EV Patrician 800/Stereon 850 Help

[Jjh]

Hello….I inherited a Patrician 800 and a matching Stereon 850. What makes this Patrician unique is the fact that it was the first Patrician 800 shipped to a consumer. My late father told the story that when he received it, he was less than impressed with the bass, only to find the leads to the 30w were not connected.

He wrote a letter to EV and they responded in a letter (which I have) telling him that his was the first shipped to a consumer, and thanked him for letting them know. Another interesting tidbit (at least to me) is that the letter from EV was dated with the day I was born. I honestly think he was more excited about connecting the 30w than the birth of his 6th child . Unfortunately, I did not inherit my father’s electrical engineering brain.

I recently retired and I would love to bring these old beasts back to their former glory. The last time I hooked them up, I noticed a little rattling from what I believe was the 30w. It also could have been an under-powered amp clipping. But I know they are super efficient so maybe that wasn’t it. I really don’t know. I believe the 30w is original (62 years), while some of the other drivers had been replaced by my dad. Is it almost a certainty that the speaker surround on the 30w is toast? I have not removed any panels to explore.

Reading thru a few threads here, it also sounds like the crossovers (and other components) are probably suspect as well. I’m sure they are original.

In any event, I would love to have a speaker guru with EV experience help me test these speakers top to bottom and return them to their former glory. I’m in the Annapolis/Baltimore area.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!!

 

[Omegaman]

When you say 30w you are talking about a 30 INCH DIAMETER SPEAKER

that would have been hard to miss...

best of luck to you

I had EV six's with 18" woofers

hint. rotate the drivers 180 degrees to compensate for the sag

 

[Jjh]

When you say 30w you are talking about a 30 INCH DIAMETER SPEAKER

that would have been hard to miss...

best of luck to you

I had EV six's with 18" woofers

hint. rotate the drivers 180 degrees to compensate for the sag

Yea, the 30w is the 30” diameter driver. I guess back in 1963, he wasn’t sure exactly what to expect.

 

[Lucky Pierre]

First thing to do is post pictures. Are you able to access the front and rear of all of the drivers? Pictures of the cabinets help, too.

 

[Dswankey]

When you say 30w you are talking about a 30 INCH DIAMETER SPEAKER

I initially thought the same thing but indeed it's (30W) is 30", some pics here showing so pretty impressive!

Electro-Voice Patrician 800 Vintage Speakers - 4-Way With 30" WOOFERS!!

General: This is the king daddy of the EV Patricians featuring, and I kid you not, 30" low bass woofers. That's right 30" which is the largest woofer we've had at the shop! That not all, it also has a 10" upper woofer to fill in a few hundred hertz above. This combination mated with their...

skyfiaudio.com

EV Patrician 800 | Inner Magazines

If indeed “mighty” is an adjective that could be attributed to a loudspeaker, here’s one that definitely deserves it.

www.inner-magazines.com

 

[loudnoises]

Those 30w drivers are delicate things, with Styrofoam cones. Be very very carefull around them. If it's busted, a replacement might be required. They are out there though.

 

[Dswankey]

..I would love to have a speaker guru with EV experience help me test these speakers top to bottom and return them to their former glory. I’m in the Annapolis/Baltimore area.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!!

Hey @larryderouin if I'm not mistaken you're from this area and with your font of knowledge I thought maybe you could help point the OP in the right direction

 

[Jjh]

First thing to do is post pictures. Are you able to access the front and rear of all of the drivers? Pictures of the cabinets help, too.

When I get some time, I will remove the rear panels of both speakers and take a look….for now, here are the cabinets and the letter from EV to my father, dated on my actual birthday.

The cabinets are in excellent shape. Unfortunately, my daughter’s stinkin cats slightly damaged the grills….


Thanks for the response!

 

[Dswankey]

You might find some good repair shop info here, from fellow members in your area also maybe post a short intro there you never know they might see that first as opposed to this thread.

Any Maryland Clubs

I currently have an Amp out for repair at Electronics Service Center in Germantown. http://www.esc-website.net/Services.html I'll let you know how it goes. like most places around here they have a 4-6 week wait. I'm 4 weeks in now I believe.

audiokarma.org

 

[grindstone]

Yeah be careful w/ the 30W--if you need one and can even find it, it'll sting. If you can't find local help, try Speaker Workshop in Ft Wayne.

And don't take it personally--kid number 6 has gotta be lower on the scale after delaying speaker gratification for 5 kid's-worth of expenditures Seriously, congrats on your retirement.

 

[Jjh]

Yeah be careful w/ the 30W--if you need one and can even find it, it'll sting. If you can't find local help, try Speaker Workshop in Ft Wayne.

And don't take it personally--kid number 6 has gotta be lower on the scale after delaying speaker gratification for 5 kid's-worth of expenditures Seriously, congrats on your retirement.

lol! Thanks for the response and tip!!

 

[twiiii]

The rattle you have heard migh be the woofer cone contacting one of the wires going to the speaker terminals. So dress them so they can't couch the cone. That goes for the mid woofer, too.

Make sure you thoroughly clean the level control potentiometers while you have the thing apart.

 

[Lucky Pierre]

When I get some time, I will remove the rear panels of both speakers and take a look….for now, here are the cabinets and the letter from EV to my father, dated on my actual birthday.

The cabinets are in excellent shape. Unfortunately, my daughter’s stinkin cats slightly damaged the grills….


Thanks for the response!


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View attachment 3475049

I saw these previously. I love that they were your dad's, and that letter is fantastic.

Please do post detailed pictures of the drivers when you have time to open them. They will help us troubleshoot and offer advice. The 30" woofer is a rarity and you should be very careful with it. The grill cloth can be replaced with something appropriate for the cabinets.

Patricians are one of my fantasy speakers. I am looking forward to seeing your progress with these.

 

[Jjh]

I’m afraid I started this thread a little prematurely. I thought when I retired a month ago, that I would have lots of “free” time. But my wife has other ideas. We are embarking on a basement finishing project. I didn’t protest too much, as this will be my man cave and new home for the Patrician/Stereon.

I apologize for not being too responsive and not having pics of the drivers/internals yet.

Thanks for your interest.

 

[macyjrm]

Appreciate your update and those of us who have living arrangements with significant others understand your dilemma. We are mostly a patient lot and look forward to the rest of this story. As an EV/Altec fan me especially. I have only seen one pair of Patricians which was in a speaker repair shop in Memphis and not hooked up. The owner wasn’t interested in finding them another home. I have a nice pair of Georgians which produce amazing bass notes. It’s hard for me to imagine what Patricians can do. Standing by.