See the awful speaker article in the Boston Globe?

[Ender]

Hey guys I read thru and got started over here, I have one done, just have to make some grills for the sides and get the other one done. Whatcha think? DO you think my RCA HT will be good for these? I figure I matched the logos and sizes I should be fine... uhm, right? I figure I will get all the cutting and filling done then goto paint them. That big bell thing wasn't important? such a small speaker attached to that big thing.

 

[Fedallah]

Nah, around here it's more like...

:stupid:" What? You spent $50 bucks to modify your speakers? Ha, ha, ha! You're a fu**in' idiot! I got my ALL original Sacred Cow MkIIs off Craigslist for $200, AND THEY sound better than anything new! And they're VINTAGE, DUDE!":screwy:

The principle behind the article is sound taking what on odds are likely real garbage, dime-a-dozen squawk boxes that no one around here would rave about and put new, good drivers with an upgraded crossover into the box. The person who wrote the article simply appealed to the vast majority of the readership and oversimplified it and unfortunately became very poor for it. We are a minority, a very small minority, and most people just want something with flash, not fidelity, for the weekly movie.

With good research, a little thought, and input from the many friendly people who frequent audio forums, know the tech and theory, and are more than willing to help this procedure could be a good idea for a ratty old pair of Lloyds or Sounddesigns that were "blown" back in the '70s when the bong water spilled on the amp. No reason to completely attempt to tear the guy a new one when he at least took the time and effort to put his thoughts into the written word and publish it for the public -- not the easiest or most ego-safe of tasks for a writer to undertake.

- JP

This is a good reality check, and one that I think we ought to remember before sending snarky emails. And really, how much influence do you think this article will have on people? Not very much, I would venture to guess.

 

[birddog]

...I'd like to have my ideas for making fashionable clothing from backyard squirrels published next week.

Now what am I gonna eat all winter, when all the Squirrel's have been turned into clothes?

 

[ozmoid]

...go sit in my Mancave, with my big blue meters, and my sweet altec horns and drink the world away.:beer:

Sounds lovely. Saturday OK? I'll be there about noon...

 

[godzilla]

Hey guys I read thru and got started over here, I have one done, just have to make some grills for the sides and get the other one done. Whatcha think? DO you think my RCA HT will be good for these? I figure I matched the logos and sizes I should be fine... uhm, right? I figure I will get all the cutting and filling done then goto paint them. That big bell thing wasn't important? such a small speaker attached to that big thing.

Those are SWEET! You think you could make me a pair, maybe four? With the speakers on the sides the sound would go everywhere! Pure Genius! You might want to contact JBL and tell them you have a new design for them and that they've been doing it wrong all these years.

That reminds me of when DCM went out of business here in Ann Arbor and set all of their stock out in the back lot...I mean all of it! I picked up 3 cases of their 160W 6" woofers...that's 36 woofers! I made a Frankenspeaker for the back of my Scirocco with 12 of them bad boys! It looked like a painted plywood box with speakers sticking out of it...damn wiring inside it was a rats nest! With the Jensen 200W amp and Alpine tape deck in dash it rocked out! Sounded good to my 19 year old ears at the time.

 

[wineslob]

Just read the article.............................LMFAO!




To the author: Dude! step away from the beer bong!

 

[chillwolf]

What is this, speaker building for dummies?
No wonder I don't read the newspaper any more!
It looks like any imbecile can be a writer for a news rag nowadays,
and they wonder why they are losing subscribers right and left! :sigh:

 

[JoZmo]

He never mentions how to make these speakers "digital ready" to go with the "modern home theater receivers".

I'm STILL trying to "finger" that one out! :scratch2:

 

[Army]

"Plus, it will make a ton of noise when you’re done."

Yup about the size of it :yes:

 

[Fast_Eddie]

While I agree that it is a pathetic piece, We should all remember much of our "news" is just as unresearched, unprovable, just as made up, mix in a lot of bias to boot. And on larger issues.

Smaller issue,

I am a bit of a videogame nerd. Could be a video game piece on the local evening news or nbc dateline, they still think doom is the latest craze, constantly have consoles mixed up, even their supposed tech guys. It's like they don't even care to browse a videogame magazine before writing an artice.
This got long.

And this is the real damage done by an irresponsible article like this.

I can assure you that there are many, many unbiased, well educated, thoughtful and informed journalists who do outstanding work day in and day out. Like so many things, (teachers, police, politicians, religous leaders) it's the handful of mistakes that provoke extreem reaction to the entire profession.

I can also tell you I see e mail every day from people who can't construct an idea in anything resembling a thoughtful maner telling us how poorly we do our jobs. "You're a #u@(ing moron" isn't exaclty prose poetry.

All that is missing from this article is one line. One line to explain that you should google your old speakers and make sure they're not collectible before you tear into them. A line quite possibly included by the writer, but cut by an editor. And as pointed out before, a line only missed by a small minority of readers.

Take care,

Ed

 

[himm37]

My prediction:

The backlash created (and the related interest/articles) is going to draw more attention then the original piece! Watch for a flood of "vintage speakers" on eBay/craigslist soon! Of course 90% of them will be crap, priced at "Only $300.00".

 

[Aldo]

Actually, maybe there is one vintage speaker that would benefit from the Boston Globe treatment...but I won't mention any names................

 

[thedelihaus]

The article seems to be an exersise in weekend crafting.

No harm in basing a story on crafting, but the glaring ommision of the value of some of the speakers is the big culprit.

And surely to be the demise of a few nice speakers. Not just the junkers. How the heck are the folk, uninformed, going to be able to tell the difference betwixt a Large advent and a throwaway?

Sure, a Thruster or a Fisher Studio Pro 80's bundled speaker won't have folks shedding tears, but ripping apart Grandpa's Altecs is a sad thought.

An addendum to the article would have been nice- that the restoration of the old speakers (re-capping, re-foaming) is a better, more viable choice.

One could get as much fun out of foaming the speakers, re-capping them, and re-finishing them, instead of ripping out the old parts, throwing bargain-basement pieces in there (miss-matched, with no regards to box size and end-result sound), and painting it with enamel.

The latter would probably cost less ($40 for foam and caps, tung oil and sandpaper), vs new drivers and crossovers and a jug of enamel from Home Depot.

And one would be keeping more out of the landfill.

And not buying into the "throwaway" mentality.





That's all.





So, the writer isn't fully prepared, or completely knowledgeable on the subject- makes it hard to ingest his angle, as it's an incomplete picture.

Best way to address it and see if he, and the Globe addresses the issue, is to contact them, envite them over, and show them the light.

I'm in Boston. I've got tons of speakers.

I think I'll envite him over, for a followup, and see if the Globe has the integrity to do a follow-up story.

If I get a response back, all Boston-area folk are welcome to come down and meet the fella.

No lynching- let's offer him up some smoked sausage, and a bit of history and education about our beloved speakers.

 

[thedelihaus]

Is this the correct name and contact for the writer?

tberg@globe.com

John M. Guilfoil

I'm serious about enviting him over to interview audio fans, listen to a few tunes, and have a bite to eat.

No lynching- the fella only lacks knowledge of the vintage speakers.

A full stomache and some friendly education could go a long way...

 

[godzilla]

The article is terrible! Spend $100-$400 on a pair of speaker cabinets...****, there's a whole host of speakers you can get up to $400...vintage or new. This is my favorite part..."Wouldn’t it be cool if the cabinets were piano-black and made loud, clear noise when you plugged them in?" Loud, clear NOISE? LOLOLOLOL!!!!!

 

[wa2ise]

Couple of extra thoughts:

a) Any decently designed amplifier is designed to not blow up if its output gets shorted. So an old speaker that has a short inside should not be a problem.

b) IIRC, you need to pay attention to the phasing of the various speakers you install inside a cabinet.

 

[similost]

Is this the correct name and contact for the writer?

I'm serious about enviting him over to interview audio fans, listen to a few tunes, and have a bite to eat.

No lynching- the fella only lacks knowledge of the vintage speakers.

A full stomache and some friendly education could go a long way...

I couldn't find an address for the author of the article. All I could find was the addy for the person that posted the article, who I would imagine is an editor..

Either way, he could probably put you in contact with the writer, who I have a feeling you will find is about 23 to 25...

 

[thedelihaus]

I couldn't find an address for the author of the article. All I could find was the addy for the person that posted the article, who I would imagine is an editor..

Either way, he could probably put you in contact with the writer, who I have a feeling you will find is about 23 to 25...

hopefully he's receptive to some good backyard BBQ and a few friendly AKers to show him the way.

Simi, I re-edited my post with the address.

Here it is-

tberg@globe.com

John M. Guilfoil


I'm going to politely envite him for a listen to a few pair of classics. He can't be too far from me, seeing we're in Boston.

 

[shocley]

Could the person who wrote this the same as the one an AK-er ran into at a thrift store? The one picking up a pair of Thrusters which he was going to paint for his fussy customers?

Mr. Guilfoil might be advised that there's stuff called "veneer", usually walnut, and it's real wood, an expensive cladding on inexpensive substrate. Believe it or not, it can be refinished to reveal beautiful wood grain. I wonder what this guy does with his furniture, paint it black, also? Bet his house is beautiful. Plus, he makes no mention of vinyl cladding - I don't think it's such a hot idea to go after that with a sander.

And antique speakers generally don't work?? I've yet to come across old speakers that fail by a short. But what ever happened to checking the speakers with a multimeter? Is that too complicated for the type of idiot this article was intended for? Anyone with any experience in speakers knows that most of the time old speakers "fail" from rotted foam surrounds that can be replaced.

As for replacing drivers, at what frequencie(s) will the crossovers be set? A woofer that can only go up to 3 kHz isn't going to be so good with a crossover at 4 kHz. And how about matching efficiency? Not to mention the general problem of getting reasonably flat frequency response. And the fact that you're not going to be able to find any direct replacements for your "antique" speakers that just "screw in" to the mountings for the old ones.

I guess Part II will be "how to update your antique silver-faced receiver with a can of black spray paint".

I think what needs to be done now is for people who appreciate vintage speakers to post on CL "Wanted - old, out-of- date antique speakers that won't work with your modern electronics and you're just going to get rid of, after reading dreck in the newspaper." This could turn into a bonanza, though it's a shame to trash old, sturdy, beautiful wood/veneer cabinets.

 

[thedelihaus]

...I guess Part II will be "how to update your antique silver-faced receiver with a can of black spray paint"...

For the intended audience (and not our minority group) this indeed makes sense.

Yeah, we know better, fortunately.


But anytime anyone sees my collection of old gear, usually the first reaction is "junk".

It's only later, after I'm playing iTunes from my Mac into one of these 70's pieces, does the fella or lady get mystified...

"How can you play your computer through that? It can't possibly work- it can't be possible! That came out before computers did! It's too old to work!".

But nothing an RCA cable or mini 1/8" plug to RCA can't cure.



Later, the fellas usually start digging the silver stuff, and form a new appreciation of vintage hi-fi.



I have seen folk paint their silver gear black, to "update" it, though. Not common, but it does happen.



Ignorance of the subject matter is only a crime if one chooses to stay ignorant about the subject, and doesn't open their mind to learn something new...