Phase Linear (Andromeda) Phase III speakers -familiar with these?

[vintageblog]

Go Canucks Go!!!

I hope your not cheering for San Jose Terry!
We are all proud of the Canucks and hope they go all the way.
I really appreciate the feedback and you have further described what others have told me that the precision in these Andromeda systems are top shelf. I will post one day when I find a set worthy of restoring.

 

[BankShot]

I hope your not cheering for San Jose Terry!
We are all proud of the Canucks and hope they go all the way.
I really appreciate the feedback and you have further described what others have told me that the precision in these Andromeda systems are top shelf. I will post one day when I find a set worthy of restoring.

Nope, I am pulling for the Canucks to win as that is my home town. Hope to be reading a post from you soon telling us about your newly acquired Andromeda/Phase III system purchase. I know you won't be dissappointed. BTW, I own both the Lincoln Mayorga and Thelma Houston vinyls you show on your website and they sound "wonderful" thru the Andromedas...........

Regards...........Terry:thmbsp:

 

[vintageblog]

Lincoln & Thelma

Terry, Aren't those wonderful recordings? I'm jealous. I need to hear them through the III's. I have a wonderful pair of Ohm Walsh's and a set of Energy Pro 22's that do the job but it's time to move to a new dimension! Thanks again

 

[waynedb]

Those by all engineering standards are simply incredible. I would jump at the opportunity to acquire these. I have yet to see a set for sale up here in Toronto.
I write http://vintagesound-vintagesound.blogspot.com and there is very little market for these kind of gems. At least compared to your US audio lovers.
Are you still listening to these? Tell me about the clarity and musically, as I have never had the pleasure.

I have personally had the pleasure to grow up on an amazing set of the later Phase 3s' that were purchased new by my father in 1980 - when I was one year old. These speakers have been the benchmark for every other speaker I have ever listened to, and they set the bar very high. I acquired mine from my dad last year when he upgraded to a set of Amazings, which is the only other speaker I have ever heard come close to reproducing the sound quality of the Andromedas.
Try to imagine a speaker that is totally non directional, but at the same time puts the vocals and instruments exactly in thier place.. It is a difficult task to try and describe the clarity of the sound that comes from these speakers, and honestly mine are a bit run down compared to what they were new, but they still can perfectly reproduce any type of music they are asked to handle.
I have rotated mine out of the system for a while - since I bought a pair of the piano black Amazings in mint condition a couple of months ago. But when I was running them (Phase 3s) I had them bi-amped and hooked to 2 carver m1.5t amps, they do require loads of power. Funny thing is, when I took the panels out I left the sub in my listening room, and still run it with the Amazings. This is a great setup, you can't beat the room shaking bass that the Andromeda subs have. The Amazings do come close to the Andromedas sound, but they are exremely directional - with only about a 6' wide sweet spot, which is totally opposite of the Andromedas.
Hopefully you will get your hands on a pair, I have only seen serveral sets go by in the last couple of years. And be prepared to get Terrys speaker guy to do some reconning, most of the subwoofers have basket sag from years of gravity pulling down on the downward firing woofers. But if you can find a pair and put a little money in repairing them to factory (or better than factory - Terry) specs, you are going to be in for a great ride. I still can't wait to get home some days, just to listen to my system.

 

[vintageblog]

Thanks waynedb for your input. Spoiled since a toddler eh? Nice way to grow up though!

 

[vintageblog]

If anyone wants to sell their Andromedas I would love to talk to you. It might take years to find a set in Canada. None available in the past 2 years anyways.

 

[BankShot]

If anyone wants to sell their Andromedas I would love to talk to you. It might take years to find a set in Canada. None available in the past 2 years anyways.

vintageblog- I wouldn't imagine there being too many sets of Andromeda/Phase III systems floating around up there in Canada but just the same keep those feelers out, you never know when a set may just turn up. If I run across anything up in the mid northern/atlantic parts of the states I will post you and let you know as shipping them out here to CA would be a nightmare and an expensive one at that. You however could just jump in your pickemup truck and go gettem...........

Continued Good Listening to you...........Terry:thmbsp:

 

[vintageblog]

vintageblog- I wouldn't imagine there being too many sets of Andromeda/Phase III systems floating around up there in Canada but just the same keep those feelers out, you never know when a set may just turn up. If I run across anything up in the mid northern/atlantic parts of the states I will post you and let you know as shipping them out here to CA would be a nightmare and an expensive one at that. You however could just jump in your pickemup truck and go gettem...........

Continued Good Listening to you...........Terry:thmbsp:

That sounds excellent Terry! Be well!

 

[Ken Boyd]

I have to agree about the fantastic qualitys of the Phase Linear III speaker system. I purchased a pair just out of interest of the design, as I mainly collect the larger Infinity systems, and I have to admit, my favorite system to listen to is the Phase Linear III's. They won't match my Infintiy RS-1b's in sheer volume and ablity to create a huge sound stage but they sound more refined and the bass is deeper. I almost purchase another pair which were in Atlanta but the auction claimed them to be in very poor shape, with most drivers not working and some not orginal, and they did not have the electronic controller that is suppose to be with them. I should have bought them just for the bass commode as I would like to do like Terry has use two bass Commodes one for each channel and drive them with their own amps.

 

[stevesailor]

I will be doing a road trip in two weeks to pick up a set of Andromeda speakers including the woofer (no controller box, though...) that a friend is giving me. They aren't very pretty cosmetically and have some of the dispersion cones broken on the up-firing tweets. I'm hoping I can resurrect them as I'd like to have a listen and decide if I want to keep them or not. We have a very small living space so they may be overkill.

I've heard they need a lot of power to come alive properly. I have the power (yet to be tested) in the form of the Dual 500 Series II amp which the same friend gifted to me to repair a while back. How do the Andromedas sound at lower volumes?

 

[frankxbe]

wonder how they sound with a 700b or dual 500

 

[Ken Boyd]

Right now I am running them with a single PL 400 II amp, with a Mcintosh C28 preamp. But sometime in the future I will bring my big amp rack which is all Phase Linear in a 8 foot Middle Atlantic rack. At that time I will run them with a pair of PL 700 II bi amped. I also have the PL time delay unit to run a rear pair of speakers, not sure what pair of speakers I will run as rear channels but probably a pair of Infinity QLS-2's. They sound very good at low levels.

 

[BankShot]

PL Andromedas and the later model Phase III systems both require an amp with high power and headroom to really make them come alive. I've gone thru several different amps and amp combos to drive mine and found that each time I used a higher power amp this system just got better and better. I've owned them since 1976 and just last year added a second set to my front setup, powering them of course with a separate amp. As I've said several times in previous posts........WOW!!! There may be better but I've yet to hear it. With regards to listening to them a lower levels if you have the amp/amps behind them they sound superb. The bass comes thru very strong and detailed as do the upper octaves. You should be able to find some dispersion cones or have them made by a plastic fabricator as they are there for a reason.........they work and do the job intended of them with an upward firing tweeter. Make sure to check the bass module over good as woofer sag is common after all these years and I can recommend a guy who can recone them for you if needed. He does great work and is out of Sacramento, CA. I've had him do both of my bass modules and am very pleased with the results. One more thing, in addition to requiring a good powerful amp these speakers also require a fairly large room in order to really show off their imaging and presence, etc. These speakers were way ahead of their time when Bob Carver designed them and they will hold their own with just about anything out there today regardless of price. Do I sound prejudice? Of course I am but once you've got them set up and powered correctly they will blow your socks off and more...............

Enjoy, and keep us posted on how you end up setting them up and how you like them. They are addicting and I am thinking you will find out just how addicting they really are.................

Regards, Terry

PS: If you can ever locate an MCM by all means grab it. Some like it, some don't but it does the job intended and gives you the opportunity to tweak the highs, mids and lows to your listening room...........

I will be doing a road trip in two weeks to pick up a set of Andromeda speakers including the woofer (no controller box, though...) that a friend is giving me. They aren't very pretty cosmetically and have some of the dispersion cones broken on the up-firing tweets. I'm hoping I can resurrect them as I'd like to have a listen and decide if I want to keep them or not. We have a very small living space so they may be overkill.

I've heard they need a lot of power to come alive properly. I have the power (yet to be tested) in the form of the Dual 500 Series II amp which the same friend gifted to me to repair a while back. How do the Andromedas sound at lower volumes?

 

[Bucky Badger]

Right now I am running them with a single PL 400 II amp, with a Mcintosh C28 preamp. But sometime in the future I will bring my big amp rack which is all Phase Linear in a 8 foot Middle Atlantic rack. At that time I will run them with a pair of PL 700 II bi amped. I also have the PL time delay unit to run a rear pair of speakers, not sure what pair of speakers I will run as rear channels but probably a pair of Infinity QLS-2's. They sound very good at low levels.

Wow. You will really notice a dif. when you put a bit more power to them. Biamping is definitely recommended.
QLS-2's for rears.... Wow.


PS.
Hey Terry,
I'm sorry I haven't gotten back to you lately. I have been in escrow and out of escrow and all points in between. Hope you are well and happy.

 

[stevesailor]

@ TSOQ: My listening room is pretty small. My wife and I live in what some would call a "cabin in the woods"... But I still want to get them repaired, hook up the Dual 500 and hear what they sound like. I will keep in mind your offer to hook me up with the fellow who can re-cone the woof if needed. Thanks. I'll keep you fellows posted as things progress.

(If this whole setup is too much for our small place, guess I'll have to find them a new home..:sigh

 

[BankShot]

STEVESAILOR - Andromedas under power will definitely overpower a small room but they will still sound fine. They definitely need some breathing room to come alive and show off what they are capable of. I'm sure it you find them to be too much for your space you will find a few on this site that will gladly take them off your hands. I live in No. Calif. and have friends that live just north of Vancouver that I visit about once a year so I might possibly take them off your hands to use as a parts system if that worked for you. I hope you do get them working and hooked up with that Dual 500 and like them and enjoy them.............

DAN - Had sent you a couple of PMs and am glad to hear you are still alive and kicking. Sounds like you must be moving, or not moving, or in limbo up there. Whatever is going on I hope you get settled in and hunkered down for the upcoming winter ahead. A good hot toddy on a cold winter night, fire burning in the fireplace and the Andromedas doing their thing. Doesn't get any too much better than that. Well maybe with two hot toddys it would..........Ha!

Regards to both you Washatonians.............Terry

 

[Bucky Badger]

I have noticed something interesting.
With the right room and power, these speakers will sing you a very nice song. AND
They seem to sound better and better the more 'hot toddies' I drink.....
:scratch2:
Ya, right now the wife and I are actively looking for the right room in the right house to set the PL's up in. (it's harder than you might think)
I walk into every house we look at with a few 'must haves' in mind.
1) A room for the Andromedas and 2) Corners for the Khorns.
I'll keep lookin'.
Glad to hear that you are doing well Terry. Sounds like your all set for the winter and your 'Andros' are sounding good to you and the neighborhood.

And good luck to you stevesailor. I have had the same problem with not having the right amount of space to really let the speakers do their thing but with the right power, even at low volume, they can sound very nice.
I had the same problem with some broken dispersion cones and when I went up to see Bob at Ritas I asked him what to do.... He told me, " Do you see those paper drinking cups that are sittin' over by the water cooler?" I said yes and he told me to go over there, grab a few, and stick them in the space the broken plastic cones were in....... My(his) point being, if you can't find a stash of the plastic cones, you can make your own.
Keep us posted.

 

[BankShot]

Hey there Dan - The guy I bought my second Andromeda system from had them hooked up in a room approx. 11x12 and was running them with a 60 wpc receiver. And they still sounded impressive in that environment. Like many other speaker systems it for sure takes the right combo of amp and room to make them come alive and speak their piece. I get a great kick out of having someone who has never heard a really good system come over. If it isn't at night then I have a nice pair of eye blinders I ask them to wear before they go into the room. I always ask them to bring along their favorite CD. After only a brief minute to two they are always totally blown away by what they hear and by what they haven't heard on that CD before. They all guess that I have some really major bucks tied up in the system and the very few that know something about audio and components, etc. are truly amazed by what they have just listened to. Most never even heard the name PL Andromeda III before. I love it when that happens.........

Sometimes I just want to relax with a glass of wine and listen at low levels to some soothing music and even at some really low levels the bass still comes thru solidly and defined and the sound stage is still there even tho it is subdued quite a bit................

Will be anxious to hear about your new digs once you find the right place and get settled in.............

Regards........Terry

I have noticed something interesting.
With the right room and power, these speakers will sing you a very nice song. AND
They seem to sound better and better the more 'hot toddies' I drink.....
:scratch2:
Ya, right now the wife and I are actively looking for the right room in the right house to set the PL's up in. (it's harder than you might think)
I walk into every house we look at with a few 'must haves' in mind.
1) A room for the Andromedas and 2) Corners for the Khorns.
I'll keep lookin'.
Glad to hear that you are doing well Terry. Sounds like your all set for the winter and your 'Andros' are sounding good to you and the neighborhood.

And good luck to you stevesailor. I have had the same problem with not having the right amount of space to really let the speakers do their thing but with the right power, even at low volume, they can sound very nice.
I had the same problem with some broken dispersion cones and when I went up to see Bob at Ritas I asked him what to do.... He told me, " Do you see those paper drinking cups that are sittin' over by the water cooler?" I said yes and he told me to go over there, grab a few, and stick them in the space the broken plastic cones were in....... My(his) point being, if you can't find a stash of the plastic cones, you can make your own.
Keep us posted.

 

[stevesailor]

...right now the wife and I are actively looking for the right room in the right house to set the PL's up in.

I was just thinking something like this yesterday! Remember the stories that used to be told about how the housewife put a new rug down in the living room and then decided nothing matched it? Soon, big bucks were spent for all new furniture, new drapes, new paint, new kithchen cabinets, appliances and counter tops that would "look good" with the new rug? So, can I tell the wife that we gotta get a house that "sounds good" with my new speakers??

I had the same problem with some broken dispersion cones and when I went up to see Bob at Ritas I asked him what to do.... He told me, " Do you see those paper drinking cups that are sittin' over by the water cooler?" I said yes and he told me to go over there, grab a few, and stick them in the space the broken plastic cones were in....... My(his) point being, if you can't find a stash of the plastic cones, you can make your own.
Keep us posted.

Good to hear. I figure I can do some fiberglass and epoxy repairs if they're not too trashed. And if they are trashed, I can probably still fix 'em. :thmbsp:

 

[Bucky Badger]

I was just thinking something like this yesterday! Remember the stories that used to be told about how the housewife put a new rug down in the living room and then decided nothing matched it? Soon, big bucks were spent for all new furniture, new drapes, new paint, new kithchen cabinets, appliances and counter tops that would "look good" with the new rug? So, can I tell the wife that we gotta get a house that "sounds good" with my new speakers??

Yes. :yes: