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Paisley Research .5

Van_Isle

Van_Isle

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Picked up my 2nd pair of Paisley Research speakers today. By Ian Paisley and built by API (of Mirage, Sound Dynamics, Athena, Energy, etc. fame). These are the model ".5" (my others are "Model 5.5"). The .5's are a smaller front-ported bookshelf speaker (16"H x 9.5"W x 9"D) with a 6.5" woofer (may be another Bextrene woofer but I am thinking black poly ... these have a different "pattern" to the cone material). I am pretty sure the woofer will turn out to be a made-for or made-by API model, but the tweeter is a Vifa D19 TD-5 3/4" Polymer 8-ohm dome. One of the tweeters was dead, but I happen to have a couple spares from a pair of Paradigm Titans .... so tomorrow we shall see what they sound like :D. (and get some better pictures). They set me back a whopping $10. :D

Now ... back to the flooded basement :no:
 

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They are pretty close, aren't they .... but some googling shows a couple C-6 versions ... appears some with front ports, a dead-ringer for the tweeter and Tannoy badging across the bottom of the enclosure ..... and some with rear ports and a slightly different tweeter (3 inner screws on the faceplate) and no badging. The latter I would say are far closer in terms of the enclosure. But I'm not that familiar with the Tannoys, although I do know that the Canadian-produced Tannoy was built by API.

.... I had a quick listen this AM - the Paisley's sound very nice ...
 
Van_Isle said:
They are pretty close, aren't they .... but some googling shows a couple C-6 versions ... appears some with front ports, a dead-ringer for the tweeter and Tannoy badging across the bottom of the enclosure ..... and some with rear ports and a slightly different tweeter (3 inner screws on the faceplate) and no badging. The latter I would say are far closer in terms of the enclosure. But I'm not that familiar with the Tannoys, although I do know that the Canadian-produced Tannoy was built by API.

.... I had a quick listen this AM - the Paisley's sound very nice ...
Click to expand...

It has always been my suspicion that Canadian-Tannoy stuff was API, although I never bothered to research it. It looks like Energy stuff a lot.

I own the front-ported C6 and a local pawnshop has the rear ported ones and they do seem a bit taller. Sounds pretty nice and has decent bass for such small 2-way BR. Highs are rather precise and can even be fatiguing after a while, but it's not too bad. Currently used as computer speakers via a Denon DRA-545R receiver.

az
 
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Well, looks like another refoam job in the works. Held together long enough for a good test and then I could see the woofer foams starting to go. Figured that was going to happen. Anyone know a Canadian supplier of foam surrounds that are "tapered" on the woofer cone side (hope that is the right way to describe them)?
 
Sorry, must be confusing me with someone else. I don't have any Reference 5's (actually, I don't think I have heard of that model). I have Model 5.5's and the .5's.
 
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For completeness, the Vifa D19TD-5 tweeters have a sticker over-top the Vifa tweeter marked PL512 051-407 and the woofers are marked PL4L2 051-637. These would be the designations used by API - the "PL" showing up on a lot of API products.
Another thread, linked below, indicates that woofers were made by Cambridge Speakers of Ontario, for API:

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?p=1181030

The API Image brand speakers I have seen so far have been near dead-ringers for Paisley Research products. Case in point - Image Reference .5's, shown below.
 

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I think I'm gonna crack open my Tannoy C6 to get the driver numbers and see if it is indeed as similar to these Paisley as I think.

az
 
Damage said:
Looks exactly like Energy ESM stuff to me.
Click to expand...

Thats about right. Lots of speakers out of API had a very similar componant make up. You could include the early Axiom speakers in that as well. They made a couple lower end models which the .5 was and then the Reference 2's is were they got more serious. What they did at the higher level was get a 1" tweeter of higher SQ and acually tune the box for bass. The lower models would get little R&D and were geared to the masses.

These were speakers that would be a part of an entry level package, and then they would upsell on the speakers if the guy had any clue about what sounded good. The model up would destroy the lower one and the sale would be easy. The paisley 2's were decent the lower ones from Paisley were far off the pace for what we enjoyed out of the NRC. The .5's would be the simpliest and most basic speaker that Ian ever made.

Ian Paisley went on to introduce the Image line that was pretty good. He had a rework if memory serves of the dual-hyperdome tweeter that the Pro 22's made famous. He also used very good 6" drivers in a very thin baffled speaker. One of my friends back then had a pair.

The drivers for your speakers are very generic and sound difference from one to the other at that level would be negligable.

This is not said as a put down but simply what they were.

FTR API was always a "Money Maker" first. They thought volume and gave anyone an account. The first pair of Energy 22 Reference Conns I heard were sitting in an isle of a store next to dishwashers and fridges in the 80's. No Joke!

marc mc
 
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Great links and a good illustration of the "Machine" that was known as API.

I wish that Nuance had never happened however.

New audiophiles up here usually ended up with Paradigm or an API product because they are so prevelant. It is however a well known fact that some of the best speakers made came from within an hours drive of them. The list is mindboggling and most second purchases were from somebody else or the UK speakers that we all loved. The big US names were seldom seen or liked up here.

marc mc
 
I own the hole Image Reference line now. The Image Reference 5 are the last model I picked up. I got them yesterday and after cleaning them up and taking 2 spare Image Concept 200 woofers and putting them in place of the foam rotted 6.5 I am now giving them a listen wow now these are book selfs!!!!
Now if I could only find the Image Concept 100 I would have the Hole Image line
and what a line they were
 
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