Sony SS-5177 Made in Norway

[Gurkov]

Got these for just above 10€.

Sony SS-5177
Three-way speakers
Power Capacity 35W (Peak)
Freq range 50Hz - 20 kHz
8 ohm

Approximate sizes:
8” woofer
3,5” mid
2” tweeter
Boxes 50x29x24 cm

Sounding pretty decent. Bass isn’t huge, but not lacking either (unfair to compare them to my 70’s Pioneers with 10” woofers). Highs aren’t as lively and exciting as my Brauns, but not especially dull either. After about an hour of shuffling the iPod (late 5th gen, yay!), I think they sound better with acoustic music, standup bass has a lovely ring to it.

Woofer, mid and tweeter look far from minty, but I’ll leave the judging to the folks here with better knowledge of how these should look... They all make sounds at least.

I read that a few Sonys from same era were made in Norway with Seas drivers. I might unscrew these at some point, but in short, there’s a wild kitten here, so...

Will add more pics later, but these should be good enough for now.

 

[Gurkov]

If the same as the Sony SS-5177A, then mids are Seas 9 TV-LG and tweeter Seas 5 TV-HF. Some quick pic-googling suggest that they are indeed just that.

EDIT: And woofer should be Seas 21 TV-GW.

 

[Gurkov]

Also for the model with the "A" suffix: Crossover Frequency at 2500 and 12000Hz

So, technically speaking, would that make them a woofer/mid, a tweeter and a super tweeter? Or does the "super" indicate that it goes much higher than 20 kHz...?

 

[Gurkov]

Got a few minutes before dinner making. Mid and tweeter was glued hard, coiuldn’t get them off. Woofer was too, but managed to remove it pretty easily. It’s a SEAS 21 TV-GW as expected.

Just got a glimpse of the crossover parts, as seen in photo 2 here. Anyone care to chip in about the cap? Original or newer? What’s your best bet?

 

[goodolpg]

No real idea, but looks like an OEM cap to me.

 

[Gurkov]

No real idea, but looks like an OEM cap to me.

Thanks for the input! Appreciated!

I wonder if banana connections were common in those days, or did someone put these on later?

 

[goodolpg]

I have a pair of upper level Infinitys made in the early 1980s that have that type of connectors.
I also have two pair of lower level Infinitys from the same time period that have the spring loaded type connectors.
So they were in use in some cases by some companies many years ago.

 

[Gurkov]

Ah, I see. But these are probably mid 70’s - unless of course they dropped the ’A’ from, not added it to, later models. (Hifi Engine entry for 5177A says 75-76)

Even some of the best Tandbergs of same era still had just the regular screws... Look pretty similar from the back too:
https://hifivintage.eu/en/dynamic-loudspeaker/1704-tandberg-tl-5020.html

 

[goodolpg]

The only thing that looks suspect to me is the odd shaped midrange in the round cut out, but that could be cost savings. Easier/cheaper to rout a circle than to make cut out in the shape of the driver. Other Google images show the same cut out and driver.
IF the binding posts were added later seems like they would have upgraded that NPE cap while in there. Of course we may not have seen all of the crossover.
Until someone can post otherwise, I'm going with original and unmolested.

 

[Gurkov]

Yep, and of course switching to bananas can be easily done by someone just for convenience, without the knowledge of updating caps and such...

The routed circle is in the brochure pictures, so probably a cheap solution from the beginning, yes.

https://amp.reddit.com/r/vintageaudio/comments/i58k80/found_a_pair_of_sony_ss5177a/

 

[Gurkov]

Spinning Bill Evans’ Moon Beams now, piano and especially bass sounds ace. Compressed pop and rock sounds a bit dull, though.

Took as close a look as I could inside, without unplugging the woofer. Is that blue goo something that’s come out of the cap or is it just glue?

 

[Jegerdød]

It probably wont do much much over 20khz.
http://www.seas.no/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=125&Itemid=432
If you look at the 70s Page 2 you can see that the super tweeter has a frequency range of 5000 to 20000 hertz.

 

[Jegerdød]

Also you should check the drivers for voice coil rubbing and replace the crossover caps

 

[Jegerdød]

Also the 9tv LG is a mid/tweeter its similar to the midrange used in the seas hifi 30.

 

[Jegerdød]

Also while the tweeter has seen better days it doesnt look too bad and probably still works fine. The midrange and the woofers look pretty good but i would check the sourround if i were you. I own some old seas 28/17 oval drivers and the sourround is beginning to crack. Luckily this can be fixed with some tek 7.

 

[Gurkov]

Cool! @jegerd Thanks a lot for the info! While I’ve read that the drivers are highly regarded by some, these speakers are on the dull side... Do you think changing the caps will make a big difference? Or are the boxes not right size for them? I read a post on some DIY forum where someone used the same drivers but with another crossover and yet another box...

 

[Gurkov]

Also while the tweeter has seen better days it doesnt look too bad and probably still works fine. The midrange and the woofers look pretty good but i would check the sourround if i were you. I own some old seas 28/17 oval drivers and the sourround is beginning to crack. Luckily this can be fixed with some tek 7.

Hmm, what exactly should I look for? Just cracks? Can you point something out in the pics attached?

 

[Jegerdød]

Well it could be the caps. Also are you sure that is the crossover frequencys? On my seas hifi 30 its 1500 hertz for the midrange and 4000 hertz for the supertweeter. In regards to the box i am not sure do you mean a normal hifi box or one of those resonance boxes?

 

[Gurkov]

Well it could be the caps. Also are you sure that is the crossover frequencys? On my seas hifi 30 its 1500 hertz for the midrange and 4000 hertz for the supertweeter. In regards to the box i am not sure do you mean a normal hifi box or one of those resonance boxes?

Should try new caps then. Could only see 8uF and 50WV for the cap next to the woofer, couldn’t quite see the other one. Do you know?

I have only seen the crossover frequencies in the entry for the SS-5177A speakers on Hifi Engine, and there’s no named source for those figures. So could definitely be wrong.

Oh, I just noted what that person wrote. He/she placed the drivers in larger Sony SS-5300 cabinets. And used crossovers from a pair of SS-2030 - and apparently those figures are 2000 and 5000 Hz.

 

[Gurkov]

Oh, regarding the Tac7 sealant. Just add some to possible cracks? Or apply a layer to the whole surrounds?