Hamlin Stereo Speakers

[Truskowski]

My parents are downsizing and my dad has a pair of Hamlin stereo speakers with 8" woofers that he got sometime in the late 1950s or early 1960s. They are 3 feet high and don't have any model number on them. Both are in pristine condition on the outside and they still work. I'm curious what their value might be today.

 

[Guido57]

Honestly, they may be very good speakers. However my experience with good but not well known speakers is the prices they fetch often do not match the quality of sound, though there are exceptions. Google "Hamlin speakers" and you'll find some AK threads. For the record this post may get moved to dollars and sense as you have a question about how much something is worth, but it may also fly under the radar since the title doesn't hint at questions of worth or price. I'm guessing you have no interest in them for your own use.

 

[hjames]

A question of Value -
Moved to Dollars and Sense as suggested.

One comment -
do not confuse the ASKING price of speakers online with the actual price they sell for.
Sellers often expect a higher value than the market will bear,
especially with no-name or relatively unknown speakers.

 

[stickman]

Hello. The Hamlin "Black Box" speakers contained Pioneer PIM 8L 8" extended range drivers marked with the Hamlin name and early Pioneer horn tweeters as well. Both drivers are collectible but especially the PIM 8L drivers. You can check and see what asking prices are on FleaBay for these types of speakers.

 

[Truskowski]

A question of Value -
Moved to Dollars and Sense as suggested.

One comment -
do not confuse the ASKING price of speakers online with the actual price they sell for.
Sellers often expect a higher value than the market will bear,
especially with no-name or relatively unknown speakers.

Thanks - I'm not looking to sell them here, but am looking for ideas on their worth so that we can work on getting a fair price for them.

 

[Truskowski]

Honestly, they may be very good speakers. However my experience with good but not well known speakers is the prices they fetch often do not match the quality of sound, though there are exceptions. Google "Hamlin speakers" and you'll find some AK threads. For the record this post may get moved to dollars and sense as you have a question about how much something is worth, but it may also fly under the radar since the title doesn't hint at questions of worth or price. I'm guessing you have no interest in them for your own use.

Thanks for the information, and I've added a couple photos.

 

[Truskowski]

Hello. The Hamlin "Black Box" speakers contained Pioneer PIM 8L 8" extended range drivers marked with the Hamlin name and early Pioneer horn tweeters as well. Both drivers are collectible but especially the PIM 8L drivers. You can check and see what asking prices are on FleaBay for these types of speakers.

Thanks! I appreciate the information on the specifics, and will look at FleaBay.

 

[Guido57]

From the obituary of Philip Hamlin:
"He began importing consumer electronics from Japan, and then started Hamlin's Audio Workshop, a stereo store that became a Seattle icon, manufacturing and selling his own design of speakers (the famous Hamlin Black Box) and amplifiers to private homes and public organizations such as the Pacific Science Center and Seattle Symphony."
So these are essentially house brand speakers. This does not mean they're not good but information may be difficult to come by and a buyer possibly more difficult unless someone from the Seattle area has been longing for a pair.

 

[setup1]

My parents are downsizing and my dad has a pair of Hamlin stereo speakers with 8" woofers that he got sometime in the late 1950s or early 1960s. They are 3 feet high and don't have any model number on them. Both are in pristine condition on the outside and they still work. I'm curious what their value might be today.

I've been a fan of those speakers and tweeters since the late 90s and wrote about them in my old website. The 8" wide range drivers were Pioneer OEMs (PIM8L or 20L) and were also sold by Lafayette as the SK98. The PIM8L is comparable to the Altec 755C and E, albeit not as rugged. The cone is more delicate and heed the 6W rating - they're easy to overdrive to develop a rub if not burn the voice coil entirely. AFAIK, there's no way to repair them. Thus, I doubt they'll ever achieve the cachet of a WE/Altec 755A nor command similar value. Nonetheless, they're very fine music makers!

Since I never found them in original boxes, I used them in an open baffle and the Altec 618. Lately, friends whose ears I trust have had good results using them in Dr. Bae/Silbatone cabinets.

 

[Truskowski]

I've been a fan of those speakers and tweeters since the late 90s and wrote about them in my old website. The 8" wide range drivers were Pioneer OEMs (PIM8L or 20L) and were also sold by Lafayette as the SK98. The PIM8L is comparable to the Altec 755C and E, albeit not as rugged. The cone is more delicate and heed the 6W rating - they're easy to overdrive to develop a rub if not burn the voice coil entirely. AFAIK, there's no way to repair them. Thus, I doubt they'll ever achieve the cachet of a WE/Altec 755A nor command similar value. Nonetheless, they're very fine music makers!

Since I never found them in original boxes, I used them in an open baffle and the Altec 618. Lately, friends whose ears I trust have had good results using them in Dr. Bae/Silbatone cabinets.

Thanks for all the info! These are in their original cabinets - my dad remembers going into Phillip Hamlin's shop on 2nd Ave in Seattle to buy them in about 1961 or so.