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Rare find? Goodman's of England Triaxiom speakers (w/Pics)

N

Noreaster

Well-Known Member
Found these at an antique store today: Goodman's of England 250c Triaxiom speakers. A single 12" speaker in each 5 1/2 foot tall cabinet. No crossover, so I guess this is a full range speaker (?). There is a brilliance knob on top as well as the connections for speaker wire. I thought at first that the cabinet was homemade, but there's a Goodman's tag and a Made in England stamp on the inside. In very good shape except for a mysterious black crud on the bottom half of each speaker.

I'm assuming these are from the 1950s? Any info on Goodman's, Triaxiom speakers, or the very unusual design appreciated. Thanks!
 

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goodmans are very well regarded. yep, full range driver. interesting cabinets. probably don't take a lot of watts so apply power carefully.

tell us how they sound!
 
They are three way tri-axial drivers.
The square things at the bottom are ARUs "Acoustical Resistance Units".
Those are very cool.
 
Goodman's full range co-axial and tri-axial drivers are highly regarded by vintage collectors and as mentioned multiple times before are usually driven by tube amplifiers.

Most Goodmans' drivers sold in the US were re-branded as Alled/Knight or Lafayette units and sold through those electronics store chains. I never saw any Goodmans speakers offered at any dealers in the Los Angeles area back in the 1970's, so distribution must have been thin. Maybe your pair migrated across the border from Canada! (lol)
 
Yeah Goodmans, I have a pair, and a pair of Lafayette badged. Both are 12inch Triaxials, I think they are about 10 watt maximum? Great speakers.
 
My first system (1963) was a pair of 12" Goodmans dual axiom speakers in a bass reflex cabinet. Constructed and voiced by a broadcast engineer who owned a pair of Klipshorns. They really sounded great with a 20 watt/channel tube amp.
 
This particular speaker does look rare!
There is some good info on triaxioms in this link, including a reference to 'self contained crossover'.
 
Just a quick update: The black crud is water damage. Unfortunately, all the sanding in the world isn't going to get the black out of the wood. I know these speakers came out of a seaside home; over the course of many years, they must have somehow been exposed to salt air and spray.
 
Noreaster said:
Just a quick update: The black crud is water damage. Unfortunately, all the sanding in the world isn't going to get the black out of the wood. I know these speakers came out of a seaside home; over the course of many years, they must have somehow been exposed to salt air and spray.
Click to expand...

Bleach. Google its use on veneer and woodworking.
 
Well, apparently oxalic acid does the trick to remove black water marks, but after reading all the warnings on the label, I decided to continue sanding. Several hours later, I've made huge progress & I think they're going to look really good. I've also confirmed that the drivers are working, although I haven't really taken them for a spin yet. I don't own any tube amps, so will probably try them out with my mellow Marantz 2230.

Gonna need a bigger house:

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