Saras Model 30

[Jenkster]

I just picked a very nice pair of Saras Model 30's from a friend of mine. He has had them since 1979 and just wasn't using them. They sound pretty darn good and all the drivers work great. Anyone have specs for these and/or own them? Not much out there other than they were kinda' expensive and pretty much a SoCal speaker. Any info. would be appreciated!:thmbsp:

 

[Jenkster]

Oh, here's a couple of pics. Any chance they were trying to get some of the JBL L100 and Advent/AR market?:scratch2:

 

[Jenkster]

No old SoCal Audionuts that remember these out there? They are not the most efficient speaker. Being acoustic suspension, they need a bit of juice to get them going. They have great low end and a very smooth top end. Rumor is all the drivers are proprietary which could be an issue down the road. So far, all of them are working fine. Think I will crack one open and check the inards. My friend said, as far as he new, the have never been opened. I guess that makes them virgins!

 

[Turborusty]

The tweet looks like an EPI variant.


Turborusty

 

[Vaughn]

+1 on the EPI tweeter...

Not bad looking speakers at all, rubber surrounds are a good thing:yes:

Looks like you won't be needing those L300's anymore:scratch2:

 

[mr.jones]

I have a pair of SARAS that I got in a package deal with a local guy that needed to clear out some of his collection. The tweeters do look like EPI but the magnets on the back are much bigger than the EPI. Both tweeter magnets have fallen off the SARAS, due either to the age of the glue or the weight of the huge magnets. I got some EPI tweeters off FeePAy but haven't hooked them up yet. I talked to the guy at Human Speakers about fixing the original SARAS tweeters if I want to keep it original. I might , depending on the cost. I am not sure how collectible the SARAS are. They obviously don't have the following of JBL or AR but the folks that know them hold them in high regard. My general impression is that it is a high quality product. The cabinets are beuts and the drivers look to be very nice too. There is a little bit of back ground info available on the company that can be found with a quick google search. Let us know how they sound to you after you break them in.

 

[Jenkster]

+1 on the EPI tweeter...

Not bad looking speakers at all, rubber surrounds are a good thing:yes:

Looks like you won't be needing those L300's anymore:scratch2:

Yep, no more need for The Summits. Actually, the ole Saras' sounds very good through my Marantz 2252B.:yes: I would rate them a step above the L100, very close to the AR3. They will make a great garage speaker, no room in the "cave."

 

[Jenkster]

I have a pair of SARAS that I got in a package deal with a local guy that needed to clear out some of his collection. The tweeters do look like EPI but the magnets on the back are much bigger than the EPI. Both tweeter magnets have fallen off the SARAS, due either to the age of the glue or the weight of the huge magnets. I got some EPI tweeters off FeePAy but haven't hooked them up yet. I talked to the guy at Human Speakers about fixing the original SARAS tweeters if I want to keep it original. I might , depending on the cost. I am not sure how collectible the SARAS are. They obviously don't have the following of JBL or AR but the folks that know them hold them in high regard. My general impression is that it is a high quality product. The cabinets are beuts and the drivers look to be very nice too. There is a little bit of back ground info available on the company that can be found with a quick google search. Let us know how they sound to you after you break them in.

I will keep an eye on the tweets but they seem to be working great now. I would be curious to know what the cost to fix the tweeters would be should there be a need. They sure can dish out the low end when asked to do so!

 

[mr.jones]

I will reply to this post if/when I get more info on the repairs.When one of the mags fell off it dented up the voice coil pretty good so this may be a problem to repair. I have heard that the EPI tweets are prone to losing the magnets off the back too. Think I saw an AK post that advocated for a little pre-emptive and judicious glue application before disaster happens. Not sure if anyone has tried this or if it is a good idea or not. The SARAS mags look to be twice as big and twice as heavy as the EPI's. Happy to hear you are liking your SARAS.

 

[chicks]

I ran across a pair of those at a thrift a few months back, passed on them for some reason, don't remember why, maybe a torn woofer cone. I searched here for threads on them, there are a couple of very good ones - do a search.

 

[Jenkster]

I am always one to promote preventative maintenance. My only hesitation is I got this pair from esentially the original owner and he said they have never been opened. If they are anything like some of the acoustic suspension speakers of the day, there may be a putty or adhesive of some type around the edges of the drivers to make them air tight? They aint' broke so I am just going to leave them alone for now.

Hey Chicks, I did find a couple of good threads after doing a search. Fortunately, they are just an extra pair of speakers that I have very little cash into. I will just run them, fairly gently, until something happens.

 

[tubed]

I still have a pair of Saras Model 20s.
I remember the manager of the local boutique auditioning the Saras lineup against the offerings from "JBL, AR, ADS etc. and the Saras were flying out the door.
They were not inexpensive if I remember correctly.

 

[mr.jones]

I still have a pair of Saras Model 20s.
I remember the manager of the local boutique auditioning the Saras lineup against the offerings from "JBL, AR, ADS etc. and the Saras were flying out the door.
They were not inexpensive if I remember correctly.

Do you still listen to them? How are they holding up? Boutique speakers and not cheap is the story I heard too.

 

[bakes]

Nice looking speakers - but I especially like the '70 or '71 Torino on top of the L300 in the background.

 

[Jenkster]

Nice looking speakers - but I especially like the '70 or '71 Torino on top of the L300 in the background.

Back in the day, my best friend's father had a 71 Torino Cobra with a built 429! On occasion, we got to take it out on "the cruise" and pretty much smoked anything out there! It was my dream car! Sadly, the closest I got was the model on the Summit.:tears:

 

[tubed]

Do you still listen to them? How are they holding up? Boutique speakers and not cheap is the story I heard too.

They are sitting under my computer table holding up very well(not the table)
I'm sure I'll pull them out at some point to see if they sound as good as I thought at the time I first got the pair.

 

[Columbo]

I have scanned the sales brochure for the 10, 20, 30. PM me with your email address for a copy. It's not perfect, but good enough. There was also a 30A that looked identical, but had a slightly different crossover. Drivers were proprietary and no replacements are available other than finding a donor. And yes, the 30/30A have GREAT low bass response!

 

[satorusun]

I picked up a pair of the model 30's last week from the original owner. Boxes, warranty card, and brochure of the 3 models 10, 20, and 30's. I havent had the chance to listen to them yet, but from reading the various threads, it is something I will do in the next few days. These speakers are built well, heavy for its size, 57lbs, and really 70's looking. I have the striped grill cloth. I wasnt going to buy them, seller had other gear for sale, but asked how much, and he just gave them to me. :thmbsp: They are near perfect cosmetically, and I am sure they function fine. I need to get off my duff and just hook them up.

 

[mr.jones]

nice find! Let us know how they sound.

 

[satorusun]

nice find! Let us know how they sound.

Hooked them up this afternoon, and been listening to them for a few hours. Pretty happy with these speakers. They sound like a cross between a JBL, and ADS. Good punch, very detailed, good solid bass, not overly bright. The highs are actually very good. So far, I really like these alot. Well, back to the music..