Fulton FMI speakers. Model and parts reference thread.

JoshHendi · Oct 12, 2018

I wanted to create the thread for the Fulton FMI enthusiasts as a reference/database for his products. There are some FMI threads out there roaming around, but want this thread to be the one-stop-shop for his products and parts information. I will continuously monitor and update this original post with any speaker models, parts, recordings etc that anyone can offer.

Please post replies with any additional information or discussion. Specific the driver make/model/stamps would be great. Below is what I can gather from memory and will add as much info as possible. Eventually, this original post will be the spot for FMI product information

Here is a Google Drive link where I will add all of my pictures and documentation, as well as any others posted on this thread.

---Speakers---
FMI-60
2-way, 2 drivers
Tweeter: Peerless MT-225
Woofer: Rola 8" - stamped 2203 25492

FMI-80
2-way, 3 drivers
Tweeters (x2): Peerless MT-225
Woofer: Rola 8" - stamped 2203 25492

FMI-100
2-way, 5 drivers
Tweeters (x4): Peerless MT-225
Woofer: RTR 10"

FMI-120
3-way, 3 drivers
Tweeter Peerless MT-225
Midrange: Phillips AD5061
Woofer: RTR 12" (stamped 2407 or 2409)

Fulton J Modular
4-way, 11 drivers
Super tweeters (x6): RTR ESR-6 electrostatic panels (crossovers modified by Fulton)
Tweeters (x2): Peerless MT-225
Woofer: Rola 8" - stamped 2203 25492
Upper-bass woofer: RTR 10" (Stamped 2405)
Lower-bass woofer: RTR 12" (Stamped 2407 or 2409)

Fulton Premier's

Fulton E Modular's

Fulton Nuance's

---Accessories---
Speaker terminal connectors
Brown speaker cables (roughly 10 gauge)
Gold speaker cables (roughly 4 gauge)
Turntable mat
Turntable cartridge wire leads

---Albums (Label: ARK)---
Fulton Gold Series Volume I
ARK Recording Co

Speedbump71 · Nov 20, 2018

Hi Josh.

I have a set of Nuance I can get you some info on. I know the tweeters were Peerless MT-225s, and were originally alnico in my set (I replaced them with the ferrite version procured from Roger Russell). I will pull the woofer and get numbers on it.

Marquis · Jan 19, 2020

Hey Josh and others
I hope you still monitor this thread. I have two things that may interest you. I have a very unique story about Bob Fulton . I also have 4 FMI 120 speakers. I’m finding almost zero info about them. Maybe you know something about them.
Thanks. mark in Mpls

JoshHendi · Jan 19, 2020

Marquis said:
Hey Josh and others
I hope you still monitor this thread. I have two things that may interest you. I have a very unique story about Bob Fulton . I also have 4 FMI 120 speakers. I’m finding almost zero info about them. Maybe you know something about them.
Thanks. mark in Mpls

Hey @Marquis yes I still monitor this thread and always looking for new info! Feel free to send me info/pics

totem · Jan 19, 2020

JoshHendi said:
Feel free to send me info/pics

Of course post the information here for documentary purposes.

Marquis · Jan 20, 2020

Marquis said:
Hey Josh and others
I hope you still monitor this thread. I have two things that may interest you. I have a very unique story about Bob Fulton . I also have 4 FMI 120 speakers. I’m finding almost zero info about them. Maybe you know something about them.
Thanks. mark in Mpls

The story: As a young carpenter I worked enclosing a section of an underground warehouse somewhere in Minneapolis for Bob Fulton to store his speakers and other things. Later he asked me if I could make his speaker cabinets for him. I declined because I didn’t have the proper equipment. The speakers I have I purchased directly from Bob.
The speakers: 25” tall. 14-5/8” wide. 12” front to back. Circa 1973(?)
I’m thinking about selling them. I have no idea what they’re worth

JoshHendi · Jan 20, 2020

Well thats the first time I've seen a picture of 120s... Ive heard about them but never with photos... Would be fun to compare them to the 80s

MT-225 tweeter and RTR 2409 woofer on those... Cannot ID the midrange

RScott · Apr 16, 2020

Marquis said:
View attachment 1737031 View attachment 1737032 View attachment 1737033 View attachment 1737034
The story: As a young carpenter I worked enclosing a section of an underground warehouse somewhere in Minneapolis for Bob Fulton to store his speakers and other things. Later he asked me if I could make his speaker cabinets for him. I declined because I didn’t have the proper equipment. The speakers I have I purchased directly from Bob.
The speakers: 25” tall. 14-5/8” wide. 12” front to back. Circa 1973(?)
I’m thinking about selling them. I have no idea what they’re worth

Very interested! Please let me know if you are selling them!

RScott · Apr 16, 2020

Marquis said:
View attachment 1737031 View attachment 1737032 View attachment 1737033 View attachment 1737034
The story: As a young carpenter I worked enclosing a section of an underground warehouse somewhere in Minneapolis for Bob Fulton to store his speakers and other things. Later he asked me if I could make his speaker cabinets for him. I declined because I didn’t have the proper equipment. The speakers I have I purchased directly from Bob.
The speakers: 25” tall. 14-5/8” wide. 12” front to back. Circa 1973(?)
I’m thinking about selling them. I have no idea what they’re worth

Interested and in Twin Cities. let me know soon as you can please

RScott · Apr 16, 2020

Marquis said:
Hey Josh and others
I hope you still monitor this thread. I have two things that may interest you. I have a very unique story about Bob Fulton . I also have 4 FMI 120 speakers. I’m finding almost zero info about them. Maybe you know something about them.
Thanks. mark in Mpls

Mark message me please!

Pete B · Apr 16, 2020

JoshHendi said:
Well thats the first time I've seen a picture of 120s... Ive heard about them but never with photos... Would be fun to compare them to the 80s

MT-225 tweeter and RTR 2409 woofer on those... Cannot ID the midrange

That mid looks like a CTS XS510 used in the original Bose 901, there might
have been a sealed back version - not sure. And, of course it could be custom.
They cost $1.99 back in the mid 60s, then $2.49 a few years later.

JoshHendi · Oct 15, 2020

I took apart a set of my FMI-80s today for recap. These are verified original and the wiring in mine are slightly different than the schematic going around. Attaching both as reference. The difference being the polarity connection of the woofer

So, infact all three drivers are connected in reverse polarity, which is interesting because in the J manual, it advised to connect the 80s in reverse polarity to the main crossover unit, bringing the polarity back to 'normal'

Brian Beck · Oct 17, 2020

I don't do forums much these days, but I happened to see this thread. Good catch Josh, on the mistakes in the wiring diagram of the FMI-80 that is seen floating around the Web, and which I may have inadvertently shared. It was created by a fellow who is now banned from many audio sites (sorry, no names). As I discovered myself, it was wrong in two ways, misidentifying the tweeter model number, and showing the wrong connection polarities. Other than that is was wonderful.

As you noted, all three drivers in the 80 are actually wired in reverse polarity. Therefore they are "in phase" with each other, which is what I would have expected from a simple first-order crossover. I was actually relieved to know that, because the other connection made no sense. When used in the J, the instructions tell you to reverse the polarity of the connections to the 80, thereby restoring its "correct" conventional polarity. Hope that makes sense.

I have wondered how many people innocently wire up the Js without studying the manual, and connect "+" to "+" everywhere. The result would not sound right. I explained all this on another forum, but I am glad that Josh figured it out and posted it here.

PS: I have a pair of FMI-120s that I use in my workshop to test projects. They are more rugged than the 80s or 100s, having the same 12" woofer as used in the J, so they can withstand buzzes and noises that might blow a smaller speaker. Mine are different from the one described above in that my mid-range drivers are Philips AD5060 M8 "whizzer" cones with a cloth roll, and the single tweeters are the larger Peerless MT-25 units. Overall, for serious listening, I would prefer the 80 though. Or, better yet, the Js with 80s inside.

JoshHendi · Oct 17, 2020

And I checked my other pair of 80s and confirmed the wiring on both sets speakers of speakers... So I wonder, was the reason for the reverse polarity in the 80s mean that Fulton thought that as the 80s by themselves should be hooked up to an amplifier 'in reverse' to get a better sound signature instead of when being part of the J system?

JoshHendi · Oct 17, 2020

Brian Beck said:
PS: I have a pair of FMI-120s that I use in my workshop to test projects. They are more rugged than the 80s or 100s, having the same 12" woofer as used in the J, so they can withstand buzzes and noises that might blow a smaller speaker. Mine are different from the one described above in that my mid-range drivers are Philips AD5060 M8 "whizzer" cones with a cloth roll, and the single tweeters are the larger Peerless MT-25 units. Overall, for serious listening, I would prefer the 80 though. Or, better yet, the Js with 80s inside.

\

I've always thought that the Phillips AD5060 (and 5061) were some of the best sounding vintage midrange drivers ever made (IMO, a close tie to the KEF B110)... Any speaker Ive heard using the 5060/1 sounded fantastic! A few that come to mind are some Infinitiy's, Rectilinear XII and Low/Highboys, and Dahlquist DQ-10s... All well known for their nice balance... Would love to hear how they sound after being in Fulton's design

Brian Beck · Oct 17, 2020

JoshHendi said:
... was the reason for the reverse polarity in the 80s mean that Fulton thought that as the 80s by themselves should be hooked up to an amplifier 'in reverse' to get a better sound signature instead of when being part of the J system?

We’ll never know for sure. My guess is that it was some manufacturing mistake. I think RTR OEM-built the 80s for Fulton and probably the first batches were wired in reverse polarity. Since absolute polarity can never be guaranteed due to the random reversals in recordings, the 80 works fine alone either way. But once it needed to be combined with other drivers, as in the J, the 80 had to be connected in reverse. By then the 80’s internal reversed polarity had been perpetuated in the thousands of speakers already produced. So they had to keep the 80 consistently reversed. Just my guess. Things like that do happen in manufacturing.

Brian Beck · Oct 17, 2020

My FMI-120

headphonecj · Apr 10, 2021

JoshHendi said:
I wanted to create the thread for the Fulton FMI enthusiasts as a reference/database for his products. There are some FMI threads out there roaming around, but want this thread to be the one-stop-shop for his products and parts information. I will continuously monitor and update this original post with any speaker models, parts, recordings etc that anyone can offer.

Please post replies with any additional information or discussion. Specific the driver make/model/stamps would be great. Below is what I can gather from memory and will add as much info as possible. Eventually, this original post will be the spot for FMI product information

Here is a Google Drive link where I will add all of my pictures and documentation, as well as any others posted on this thread.

---Speakers---
FMI-60
2-way, 2 drivers
Tweeter: Peerless MT-225
Woofer: Rola 8" - stamped 2203 25492

FMI-80
2-way, 3 drivers
Tweeters (x2): Peerless MT-225
Woofer: Rola 8" - stamped 2203 25492

FMI-100
2-way, 5 drivers
Tweeters (x4): Peerless MT-225
Woofer: RTR 10"

FMI-120
3-way, 3 drivers
Tweeter Peerless MT-225
Midrange: ?
Woofer: RTR 12" (stamped 2407 or 2409)

Fulton J Modular
4-way, 11 drivers
Super tweeters (x6): electrostatic panels
Tweeters (x2): Peerless MT-225
Woofer: Rola 8" - stamped 2203 25492
Upper-bass woofer: RTR 10" (Stamped 2405)
Lower-bass woofer: RTR 12" (Stamped 2407 or 2409)

Fulton Premier's

Fulton E Modular's

Fulton Nuance's

---Accessories---
Speaker terminal connectors
Brown's speaker cables (roughly 10 gauge)
Gold's speaker cables (roughly 4 gauge)
Turntable mat

---Albums (Label: ARK)---
Fulton Gold Series Volume I

Hi. Quick question. What does the 80 crossover look like?
My version looks like a Dave Herron mod with only 1 cap on the tweeters and the mid/woof running naked.

Brian Beck · Apr 10, 2021

headphonecj said:
Hi. Quick question. What does the 80 crossover look like?
My version looks like a Dave Herron mod with only 1 cap on the tweeters and the mid/woof running naked.

Yes. Just one cap in series with the tweeter. 6uF as I recall.

Nitsuj2000 · Jul 11, 2021

JoshHendi said:
I wanted to create the thread for the Fulton FMI enthusiasts as a reference/database for his products. There are some FMI threads out there roaming around, but want this thread to be the one-stop-shop for his products and parts information. I will continuously monitor and update this original post with any speaker models, parts, recordings etc that anyone can offer.

Please post replies with any additional information or discussion. Specific the driver make/model/stamps would be great. Below is what I can gather from memory and will add as much info as possible. Eventually, this original post will be the spot for FMI product information

Here is a Google Drive link where I will add all of my pictures and documentation, as well as any others posted on this thread.

---Speakers---
FMI-60
2-way, 2 drivers
Tweeter: Peerless MT-225
Woofer: Rola 8" - stamped 2203 25492

FMI-80
2-way, 3 drivers
Tweeters (x2): Peerless MT-225
Woofer: Rola 8" - stamped 2203 25492

FMI-100
2-way, 5 drivers
Tweeters (x4): Peerless MT-225
Woofer: RTR 10"

FMI-120
3-way, 3 drivers
Tweeter Peerless MT-225
Midrange: ?
Woofer: RTR 12" (stamped 2407 or 2409)

Fulton J Modular
4-way, 11 drivers
Super tweeters (x6): electrostatic panels
Tweeters (x2): Peerless MT-225
Woofer: Rola 8" - stamped 2203 25492
Upper-bass woofer: RTR 10" (Stamped 2405)
Lower-bass woofer: RTR 12" (Stamped 2407 or 2409)

Fulton Premier's

Fulton E Modular's

Fulton Nuance's

---Accessories---
Speaker terminal connectors
Brown's speaker cables (roughly 10 gauge)
Gold's speaker cables (roughly 4 gauge)
Turntable mat

---Albums (Label: ARK)---
Fulton Gold Series Volume I

I have the Fulton 100 series. I’m currently trying to repair one speaker, but without much luck. If anybody knows how to repair these, let me know. I left my record player and receiver on one night and heard a loud bang and the speakers no longer broadcast at full sound, but just really quiet. I thought it was the capacitor, couldn’t find an exact copy, so put in a similar one with no luck. I think all the speakers are fine, just need to figure out the power and if there’s anything else wrong with the crossover wiring.

Fulton FMI speakers. Model and parts reference thread.

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