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ESS speaker ID? (without pics)

cubby01

cubby01

aka Buck
ESS speaker ID? (Now with pics)

I saw an older ESS speaker I haven't been able to identify.

From memory.....

About 30 inches tall. Thick walnut sides. Black formica top (textured kinda like raw slate). Fairly heavy.

Grills were a brown/black basket weave I think. Grills were not removable. Behind the grills, it seemed like a 12" woover. Big round port lower left, Tweeter upper right. Round hole but got the sense of something rectangular behind it. (I was only touching one speaker so I don't recall if they were mirrored or not.)

Front grill had ESS badge

Terminal plate said only ElectroStatic Sound and gave a serial number, but had same fuse, jacks, and same aluminum attenuation nob as AMT1 I think.

Any ideas?
 
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Quick, go back and pick them up. I'll tell you after you do what they are.

Trust me you'll be glad you did. :yes:

The grills have small nails holding them on. You have to pry them off. Rectangualar item is a square tweeter. Not mirrored.
 
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Picture - - kinda sorta

OK,
Here's a print ad from 1973 I snagged but can't read. The speakers in question are in the foreground. Can someone give me a model number so I can look for info on them. Seller wants a C-Note for them.

Thanks much,
 

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Yes, Tempest, Must be an early version and do not have a model number. Just found pic below on the web. Now are they worth messing with? I have no idea at this point if they even work.

The ones in question are ok but are not as nice cosmetically as these.
 

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The Tempest does not have the Great Heil. If they aren't in real nice shape it might not be worth it if you already have some good speakers already.
 
Tempests can be very nice. The pair I have has the smaller type of forward-facing AMT (squarish-cylindrical magnetic frame wraps around the back, and the whole tweeter is surface-mounted on the baffle). Not quite in the same league as the big ones with the "great" Heil AMTs (dipole sounds better), but still very nice-sounding and worth getting. I paid less for mine, but I bought them off a scavenger's cart; normally I'd say they are easily worth the C-note the guy is asking for them.
 
Arkay said:
Tempests can be very nice. The pair I have has the smaller type of forward-facing AMT (squarish-cylindrical magnetic frame wraps around the back, and the whole tweeter is surface-mounted on the baffle). Not quite in the same league as the big ones with the "great" Heil AMTs (dipole sounds better), but still very nice-sounding and worth getting. I paid less for mine, but I bought them off a scavenger's cart; normally I'd say they are easily worth the C-note the guy is asking for them.
Click to expand...

I agree, they look in great shape, I would pay $100 (if I neede any more speakers, that is!!:thmbsp:) for them, even with the smaller Heil-looks like nice solid cabs-like the AMT-3's.
 
Cactus Bob said:
The Tempest does not have the Great Heil. If they aren't in real nice shape it might not be worth it if you already have some good speakers already.
Click to expand...

I have a few pair :D

Thanks all. If they had the Heil I might have taken the plunge. As they don't I think I'll pass. Too many irons in the fire right now anyway.
 
ARRAY said:
I'd say those were the AMT-4. I used to own a pair...
Click to expand...

If you look at the back of the speaker in the first set of pictures, the rear baffle cabinet of the speaker goes up all the way-there is no space ala AMT 3's (or 4's) for the heil tweeter to sit.
All the drivers in the speaker in the first set of pictures are mounted on the front baffle.
If they are Heil-ess, not worth it.
 
cubby01 said:
OK, Here's a print ad from 1973 I snagged but can't read. The speakers in question are in the foreground. Can someone give me a model number so I can look for info on them. Seller wants a C-Note for them. ...
Click to expand...

The ones in the ad do not have ports so they can't be those.

The ones in question are ok but are not as nice cosmetically as these. ..
Click to expand...

I would buy those in a second. those are not Tempests. They are the 'ESS Nine'. I have a set, see my thread on them.

It is likely that the tweeters will be toast, but the rubber surrounds on the mids/woofs will be just fine.

They might not be your best set, but you probably know some AK'er who would put them in their number one spot. They were $1400 new. 63 lbs.

Michael-Otto thanks for the new info! Never seen that ESS preamp.
 
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Thanks Susurus. Now that I see the picture of yours I know where to look on the back plate to see if they are indeed Nines. I sure thought the ones I saw were two ways. I can't believe I missed a mid but I was in a rush.
 
Hard to see through that heavy grill fabric.

If they wiegh 63 pounds they are Model Nines. The Sevens are lighter, maybe those are 2 ways I don't know. This lineup came before Tempests and were the best conventional line that ESS ever made.
 
cubby01 said:
In the speakers in question there is definitely a port in the lower left of each speaker. Also the tweeter of no centered is is in the upper right of each speaker.
Click to expand...

automojo said:
If you look at the back of the speaker in the first set of pictures, the rear baffle cabinet of the speaker goes up all the way-there is no space ala AMT 3's (or 4's) for the heil tweeter to sit.
All the drivers in the speaker in the first set of pictures are mounted on the front baffle.
If they are Heil-ess, not worth it.
Click to expand...

Hi, it was a dark picture - couldn't make it out. The AMT-4's I had used the small open backed tweeter with relief on the back baffle.
 
Susurus said:
The ones in the ad do not have ports so they can't be those.



I would buy those in a second. those are not Tempests. They are the 'ESS Nine'. I have a set, see my thread on them.

It is likely that the tweeters will be toast, but the rubber surrounds on the mids/woofs will be just fine.

They might not be your best set, but you probably know some AK'er who would put them in their number one spot. They were $1400 new. 63 lbs.

Michael-Otto thanks for the new info! Never seen that ESS preamp.
Click to expand...

$1400?, wow hard to believe. AMT 3"s were quite a bit under that.
They do look nice however-perhaps a canidate for a smaller Heil.
 
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