Savard Speakers Buy or Pass?

[Midwestside]

Saw some Savard Speakers today at a local thrift. Very Large, Double woofers, horn tweeter with two additional tweeters near the horn. Also toggle switches in the back. Ridiculously Large,
Thick, Like 2" thick slabs of wood to build the case. I'd guess about 75lbs each.
The overall build is pure overkill.
Definitely look like 'rockin out' speakers ala Spinal Tap style..hehe
The first thing that went through my mind was 'unmarked van special'

However I phoned my sister and got here to search for a review.
She found a few tid bits but not much , mostly pics and a thread somewhere about a guy who really liked them.

I really dont have any room for them, however if they are special i could make room. $25 for the pair.

Opinions?

 

[tonyk]

I would be running back down there saying take my damn money. Go.

 

[djwhy60]

DUDE!!! Run back and get them....I have been wanting a set forever. They were made by Savard of Baton Rouge, LA. Not top of the line sound..but not very many of them out there.

see this: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=353204

 

[Midwestside]

Well I did go back and get them. They weren't 25 for the pair. It was for each.
Anywho...

Heavy, Heavy. Kinda chipped up in a few places. Tweets, woofer, switches all work!! surrounds good The only strange thing there are some openings in the back. Feeling from the inside it seems like there was maybe a screen glued there or something. The cabinets are not insulated/padded at all.
I was wondering if thats spec. The Bass lacking a bit. I havent set them up,
I just kinda pluged and played them. They are a bit bright, which isnt terrible, but the bottom just isnt there.
I got them sounding better by turning down my treble control and cranking the bass.
They do seem to be sounding a bit different (smoother) since ive listened to them for about 2 hours now.
Listening to them as background, they are sounding pretty nice.

Should I insulate the boxes? I'm definitely gonna take more pics later and open the back up and look at the caps.


Here are a few pics. Sorry kinda messy in there, Had to move a bunch of stuff to work in back with the speaker cables and stuff.

 

[CarnahanBB]

OMG! Those suckers are beasts!

 

[MikeT.]

Those are some good 'uns! I worked for Bill Savard for two years selling his speakers and associated hifi gear out of his showroom in Baron Rouge.

He's very passionate about his speakers. Very efficient. Very dedicated guy.

 

[Midwestside]

Those are some good 'uns! I worked for Bill Savard for two years selling his speakers and associated hifi gear out of his showroom in Baron Rouge.

He's very passionate about his speakers. Very efficient. Very dedicated guy.

Thats very Cool, Mike T. I always love being able to know the history behind things i find. Do you remeber at all what these might have sold for back then?
Just curious.....

 

[AlphaEcho35]

Those are some good 'uns! I worked for Bill Savard for two years selling his speakers and associated hifi gear out of his showroom in Baron Rouge.

He's very passionate about his speakers. Very efficient. Very dedicated guy.

So MikeT - when did you work for Savard? I bought my first VHS at the Airline store and also won a pair of Savard "Studio Monitors" back in 1987 or 1988 from their Highland Road store in a raffle they were holding. They were $850 a pair back then. I still have them (see thread http://www.audiokarma.org/forums//showthread.php?t=401305)

The are quite efficient speakers - mine have Eminence drivers for the LF. I lost the grilles during one move or another and simply placed the metal covers over the woofers. It helped to show off the nice woodgrain on the driver boards anyway.

 

[djwhy60]

Man..I am jealous! I have been wanting a set of these for awhile now....the stars just won't align! Great grab..congrats. I live in LA...a set will come up soon!

 

[Midwestside]

So MikeT - when did you work for Savard? I bought my first VHS at the Airline store and also won a pair of Savard "Studio Monitors" back in 1987 or 1988 from their Highland Road store in a raffle they were holding. They were $850 a pair back then. I still have them (see thread http://www.audiokarma.org/forums//showthread.php?t=401305)

The are quite efficient speakers - mine have Eminence drivers for the LF. I lost the grilles during one move or another and simply placed the metal covers over the woofers. It helped to show off the nice woodgrain on the driver boards anyway.

Any pics of the OG grilles? I might want to re grille these. Also Is your pair ported in the back? Mine seem to have a square port. Dont know if a cover was there originally. Also are they supposed to be hollow body or insulated?

 

[Tube Sound]

Great thread. Cool speaks.

 

[AlphaEcho35]

Any pics of the OG grilles? I might want to re grille these. Also Is your pair ported in the back? Mine seem to have a square port. Dont know if a cover was there originally. Also are they supposed to be hollow body or insulated?

There is a rear port and it is covered with a sheet of foam material. The original speaker grilles covered the entire driver board (you can see the velcro fasteners on the picture of my speaker.) There were to grilles per speaker, one small one to cover the tweeters only, and then a larger one that covered the horn and the woofer.
I have some of the original sales material around here somewhere. Let me see if I can find it and upload a copy.
I'll try to get a good picture of the rear of mine as well.

Also. if I remember correctly, yours were the top of the line model speaker.

 

[ranch 22b]

Congrats on the speakers!

Those look like they should have plenty of bass. You might want to check your speaker wires and make sure that they are connected correctly (+ to +, - to -) so that the speakers are working in phase.

 

[MikeT.]

So MikeT - when did you work for Savard? I bought my first VHS at the Airline store and also won a pair of Savard "Studio Monitors" back in 1987 or 1988 from their Highland Road store in a raffle they were holding. They were $850 a pair back then. I still have them (see thread http://www.audiokarma.org/forums//showthread.php?t=401305)

The are quite efficient speakers - mine have Eminence drivers for the LF. I lost the grilles during one move or another and simply placed the metal covers over the woofers. It helped to show off the nice woodgrain on the driver boards anyway.

I started for Bill when he was expanding to his Florida Blvd location, just in front of his factory. If i recall correctly, it was in 1978/79. We opened a new five showroom Conservatory of Sound. His speakers were not inexpensive. A basic three-way set of his studio monitors were $450 a pair and sold like crazy. Similar in driver compliment to Klipsch Heresy but bigger, much more massive cabinet. He used very good quality components that were custom made for him by Eminence and others.

It was very educational and Bill insisted that anyone who worked for him be certified through the Society of Audio Consultants. He wanted to make sure he had knowledgeable sales people working for him. I learn a lot not only through my association with Bill but watching the speaker building process from raw materials to finished product.

I think Bill is starting up again or making a run at it. Don't know if it is a brick and mortar location or not but he's got a website up with some recent updates it seems.

 

[MikeT.]

Thats very Cool, Mike T. I always love being able to know the history behind things i find. Do you remeber at all what these might have sold for back then?
Just curious.....

I think those sold for about $1150 a pair. Not inexpensive in 1978.

 

[Midwestside]

I started for Bill when he was expanding to his Florida Blvd location, just in front of his factory. If i recall correctly, it was in 1978/79. We opened a new five showroom Conservatory of Sound. His speakers were not inexpensive. A basic three-way set of his studio monitors were $450 a pair and sold like crazy. Similar in driver compliment to Klipsch Heresy but bigger, much more massive cabinet. He used very good quality components that were custom made for him by Eminence and others.

It was very educational and Bill insisted that anyone who worked for him be certified through the Society of Audio Consultants. He wanted to make sure he had knowledgeable sales people working for him. I learn a lot not only through my association with Bill but watching the speaker building process from raw materials to finished product.

I think Bill is starting up again or making a run at it. Don't know if it is a brick and mortar location or not but he's got a website up with some recent updates it seems.

Wow, Thanks for the Info Mike. I did find a Savard Facebook page and shot a text over to Mr. Savard with some inquiries. I would like to do these speakers justice when I restore them. So far you guys have been alot of help.

I think after the re cap, I will be building grilles for them. From the limited amount of pics i've seen, I noticed some had waffle foam grilles those look very cool. If I cant find the exact stuff to replicate the originals, perhaps some funky weave fabric from the fabric store.

 

[rshep]

Your speakers are a great find for $50! I'd be interested in that open slot in the rear. Looks like something is missing, I bet fixing that would bring the bass back, those woofers look like they're more than adequate.

 

[Midwestside]

Your speakers are a great find for $50! I'd be interested in that open slot in the rear. Looks like something is missing, I bet fixing that would bring the bass back, those woofers look like they're more than adequate.

Yeah, i'm really liking how this thread is developing. It is almost impossible to find anything besides junky vcrs a few cass decks and carousel cd players at the local thrifts here. So when I spotted these I was kinda freaking out at the possibility, but about 90% expecting them to be like Rent a center specials or something.

Given the normal odds around here, finding these is even more impressive.
However I have been lucky finding descent speakers for cheap.
I guess at the end of the day , once your core system is in place, your objective becomes trying different speakers anyway. Well at least if your rolling on an audio budget.

Yes, Im interested to know what went in that slot in the back. There seems to be some adhesive inside the cabinet right there above and below the opening. I did have a few small pieces of cabinet insulation that didnt make it back into their cabinets , so i wedged some in the back of the savards. The bass became a little more prounounced.

I might open them up later today and see whats in there:thmbsp:

 

[Midwestside]

Ok, so i took them apart and took a peek inside.
I used some de oxit on the contacts and switches.
one cap going to one of the horn mids is definitely bulged and gone,
which probably why its not working.
One of the cabs had black foam that had fallen inside. It was rectangular and appeared to be what filled the cutout in the back.
Interestingly one speaker had more fiberglass insulation than the other.
however the insulation was only apparent in the tweeter area.
Both cabinets looked like they'd never been opened, because they were sealed with instructions glued to the back. I hade to cut along the seam to get the backs out. I wonder what the discrepency in the amount of insulation then?

Anyway here are some pics of the interior.

 

[AlphaEcho35]

Any pics of the OG grilles? I might want to re grille these. Also Is your pair ported in the back? Mine seem to have a square port. Dont know if a cover was there originally. Also are they supposed to be hollow body or insulated?

Midwestside,

Here's a pic of the backside of my speakers. The port covering is just a thin foam sheet material. Obviously designed to all airflow into/out of the cabinet.

When I lived in Louisiana and was storing the speakers, the local critter population (read - roaches) had their way with munching on those info sheets that were stapled to the backs :yuck:
Fortunately, they didn't get inside (as far as I know.)

These are still good looking speakers. Mine are still doing duty in the game room, although they dole out explosions from the XBox more often than music these days.

I am prepping a little SET tube amp right now and am going to try it on the Savards when I am done - they are quite efficient and I am interested to hear how the combo will sound.