Acoustat lover
Hi Andy
Just stumbled across this site while I was surfing the Net to see if anything ever became of the Acoustat speaker company. It's a small world, since I noticed you are in Chandler, AZ and so am I. I am the proud owner of a 24yr old set of Acoustat 1+1's, purchased new in 1988 and still sounding fantastic! I must be a lucky guy because I have never had any problems with them other than modifying the transformers years ago with the upgrade, and putting on new black cloth to replace the original beige. I have run them for over 20 years with a B&K EX-442 power amp and finally added a Polk Subwoofer and Magnepan MMG's as rear channel speakers with a Magnepan MC1 as a center channel. Good to know of another Acoustat lover nearby if I ever have any questions.
Dirk
Hi Andy
Just stumbled across this site while I was surfing the Net to see if anything ever became of the Acoustat speaker company. It's a small world, since I noticed you are in Chandler, AZ and so am I. I am the proud owner of a 24yr old set of Acoustat 1+1's, purchased new in 1988 and still sounding fantastic! I must be a lucky guy because I have never had any problems with them other than modifying the transformers years ago with the upgrade, and putting on new black cloth to replace the original beige. I have run them for over 20 years with a B&K EX-442 power amp and finally added a Polk Subwoofer and Magnepan MMG's as rear channel speakers with a Magnepan MC1 as a center channel. Good to know of another Acoustat lover nearby if I ever have any questions.
Dirk
Hi Dirk like you my 1+1s are from 1984 also never had a problem ( with Acoustat's you rarely do ) they are one of the most reliable stats on the market there just like the timex watches they take a licking but keep on ticking.
PS: All that was done to them is MODS - MODS - MODS -
Phil Keck Acoustat panel mods?
I have a pair of Acoustat 1's in storage modified by Phil Keck (I think he called his company PKR&D). I have yet to hook them up and listen to them, the cable ends need new connectors. I was wondering if anyone is familiar with these mods and if you have any opinions.
Thanks!
Christos.
I have a pair of Acoustat 1's in storage modified by Phil Keck (I think he called his company PKR&D). I have yet to hook them up and listen to them, the cable ends need new connectors. I was wondering if anyone is familiar with these mods and if you have any opinions.
Thanks!
Christos.
Thanks folks! I am less interested in looks right now, I listen with the socks pulled down and don't mind it a bit. I want to finish with mods/updates and then worry about looks.
My next upgrade is to replace the speaker posts and resistors. Has anyone upgraded the resistors? Did you hear any improvement? I plan to use Mills resistors. This is all on the LV side, haven't decided if I am touching the HV side yet.
Thanks!
Christos.
Hi Mr. Acoustat...
I've seen your speakers elsewhere, I think the Steve Hoffman forum. I used to have 1+1's, 2+2's, 2's and 3's over the years, but I agree with you that the 1+1 was really the magic combination.
I'm on the hunt for a pair and have a room to dedicate to them. I don't know if I can eventually do the frame like you've done, but I am looking forward to re-reading this whole thread. I've learned a lot so far.
I've seen your speakers elsewhere, I think the Steve Hoffman forum. I used to have 1+1's, 2+2's, 2's and 3's over the years, but I agree with you that the 1+1 was really the magic combination.
I'm on the hunt for a pair and have a room to dedicate to them. I don't know if I can eventually do the frame like you've done, but I am looking forward to re-reading this whole thread. I've learned a lot so far.
Acoustat 6's question ...
Hello to all !
I am a recent Acoustat owner, after a long and varied history of speakers spanning a great many different models.
I'm really enjoying what the 6's have to offer, but wanted to integrate two subs into the system.
I would like to know if its possible, and if so, how to go about rolling off the bass in the Acoustat panels at 100Hz at 18db octave. I would like to do this passively, without using an active crossover, buffer or network of any sort. I dont want to try cap(s) on the amplifier inputs, as this will only give me a 3db slope(?)
I'm not as technical as most who post here, but can figure most things out, with a bit of help !
Thanks in advance.
Scott
Hello to all !
I am a recent Acoustat owner, after a long and varied history of speakers spanning a great many different models.
I'm really enjoying what the 6's have to offer, but wanted to integrate two subs into the system.
I would like to know if its possible, and if so, how to go about rolling off the bass in the Acoustat panels at 100Hz at 18db octave. I would like to do this passively, without using an active crossover, buffer or network of any sort. I dont want to try cap(s) on the amplifier inputs, as this will only give me a 3db slope(?)
I'm not as technical as most who post here, but can figure most things out, with a bit of help !
Thanks in advance.
Scott
Hi Scott send me your e-mail address and i will put you in contact with my friend Jocelyn i'm sure that he will be able to answer ANY questions you have for him.
André MrAcoustat Sévigny
mracoustat@videotron.ca
Phil Keck - now there's a name I haven't run across in some 20 years, and if memory serves correctly, 20 years hasn't been long enough. My apologies if I am confusing Mr Keck with another 'modifier' of Acoustats, but I recall that some of his changes were ill-advised, and potentially dangerous. In particular, some of his mods to the bias supply were in violation of the constant-charge principal; and exposed misplaced fingers to a much greater, and potentially lethal, shock hazard. Some of his other mods, such as upgrading capacitors and resistors, may have been okay.
My suggestion would be to obtain an original MK-141 interface schematic, and compare your circuit to what is shown in the schematic. If you find modifications to the bias supply, I would strongly urge you to remove them and return the circuit to its original configuration. Good Luck and write again if you have further questions.
Also, there is a good chance that the foam-surround on the woofer has rotted, which will need to be repaired/replaced before use.
Hey...nice to know there is another Acoustat lover in the neighborhood. Keep in touch if you ever need any help! Although I don't do any service work myself, I am dedicated to keeping these old speakers running!
Yep and Andy Szabo is a good guy to have in your corner he was one of the original's in the U.S.A. team.
Hi Dirk, nothing to do with luck you're 1+1s are almost undistrucktable mine are 28 years old also never had a problem like you only mods and aesthetics have been done to them and of course lot's of T.L.C. the only piece of gear that is not for sale in my system are my Acoustat's and even when i'm gone the new owner is already chosen.
I am not convinced that you really need an 18-dB/octave slope on the high-pass, which would be very difficult to implement without an active filter. The Model 6 has a very respectable bottom-end by itself, so I don't see the need to eliminate its contributions in such a rapid manner (i.e. a steep slope). I would also recommend lowering the crossover point to about 80-Hz.
I am using a powered subwoofer with my Spectra 4400's, and use a simple 6-dB/octave slope on the high pass (set at 80-Hz), in the form of a capacitor in series with the main amplifier input. The low pass is the woofer's built-in 12-dB/octave active filter. As with adding a subwoofer to any speaker system, you'll need to fiddle with the level, phase and crossover frequency to get a seamless transition.
As a matter of fact, I rigged a switch to bypass the capacitor in series with the amplifier input, so that I could try it with or without the high pass in-circuit. In my situation, I got the best results WITHOUT the high pass, and am using only the low pass on the woofer. Although I think I got the two systems pretty well integrated, I still find myself adjusting the woofer's level control for some program material, since the low bass content varies so much between recordings. And when it comes to watching movies, I often feel the need to reduce the level of bass, as the bass content on DVD's is often overdone for 'dramatic' effect.
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Hi Christos, if i was you i would take AcoustatAnswerMan's warning VERY seriously if he say's that they can be dangerous HE know's what he's talking about here is his background.
Andy Szabo's Technical Bulletins
Acoustat owners are among the most lucky hifi enthusiast in the world. Who else can rely on having a former Acoustat engineer, designer and general manager like Andy Szabo and an Acoustat refurbishing expert like Mike Savuto to keep their beloved speakers alive? Andy has been answering questions of Acoustat owners for over four years now and since a year and a half Mike has joined forces to answer the questions for the oldest models.
Andy Szabo was an engineer and general manager for Acoustat, from 1985 (when acquired by Hafler), to the end of US production. He is available to answer questions, both technical and historical. His product knowledge is most complete for models produced after 1985, but he knows a good amount about older models, too. Mike Savuto's will answer the questions regarding the Model X, Monitor 3 and Monitor 4. His company Analogue Associates can refurbish and/or upgrade them.
All questions will be answered as promptly as possible. Before posting a new question, please check the section corresponding to your speaker model number. Your question may have already been answered. Also check the sections for similar models under the same main heading (for example, if you have a Model 2+2, check all the sections that use the same interface. You can ask your questions directly on the concerning models pages and we will try to answer them within a reasonable time.
Rather than answering frequently asked questions directly, Andy has chosen to write some general documents that will hopefully answer these questions, and provide much needed information to others. Many commonly asked questions are answered here.
http://www.audiocircuit.com/Home-Audio/Acoustat
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Nothing wrong with telling the truth audiophiles have to be careful because there are many suppose to be experts out there you are right those interfaces CAN be dangerous in the wrong hands i have owned Acoustat's for 28 years BUT technically i rely on friend's all i do is LISTEND.
Welcome, Scott. I find it surprising that you feel a need to use subs with the Model 6. Generally, a 6 panel Acoustat should go deep enough, and with enough raw power, to not need subs. However, it could be that your room may dictate this. How would you characterize the low end of the M6 by itself? Do you have the subs yet? If I using subs would definitely initially try the M6 full range (no crossover) and try to blend the subs with them. You may find them easier to mate them to the subs this way, and there is a good chance that adding the additional crossover parts may subtract some of the Acoustat magic over the rest of the frequency range. Interested to hear of your results!
The Model 6 is a rare treat in the audio world. Good luck!
Hey Andy just pointing audiophiles in the right direction is a SERVICE.
I second that motion. This forum and the Planar Asylum have been invaluable to my understanding of and getting the most out of my various Acoustats, both in what I've done so far and what I plan on doing. Big thumbs up to all the contributors!
Because of guy's like Andy & Mike and a few others that i know of, a little flattery is well deserved, those gentleman are not obliged to do what they are doing, for them it's the love of speakers that have been out of business for more than 20 years, BUT there still alive because of guy's like them hats off to all of you Acoustat's proud owners, like i have said many many times before, it may not be the best speaker out there, BUT dollar for dollar they are very very hard to beat.