Going to see an FX-3 speaker pair tomorrow, what should I look for?

[jhoyt]

I have the chance to pick up an FX-3 pair tomorrow afternoon. I don't have any experience with Yamaha speakers, so what issues should I be on the lookout for? What surround material did they use on the woofers? Any commonly occurring issues with the Be dome drivers?

I'm excited, but it's tempered because of the high price I may have to pay. At least I'll get to touch them...

 

[avionic]

I have the chance to pick up an FX-3 pair tomorrow afternoon. I don't have any experience with Yamaha speakers, so what issues should I be on the lookout for? What surround material did they use on the woofers? Any commonly occurring issues with the Be dome drivers?

I'm excited, but it's tempered because of the high price I may have to pay. At least I'll get to touch them...

Believe the surrounds are a rubberized cloth. The beryllium tweets and midrange are KEY. If there is no sound .There are very few spare parts available, most of which will be "used" cannabilized parts. Repair is iffy at best.Most places would touch'm due to the toxic nature of be.

 

[cdfac]

if they work, buy them! crap, i'd love to just see a pair in person. i wonder how many pairs were ever imported. on the Lansing Heritage Forum, they paint the the FX-3 as a simple L300 (or similar) copycat, but i dunno...i know which speaker i'd bring home!

 

[MAXZ28]

Oh my.....I would love to hear a pair of FX-3's. Good luck tomorrow! :thmbsp:

 

[Spectrum77]

I'd begin by looking for the price tag.
Hope they go home with you. There are FX-3 tweets and mids on Yahoo Auctions Japan from time to time. Prices are reasonable.

 

[SoCal Sam]

if they work, buy them! crap, i'd love to just see a pair in person. i wonder how many pairs were ever imported. on the Lansing Heritage Forum, they paint the the FX-3 as a simple L300 (or similar) copycat, but i dunno...i know which speaker i'd bring home!

I definitely would take home FX-3's...and then compare them to the L-300. Never seen this model before.

Here is my recent attempt to add a 15 inch woofer to the NS-1000M. There is a ton of potential here, enough to start thinking about custom cabs.

 

[lmfree]

I'm not sure how well the FX-3's will compare to the L-300's. They are basicly an oversized version of the NS-1000 to allow incorporation of the 15 inch woofer. The FX-1 with horn driver is a more direct comparision to the L-300 and sound almost identicle. The cabinet size may even be a bit larger than the L-300 to let the 15 inch woofer breath just a bit more. I have never actually heard the FX-3 but passed on many since I already had several NS-1000's and the NS-2000, if it wasn't for that fact I probably would own a pair and not the NS-1000. I always felt the weak link in the NS-1000 is the woofer and cabinet volume. The FX-3 definitely deserve a listen and let us know what you find out. I have attached a picture of my comparision of the L-300(rear), NS-2000(top) and FX-1(bottom).

 

[SoCal Sam]

I'm not sure how well the FX-3's will compare to the L-300's. They are basicly an oversized version of the NS-1000 to allow incorporation of the 15 inch woofer. The FX-1 with horn driver is a more direct comparision to the L-300 and sound almost identicle. The cabinet size may even be a bit larger than the L-300 to let the 15 inch woofer breath just a bit more. I have never actually heard the FX-3 but passed on many since I already had several NS-1000's and the NS-2000, if it wasn't for that fact I probably would own a pair and not the NS-1000. I always felt the weak link in the NS-1000 is the woofer and cabinet volume. The FX-3 definitely deserve a listen and let us know what you find out. I have attached a picture of my comparision of the L-300(rear), NS-2000(top) and FX-1(bottom).

Dream come true speaker collection! Deciding what to listen to everyday must be a major problem. I agree, the FX-3 cabinet is too big but I still would like to have a pair. Good luck to the OP.

In the meantime, FX-3 like experiments are ongoing...

 

[jhoyt]

In regard to the size of the speaker cabinets, they are a little larger than my Barzilay cabs. I believe the FX-3 is a sealed cab? Is that correct? Here are some of the specs, from K-Nisi's website (translation cleaned up):

Model 3-way bass reflex floor type
Use unit JA-3601 · 36cm cone type woofer · JA-0802 · 8.8cm Beryllium Midrange type JA-0526 · 3.3cm tweeter type Beryllium
The maximum allowable input 100W
Rated input (JIS continuous) 50W
Sound Pressure Level 92dB / W · m
Maximum sound pressure level 112dB
Lowest resonance frequency (Box resonant frequency) 24Hz
Playback frequency 30Hz ~ 20,000 Hz
Nominal impedance 8Ω
Crossover frequency Subwoofer - Midrange: 600Hz (12dB/oct)
Midrange - tweeter: 6000Hz (12dB/oct)
Level control Midrange: +2.5 dB ~ - ∞
Tweeter: +1 dB ~ - ∞
Cabinet Material: 25mm particle density in a volume of 120 liters
Outer finish Oak vanity (top side)
Cosmetic cover (baffle side)
External dimensions 588 (W) × 867 (H) × 442 (D) mm
Weight 62kg

 

[Vint Age]

I believe the FX-3 is a sealed cab? Is that correct? Here are some of the specs, from K-Nisi's website (translation cleaned up):

A sealed cab would make it an acoustic suspension type speaker wouldn't it, like the superb NS-1000M's .. and other I've never had the pleasure of listening to yet.

Model 3-way bass reflex floor type

 

[cdfac]

on both the FX-1 and FX-3 you can see a port near the bottom.

i think i had the FX-1 in mind earlier when i compared the FX-3 to the L300. are the FX-1's much rarer?

 

[SoCal Sam]

FX-1 and FX-3 now on radar list. Thanks to all for great info.

 

[jhoyt]

Not looking likely to win the sweepstakes, the guy has an offer on the table that I can't touch. It would be a 70 mile round trip to see them, and I don't want to do that unless I'm in the game. But if the offer falls through, then I'm back in. We'll see.

 

[lmfree]

on both the FX-1 and FX-3 you can see a port near the bottom.

i think i had the FX-1 in mind earlier when i compared the FX-3 to the L300. are the FX-1's much rarer?

The FX-1's I own were the only pair I have ever seen for sale. I've passed on 4 or 5 pairs of FX-3's. I don't know if that makes the FX-1's more rare; it is just what I have seen for sale. The FX-3's were generally in the $1500 to $1700 price range if that helps. The FX-1 was in the same ball park as a pair of L-300's

 

[theophile]

There was a pair of FX-1s for sale here in Australia for over 2 years.They sold late last year.

I thought about buying them,but replacement diaphragms would be extremely rare.That's what prevented me from going ahead with the purchase.

 

[DanCheet]

...So what ended up happening??

 

[Bungles]

If these are the FX-3's that were in Truckee, CA then I am the owner of them