Speaker ID... "Micron"?

[Nat]

I hadn't noticed the original set of pictures and was looking at the ones several posts ahead of mine. I see that you are right -- its a passive with a crossover. But its worth trying the HK. I don't see any reason why it would hurt the HK, and different people have different ideas of what loud is. You can make a real racket with surprisingly little power, and even if there is some distortion on peaks, it may not be too objectionable. Try it an see. If it doesn't sound good, then you know what to do. If its fine, you're home free.

 

[niles300z]

I just grabbed a pair of g5 with the peerless tweeters. I never heard a speaker with these tweets sound bad yet. Looks like ill have to do a bit of refinishing.

 

[Edroom]

Since this has been revived, I believe any internet search for Micron speakers will wind up here...
I picked up some info

 

[pdublu1]

My father was a partner in General Sound in the early eighties, though we were primarily involved in building and finishing the cabinets. They were a very well-received and highly-critiqued product though I always thought the company brass limited GS's exposure by only seeking placement in audiophile studios and shops. The rumor once was that they had an offer to place in JC Penney, who like most major retailers at the time sold audio equipment, but turned it down because it was not exclusive enough. Thus, General Sound speaker systems, though an innovative product did not last long. Primary owner was a man named Norm Fuchs.

 

[imglocked]

Happy to report I rescued a set of GS Micron sub/sats from certain town-dump death just yesterday!

In FINE condition, a bit dusty and need a go-over with some cleansers, and indeed the build quality is GREAT! The sats are HEAVY and the sub? QUITE heavy!!
all the drivers look to be in excellent condition. They even left a set of "speaker" wire (18GA) with them at curbside.

Have yet to audition, but hopes are high, and anecdotal evidence here supports, that they won't suck!

pdublu1, is your Dad still around...Norm Fuchs?

 

[HalsKid]

My father was a partner in General Sound in the early eighties, though we were primarily involved in building and finishing the cabinets. They were a very well-received and highly-critiqued product though I always thought the company brass limited GS's exposure by only seeking placement in audiophile studios and shops. The rumor once was that they had an offer to place in JC Penney, who like most major retailers at the time sold audio equipment, but turned it down because it was not exclusive enough. Thus, General Sound speaker systems, though an innovative product did not last long. Primary owner was a man named Norm Fuchs.

HELLO! I just signed up to join this forum so I could post on this thread and solve some of the mystery of General Sound and the Micron speakers because I don't find this information anywhere on the internet. My father was named Hal Paxton, and he designed the Micron speakers. As far as I knew, he WAS "General Sound" but I didn't live with him at the time (in Phoenix) and I don't remember Norm Fuchs or any other partners in the business. If Norm was really the primary owner, or a partner of my father, I might have met him when I visited. General Sound did not last for very long. The speakers were awesome, as you guys seem to know, and I would love to get my hands on some. My dad had several, but I lost all his belongings when he died. What I do have is some brochures for the speakers with specs and a long review by a guy named Harry Maynard. If anyone is interested, I can scan the info I have. I see that the most recent posts on this thread are from 8 months ago, but I'm hoping you guys will get a notification that there is a new post. Hal Paxton passed away in 1999 at the young age of 54. He had two kids - me and my brother Tom, and Tom just passed away a couple of months ago (at the young age of 52). I was going through his belongings and I found the old Micron brochures that he gave us when we were kids. I don't see my father's name on anywhere, but maybe as we add information to this thread (which anyone searching for Micron speakers should easily find on a Google search) we can put together more of the story of General Sound. So keep in touch and hit me up if you want any more information about Hal Paxton. (He was a genius, by the way.)

 

[HalsKid]

Thanks for that Orion info, Columbo. There's so little info on the Internet about General Sound... it's good to know that the satellite speakers were model GS-5. I found some photos of them on the Internet: 1, 2, 3, 4.

There is next to nothing on the internet about General Sound, but I'm trying to correct that. I don't know a whole lot, but what I do know is that General Sound was my father's company. His name was Hal Paxton, and he designed the Micron speaker series in the late 70s i n Phoenix, Arizona. I have a few brochures and ads for these speakers, but I don't have any of my own, sadly. Hal was from Austria, which might be why it's been speculated that the speakers look like German engineering. His last name was Kaufmann until he changed it to Paxton when he became a U.S. citizen in 1974. My dad was a genius, a sound engineer and an audiophile, but not particularly good at marketing, and General Sound and Micron speakers were short-lived. Hal died in 1999, and I am his his daughter, his only surviving blood relative since my brother Tom died recently. I joined this forum to give my dad credit for designing these fantastic speakers.

 

[Edroom]

Hi HalsKid! Where are you located? I have the top of the line set which is in the garage waiting for a loving family to adopt them....
It’s great to see this thread slowly growing and getting more and more background information.
Your dad was a genius...the speakers are amazing! It is too bad they didn’t last long on the market.
Ed

 

[Edroom]

Please scan any info you have and post to this thread...it is the primary source of information IN THE WORLD for General Sound - Micron Speakers!

 

[NAD80]

HalsKid, Welcome to AK.

 

[HalsKid]

Hi HalsKid! Where are you located? I have the top of the line set which is in the garage waiting for a loving family to adopt them....
It’s great to see this thread slowly growing and getting more and more background information.
Your dad was a genius...the speakers are amazing! It is too bad they didn’t last long on the market.
Ed

Hi Ed! I am in Dixon, NM (northern NM, an hour north of Santa Fe). I'm going to scan and post what I have. I was so excited to see a thread about my dad's speakers -- I didn't really know how many had survived or that people would be talking about them after all these years.

 

[HalsKid]

Please scan any info you have and post to this thread...it is the primary source of information IN THE WORLD for General Sound - Micron Speakers!

OK - I'm posting Harry Maynard's review here - I hope it works. I'm going to try to post more in this thread and also in the documents forum that someone told me about... if I can find it.

 

[HalsKid]

Please scan any info you have and post to this thread...it is the primary source of information IN THE WORLD for General Sound - Micron Speakers!

 

[HalsKid]

Please scan any info you have and post to this thread...it is the primary source of information IN THE WORLD for General Sound - Micron Speakers!

 

[HalsKid]

Please scan any info you have and post to this thread...it is the primary source of information IN THE WORLD for General Sound - Micron Speakers!

 

[Edroom]

Great stuff! Thanks!

 

[HalsKid]

Hi HalsKid! Where are you located? I have the top of the line set which is in the garage waiting for a loving family to adopt them....
It’s great to see this thread slowly growing and getting more and more background information.
Your dad was a genius...the speakers are amazing! It is too bad they didn’t last long on the market.
Ed

Ed, My husband and I would love to adopt your Micron speakers, and I can't think of a more loving family. It is a long way from Boston to Dixon, NM, but maybe we could figure something out? It is my dream to have a set of Microns.

 

[niles300z]

Count me in if anyone has a spare g5 or at least a woofer. I can find the peerless tweeters, but i have no idea how to find that woofer. Maybe a peerless 5" as well.
Tom from Maine

 

[GordonW]

1056 is a Fisher woofer. 8051 is the 51st week of 1980. The only reason I know is I just decoded one in a speaker I have. Subwoofer looks interesting. How does it sound??

Fisher had turned over the 1056 number to Gefco, after 1974!!!

After 1974, Fisher DID NOT make any of their own drivers!

This is something that really needs to be put in bold face type, in all of those EIA speaker manufacture code databases.

So, with that code on that date (1980)- that's a Gefco driver.

Regards,
Gordon.

 

[BV0833]

Fisher had turned over the 1056 number to Gefco, after 1974!!!

After 1974, Fisher DID NOT make any of their own drivers!

This is something that really needs to be put in bold face type, in all of those EIA speaker manufacture code databases.

So, with that code on that date (1980)- that's a Gefco driver.

Regards,
Gordon.

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Hello

I just signed up here at AK to share my find from a local seller in Edmonton, Canada. It's a pair of Micron 631! They're beautiful, solid wood sneakers! Fairly good shape except for scratches and a wood chip off on one of the cabinets. Too bad the cool looking badges are gone. Sound is very detailed on the high and mid range, bordering on bright but hasn't fatigued me so far, though i haven't listened at high volumes for an extended time yet. The base goes deep too. My ears remind me of the vintage psb bookshelfs. I've paired it with HK 330C receiver so far. I'm gonna play around and use different amp and receiver configurations. Also hook it up with passive and active subs to see what sounds best to me.

Thanks to this forum I got good information about this rare brand enough to make a good buying decision. The fact that the seller was not asking for much sealed the deal for me! This was a solid find! (My wife actually was the one who found it and texted me if i want to buy it!)

Cheers!