The saga of the ESS AMT 4 speakers

[BilboBaggins]

I bought these speakers about 2 years ago. I have loved ESS speakers since I bought my AMT 1 speakers about 8 or 9 years ago. I liked them so much, I subsequently purchased a very nice pair of ESS AMT 1aM monitors. The ESS had moved on, and I missed them. I ended up making a trade to get these AMT 4 speakers in original untouched state, just the way I like them.

However, I was a little underwhelmed by their sound. I moved them into the basement, where they have sat for the last couple of years.

I was inspired by an AMT 1 upgrade thread to revisit these. I started by ordering a pair of MISCO drivers as recommended by automojo.

https://store.miscospeakers.com/10-inch-woofer-93053

Yesterday, after paying duty and UPS export fees, I was notified they would be delivered on Tuesday. So this weekend, I am going to bring the AMT 4s up from the basement into my dining room lab, the table. I will start by capturing a base line of the speakers. Then I will open them up (I haven't done that yet), and check the drivers and crossover.

Pictures and a full status report will be coming soon. I still have to bring them up. I will be driving them with my McIntosh MA-6200. Hopefully that will be enough power.

 

[BilboBaggins]

Brought the ESS up to the dining room this evening as I wait for Pate Chinois to warm up in the oven. They are sounding pretty good. Listening to a mixed tape I made a few years ago. Man! Those things have gotten heavier over the two years they were in the basement! Must be heavy dust!

This amp is destined for the bedroom system. Turntable is my latest acquisition, a Yamaha GT-2000L I got last year in November. I moved it from its normal place because I have a guy doing plaster work near the Living room system, so I moved it to safety. The records are all weaned out of my collection while I was cataloging my record collection during the Covid lockdown.

I would say the mids are not quite as pronounced but I would say they sound pretty good. I will assess them over the evening. Tomorrow, probably later in the day, I will start the investigation.

Here are some pictures for those interested.

 

[BilboBaggins]

I was notified this morning that my Misco woofers will be delivered today. So I decided to oil the wood and vacuum the dust grills. Incidentally, the back of my dust covers stick out away from the back of the cabinet. As though the fabric shrank.

Any AMT 4 owners have this issue?

I just received the two Misco woofers. I’ll put them in this afternoon. I’ll post pictures afterwards.

 

[BilboBaggins]

I put in the Misco woofer today. I will need to go back in and fix the woofer receptacle so I can properly screw in the woofers. I've also been using some short stands I got a few years ago with a pair of Bull-nosed advents I had. They are just the right size! I also put some oil on the wood and vacuumed the dust covers.

I felt there was an improvement in sound, and so does my wife, so its all good. I will leave them alone for a while to let the woofers break in. I am listening to my audio test cd #5. The mids seem to be fuller. I haven't put on my bass heavy song yet and that will tell me even more.

I also filled with wax crayon the two gaps on the bottom of the Right Hand speakers where the veneer had come off. Looks much better!

Here are some pictures for those who like them.

 

[jcidave]

Right now on Ebay, there is a sale for a pair of AMT4's that I actually sold in the 70's from the little store I worked at in Allentown Pa. The seller is not the original owner, but he has the original bill of sale pictured with my handwriting and my initials. Wow. Memories.

 

[SleeperSupra]

I put in the Misco woofer today. I will need to go back in and fix the woofer receptacle so I can properly screw in the woofers. I've also been using some short stands I got a few years ago with a pair of Bull-nosed advents I had. They are just the right size! I also put some oil on the wood and vacuumed the dust covers.

I felt there was an improvement in sound, and so does my wife, so its all good. I will leave them alone for a while to let the woofers break in. I am listening to my audio test cd #5. The mids seem to be fuller. I haven't put on my bass heavy song yet and that will tell me even more.

I also filled with wax crayon the two gaps on the bottom of the Right Hand speakers where the veneer had come off. Looks much better!

Here are some pictures for those who like them.

View attachment 2030261

Any updates? How do they sound now that they have been broken in?

 

[BilboBaggins]

Thanks for reaching out. I did a number on my back when I brought these upstairs in November. It took about 3 months for my back to be in decent condition again. In the meantime, I asked my future Son in Law to move them out of the dining room in preparation for Christmas. I've been afraid to move them since. As well, I need to reinforce/rebuild the woofer mounting area, and with local lock-downs, it has been harder than normal to get a suitable material to rebuild the mounting area. Before I took them down, they were sounding really good. I am hoping to win a dolly in an auction next week, which I will use for moving these heavier speakers around with. It sucks getting older!