richartistic
Active Member
Before in the raw, with no finish applied:
New OLD Chrysler CE-509 Loudspeakers
- Thread starter richartistic
- Start date
richartistic
Active Member
Here are the after photos in my (ridiculously messy!) living room:
richartistic
Active Member
Ok, so that is one down. One more to go. Here it is in the current condition, with 45-50 years of wear. They were stained a darker color. When I get my living room remodeled, they should look pretty nice. They will work well as cabinets to hold some walnut table lamps I plan to build.
boatdrinks77
Well-Known Member
The first one look terrific little brother. NOW DO THE SECOND ONE !!!! lol Dan 
richartistic
Active Member
Thank you NH Man. I ran into a slight wrinkle when veneering, but it all worked out OK in the end. These don't have the aged look yet, but after a few years, they should get that patina of some of my other walnut pieces. I will post more thorough photos during the next phase of veneering the other speaker. They are pretty large so I decided to tackle them one at a time in my spare time. When I do finish my living room area, I'm going to go for a 1960's look, with Mid Century Modern bookcases, Stereo cabinet, and TV stand. Hopefully by the end of summer, my area will be complete. 
tensleep
Addicted Member
http://www.eastmarinedrive.com/contents/non-static/crysler-content.htm
This is the most comprehensive site I have found, regarding these fine loudspeakers. My pair are languishing in the closet (too many other speaker projects), awaiting some TLC. I picked mine up years ago for $10, CE-2. Mine are pictured under Bill S. on the web page. Send them pictures of yours!
Very beautiful wood work on yours - My grills are impeccable, but the veneer is really shot. I wish I had your skills.
This is the most comprehensive site I have found, regarding these fine loudspeakers. My pair are languishing in the closet (too many other speaker projects), awaiting some TLC. I picked mine up years ago for $10, CE-2. Mine are pictured under Bill S. on the web page. Send them pictures of yours!
Very beautiful wood work on yours - My grills are impeccable, but the veneer is really shot. I wish I had your skills.
richartistic
Active Member
Thanks Dr. Biggles. I will post a number of photos when I get both of the Chryslers finished up. I just acquired a Vintage Sansui Model 890 Receiver last night that is in PRIMO condition. If you aren't familiar with this model, you can google it. I'm partial to the black faced models, and this is the Euro version of the Sansui 8080 in all black. It will be mated with these speakers down the road. I'm pretty jazzed about this setup and I'm guessing that one will complement the other. I'm playing with the idea of trying to remove the grill cloth very carefully, dying it the original gold color and then reinstalling, but I'm afraid I might destroy it, and I do really like the weave on these. It just screams vintage speaker grill. LOL! In a couple of the photos you can see the gold on both grills in the right bottom corner of the fabric. For some reason, each of these has bright gold in the same area, but the rest is faded and kind of dull. I did modify the one slightly, which I will duplicate on the 2nd one, and that is to put a flat plate on the bottom for ease of movement across my carpet. These units are really heavy, and are tough to move around as the exposed plywood edging on the bottom was catching on the carpet itself. More to come!
Hey richartistic,
I've not owned the 890, but I am familiar with it. The black faced versions of those receivers are absolutely stunning. A friend has the black faced version of the 9090, jaw dropping. I would suggest living with the original version of your grill cloth for a while, look at it from a badge of honor. They've made it all this way, they have a story to tell. I've come across the same issues with my restorations. After restoring the veneer to stunning, the other details can bring down the presentation. Unless of course, you can steer your psyche to look at them with a different perspective.
I get it on the heavy speakers. At the moment, my 2 pairs of daily drivers are all over 100 pounds a piece. One pair have legs and am unable to use a hand-truck or grip them very well. It takes some concentration to get them moved about safely. I find it necessary though, the larger cabinets produce the big, easy and lush bass that my Ears require.
Biggles
I've not owned the 890, but I am familiar with it. The black faced versions of those receivers are absolutely stunning. A friend has the black faced version of the 9090, jaw dropping. I would suggest living with the original version of your grill cloth for a while, look at it from a badge of honor. They've made it all this way, they have a story to tell. I've come across the same issues with my restorations. After restoring the veneer to stunning, the other details can bring down the presentation. Unless of course, you can steer your psyche to look at them with a different perspective.
I get it on the heavy speakers. At the moment, my 2 pairs of daily drivers are all over 100 pounds a piece. One pair have legs and am unable to use a hand-truck or grip them very well. It takes some concentration to get them moved about safely. I find it necessary though, the larger cabinets produce the big, easy and lush bass that my Ears require.
Biggles
richartistic
Active Member
Thanks for the advice Dr. Biggles about the grill cloth. You've convinced me to leave them as they are. I have done some refinishing for my brother who has a number of Advent speakers that are in nice shape. One pair though looked as if it had been dragged across asphalt, and so I sanded them down after using water to raise the grain a bit, and I was able to remove the deep gouges. When I returned them to him a few hours later, re-oiled, he couldn't believe they were the same pair. I mentioned to him how thick some of the older veneers are and explained that if the wood is flat, they can be sanded sometimes pretty deeply before hitting the underlying substrate. When I got these Chryslers, the tops were actually curved up on the ends probably due to liquid spillage. In fact when a straightedge was placed across the width of the top, there was at least a 1/16 gap of daylight peeking through under the straightedge itself. It became worse when getting to the outer edge of each side, indicating a bowl like dip in the middle. I had to sand the top completely flat which went through the veneer on each side all the way in about 2 inches or so. After sanding the entire top flat, then I reveneered the speaker. If I can get away with doing that on existing speakers, I like to leave the original walnut. Unfortunately, these were just cupped so much, it kinda' drove me nuts and so I had to take them down.
I would like to see those 100 pounders. I would bet they sound pretty good. For me the aesthetics are a big part of the package, and I've been drawn lately to 1960s styling and so whenever I see older Large Cabinet speakers, I begin drooling heavily. The guy from whom I purchased the Sansui has a pair of Bozacs in walnut cases that have never been touched. He informed me that down the road in the near future, he will sell me both of them. They are cabinets with legs and so I'm looking forward to acquiring those. I'll just have to find another room to place them. I will provide photos later tonight of the 890 Sansui. Thanks!
I would like to see those 100 pounders. I would bet they sound pretty good. For me the aesthetics are a big part of the package, and I've been drawn lately to 1960s styling and so whenever I see older Large Cabinet speakers, I begin drooling heavily. The guy from whom I purchased the Sansui has a pair of Bozacs in walnut cases that have never been touched. He informed me that down the road in the near future, he will sell me both of them. They are cabinets with legs and so I'm looking forward to acquiring those. I'll just have to find another room to place them. I will provide photos later tonight of the 890 Sansui. Thanks!
richartistic
Active Member
Hi Fairlane,
I will be taking a few photos of the 890, both lit and unlit. I really do like the look of this particular model. I recently purchased a Marantz 4300 that needs a little work and I was planning on purchasing the black face piece for it after cleaning it and going through it, but now I'll just most likely sell that off. I have a Realistic Brand the model 2000D receiver from 1979 that is in great condition and I swore I would never sell it, no matter what, but now that I have this Sansui, it will be going up for sale even though I said I wouldn't.
I will be taking a few photos of the 890, both lit and unlit. I really do like the look of this particular model. I recently purchased a Marantz 4300 that needs a little work and I was planning on purchasing the black face piece for it after cleaning it and going through it, but now I'll just most likely sell that off. I have a Realistic Brand the model 2000D receiver from 1979 that is in great condition and I swore I would never sell it, no matter what, but now that I have this Sansui, it will be going up for sale even though I said I wouldn't.
richartistic
Active Member
Hi Tensleep,
Thanks for the link to the Chrysler page. Any information about the maker Chrysler, is a plus for me. In fact, I found a couple of things to be very interesting, and from some research I had done previously, I know that these particular CE 509 model speakers were manufactured before "Chrysler" changed the name to "Crysler". Then Crysler changed its name again to "Living Audio", which appears to be Pre or around 1972 from what I've been able to find, I'm guessing these big Speakers were manufactured in the late '60s, maybe 1968 or 1969. These have a couple of labels on the back, so here are some photos. I'd love to know anything more about these CE 509s. If anyone can help, I would be grateful. BTW, there is 1 woofer, 2 midrange, 2 tweeters, and 1 supertweeter as well as a bass port across the bottom..
Thanks for the link to the Chrysler page. Any information about the maker Chrysler, is a plus for me. In fact, I found a couple of things to be very interesting, and from some research I had done previously, I know that these particular CE 509 model speakers were manufactured before "Chrysler" changed the name to "Crysler". Then Crysler changed its name again to "Living Audio", which appears to be Pre or around 1972 from what I've been able to find, I'm guessing these big Speakers were manufactured in the late '60s, maybe 1968 or 1969. These have a couple of labels on the back, so here are some photos. I'd love to know anything more about these CE 509s. If anyone can help, I would be grateful. BTW, there is 1 woofer, 2 midrange, 2 tweeters, and 1 supertweeter as well as a bass port across the bottom..
richartistic
Active Member
Here is a photo of the inside of the speaker box, the crossovers, and the control pots. Notice the 5 concentric slugs on the woofer 
Hey man,
I've got the original Pioneer sqawkers that came out of my Pioneer cabs, and they look the same as yours. They're the ones with the copper colored steel backs, dead on.
Ha! I knew it. I knew there was a good reason why you redid the veneer, that's why I didn't say anything. You just knocked it out with authority.
I recently completed a DIY pair of Bozak B302A's, swapped out the Bozak B200Y tweeters for a pair of new SEAS Excel rigs. The factory ones come in at 125 pounds, these are a little more than that. I built a pair of Tobin 104T crossovers on solid African Mahogany too.
The second pair of daily drivers actually come in at just under 82 pounds, so I failed on the 100+ pounders. They're IMF TLS 80's. But I've got a pair of Sunn Model 15 PA speakers that will do the trick.
Biggles
I've got the original Pioneer sqawkers that came out of my Pioneer cabs, and they look the same as yours. They're the ones with the copper colored steel backs, dead on.
Ha! I knew it. I knew there was a good reason why you redid the veneer, that's why I didn't say anything. You just knocked it out with authority.
I recently completed a DIY pair of Bozak B302A's, swapped out the Bozak B200Y tweeters for a pair of new SEAS Excel rigs. The factory ones come in at 125 pounds, these are a little more than that. I built a pair of Tobin 104T crossovers on solid African Mahogany too.
The second pair of daily drivers actually come in at just under 82 pounds, so I failed on the 100+ pounders. They're IMF TLS 80's. But I've got a pair of Sunn Model 15 PA speakers that will do the trick.
Biggles
boatdrinks77
Well-Known Member
Hey man,
I've got the original Pioneer sqawkers that came out of my Pioneer cabs, and they look the same as yours. They're the ones with the copper colored steel backs, dead on.
Ha! I knew it. I knew there was a good reason why you redid the veneer, that's why I didn't say anything. You just knocked it out with authority.
I recently completed a DIY pair of Bozak B302A's, swapped out the Bozak B200Y tweeters for a pair of new SEAS Excel rigs. The factory ones come in at 125 pounds, these are a little more than that. I built a pair of Tobin 104T crossovers on solid African Mahogany too.
The second pair of daily drivers actually come in at just under 82 pounds, so I failed on the 100+ pounders. They're IMF TLS 80's. But I've got a pair of Sunn Model 15 PA speakers that will do the trick.
Biggles
Man, those are cool !!!!! Dan
richartistic
Active Member
NICE work! Did you build the cabinets or refinish them? That really looks great.
Hey,
I purchased the cabinets empty, they're from the 1950's and are as I found them. Some company by the name of Hensens built 'em, no trace of them today. They're built exceptionally well, very solid. Teak plywood with solid teak battens internally, tasty. And they come in at approximately 5.2 cubic feet, just a tad over factory cabs.
Happy Sunday!
Biggles
I purchased the cabinets empty, they're from the 1950's and are as I found them. Some company by the name of Hensens built 'em, no trace of them today. They're built exceptionally well, very solid. Teak plywood with solid teak battens internally, tasty. And they come in at approximately 5.2 cubic feet, just a tad over factory cabs.
Happy Sunday!
Biggles
richartistic
Active Member
Awesome! I love the look. The person from whom I purchased the Sansui has a pair of Bozaks that he has agreed to sell to me, when he decides to part with them. They are the 302 models I believe, but after seeing your cabinets, I may also build some out of walnut or cherry as a copy of that style cabinet. I have a pair of Utah 12 inch full range speakers that came out of my father's old speaker cabinets, which he had in the '60s. I understand the Utahs were pretty decent and so I think I'll make a couple of cabinets that house the Utahs and maybe some older tweeters that I can snag on the Auction site. I'll put together a Bozak's crossover network (I think there are schematics available online somewhere) and then see how they sound paired together in a nice mid century modern cabinet like yours. I'm always looking for new angles for projects to build so that might be a plan.