Ultra Linear ULH 100 speakers
- Thread starter Allen1981
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White van, run away.
At what cost?
Don't be embarrased. A hundred bucks isn't that much for speakers with any appreciable bass, and these look like they might have some oomph. It is true that Ultralinear wasn't aimed at the purist or the high end listener, but many people are actually not that picky picky picky.
So you may like them a lot. I would suggest recapping them - it is unlikely that Ultralinear used film caps for ultimate sound quality or whatever, and electrolytics, which are cheap, age over time. You can simply replace the electrolytics, which may have drifted in values, and return the speaker to its original sound, or you can go for film caps and make the speaker brighter than intended, which may not be a good thing.
So you may like them a lot. I would suggest recapping them - it is unlikely that Ultralinear used film caps for ultimate sound quality or whatever, and electrolytics, which are cheap, age over time. You can simply replace the electrolytics, which may have drifted in values, and return the speaker to its original sound, or you can go for film caps and make the speaker brighter than intended, which may not be a good thing.
RVT1K
Super Member
No worries! That isn't too much of an investment especially if you like to tinker. That would be an excellent platform to experiment with.
But you may be pleasantly surprised and like them.
And if all hope is lost, there is always tannerite on the next 4th of July.
Dan13105
Well-Known Member
You never know, they might not sound that bad. I own a pair of Infinity SM150s that are almost universally disliked. Yes, I intentionally sought them out. These were the speakers I used to blast at my parents' when the family left while growing up. Not the best sounding overall speakers I own, but for metal or classic rock they're pretty good.
62vauxhall
Addicted Member
I had a vague recollection of the brand Ultraliner when acquaintances offered me a pair of big speakers for free. Just had to hauld them from their garage. They did not remember the brand so I did not know what they were until I got their place.
Turned out to be Ultraliner speakers model ST-550.
A legitimate speaker brand and model from the 1970's made by an outfit in LA with the word Solar in the company name. The drivers were decent quality but the enclosures were abysmal and grilles were absolutely hideous. .
Each of the two ports on the front had a galvanized steel cover which could be removed, After installing new surrounds on the woofers, I tried them with both ports open, one port open and both ports closed. They sounded best I thought with both ports open.
Cermet type resistors were in the crossovers that were scorched brown from overheating and the cheap, red button reset switches were gonners. Those speakers were abusively driven. It was a surprize to me that all voice coils were intact.
Turned out to be Ultraliner speakers model ST-550.
A legitimate speaker brand and model from the 1970's made by an outfit in LA with the word Solar in the company name. The drivers were decent quality but the enclosures were abysmal and grilles were absolutely hideous. .
Each of the two ports on the front had a galvanized steel cover which could be removed, After installing new surrounds on the woofers, I tried them with both ports open, one port open and both ports closed. They sounded best I thought with both ports open.
Cermet type resistors were in the crossovers that were scorched brown from overheating and the cheap, red button reset switches were gonners. Those speakers were abusively driven. It was a surprize to me that all voice coils were intact.
Now that I think of it, Julian Hirsch's review of one of the early Ultralinears may have been when I first realized that you could read between the lines to see what he personally thought of components. My memory is that he reviewed it respectfully, like every other component he tested (though it is worth reading his take down of the Sylvania CR2743A receiver (High Fidelity, August 1973), prompted by Sylvania's publishing a comparison chart of its specs it and those of other receivers - Hirsch spent his career trying to get the industry to present specs in honest and identical (or at least comparable) forms, so Sylvania's thumb on the scale clearly annoyed him). I remember thinking that he clearly thought (but didn't say) that it was a garage speaker - loud and unsubtle - but recognized that was what some readers might want, so he reviewed it on its own terms.
