Snell Type K/II - Which Woofers do I Have and What Surrounds do I Need?

[MCM_Fan]

Picked up a pair of Snell Type K/II today. The foams are shot. I've done some research on these and it looks like most used woofers from either Vifa or Peerless, but there are also mentions of SEAS and Boston Acoustics woofers being used.

I removed one of the woofers, expecting to see some type of identification, but this is all I got:

I've found photos of the backs or the Peerless woofers online and they do not look like this. Anyone recognize these? Are they the Vifa woofers, or maybe SEAS?

I know, from my research, that the Type K/II were made from 1989 to 1995 and that "early" samples used the Vifa woofers and "later" samples used the Peerless woofers. Would the 11/30/90 manufacturing date qualify these as "early"?

I've read that the best foams are available from Audio Note in the UK, but I'm not sure if they sell sell foams for Vifa, or Peerless, or both? Their price list only lists FOAM SPEAKER SURROUND K-TYPE, but doesn't say which woofer it fits. I've also read that the Peerless foams are the hardest to source. So, if these are Vifa woofers, can someone recommend a good source for replacement surrounds?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. When I first picked these up, before even seeing the Snell name on them, I felt how heavy they are for their size - always a good sign. The walnut veneer is in pretty decent shape and will only require some light sanding and fresh oil. The grills have some small holes, so I'll install new fabric, but the real key will be refoaming the woofers. Once restored, I plan to use these in my office system. They seem like a good size for that application, and if they sound as good as the reviews say they do, I'm sure I'll be very happy with them.

 

[trinhsman]

I own 3 sets of Snells. I have never heard of different surrounds for early or later K type speakers. IMHO, the Audio Note surrounds should do the job. You are going to love these speakers.

 

[MCM_Fan]

I own 3 sets of Snells. I have never heard of different surrounds for early or later K type speakers. IMHO, the Audio Note surrounds should do the job. You are going to love these speakers.

Thanks, based on what I read in another thread, I just sent an email to Peter Qvortrup at Audio Note to see of he can help me. I've read so many great things about these speakers, I'd really like to get the foams replaced so I can start enjoying them.

 

[ivandezande]

Boston Acoustic woofer. Be sure to use filleted surrounds.

 

[MCM_Fan]

Boston Acoustic woofer. Be sure to use filleted surrounds.

Thanks! Would these be the right ones:

8" Speaker Foam Repair New-Edge-It ® Kit, Part # FSK-828


8" GRAY, ANGLE CONE EDGE ATTACH FSK-828
Outer diameter:
7-11/16" (195mm)
Roll outer diameter:
7-1/8" (181mm)
Cone diameter:
6" (152mm)
Inner diameter:
5-7/16" (138mm)
Foam roll width:
1/2" (13mm)
Variances up to 1/8" (3mm) from your speaker measurements are OK.

• 8" angle attach woofer foam repair kit. New-Edge-It ® part # FSK-828
• Super high compliance for low Fs and higher efficiency
• SPECIAL "filled fillet" Boston foam edge is designed specially for these models
• Fits square woofer frame models without trimming
• Original Boston Acoustics woofer design
• Fits all models with 6" cones
• Fits Boston Acoustics cabinet and woofer driver models:
  
  Boston Acoustics: HD-8, HD8, HD 8, HD-9, HD9, HD 9, T-70, T70, T 70, T-100, T100, T 100, T-820, T820, T 820, T-830, T830, T 830, T-1000, T1000, T 1000, T-1030, T1030, T 1030, VR-960, VR960, VR 960, and many more!

If so, I also have a pair of HD-8s that need new foams. Might as well get four and do bother pairs of speakers at the same time.

I copied that description from eBay, but if that's the right surrounds, I'll check with Rick Cobb to see if he has them in stock. Rick is my go to guy for surrounds.

 

[ivandezande]

Thanks! Would these be the right ones:

8" Speaker Foam Repair New-Edge-It ® Kit, Part # FSK-828


8" GRAY, ANGLE CONE EDGE ATTACH FSK-828
Outer diameter:
7-11/16" (195mm)
Roll outer diameter:
7-1/8" (181mm)
Cone diameter:
6" (152mm)
Inner diameter:
5-7/16" (138mm)
Foam roll width:
1/2" (13mm)
Variances up to 1/8" (3mm) from your speaker measurements are OK.

• 8" angle attach woofer foam repair kit. New-Edge-It ® part # FSK-828
• Super high compliance for low Fs and higher efficiency
• SPECIAL "filled fillet" Boston foam edge is designed specially for these models
• Fits square woofer frame models without trimming
• Original Boston Acoustics woofer design
• Fits all models with 6" cones
• Fits Boston Acoustics cabinet and woofer driver models:
  
  Boston Acoustics: HD-8, HD8, HD 8, HD-9, HD9, HD 9, T-70, T70, T 70, T-100, T100, T 100, T-820, T820, T 820, T-830, T830, T 830, T-1000, T1000, T 1000, T-1030, T1030, T 1030, VR-960, VR960, VR 960, and many more!

If so, I also have a pair of HD-8s that need new foams. Might as well get four and do bother pairs of speakers at the same time.

I copied that description from eBay, but if that's the right surrounds, I'll check with Rick Cobb to see if he has them in stock. Rick is my go to guy for surrounds.

Hmm it says fillet but also states that it's edge attach instead of it rolling on....and the fillet ones are black, not grey. Strange. Rick has the right ones, I've purchased from him a time or two.

 

[MCM_Fan]

Hmm it says fillet but also states that it's edge attach instead of it rolling on....and the fillet ones are black, not grey. Strange. Rick has the right ones, I've purchased from him a time or two.

Cool, thanks. I just grabbed the description from the first eBay search result that included "fillet". I'll drop Rick and email and get them from him.

This actually worked out really well. I picked these up at my local Goodwill yesterday. It's my first Goodwill score in quite a while. For the last couple years they have been siphoning off anything that looks remotely vintage to their online auction site where people get caught up in bidding frenzies and overpay for items in unknown, untested condition. I even found out a couple weeks ago that they now go through all their record albums and anything worth more than about 50 cents also goes to their online auction site.

In any case, when I saw the name Snell, I didn't hesitate. I've been looking for something in this size, and I have a strong preference for real walnut veneer, for my office and figured these would be perfect. It wasn't until I got them home and started looking for foams that I realized they can be difficult to properly source given the variety of woofers they used over the years. The fact that they are Boston Acoustics woofers makes sourcing the proper foams so much easier. I only found a couple mentions of Boston Acoustics woofers in the Type K speakers (both very positive) and didn't recognize them as such due to the fact that the woofers in my HD8s have the more common square frames. I'm guessing they were briefly used during the transition from Vifa to Peerless woofers. Thanks for helping me identify exactly what I have and what foams I need..

 

[ivandezande]

Cool, thanks. I just grabbed the description from the first eBay search result that included "fillet". I drop Rick and email and get them from him.

This actually worked out really well. I picked these up at my local Goodwill yesterday. It's my first Goodwill score in quite a while. For the last couple years they have been siphoning off anything that looks remotely vintage to their online auction site where people get caught up in bidding frenzies and overpay for items in unknown, untested condition. I even found out a couple weeks ago that they now go through all their record albums and anything worth more than about 50 cents also goes to their online auction site.

In any case, when I saw the name Snell, I didn't hesitate. I've been looking for something in this size, and I have a strong preference for real walnut veneer, for my office and figured these would be perfect. It wasn't until I got them home and started looking for foams that I realized they can be difficult to properly source given the variety of woofers they used over the years. The fact that they are Boston Acoustics woofers makes sourcing the proper foams so much easier. I only found a couple mentions of Boston Acoustics woofers in the Type K speakers (both very positive) and didn't recognize them as such due to the fact that the woofers in my HD8s have the more common square frames. I'm guessing they were briefly used during the transition from Vifa to Peerless woofers. Thanks for helping me identify exactly what I have and what foams I need..

You bet! The design of the date sticker and the shape of the magnet gave it away as BA. Heck of a Goodwill find.

 

[MCM_Fan]

You bet! The design of the date sticker and the shape of the magnet gave it away as BA. Heck of a Goodwill find.

Yeah, and I got them on a Wednesday. So, 10% off with my senior discount!

 

[MCM_Fan]

Just ordered 4x - Filleted 8" surround (for 6/6.1" cones) is p/n #610-365/baf-1 from Rick Cobb. I'll do the HD8s first for practice and then the Snells. I've already removed the old foams from the HD8s and cleaned up the cone and frame. So, they are ready to go. While those are drying I'll remove the old surrounds and clean up the Snell woofers and get then ready to go.

Looking forward to hearing how the sound. It's been a while since I've heard the HD8s, but I recall liking the sound. Like the Snells they are an 8" 2-way with a 1" soft dome tweeter. I stood them up side by side last night, and other than the chamfered corners, the cabinets were almost identical in all three dimensions. It will be fun to do a A/B comparison between the two and note any differences. The Snells certainly look nicer and the cabinets are much heavier. I suspect the magic of the Snells lies in a more expensive tweeter and the crossover, but that Boston Acoustics polyamid soft dome tweeter is no slouch.

 

[NAD80]

Great Find. Especially for GW. Snell's are not plentiful anywhere. Good luck with the K's.

 

[MCM_Fan]

Great Find. Especially for GW. Snell's are not plentiful anywhere. Good luck with the K's.

Would it be sacrilegious to replace the black grill cloth with something in a different color? Did Snells ever come with a different color grill cloth?

 

[NAD80]

http://www.snell.no/the_archives.htm Check out this. Yes they did come in other colors than black.

 

[MCM_Fan]

http://www.snell.no/the_archives.htm Check out this. Yes they did come in other colors than black.

Thanks. So, it looks like the Type AIIIi came with light gray grill cloth, but none of the other models are show with their grills installed. I was thinking of something like the burnt orange or bright blue grill cloth from Huntley Audio to add a splash of color. These are going in my office and it could use a little brightness to liven things up a bit.

 

[trinhsman]

Thanks. So, it looks like the Type AIIIi came with light gray grill cloth, but none of the other models are show with their grills installed. I was thinking of something like the burnt orange or bright blue grill cloth from Huntley Audio to add a splash of color. These are going in my office and it could use a little brightness to liven things up a bit.

They are your speakers. Make them the way you like. Enjoy!

 

[MCM_Fan]

They are your speakers. Make them the way you like. Enjoy!

Yeah that's exactly what I did with the JBL L36 Decades in my avatar pic. Totally non-original on the finish and grill cloth, but I like them and get lots of comments on them. It's not like they are rare and they were pretty trashed when I got them. So, I followed my instincts.

In the case of the Snells, after some light sanding, I will just freshen them up with a few coats of oil over the beautiful walnut veneer. And, grills can always be easily recovered. It's not like changing the grill cloth color is irreversible.

 

[NAD80]

Neat shade of blue there. They would stand out with that color.

 

[MCM_Fan]

The replacement foam surrounds from Rick Cobb (highly recommended) arrived last week. I've used Rick's foams many times, they are always a perfect fit. These are the correct filleted foams in the original black color. I bought my first set of foams from Rick as a kit, that includes a small bottle of glue and a 30Hz test tone CD. Now I just buy the foams directly from Rick. His prices are VERY affordable and his knowledge is unsurpassed. I use a bottle of Aleene's Fast Grab Tacky Glue that I picked up at a Local Michael's. With a $5 off coupon on any one item, it was practically free. I'd done about a dozen refoams with this bottle and probably have enough left for a dozen more. If you aren't doing your own refoaming, it's very affordable DIY project.

I got around to installing the replacement foam surrounds yesterday. Of course, removing the original foam and glue always takes more time and effort than installing the new foams. I'd already done this on the Boston Acoustics HD8 woofers, so I just had the Snell woofers to do. After getting them all cleaned up, I glued the foams to the cones yesterday morning before work. Using the original glue line as a guide, it was easy to center the new foams on the cones. I did all four in about 40 minutes. It takes a few minutes for the glue to get tacky enough to hold the foam in position and you have about 15 minutes to make adjustments before the glue sets up too much to easily move things around. I did them one at a time, starting with the HD8 woofers. It's probably not absolutely necessary, but I always allow the glue to cure for 8 hours before I move on to gluing the foams to the baskets. So, I let all four cure while I was at work and then glued the foams to the baskets last night after wok and let them cure overnight. Same procedure, with the addition of playing the 30Hz test tone while the glue was tacking up to make sure there was no voice coil rubbing. Again, about 10 minutes per woofer, 40 minutes total.

Here's some before and after photos (HD8 woofers on top, Snell Type KII woofers on bottom):

Although they were all made by Boston Acoustics (less than three and a half months apart), and all take the same replacement foam surrounds, they are not the same woofers. The HD8 woofers have the square(ish) frames, while the ones from the Snells are round. The Snell woofers also have a larger voice coil and larger, heavier magnets. Since the Snells were originally hand tuned at the factory, I wrote the serial numbers on the magnets with a black Sharpie so I'd be sure to reinstall the woofers back in the correct cabinets.

Tonight I will reinstall all four and begin my listening tests.

BTW, if you've never installed replacement foam surrounds, the square frame 8" Boston Acoustics woofers would be a good place to start. With the polypropylene cones, unlike paper cones, which are more delicate, there is almost no chance of damaging a cone when removing the old foam and glue residue. With the correct foams they practically align themselves. You'd have to really try to get them off center and have any voice coil rubbing. Just use the original glue line as a guide when gluing the replacement surround to the cone. Let the glue dry and then glue the foam to the basket. The square baskets have a recess that the foams just drop to into and fit perfectly. I still played the 30Hz test tone while the glue was tacking up, just to make sure there was no rubbing, but honestly, it wasn't really necessary in this case.

More to follow...

 

[MCM_Fan]

First spin after refoaming the woofers.

LOVE OVER GOLD - DIRE STRAITS

WOW! now I see what all the fuss is about. What a truly great set of little speakers. The build quality is off the charts and the sound quality equally impressive (even with the non-ideal placement). I still have some cosmetic work to complete (light sanding and a few hand rubbed coats of oil on the veneer and new grill cloth), but when they are done, they will be perfect for my office system. Total investment so far: $11.69 ($12.99 - 10% senior discount) for the speakers at Goodwill plus $13 + shipping for the correct foams from Rick Cobb.

The stands they are on (another Goodwill find) are the perfect height, too. Without spikes, they are 22.5" tall. I checked the height of the stands Audio Note sells for their AN-K speakers and they are 22.7" tall. In the office, I will install the spikes, which will make the stands about 23" tall.

 

[cwh]

Nice when your work pays off, looking good.