Hartley 24" Woofers? Mcintosh MC2250? Get in here!

[Immersion]

Without getting too wordy:

I've recently had a pair of MC2250 amps fully (mechanically) serviced. I've also come across a pair of 24" Hartley woofers. I should soon be acquiring a pair of Klipsch LaScala Industrial Splits.

Am I insane to use the LaScala as tops, and the Hartley's as Woofers in some sort of open baffle (with backs for outdoor use?), or crazy transmission line, in a pair of reasonably sized dance stacks? (House music, bass music, and everything more gentle than that.)

I have never heard Hartley woofers. I know these are something special. What should I expect? Should I just go with a modern, horn loaded cabinet design, and modern driver, for best performance? I like things that are different, and that audio nuts will remember. I figured a PA powered by 2 big McIntosh amps, with Hartley/Klipsch drivers, could do that.

Pics of the beasts in the wild:




And the rebuilt amps:







The amps had a rough life in a club in Chicago. I somehow managed to send my dad on an adventure to pick them up, and then road trip them to me in Colorado. I'm trying to give them an exciting second life.

Looking for input, suggestions, or just people that want to see what happens.

Cheers.

 

[Guido57]

Are my eyes fooling me or does that second picture show some other Hartley drivers. One really looks like an MSG220.

 

[Tom Brennan]

Years ago a pal had Hartley Concertmasters, large Hartley high fidelity speakers that used the 24" woofers in a sort of semi open baffle--an open backed box with a roll of batting behind the driver. The speakers made big bass.

Some years ago there was an article in Speaker Builder magazine about using a Hartley 24 open baffle augmenting Quad ESLs. As I recall the author of the article was satisfied but got in a pissing match in the letters column with a Hartley engineer about the nature of the driver and how it worked.

I doubt very much that these drivers are up to the rigors of PA use.

A plan from Audio Amateur for a Hartley 24 in a transmission line.

 

[Immersion]

Are my eyes fooling me or does that second picture show some other Hartley drivers. One really looks like an MSG220.

There are others! Including a pair of 18" woofers, and several smaller ones that I couldn't keep track of after being distracted by the behemoths.

 

[Immersion]

I doubt very much that these drivers are up to the rigors of PA use.

This is my main concern with this craziness.