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Radford S90 vocals dead flat... is it me?

I am also from Canada - West coast. This model isn't what I'd call "common" but I'm sure I could source what I needed - If anything is needed. I dont trust the guy I bought them off of (at this point) to but the second pair... Could end up with more bad parts than good ones. I feel from what I have seen so far, that the xover should solve all issues as all drivers individually tested are in order. Aesthetically flawless to-boot! If these come back to life, the $170 I paid will be well worth it.
 
Grill cloths are black. The grills are the only thing that need help. The cloths are okay but frames are a little warped and dont hold the cloths too tight anymore... an easy fix in the wood shop!
 
D-Owen said:
I am also from Canada - West coast. This model isn't what I'd call "common" but I'm sure I could source what I needed - If anything is needed. I dont trust the guy I bought them off of (at this point) to but the second pair... Could end up with more bad parts than good ones. I feel from what I have seen so far, that the xover should solve all issues as all drivers individually tested are in order. Aesthetically flawless to-boot! If these come back to life, the $170 I paid will be well worth it.
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I paid $200 for my first pair and they were flawless.my second pair I bought for $150 and although not in the same condition I didn't bat a eye on paying the price.

As long as the drivers are good the crossovers can be redone with some new caps and resistors and they don't cost a lot. I'd say take a chance and get the other set.

You say your on the west coast? There's actually a person on AK that used to have a pair that lived in bc .I don't know if he sold his to someone and you bought them from him .did you get the guys name.
 
I don't know all the details but.... I saw this exact pair (matching serial #'s) on my local classifieds about a year ago by the original owner. So the guy I bought them off of had them about a year, sounds like they didn't get alot of use (had like 20+ pairs of speakers and amps, etc.). So these haven't been around alot which is definitely a good thing.

The bass is hand-made by my roommate. Pretty slick I must admit.

Definitely one reason for not buying the second set of s90's is, in my basement suite theres only so much room, and im surprised I didnt get shot when I arrived with these... I have enough stuff for someone mid 20's renting a basement!! I have reached max (affordable) capacity. Time to make some changes before more new stuff can fit ;)
 
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Well today the parts came in and I got the xovers back together... Holy cow.... What a difference... What sweet, sweet music these big ol' boxes so effortlessly produce! Bass is nice, not overpowering but deep, clean, and venturing so low. Mids/vocals are nice, not blow my mind nice, but quite good. The highs are not fatiguing, yet sooooo crisp. Small - almost inaudible (on other speakers) - sounds come out and play very delicately. I must say I am very, Very happy with the end result - Of course I had some help... Thanks for the assistance. It was much appreciated!!! A couple pics of the xovers with new bits (pic 2&3) - note from an earlier post -> I discovered that the old resistor (R1) is actually 3.3ohms, so that's not a mistake! You can also see how bad it was (1st pic). Don't judge me for how messy my living room is (last pic), so many problems being solved - no time to clean :no: !!!!
 

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Glad you got everything figured out.now it's time to go back and see if you can get the second set.:D.you can land up with a nice home theatre setup without having to by a sub:rockon:they really don't take up to much room.then again I'm use to my bozak symphony b4000 and my previous altec 19's which make the Radford look like bookshelf speakers.
 
Those speakers were sold before you could blink and eye (not to me though)... These sound too nice with my 2 channel setup to hook them up to my 7.1... I really haven't found an interest in HT as much I have for 2 channel stuff... Although... My Technics has decided to occasionally cut-out on the right channel, so I guess thats the next project whether I like it or not...... Damn addicting vintage gear.

Dang, those B4000's look pretty crazy. The Radfords are the biggest that I own, and it will likely remain that way until I lose a roommate.. or two. I'm pretty lucky considering.
 
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Congrats and happy for you! I suspect that as you go through the system and play it more, the sound will continue to open up. Importantly, make sure you have a good seal on the baffle for proper woofer and line control. You might also consider rotating the woofer 180 degrees from its original position to be sure there is no cone and spider sag. Looks like you may have ordered a 10 or 20W resistor instead of a 5W resistor! Did you resolder all the crossover connections?

As for the Technics cutting out, time to get the DeOxit D5 and clean all the switches, selectors, speaker switches, then clean with the appropriate DeOxit all the volume and balance controls, then have a good look at the speaker relay (if existent) for signs of contact corrosion.
 
Thanks, Mech. The old resistor (after a final internet dig) I found to be 3.3 ohm, ~7ish watts. I can't tell if you're indicating that 10watts (which the new one is) is good or bad, but according to the internet (which is always correct;)) more power handling is okay, thus my decision to go that route. I checked all solder connections, and re-did any that needed repairing.

As for my Technics, the switches and controls are all buttery smooth (yes, I have DeOxit), and adjusting them seems to have no effect when it decides to cut out (though they will get cleaned again anyway just to make extra-sure). I will have to do a thorough internal inspection in the near future and see what I come across... I complain, yet half the fun/satisfaction of vintage stuff is learning and repairing....
 
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10W replacing 7 watts is fine, unless the design of the speakers use a low or moderate wattage resistor as a sort of fuse that blows to protect the tweeter. The BBC LS3/5a has this "feature" but it doesn't always stop the tweeter from blowing when a high speed reel-to-reel tape FF or rewind takes place - super high amount of high frequency energy there and have seen the resistor and surrounding foam insulation actually burn.
 
D-Owen glad the parts came in. Looks to have been worth it to do. Sounds like a lot of detail is now apparent that was invisible before. What are you listening to?
 
Oh goodness, I have a very broad mix of stuff I like to listen to. My go-to new speakers music starts with a mix of Pink Floyd tracks, as I swear there are always more details to be discovered. I listened to the album Flight of the Cosmic Hippo by Béla Fleck, cause, well, these things are known for tight bass, so deep bass riffs seemed apropriate(I was not disappointed!!!!! Clean, detailed bass - I love what these do with the bass guitar). Some Rush just for fun. Also some clean acoustic stuff including Antoine Dufour.... And lots more... I like most genres and styles, but I wanted to go over the familiar tracks. I have definitely spent some time on front of them :)
 
Sounds great. Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon- Time with the clocks going off. Possibly hear the clocks alarm in sequence away from you. Us and them, Breathe, Have the Immersion version. Within Temptation - song Forgiven. Love the piano and vocals. Dire Straits. Roger Waters- Amused to Death. David Gilmour- Remember that night. And that's right off the top of my head. Trying to remember another song for the drums and percussion. Glad you kept the speakers? Also Golden Earring .
 
Very glad I kept these. Everyone in my house is glued to "my" listening area... Ha! Guess it's not just me. Good call on that Roger Waters song... It does wonderful things one these speakers. Theres so much in the background that is much more apparent now, and not to mention the pleasant subtleties in the vocals. They also play the bass so tight at any wolume.
 
Glad you liked the music suggestions. There is so much different music I'm into. Tangerine Dream, ELP, Pink Floyd, Vangelis, Ultravox, Within Temptation, Sarah McLachan, Five Finger Death Punch, A lot of the 70-80s music. Jethro Tull , Marillion, ELO.
 
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