What is your problem?
what are "kabuki speakers"???
- Thread starter jpciii
- Start date
What is your problem?
I don’t think there was any humor involved.
maxhifi
Addicted Member
I have a pair of Sansui SP-X11000, and I absolutely love them for certain things. They go extremely loud, and they have a very large sound even at reduced volume levels. The sound is surprisingly well balanced. The horn tweeters give the treble a lot of bite. Not tons of low bass, but enough for most music contemporary with the speakers. The power handling is unreal, the first time I used them with a high powered amp, I didn't realize how loud I was listening because there was not any audible distortion, and when I shut things down my ears were ringing for the next hour or so. Not doing that again! I have found that how good they sound is very dependent on the amplifier which is used. Specifically, they sound quite bad with cheap and/or low powered amps. I think they were designed to go with the Sansui G33000 receiver, and they need an amplifier with similar capabilities to really sound their best. I previously owned some Sansui SP-X8000 and enjoyed them very much too, and probably would have hung on to them except I got the X11000 which are much better, and I did not need both sets.
Now, are these the best speakers in the world? No way. Are they colored, next to even affordable modern speakers? You bet they are. Are they a lot of fun? Well, they have been for me!
Now, are these the best speakers in the world? No way. Are they colored, next to even affordable modern speakers? You bet they are. Are they a lot of fun? Well, they have been for me!
My impression is that kabuki speakers are not deigned with a performance goal in mind. They are just whipped together from whatever happens to be handy. And you know what? They sorta work. Try the same kabuki technique on something electronic. Most likely, smoke, soot & fire will wipe off your smug grin.
maxhifi
Addicted Member
This may be true of some of them, but if you look at Sansui for example, they typically had unique drivers specifically designed for every model! It makes restoring them difficult, because obtaining an exact replacement is only possible from an identical speaker. Reading about their history, it seems the performance was geared towards impressing the US military market. They had an anechoic chamber, and plenty of people dedicated to developing product - it was more a case of a product designed to impress and sell to non-audiophile consumers. Kind of like Bose speakers.
The other big limitation on Sansui speakers, is they were made to be the maximum size which could be shipped home for free by the US military. That's one of the main reasons why the enclosures seem small for the drivers. And the drivers are so big, because you know, mine is bigger than yours is an effective sales tactic!
maxhifi
Addicted Member
It does reduce low bass output, but it also limits driver excursion, which substantially increases power handling over a more full range design. Basically exactly the same way that disco/PA speakers handle so much power. Coincidentally, what kind of music was popular in the late 1970s?
kfa888
Addicted Member
I had some mint Sansui SP-3000's my father bought new on a military base in the Pacific Islands (Kwajalein). They would go kinda loud driven by a SX-1010 Pioneer but overall the sound was pretty crappy, low detail, not a lot of real bass, zero imaging... Sold them for way more than I thought they were worth. Beautiful cabs and lattice grill though.
Lavane
Lunatic Member
I live close to an Air Force base. In the 70's it seemed like every Airman I met had a pair of huge Pioneer or Sansui Kabuki's. Only a few had the more decent sounding 2way or 3way Pioneer or Sansui speakers. A lot of them that lived off base at the time lived in a small area with 3 or 4 streets of all 2 bedroom duplexes just off base. Dueling stereos was the norm.
Some great parties to be had though.
kfa888
Addicted Member
I live close to an Air Force base. In the 70's it seemed like every Airman I met had a pair of huge Pioneer or Sansui Kabuki's. Only a few had the more decent sounding 2way or 3way Pioneer or Sansui speakers. A lot of them that lived off base at the time lived in a small area with 3 or 4 streets of all 2 bedroom duplexes just off base. Dueling stereos was the norm.
yes, I enjoyed many great parties and those speakers
Since "Neil" hasn't been back since he posted this last Sunday, ... I suspect you've all been trolled effectively.
My Father brought home a stereo system from Japan / PX back around 1970, including four Coral speakers. The smaller bookshelf ones were fairly simple, but the large floorstanders were crazy, probably considered Kabuki, had several connections on the back for HF/MF/LF, L-pads for adjustments, and I believe more than three drivers. Looked nice anyway, cabinets with legs and a solid top, wood grilles, .. probably looking to compete with the JBLs of the era that were built like furniture.
And no, I didn't blow them up, that was my younger brother.
And no, I didn't blow them up, that was my younger brother.
CoogarXR
Super Member
I still have my 4x Pioneer CS-905's, I'll probably never get rid of them. As many will attest, they are one of the few kabuki speakers that is built out of very stout components. I bet that woofer magnet is 8" across, lol.
I have ran them HARD for hours on end. That's what they are built for.
I have ran them HARD for hours on end. That's what they are built for.
maxhifi
Addicted Member
Funny thing is all the troll accomplished is making me hook up my kabuki speakers for some fun
kfa888
Addicted Member
CS-901a's were really interesting with a coaxial design that looks great and then hey, lets toss 2 more tweeters and a mid horn in...
Would have been a really cool speaker had they put it in a slightly larger cab with just the coax in the top part.
Given that they're often 3-way/4-way or more, and designed with no rhyme nor reason, I think "gangbang" or "clusterfuck" is a much more apt (and culturally sensitive) nickname.
Whatever you wanna call 'em, I've had a few pairs pass through my hands over the years, mostly because I love the cabinetry and the lattice grilles. The earlier Sansuis were a decent effort, and their cabinetry is top-notch, and I wouldn't kick them out of the house for a background/TV system in the living room, where aesthetics are key and a little harshness or muddiness can be forgiven. The later-era Sansuis and Kenwoods, I was less impressed by, but it's also been years since I've heard either. You're generally going to be in for a bad time if you try to listen to most vintage speakers critically, and that holds just as true for old barracks-blaster Kenwoods as it does dorm-rocking JBL's or pipe-and-scotch KLH's. But if you like 60's rock and soul, and you like it loud, and you don't mind hitting that loudness button, then you're in for a treat.
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Poultrygeist
Lunatic Member
16" repurposed OB woofers from Sansui Kabukis left on the curb. They sound more accurate than they ever did in those confined enclosures.
