Legacy-1 speakers, predecessor to the Classic (Legacy Audio)

[HowlerMonkey]

This thread is about a set of Legacy Audio speakers that I found at a local estate sale in the "fancy" side of town almost a year ago. I have been meaning to post these pics for a while but i wanted to have audio recordings of the speakers in a good setup before posting.

This was the first time I attended a "estate sale". I had been curious to attend one for a while but was always reluctant for different reasons. That summer weekend I made a search online and this pair of speakers came up at a sale in the east side. I recognized the logo on the front grills and convinced my wife to go for a drive on her new SUV that we had just bought.

I didn't know much about Legacy Audio except for those weird banners advertisements in the random web pages and the expensive price tags. They seemed to me like this obscure brand that you don't know if its real or not.

When i arrived at the sale I was told that it was the last day and that everything was 50% off. The speakers were in the living room and had a $70 price tag. A couple of gentlemen were going over the records and other items and one of them told me...."the speakers need work, not sure you want them". They looked well built, heavy and seeing the interconnects cables hooked up to them, the amp that was running them and other items in the house I though that they were the real deal and were worth the $35 gamble. They also had a bunch of drivers and I figured that i could part them out if needed.

Below I will document the work I did to the speakers to get them running and will post some audio file also.

 

[HowlerMonkey]

First thing I did after I got them home was to check all drivers (6 per speaker!) Four drivers in the front, one tweeter in the back and a down firing woofer on the bottom baffle...(i learned about the down firing woofer when I tried to pick up the speakers at the state sale)

It seemed that the ribbon tweeters were dried out and the front firing woofers needed new surrounds, but everything else worked fine. I contact Legacy Audio to get the specs on the speakers and some tips. And this was their reply:

- - - -
Thank you for being a Legacy speaker owner!

1.) This was the predecessor to the Classic, called the Legacy-1, and was manufactured in the early-mid 1990’s. Here is a description for the rear switches:
All switches in the “up” position represent the“anechoic flat” position.

Switch 1: is a low frequency Q contour. It can be used in the“down” position to reduce upper bass heaviness caused by standing waves (typically the frequencies around 65 Hz,excited by the floor/ceiling interaction). To increase bass impact, leave the switch in the “up” position.
Switch 2: can be used in the “down” position to reduce excess energy in the lower midrange.This is particularly useful in reducing “chestiness” due to floor reflections. It can also be used as a gentle loudness contour for low level listening.
Switch 3: can be used in the “down” position to reduce high frequency “hardness” due to room flutter or bright program material.

Legacy -1

6 driver, 4 way, 22-30K Freq. Response, 92dB Sensitivity, 45-300 Watts Recommended Amplification, 1000 peak. 120, 2.8K, 8K crossover frequencies.

2.) There is a company in Michigan called Meniscus Audio that re-cones drivers. You can reach them at 616-953-8471 We also a few replacements for this woofer still in stock at $140 each.

3.) Here is a link to the recommended replacement to the ribbon tweeter: https://www.parts-express.com/beston-rt002a-ribbon-tweeter--277-112 We also have voice coil replacements for the soft dome tweeter available at $32 each.

If you have any further questions or would like to order any of the above parts, feel free to contact us at 800-283-4644.

 

[HowlerMonkey]

I was surprised by the build quality of the speakers and the customer service I got from Legacy Audio....The more I inspected the speakers the more I realized that a lot of thought was put into them and that they were the real deal. The crossover system in particular is super intricate.

 

[HowlerMonkey]

I ordered the tweeter suggested and had to modify the existing cutout just a bit, for them to fit...

 

[HowlerMonkey]

I took some measurements and did some research to find a good surround kit that would fit. I even made a small CAD model
I picked the 2F-10 from www.springfieldspeakerrepair.com $23.95

 

[HowlerMonkey]

Done

 

[HowlerMonkey]

Sound test in the small cave, speakers around 6ft apart
All switches in the down position.
Bi Amping with Dynaco ST-70 to the top end and Rotel RB-976 for the subs

 

[opnly bafld]

One thing I did not see in the specs provided to you by Legacy is the 4 ohm impedance.
These speakers will reward you for using an amp that has no problems going below 4 ohms.

 

[swechsler]

I was surprised by the build quality of the speakers and the customer service I got from Legacy Audio.

I have a lot of respect for a speaker company that sends you to a third party website to get parts rather than trying to sell you the same (or similar) thing at a much higher price. You scored big time with these. I look forward to hearing your listening impressions.

 

[HowlerMonkey]

One thing I did not see in the specs provided to you by Legacy is the 4 ohm impedance.
These speakers will reward you for using an amp that has no problems going below 4 ohms.

yes they forgot to include that and i recall having to research the impedance separatly and found out that they were 4 ohms. I have been bi amping them with a Dynaco ST70 (in the 4ohms tab for the upper and Rotel for the subs.

 

[HowlerMonkey]

I have a lot of respect for a speaker company that sends you to a third party website to get parts rather than trying to sell you the same (or similar) thing at a much higher price. You scored big time with these. I look forward to hearing your listening impressions.

I felt the same way when i corresponded with them. I mean for a company that sells $15k+ speakers, being so supportive of the little guy like me that just wants to keep an old speaker set running was pretty cool......(i wouldnt be suprised if they had a hand on the design of that ribbon tweeter because i have seen it in other repaired legacy speakers...they fit almost perfect)... they use a new ribbon tweeter now that is probably above my budget lol...

I will update on the sound impressions soon but lets just say that I decided to sell my ADS L810s and kept these.

 

[swechsler]

If it was me, I'd get some wood filler to fill those holes, then sand flat and smooth, and try to find some stain to match what's currently on the speakers. You probably won't hide them perfectly, but it's a lot better than keeping them open.

 

[HowlerMonkey]

If it was me, I'd get some wood filler to fill those holes, then sand flat and smooth, and try to find some stain to match what's currently on the speakers. You probably won't hide them perfectly, but it's a lot better than keeping them open.

Yes i filled them and stained them to the best of my ability..(which are not great when it comes to wood work)..I was more concerned in closing all air tight gaps than looks..i made the cutouts smaller and sanded the sides until the new tweeter fit......i even used a foam surround material around the tweeter base..but the old holes can still be seen..(the older tweeter had a wider flange.)..this is how they look today...w/o the grills

 

[audiom3]

Nice! Congrats, Howler! These look very similar to my Classics which I bought new in 1999. And I still use them as surround speakers. Drivers are obviously different though. Legacy always offers their support even after all these years. You're in good hands.

 

[HowlerMonkey]

Sound test in the small cave, speakers around 6ft apart
All switches in the down position.
Bi Amping with Dynaco ST-70 to the top end and Rotel RB-976 for the subs

Impressions on the Legacy-1

When they say full range they mean it. I have heard things on these speakers that reach beyond what normal 3 ways or 2 ways with subs can produce....they do ~20Hz easily if the information is there and they produce a very flat response around 16KHz...I have taken 20Hz-20KHz REW measurements in both the living room and the cave.

The front end is extremely transparent, balanced and non fatiguing with the right setup.

They image way better than anything I have heard so far including B&W 603s and Warfedale Denton's which I thought had pretty good imaging.

They need a good matching amp. I have tried the top end with the Rotel 976 and an Onkyo Integra integrated and they didn't match very well. They are happy with the Dynaco on the 4ohms tab.

They can be temperamental in the bass.They do reach low but it can get messy depending on the room and the speaker location. I think in part because of the limitations of the lower baffle. The newer speakers dropped that design in favor of a rear firing sub.

They are complicated. With the bi-amping options and the switches in the back, you can tweak the sound a lot which is good or bad thing depending on the situation.

The cabinets are solid. When I worked on them I saw all sorts of bracing in the inside, the bullnosed edges sure help a lot also. They don't "ring" like other more boxy/traditional cabinets.

The midrange is not as "sweet" as the ADS dome midrange...Norah Jones voice on the ADSL810 sounds a bit more "round", less edgy...But strings, pianos, guitars, sound more accurate in the Legacy's. I hope to record more samples at some point.

They are a not easy on the eyes lol. They look very dated with those brown grills. The wood veneer is real and can use a touch up. (I need to learn some wood working skills first)

They take a lot of space because of the angled cabinet design. I had them in our living for 6 months before I moved them to the cave. The sound stage in the living room was real and more 3D...I had them more than 9ft apart there. I used the rear tweeter switches on certain occasions in that room. But they took over the living room to sound the best.

They are very dynamic. They react very fast and get loud or silent very quick...The rise and decay of the sound is very different than in a traditional speaker. Playing well recorded music like Daft Punk / Dire Straits / Sarah McLachlan / Sade...for example is pretty awesome.

 

[opnly bafld]

Impressions on the Legacy-1



They need a good matching amp.

They can be temperamental in the bass.They do reach low but it can get messy depending on the room and the speaker location. I think in part because of the limitations of the lower baffle. The newer speakers dropped that design in favor of a rear firing sub.

A high current amp will help to control the bass also.
Legacy did change to a rear woofer on the Classics, but the Signature IIIs used a slot loaded down firing 10" for many years (along with a front and rear 10) in a sealed alignment.

 

[HowlerMonkey]

A high current amp will help to control the bass also.
Legacy did change to a rear woofer on the Classics, but the Signature IIIs used a slot loaded down firing 10" for many years (along with a front and rear 10) in a sealed alignment.

yes! those (2) items you pointed out go hand and hand. Unfortunately I don't have great amps to do justice to these speakers (I have a B&K 4420 and a Cerwing Vega Metron M-200, but they both need work/repair). In the meantime the Dynaco & Rotel are trying to keep up.

On a side note I am not a big fan of the "high amp" term. It seems another marketing cliche that hi-fi manufacturers love to use and pro audio people tend to avoid. I respect amp manufacturers that publish power ratings at both 8 and 4ohms....and even more when they publish 2ohm ratings....That gets a thumb up, high res pictures of the guts of the amps gets another one Then hook them up to amp killer speakers for testing.

The lower baffle in the Legacy-1 and Signature III are so interesting. At first glance they seem very shallow and that they could create more trouble than benefit. The lower baffle woofer on the Legacy-1 is a different driver than the front firing one: Rubber surround, didn't need replacement. It was asked to perform another task than the front firing sub. I just find it interesting that no speaker in their current line up (from what I could tell) uses a bottom firing woofer.......That said I appreciate different designs of trying to deliver good sound. I have a cheapo DBX sub cabinet on my side projects that uses a down firing woofer and I can;t wait to play with it and take some measurements. Cheers.

 

[opnly bafld]

yes! those (2) items you pointed out go hand and hand. Unfortunately I don't have great amps to do justice to these speakers (I have a B&K 4420 and a Cerwing Vega Metron M-200, but they both need work/repair). In the meantime the Dynaco & Rotel are trying to keep up.

On a side note I am not a big fan of the "high amp" term. It seems another marketing cliche that hi-fi manufacturers love to use and pro audio people tend to avoid. I respect amp manufacturers that publish power ratings at both 8 and 4ohms....and even more when they publish 2ohm ratings....That gets a thumb up, high res pictures of the guts of the amps gets another one Then hook them up to amp killer speakers for testing.

Since you are using the Dynaco for the mids/highs try a relatively inexpensive Crown XLS 1500/02 or higher model for the bass.
There is an excellent condition QSC RMX 1450a class a/b 400/700 watts - 4/2 ohms (not mine) to be had for very little $.

 

[baco99]

Great thread! Thanks for sharing.

 

[TheObject]

I picked up a pair of these at a thrift store for $200, both woofers were rotted out and I refoamed them. Tremendous sounding speakers. Was using a Realistic STA-2000D to power them but now using a recently purchased Fisher 400 and they sound even better. Since there is very little info about the speakers I did not realize they are 4 ohm, I will need to change that setting on the 400. Not sure if I will keep the 400 on these as it seems a bit underpowered. On mine the middle switch seems to turn off the rear firing tweeter.