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Goodmans Triaxiom 100c in Cabinets

c-atle-79bay

c-atle-79bay

Super Member
Picked these up off eBay they were listed as "vintage speakers" and was a Seattle area seller. I'd figured they were goodmans and was correct. Have not listened yet. Condition is good though. Were owned by grandpa tony.

The only question I really have is who made the cabinets they are very well made and not diy unless the maker had skills.
 

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It was not uncommon to have cabinet makers make speaker cabinets in those days. You bought the drivers and then sought out a cabinet maker to make the cabinets. So although these are not likely DIY; they are like custom ordered from a local carpenter/cabinet maker. Congrats, BTW, nice speaks. The cabs are bit small for those and you might not get all the bottom end those are capable of.
 
It looks like I have the same pair, the label on the back looks a little different (?) The cabinet on mine looks like the same dimensions and port, possibly a little nicer finish on mine? ( actually I have 2 sets). Lafayette also rebadged these. I wanna hear what you think of them,I drive mine with a pair of Heathkit W-5's
 
For now it'll be off and ave, good one, and way too much power. Will try then with either early solid state hh Scott or Sherwood s8000.
 
I enjoy the purple cone, but thats what made it easy to figure out what the were, than and the fluting on the tweeter.

So does tweeter orientation matter?
 
if you look at some of the old goodmans brochures what they did was sell the drivers but then also had plans for different cabinet configurations I used to have a pair of goodmans in what was called the Sherwood enclosure
 
c-atle-79bay said:
I enjoy the purple cone, but thats what made it easy to figure out what the were, than and the fluting on the tweeter.

So does tweeter orientation matter?
Click to expand...

I think the tweeter is correct now. Those appear to be diffraction horns- which need to be placed vertically.

Regards,
Gordon.
 
Thanks, one is off kilter quite a bit (edit: not positioned up/down), might adjust it to see if it makes any difference.

So far, very nice sounding speaker, good bass, highs are somewhat muffled, might try to open up the crossover.

I like these though, value wise (I've seen values listed here and the current values on ebay and feel AK is more reliable) not the same as my altecs or tannoys so I'm not so worried about the kids, and feel like I can use these.
 
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I think I've hit my vintage limit, these are fun but compared to IMF's from 10 years later (they have been recapped and a new mid) just no comparison at all. Tried some single instrument music, and again, just not the life. Nice, and without doing a/b would be just dandy.

I'm starting to get the feeling that I'm just not a single point source vintage driver kind of guy. But will keep trying :)
 
might try to open up the crossover

c-atle-79bay said:
Thanks, one is off kilter quite a bit (edit: not positioned up/down), might adjust it to see if it makes any difference.

So far, very nice sounding speaker, good bass, highs are somewhat muffled, might try to open up the crossover.

/QUOTE]
If you go for opening op the crossover could you document/photograph the process? It's been years since I tried to get into the cabinets and from what I recall the crossovers where a mystery to me. Thanks!
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Absolutely will document. They will be a mystery to me too.

So another question, needs it own topic, or has been, but will I even hear these right on a high power solid state? Or does it have to be tubes?
 
I have a set of 12 inch and a set of 15 inch knight labeled Goodmans triaxials. Both sets appear to be variations of the same drivers you have. They are pretty efficient speakers and the limited listing I have done with mine indicate, they do sound good with tubes, which makes sense as they were designed in the tube era. I have not run mine with a solid state amp, but my guess is you will find that they do sound better with a warm tube amplifier. I have only listened to mine briefly , and they do sound decent in there current condition, but they are currently sitting idle waiting to have the crossover caps replaced before I pass judgement on them, or push them to hard. Attached is a page from a 1961 knight catalog with the two drivers I have. Interesting the electrical crossover point stated in the brochure for mine is 5000cps utilizing two capacitors, and two coils. My guess is you crossovers are likely a similar arrangement. I too am interested in seeing what the guts of the crossovers look like. I think a recap of the crossovers, and a tube amp and you will probably be pleasantly surprised how good they sound. I'm looking forward to doing the same.
 

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Goodman's of England

I visited a preview at the local auction house this afternoon. There were a pair of 2-way speakers labeled Goodman's of England - Perfectionist series. Are they worth bidding on tomorrow? They'll probably go cheap because we don't have a lot of audioheads around here. I'd appreciate any input you might have. Thanks.
 
ANY Goodmans speakers are worth bidding on. Sound will be very-open and elegant. Not swimming in warmth like the Wharfedale and University stuff, but very-engaging. Give them low-power tubes to start off. The OP's Triaxioms DEFINITELY need low-power tubes, and probably oil caps as well. Those were like '59-'61 era. Among the best that FR had to offer.
 
Well, I got them - for 5 bucks. Both the front and back seemed to be glued, which will make access to the drivers difficult, but I'll find a way.
 
Do they look like these? If so, then give them tube or tubelike power. Goodmans was high-end. Competed with Wharfedale, Tannoy, Quad, etc. Their little Maxim bookshelf speakers from the early '60's are considered to be among the best ever made. The ones in that video, which I believe are from the Perfectionist Series you mentioned, look to be maybe early to mid '60's. Tail-end of the tube era.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9UIe1x3ND-c
 
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