.

I think the speculation that they are very early models is probably accurate and it is a dolt's move to strip them and resell them.

:thumbsdn:
 
Furthermore the oval hole for the bass driver seems to have been made by a hand held routter,
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I guess you are entitled to your opinion however, That inletting of the bass driver with the corners as sharp as they are is by no means an easy task with a handheld router. It is actually alot of tough work and had to be done with a very small radius bit with many passes to get all the material out and a template to follow the lines so straight.
I am more inclined to think this was done on a CNC router, in a factory and supplied as a part of the kit.
I really believe few DIY speaker builders would go thru the trouble.
My KEF Kit Cantatas have the exact same mounting however when it was installed on the DIY cabinet the maker used glue as well as the screws. It is there forever unless cut or broken away. I wish he has used a gasket instead making opening the cabinets a possibility.
BTW, I have many sets of speakers from the early 70s and all, even the Altec Model 19s and 15s have particle board baffels that are nicely veneered.
Nothing at all wrong with particle board as a speaker material, second only to MDF, IMHO.

Gary
 
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Charivari said:
Seems to be an ever increasing occurrence around here. Doesn't anybody get into vintage audio to actually keep the stuff to enjoy rather than flip it?

- JP
Click to expand...

Um, yes, if you don't believe me, you can ask my wife.
 
thank you for the replys guys.i have now realized i made a terible mistake spliting these up, i have now put these speakers all back together. i have rejoined the wires by striping the ends then twisting together and insulating with elcro tape, i know this is crude but as someone on a very tight budget will this affect sound quality?, or should i have the wires replaced and resoldered? i think they sounds as good as they did but its very hard to tell , my amp is laughable.

also all the drivers and the boxes themself all have stamps saying 72.the boxes have a inspection pass stamp on the bottom off the inside.

any suggestions for a future amp too look for to drive these things properly? i also have a set off ditton 15 and marantz imperial 6 so something that could power those too would be helpfull.atm i have a moden JVC stero as a amp :puke:
 
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Mad H. First off I don't think anyone said these were in any way Great speakers. If they sound good as they are then fine, keep them together and sell or replace them as you find and can afford better.
I think what has been said and should have been heard loud and clear is that the little you could get by selling the drivers seperately is of no value and it is better to keep them as they were intended to be. I seriously doubt anyone here would do some kind of an amazing search if one of the tweeter on them was to blow out. Again, if they sound good then run them till they die or you can upgrade.
In my opinion of your system, you start with a nice amp or receiver and you add as you go along and have the cash. It makes no sense to buy kick ass speakers if all you have to feed them is **** power.
Get a nice amp/receiver first and then start searching for speakers to match the amps capabilities. All the other stuff, Turn tables, CD players and Casset decks can come later but you need to have decent power and good speakers to begin with.
I am assuming you are young and have plenty of time to get yourself set up.
Keep another thing in mind though, even us old guys are still getting things set up so it is a never ending but very enjoyable battle.
Always remember the concept of the weakest link. You can have a great amp that sounds terrible thru poor speakers. You can have a great amp and great speakers but they still sounds terrible thru a poor turntable or bad cartridge. If your CD player is junk then it will likely produce junk for sound and so on and so on.
When you think about asking "what something is worth" keep this in mind, It is worth what ever the highest bidder is willing to pay for it and we don't know what that is. We have seen Altec Model 19 speakers go for $100 and we have seen them go for $2000. We have seen Sansui G 9000 receivers sell for $189 and we have seen them sell for $1100+. Recently a Sansui G 33000 sold for $3500+ while the very next one at auction did not sell for $1400. What something is worth is what it is worth to you in your system at that time under the exact conditions and money situation you are in at that time.
I always figure if it sounds good, looks good and is at a reasonable price and will add to my pleasure then it is worth buying. I don't usually buy stuff when my funds are limited with the idea that I will flip them for a profit and buy some more. Best way to get hurt or loose good money.
If you have good thrift stores by you, good will or Salvation Army then stop in them and look. As you grow accustomed to what is good or not, you will not need to ask the same question We have seen many times here. " I was in a Good will store and saw a set of Klipsh Corner horns in nice shape for $22.50, should I buy them tomarrow when I go back. You just buy the damm things and come here and tell us about your absolutely fantastic, yet Unbelievable find!!!!!
Read the threads here before you decide to be the laughing stock of the forum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't say that loud enough!
Gary
 
Looking at the pics carefully, I think they are factory. If you are on a budget, why flip them if they sound good? If they dont then, ok.
 
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