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Need Help Identifying Mystery Speakers

Festuss

Festuss

New Member
Picked up a pair of these last week but so far am unable to identify them after scouring the web for most of the brands from the 70's - 80's. There's no label or badge, and the wrap-around grills are not removable - but they sound pretty darn good. At first glance they look like a Bose 501 but the dimensions don't match and like I said, they sound pretty good. :p
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Walnut veneer, nice and heavy, sized at 23 1/2H x 15 1/2W x 12D. Note the little red push-button under the flush-mounted terminals - not sure what that would function for, but maybe some sort of a re-set function.

Can anybody help me with a positive identification?

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That red pushbutton is a circuit breaker, pretty common in speakers back then. There have been several manufacturers that made a speaker with the grill going halfway back like that, but none spring to mind at the moment. Sorry I can't be of more help.

I'm assuming the grills aren't easily removable?
 
swechsler said:
No, the circuit breaker is a couple inches below the input terminals. Look carefully, it's hard to see.
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I saw it, most likely some sort of protection device. Too bad the grills don't come off, would be interesting to see what's behind there.

On a closer look I see screws holding the back on, why not open one up for a look see and post pics here?
 
Those look a heck of a lot like Avid 105's. There is a pair in the house we are temporarily renting. If indeed they are Avids, they are fantastic speakers. The grill covers are pretty hefty, and I think are attached by magnets maybe? I'll attack a pic of these in a minute.
 
WillVT said:
Those look a heck of a lot like Avid 105's. There is a pair in the house we are temporarily renting. If indeed they are Avids, they are fantastic speakers. The grill covers are pretty hefty, and I think are attached by magnets maybe? I'll attack a pic of these in a minute.
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Don't think it's a match. The grills on the OP's speakers go half way back, or even slightly more, while the Avid's grills only cover the first third or so. Also, the Avids have a cutout for the terminals, while with these, the entire back is recessed.
 
swechsler said:
Don't think it's a match. The grills on the OP's speakers go half way back, or even slightly more, while the Avid's grills only cover the first third or so. Also, the Avids have a cutout for the terminals, while with these, the entire back is recessed.
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Yeah, I noticed those things. It doesn't seem like there were any different versions of the 105 either.
Oh well. I was just so exited that I could possibly answer a speaker id question. Guess I jumped the gun...
Pretty similar though! Avid knock offs perhaps?
 
Unfortunate spring contacts aside, these don't look like cheap speakers - real wood veneer, plus the cabinet walls aren't too thin (and of course the OP stated that they're heavy, although heavy can be relative). I'm going to guess that there's a way inside without destroying them, possibly via those aforementioned screws.
 
swechsler said:
Unfortunate spring contacts aside, these don't look like cheap speakers - real wood veneer, plus the cabinet walls aren't too thin (and of course the OP stated that they're heavy, although heavy can be relative). I'm going to guess that there's a way inside without destroying them, possibly via those aforementioned screws.
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Some speaker manufacturers were thorough in hiding their grill attachments. I found screws nearly totally hidden sometimes in old speakers. Give the grills a close inspection.
 
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