• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Mystery Speakers: Calling all Detectives

pumablues

pumablues

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
Hi all,
I have a gent on Craigslist that likes to offer up, for very cheap, mystery speakers. No external markings of any kind, and he doesn't seem to have any idea what they are.So, I turn to the collective conscious of AK, and I also invite others to post their own mystery speakers here.

Any idea what these are? They look to me like some kind of 3-way, with pots for the bass and the treble, maybe?

mystery-speakers.jpg
 
Register to hide this ad
They seem to have some slight differences from the Panasonic / Technics Sb500 -- the pots are silver knobs instead of black dials; the markings around the pots are arranged a bit differently; and the cover on the mid appears to be a bit different; slightly different model, maybe? Or a clone from another company?

Agreed -- these poor things have seen better days. I already have several projects in the wings...but I love a good fixer upper challenge :) thanks for the responses, all! I might post some other mystery speakers for your consideration later :)
 
Those speakers look a lot like these which were made by Namco.
 

Attachments

  • 9C88846C-CDCB-4357-B59E-FC9C872D1CD5.png
    9C88846C-CDCB-4357-B59E-FC9C872D1CD5.png
    305.4 KB · Views: 71
DING DING DING< I think @BAWSME hit the nail on the head.... these look to be 70's era NAMCO speakers; and based on some limited research today, NAMCO also had a close working relationship with Panasonic (aka Technics) during that timeframe, which is probably why they bear such a striking resemblance to the Panasonic/Technics SB-500 @swechsler suggested above. Perhaps Panasonic made them, with some components that were "Namco" branded, like the pot knobs, and Namco badged them. Doesn't seem to be much of a historical record, though.

Information is very limited, but these were manufactured in Japan; and likely sport a 2-2.5 inch soft dome mid-range, and an aluminum tweeter. I'd guess its a 12 inch woofer, though I suppose it could be a 10. Hard to tell by the photo.

Here's a thread I found on AK, about Namco speakers and Panasonic: https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...ade-in-japan-predecessor-to-panasonic.446664/

Here's a photo I found of this specific model over at DIY Audio forum.... looks like someone took a pair and painted them black. THey came with those lattic grilles that were common during the late 60s and 70s. It looks like the woofer surround is butyl rubber, too, instead of foam, which is kinda cool (IMO).

i287104489195991759._szw1280h1280_.jpg
 
Yup, now that I look closer at the SB-500/SB-550, the cabinet seems to be a bit smaller and the drivers closer together than the OP's. Drivers look the same, though.
 
OP said they're cheap. I'd take them and do the tissue paper/coffee filter repair on the woofers, see how they sound.
 
Mystery Speaker #2!!

You probably didn;t think it possible, but to my eyes, these look maybe even more abused than mystery pair #1. Seller has no idea what they are, and any external markings have long since disappeared into the ether.


01212_dVJGRAo4rXF_1200x900.jpg
 
Woofer are Philips, tweeters probably CTS. The woofer dust caps are made of foam and can deteriorate, which is probably why the left woofer looks like that. Condition-wise, they don't really look that bad, though
 
Real wood or plastic laminate? Hard to tell.

I always find these older speakers benefit from a recap, but they still roll off too fast at the very top because of the cone tweeters. But it could be just my ears.

Not often you see a Philips woofer. Mids and tweeters are more common. I wonder where these came from? A house brand speaker, esp. one this small size, would usually use a budget woofer like a CTS since they are building them to a price point.
 
It wouldn't surprise me if the woofers were replacements due to bad foam on the originals. Those Philips woofers may not have been super cheap, but they used very thin stamped metal frames.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom