Speakerlab 7's

[speedle]

Is that an HP Plotter? Either that or a really big CD player.

Those are some awesome looking speakers though.

 

[ab0ez]

Recap those crossovers and change out the old electrolytic capacitors with oil filled and/or poly caps and you will really enjoy them. Great score!

 

[Thrift-a-holic]

:drool:

 

[SpeakerLabFan]

Just hooked these up the other day. Got them off CL a few months ago for $250 in excellent shape... I'd say, mint. Very nice looking walnut cabs. Grilles look great. Whoa! These things crank. We all know about the low end, but I have found the mid and high to be very detailed and pleasing...

Congratulations on the pickup. Enjoy, and thanks for the GREAT picture of those classics. :thmbsp:

 

[amphead4]

Can someone explain SpeakerLab to me? I visited their website and there's no mention of these 7's, just their current design. How do you get plans and parts list for the earlier designs? Is there information on the web about their past offerings so I can learn more?

 

[DaWoofer]

I put all new Dayton Polys in mine as well as new Dale resistors and it made a huge difference in the midrange and top end. It took around 100 hours more or less for them to really open up though. Worth every penny of the expense. I think 12 ga. wire was a bit of overkill though.

 

[cpmschd]

to amphead4... Speakerlab was most remembered as a 1970's and early 1980's DIY speaker kit supplier in Seattle. The 7's shown above are the original classic design (mid-70's vintage). There were also "Super 7's" (woofers in a separate enclosure with larger mid- and high- drivers) and the WA's which are also quite different. Since you could buy all the components separately, there are custom-built units out there that may look different. The picture I put up shows the stock configuration. The OP's units... I have never seen that cabinet, so most likely the builder made the box himself and bought the guts -- then put it together. Speakerlab had a good 10 to 15 year run in their original corporate incarnation... selling fairly high quality kits and also pre-assembled speakers. In the early-to-mid 80's they also had some excellent designs and changed their model numbering (i.e., the "30" etc.). By the mid-1980's, (IIRC) the DIY kit-build approach was pretty-much dead and so was Speakerlab. It was resurrected about 15 years ago (mid-90's?) but on a much smaller scale and I believe everything is pre-built. This is just off the top of my head. It was a local male-cult thing around here way back then. Much easier to find these speakers in the Pacific Northwest although Speakerlab did sell nationally.

 

[dc270]

Their kits rivaled the big boys of the day like Klipsch, Altec, JBL and others.Their use of horn loaded mids/ tweets in their better models & fairly small cabinets set them apart. They actually sounded pretty good for their size and driver compliment.

These are still sought after for their unique sound, particularly the super 6 & 7's. I have had both and found them a lot of fun to listen to. To bad they faded away they way they did, they sold some drivers and components on the side that were quite good. They even had their version of the BIG Klipsch Corner Horn- while not quite as good as theirs, it was still not bad.

If you can still find these in half decent condition I say get them while you can- they are some nice pieces of audio history worth resatoration and investment. FWIW Pat Snyder of the old SpeakerLab wrote several technical papers and compendiums that explained use of their design thereory and many other aspects of speaker design. I cut my teeth on those papers trying to undestand T&S parameters- and did!
DC

 

[tarior]

FWIW, I've had both SL-7s and Klipsch Heresies, and the SL-7s blow the Heresies out of the water in every respect.
I remember bringing a pair of SL-7s to the PNW Gathering a couple of years ago, and driven by a Sansui G-9000, they made quite an impression. Since then, three guys who were there have picked up a set. KFA888 (my former pair), Byrd and Susurus. I don't mind taking credit for that.

 

[kfa888]

FWIW, I've had both SL-7s and Klipsch Heresies, and the SL-7s blow the Heresies out of the water in every respect.
I remember bringing a pair of SL-7s to the PNW Gathering a couple of years ago, and driven by a Sansui G-9000, they made quite an impression. Since then, three guys who were there have picked up a set. KFA888 (my former pair), Byrd and Susurus. I don't mind taking credit for that.

Yep, thats the first i had heard them and although they are not really accurate speakers they are tons of fun and sound lively and "bull in a china shop" but in a good way. I need to dig those out and do some work to them. Recap and refinish. Maybe this winter.

 

[tarior]

I agree. Probably not the most accurate speakers in the world, but the look on people's faces the first time you crank 'em up makes it worth having them.

 

[lordsparky]

Speakerlab 7 so nice (Speakerlab 4 so nice)

Audio (stereo)
Kenwood 700T (tuner)
Kenwood 700C (preamp)
Kenwood 700M (amplifier) 170 watts per channel
Kenwood GE-1000 (Equalizer)
Kenwood KC-6060A (scope)
Kenwood AT-70 (timer)
Speakerlab 7 (front left and right speakers)

Audio (surround)
Onkyo TX-NR708 (7.2 channel)
Speakerlab 7 (front left and right speakers)
Klipsch SW-10 (subwoofer)
Klipsch RC-62 (center)
Klipsch RS-25 (left and right surround)
JBL (left and right front high)

Video
Epson 8500UB (projector)
Samsung BD-P1590 (Blu-Ray)
Motorola DCH6416 (HD DVR)

Other
Harmony One (remote)
Niles DPS-1 (switches Speakerlab 7 between 2 amplifiers)

 

[Jim Fitting]

T-350s are great when fed clean source material, especially, imho, via tube amps. I have a pair of T350s in my front pair of corner horns. The back pair has the wave aperture tweeters. All four are fed by tube monoblocks.

Is it my memory, or do those cabs look a little taller than a normal Super Seven? I don't remember the 12" woofer being that high off of the floor...

In the 7's I have the 12" woofer is closer to the floor. (as you remembered)