I found these. They are made by Noresco. (not Norelco). They are made of 3/4" veneered plywood. The driver set up is strange. Both are run sans crossover and seem to each cover a different part of the the spectrum. By that I mean each one seems to take over where the other one drops off. Almost like someone took a lousy sounding, well built driver matched it with another lousy sounding, well built driver and got a great midrange out of the deal. It's almost like listening to stereo out of one speaker. The small driver is a long throw 4" made by Foster. The whizzer cone unit also has a long excursion is unidentified as yet. All drivers are in good condition. What an interesting loudspeaker. Strong cabinet, Precut fiberglass stuffing, fabric cover over the driver, gluing blocks etc.
Has anyone seen these before?
Cal
Has anyone seen these before?
Cal
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Banned
Joined 2002
Banned
Joined 2002
HUGE score Cal... a Noresco i haven't run across yet (but would sure like too). Those would have been a bargin at $30.
The FE103A (tweaked and in a proper box) is a killer. The great grand-daddy of the Fostex FE103, it goes head to head with an FE108 sigma, tweaked it is decidely better (althou not as good as an FE108eSigma -- the eSigma needs more work to get bottom out of them thou). How are the surrounds? Sometimes they get stiff, and often the glue at the cone side of the surround will have given up.
The (early) Philips 7060 (or 7080) is a pretty good driver in its own right. Thise don't get the respect they deserve -- ie a sleeper. If the surround is getting see-thru some puzzlecoat will extend its longevity. Also check for cracks in the basket.
Feel free to use the Noresco box for experimenting -- i use most Noresco boxes for shelving (except for 2 pr tat were made with plywood)... but the 2 drivers out of it deserve better.
The best box (i've found) for a single FE103A is the Buschorn II, but the Fostex recommended horn might work well too. I have a set of the Philips that i need to get measured before i ship them off to Montreal -- that will lead to some cabinet ideas.
dave
The FE103A (tweaked and in a proper box) is a killer. The great grand-daddy of the Fostex FE103, it goes head to head with an FE108 sigma, tweaked it is decidely better (althou not as good as an FE108eSigma -- the eSigma needs more work to get bottom out of them thou). How are the surrounds? Sometimes they get stiff, and often the glue at the cone side of the surround will have given up.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
The (early) Philips 7060 (or 7080) is a pretty good driver in its own right. Thise don't get the respect they deserve -- ie a sleeper. If the surround is getting see-thru some puzzlecoat will extend its longevity. Also check for cracks in the basket.
Feel free to use the Noresco box for experimenting -- i use most Noresco boxes for shelving (except for 2 pr tat were made with plywood)... but the 2 drivers out of it deserve better.
The best box (i've found) for a single FE103A is the Buschorn II, but the Fostex recommended horn might work well too. I have a set of the Philips that i need to get measured before i ship them off to Montreal -- that will lead to some cabinet ideas.
dave
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You know dave...
The last thing I needed was more drivers. I bought the boxes so I'd have a place to put some of my new gear.
You wouldn't happen to know someone who might give these a good home do you?
I have tried the Foster units solo using the whizzer cone unit as a PR and those little guys sound great. The whizzer cone units are fine but they don't impress my ears the way those little guys do.
Cal
The last thing I needed was more drivers. I bought the boxes so I'd have a place to put some of my new gear.
You wouldn't happen to know someone who might give these a good home do you?
I have tried the Foster units solo using the whizzer cone unit as a PR and those little guys sound great. The whizzer cone units are fine but they don't impress my ears the way those little guys do.
Cal
Cal Weldon said:
You can always send them to me (or i can pick them up -- we'll be other in canada on Dec 10)... i can add them to my collection or eBay them for you. Keep in mind that the little 4" may well be the best driver in your house right now... ductseal, puzzlecoat, a little wool-felt, and of course phase plugs and these are really good FR and absoulutely stunning widerange midranges.
I concurr... this is reflected in their resale values.
dave
Bill F. said:FYI: Maybe nine months ago, I sold an FE103a pair on Ebay for US$160. Might have been a fluke, though. I've sold two other pairs for around $100 each. Still holding onto three more pairs.
WOW... i've been mostly hanging on to mine -- the few i've let out have fetched $80/pr, the similar Corals have only been getting about $50/pr. Given that the FE108Sigma went for about $150 pr and the FE108eSigma about $170 pr, a $100 for a pr of FE103As is actually good value.
dave
(Cal, i hope you get the idea we are trying to talk you into doing something with the FE103As
)planet10 said:
WOW... i've been mostly hanging on to mine -- the few i've let out have fetched $80/pr, the similar Corals have only been getting about $50/pr. Given that the FE108Sigma went for about $150 pr and the FE108eSigma about $170 pr, a $100 for a pr of FE103As is actually good value.
dave
(Cal, i hope you get the idea we are trying to talk you into doing something with the FE103As
maybe you should write up a small guide on good places to find these things?
is a second hand shop basically a thrift store? like the good will?
because there are several of those where i live....and i've never heard a fostex driver...sadly...
nerd of nerds said:maybe you should write up a small guide on good places to find these things?
I sort of have taken a stab at it...and have various bits & pieces in various emails & on the Full Range forum... but outside the obvious, there is no substitute for experience... sometimes i just take a flyer based on gut feel -- sometimes you win sometimes you don't.
Certainly if you run across any Norescos with decoish grills and the back held on with Robertson screws that is almost asured to give you something nice (ignorning actual intactness, wear, or some yahoo having replaced the drivers with something else)....
and if you ever see a pair of Admiral Tunnel Reflex grab em... even the less desirable versions have a very nice 5" Coral ceramic magnet FR.
It is amaaing what you sometimes find in the junkiest boxes.
Criterion (and the AMXs made by Criterion), Monarch, and Normended consoles are other good bets (the Normended usually come with a nice tube amp that can be an iron donor (and sometimes good TFK or Valvo tubes that can pay the entire entry cost)
Zenith Alegro 2000s & 3000s (and some 1000s)... the 16 ohm 3000s have a nice 10" alnico Rola extended range woofer -- as well as the alnico Foster horn -- if they don't have the horn then make sure they are cheap)
The Corals i've mentioned are found in a particular Monarch (2 16 ohm in each box) & a particular Sony portable reel-to-reel (with a skookum 6AQ5 SE stereo amp in them as well).
Another one to keep an eye out for are the 6x9 Delco car speakers... someone swapped them out for $100+ triaxials and you get the better speakers ($2-$10 is fair -- althou they sound better than price would indicate)
Old Sansuis with the wooden grills... a specific Lloyds (1 in 4 have alnico, but the ceramic drivers aren't bad), some Radio Shacks.
And there are many more (and even more duds)
Along with all this is the question of " at what threshold are they worth buying?"
And always travel with your multi-driver.
Yep....
dave
103's and mod's
Cal,
Seems you have won the Lottery! Those drivers seem to be real winners. My RS 1197's sounded pretty good (IMNSHO) when I first modded the driver (Phase 1).
Now that I've listened to them for a while with the Ultimod (Puzzlecoat, Phase Plug) that was performed by Dave at the RAW meet a couple of weeks back I'm convinced that there are very few drivers that sound better regardless of price. Remember that I'm referring to a Radio Shack Blue Box 1197 with a ceramic magnet. Alnico versions of the 103's should sound better, especially with tubes.
I haven't said anything up 'til now about the Phaseplug/Puzzlecoat
combo because I felt that my initial impression might seem to be "overenthusiastic". My sober impression after spending some time listening to them and comparing them with my AR 3a's and ADS 570's is that, within their limitations, they are the best. I'm still using them in the Black box BR enclosures that I brought to Surrey. Dan Wiggins of Adire had measured them at "The Puget Sound" speaker competition in August and found they had an FR of plus/minus 2.5 dB from 65Hz to 15kHz. I opted for bass extention over dynamics so they aren't intended to be played loud or in large rooms, but these were designed for my personal use and not for competition in the first place. The vocal or midrange, which in my opinion, is the only real justification for single or extended range speaker, is absolutely enthralling. The change is not subtle and transforms this great bargain speaker into a great speaker, period. I had been in a rush to get a pair of the new CSS drivers, and I'll probably still end up getting a pair, but I'm not in a hurry any more and will just modify my remaining stock of 1197's. I've got several sets of cabinets for these and I still want to try the Buschhorns, so I'll be playing with these for awhile.
Future extended range project will be full Mod (w/ Dave's Phase plugs!) RS 1354's in a variety of cabinets.
Just to make this sound like a "real" review that you might find in the audio rag's, I'll list the gear that I'm using at this moment.
Toshiba 3950 ($55.00 + shipping)
Sansui AU7900 integrated Amp ($15.00 at St. Vinnie's)
AR interconnects (gift from friend)
"Ordinaire" 16 AWG copper speaker cables (left over, see below)
Speaker cabinets made from leftovers from remodel project ($0.0)
RS 40-1197 driver's ($4.95 ea. at RS closeout)
Planet10 Phaseplugs (approx. $17.00 USD)
I'm now hearing great sound for less than $100.
Best Regards,
TerryO
Cal,
Seems you have won the Lottery! Those drivers seem to be real winners. My RS 1197's sounded pretty good (IMNSHO) when I first modded the driver (Phase 1).
Now that I've listened to them for a while with the Ultimod (Puzzlecoat, Phase Plug) that was performed by Dave at the RAW meet a couple of weeks back I'm convinced that there are very few drivers that sound better regardless of price. Remember that I'm referring to a Radio Shack Blue Box 1197 with a ceramic magnet. Alnico versions of the 103's should sound better, especially with tubes.
I haven't said anything up 'til now about the Phaseplug/Puzzlecoat
combo because I felt that my initial impression might seem to be "overenthusiastic". My sober impression after spending some time listening to them and comparing them with my AR 3a's and ADS 570's is that, within their limitations, they are the best. I'm still using them in the Black box BR enclosures that I brought to Surrey. Dan Wiggins of Adire had measured them at "The Puget Sound" speaker competition in August and found they had an FR of plus/minus 2.5 dB from 65Hz to 15kHz. I opted for bass extention over dynamics so they aren't intended to be played loud or in large rooms, but these were designed for my personal use and not for competition in the first place. The vocal or midrange, which in my opinion, is the only real justification for single or extended range speaker, is absolutely enthralling. The change is not subtle and transforms this great bargain speaker into a great speaker, period. I had been in a rush to get a pair of the new CSS drivers, and I'll probably still end up getting a pair, but I'm not in a hurry any more and will just modify my remaining stock of 1197's. I've got several sets of cabinets for these and I still want to try the Buschhorns, so I'll be playing with these for awhile.
Future extended range project will be full Mod (w/ Dave's Phase plugs!) RS 1354's in a variety of cabinets.
Just to make this sound like a "real" review that you might find in the audio rag's, I'll list the gear that I'm using at this moment.
Toshiba 3950 ($55.00 + shipping)
Sansui AU7900 integrated Amp ($15.00 at St. Vinnie's)
AR interconnects (gift from friend)
"Ordinaire" 16 AWG copper speaker cables (left over, see below)
Speaker cabinets made from leftovers from remodel project ($0.0)
RS 40-1197 driver's ($4.95 ea. at RS closeout)
Planet10 Phaseplugs (approx. $17.00 USD)
I'm now hearing great sound for less than $100.
Best Regards,
TerryO
Hi Terry,
Nice of you to add your two cents to this. I have asked Dave to do the mods on these units and I'll be sure to get your ideas for the cabinets. I was really just looking for some boxes to pop a few of the drivers I got from you at the DIY Vancouver (Surrey actually), and was pleased to come upon these units. Will keep you updated on them.
I'm sorry I didn't get to hear your units finished by Dave. I saw him doing it but had to leave before they were done. Glad to hear of the results.
Cal
Nice of you to add your two cents to this. I have asked Dave to do the mods on these units and I'll be sure to get your ideas for the cabinets. I was really just looking for some boxes to pop a few of the drivers I got from you at the DIY Vancouver (Surrey actually), and was pleased to come upon these units. Will keep you updated on them.
I'm sorry I didn't get to hear your units finished by Dave. I saw him doing it but had to leave before they were done. Glad to hear of the results.
Cal
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