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Help Me AK!!! What Kind of Speakers Are These?

With the molded bottom panel I doubt those are DIY. I have never seen anything like those !!! I kind of like the look though. Going to be interesting.
 
The two RCA jacks suggests they could be stereo speakers, both left and right in one box. Either that, or they were meant for bi-amping (But I doubt that). The low height suggests they were meant to be set up on tables (they look too deep for bookshelves). I suppose they could be placed under a TV set for use as external speakers. I don't see how they could be active/amplified if there is no AC power plug.
 
Audio Deacon said:
Ok Passive is good but why are they so heavy and what are there two sets of connectors? Have you seen any like these before and do you know the maker?
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It was very common for speakers (often cheaper speakers, FYI) to have both screw terminals AND an rca-style connection. The rca connection made sure the consumer didn't accidentally hook up the speakers out of phase, and it made putting everything together very simple. Realistic, KLH, Panasonic... really a ton of companies used them during that era. It's not a definite red flag (as the klh model twenty and some of the Realistic models sound quite nice), but it's much more rare to see the rca option on high end models.


Audio Deacon said:
Ok I'll be honest. I see alot of crap speakers from the 70's. I know what poor RCA jacked speakers feel like and they usually don't weigh 40 pounds each. Furthermore most speakers built in that era which offered RCA's as the input, didn't offer connector cable inputs as well much less two sets of connectors. I hope to discover what they are soon. Eventually we'll hook them up and let AK know about sound and performance.
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Some Realistic models had both terminal options on the back, so they could be easily incorporated into any stereo system. It made them easier to sell. I've seen other brands that did, too. But, yeah, super-cheap all-in-one stereo systems used only the rca connection to make things very simple on the consumer.
 
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Rob-F said:
The two RCA jacks suggests they could be stereo speakers, both left and right in one box. Either that, or they were meant for bi-amping (But I doubt that). The low height suggests they were meant to be set up on tables (they look too deep for bookshelves). I suppose they could be placed under a TV set for use as external speakers. I don't see how they could be active/amplified if there is no AC power plug.
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There's that and if you look, I think I see rubber feet on the sides so they can be set vertical as well.

Biggles
 
drbiggles said:
My apologies. Get that screwdriver baby!

Could these have been part of a quad system? What with the dual inputs per enclosure.

Biggles
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I don't see dual inputs that would suggest a quad system. I only see a single rca and a single pair of screw terminals on each. Am I missing what you saw? It was common for companies like Radio Shack to put both options on the speaker, so it could be more easily incorporated into your current stereo when you "upgraded" to their speakers. You only use one or the other, not both at the same time.

***EDIT***
Never mind, I just saw the one pic that shows terminals on one side AND terminals on the other. I bet the above guess was right, that it is meant to contain both left and right channels in one cabinet.
 
janikphoto said:
It was very common for speakers (often cheaper speakers, FYI) to have both screw terminals AND an rca-style connection. The rca connection made sure the consumer didn't accidentally hook up the speakers out of phase, and it made putting everything together very simple. Realistic, KLH, Panasonic... really a ton of companies used them during that era. It's not a definite red flag (as the klh model twenty and some of the Realistic models sound quite nice), but it's much more rare to see the rca option on high end models.
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I concede and agree that these absolutely come from the era where this type of hook up was common. And maybe they're "Realistics" or Big Box Store (JC Penney's, Montgomery Wards, Sears, Fedco, Two Guys, J.J. Newbury's... lol ) type speakers, I don't know. But I wanna know. And I can't freakin dismantle them!!!:tears: I've taken off every screw and removed every bolt and Nothing Moves!!! The panel doesn't lift... The backplate doesn't slide... NOTHING!!! This is Freaking Killing me. For Goodness Sake! Somebody tell me what they are!!!:dunno:

Thanks Guys. Can you feel my frustration.
 
Audio Deacon said:
I concede and agree that these absolutely come from the era where this type of hook up was common. And maybe they're "Realistics" or Big Box Store (JC Penney's, Montgomery Wards, Sears, Fedco, Two Guys, J.J. Newbury's... lol ) type speakers, I don't know. But I wanna know. And I can't freakin dismantle them!!!:tears: I've taken off every screw and removed every bolt and Nothing Moves!!! The panel doesn't lift... The backplate doesn't slide... NOTHING!!! This is Freaking Killing me. For Goodness Sake! Somebody tell me what they are!!!:dunno:

Thanks Guys. Can you feel my frustration.
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I can and totally get it. It's going to come down to patience. It's going to take 36 to 48 hours for this thread to cycle through enough times for people to see it and stop by to offer up any useful information.

If they were mine, at this point I'd have a wonder bar and carefully and gently pry, pry, pry along the seam of the metal to wood on the bottom there. You're going to find out if the metal portion is actually glued/adhered to the wood side panels. I'm not talking about giving them a solid hurk, just enough to lift and separate to see what the deal is.

Biggles
 
Just a thought seeing the feet, will the bottom come off with the feet? There is a cap nut looks like it goes through the rubber foot on both sides, is there a big screw thru the front ones also?
Is the cloth tucked over and under the side panel?
 
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I have a couple of pairs of speakers with grills that would not come off. After close examination, I found small screws buried in the grill cloth in the corners. The screws are painted to match the grill cloth and are difficult to see even though I know they are there.

Use a strong flashlight to carefully check the corners of the grills to see if there are any small screws hidden in the grill cloth. If you can get the grills off there might be an obvious way to get inside to look at the drivers.
 
Recpro said:
Just a thought seeing the feet, will the bottom come off with the feet? There is a cap nut looks like it goes through the rubber foot on both sides, is there a big screw thru the front ones also?
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I removed those as well and no big screw. I think the previous suggestion of gently prying is the only option but I won't go there yet. I did hook these babies up and they sound very nice. Hollow Mids and Great Highs. No Bass!

I determined that the two inputs on each speaker represents Right and Left or maybe they can be bi-amped? I can tell you that the the separation is astonishing given the fact that they're only 24" wide. Listening to some Monk on them as I type and they sound rather nice. I was able to throw some power at them and they handled that effortlessly. I used my Mc 7270 and with to the halfway point before I realized it. It felt as though I could have gone deeper.

These may be keepers boys. But I'd still like to know what they are. Patience is a virtue. Please advise.
 
qpagoda said:
I have a couple of pairs of speakers with grills that would not come off. After close examination, I found small screws buried in the grill cloth in the corners. The screws are painted to match the grill cloth and are difficult to see even though I know they are there.

Use a strong flashlight to carefully check the corners of the grills to see if there are any small screws hidden in the grill cloth. If you can get the grills off there might be an obvious way to get inside to look at the drivers.
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Thanks for the suggestion. I used my highpower flashlight and I was able to see inside somewhat but there were no screws. What I saw were not typical drivers. They looked like ribbons or another same angled enclosure but set in about 3-4". Maybe they we're part of an organ speaker. Hammond Possibly I don't know.

They sound very nice
 
Years ago my grand mother had a Readers Digest system. Consisted of four boxes of equal size sitting on a low wooden bench. The bench was about 6 feet long and around 4-5 inches off the floor. Made of wooden slats, 4 or 5 of them around 2X4, with the short side up. Each box was around 2X2X1 foot high. One had a receiver in it facing to the front, one was cut in half horizonally and had a turntable in it, the other two were speakers. An unusual system, all four boxes were, seperate and vinyl clad dark walnut with very simular fabric to the ones pictured.
Your speakers remind me of it. I am going on a 40+ years ago memory.
 
Everything comes apart. Well, except tome early KLH speakers. Is it possible those are some type of PA speakers from someplace like a church? What direction do the speakers fire, front, side, both?
 
I bet the upholstered grilles are held on with staples like the top grille of the Bose 601s in my house.

A gentle pry will lift the grille a bit with the staples, then push the grille down again and the staples remain up where you can grab them with pliers.
 
I think it's a horn that sets on top of a bass cabinet. And lots of companys were forced to use an RCA jack at that time, As it had become the norm of that time.

maybe Klipsh?
 
Start with the simple stuff. Put a multi meter on the screw terminals and the rca's and see if they measure the same. Check for continuity between the rca's and the screw terminals. Check to see if the terminals at each end are connected.
If you're getting anything from 3 to 15 ohms, they're amp level connections. If they're in the Kohms plus range the RCA's could be line level. I've seen screw terminals on line level connections for PA use.
 
I have no clue what they are.

They were NOT cheap to produce. The cabinet appears to be cast aluminum or at least the narrow portions of it, and the cast has been painted adding at least 3 more steps to the production process. Also appears steps were taken to ensure an air-tight seal.

I think the rubber bumpers on the rear edges were there to stand them off from a wall in that placement scenario.

I kind of get a vibe that they might have been the treble element in a 4 piece speaker system. :scratch2:
 
bowtie427ss said:
I have no clue what they are.

They were NOT cheap to produce. The cabinet appears to be cast aluminum or at least the narrow portions of it, and the cast has been painted adding at least 3 more steps to the production process. Also appears steps were taken to ensure an air-tight seal.

I think the rubber bumpers on the rear edges were there to stand them off from a wall in that placement scenario.

I kind of get a vibe that they might have been the treble element in a 4 piece speaker system. :scratch2:
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Finally someone who agrees with me. At 40 pounds each they did not appear cheap to me either. I've hooked them up and they sound incredible. War, Crisp, Vibrant with amazing headroom and detail. I listened to them all night and wow. I just wish I knew what they are.
 
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