Saved this gem from the garbage collectors.
Looks like it was re-coned at some point. Have not tested DCR yet.
Came out of a Brociner corner horn. Hope to use as a mono
or better yet find it’s twin some day. Not bloody likely! The owner’s
eighty year old eyes lit up as he recalled buying the speaker and building a Heathkit Tube
amp to go with it. He then told be that all could bettered by a
a pair of Bose speakers. I smiled in apparent agreement and thought to
myself how rough it is to get old.
Looks like it was re-coned at some point. Have not tested DCR yet.
Came out of a Brociner corner horn. Hope to use as a mono
or better yet find it’s twin some day. Not bloody likely! The owner’s
eighty year old eyes lit up as he recalled buying the speaker and building a Heathkit Tube
amp to go with it. He then told be that all could bettered by a
a pair of Bose speakers. I smiled in apparent agreement and thought to
myself how rough it is to get old.
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Wow, what a find.
I cannot make out the writing on the back. Are you sure it is a PM2. Is that a power socket at the back, which would mean it is a field magnet. (If it has PM in the inscription then it will not be a field coil) If you want to find out more about it I suggest taking good photos and contacting John Howes at the Lowther Museum. He knows more than anyone about historic Lowther and Voigt drivers.
It certainly looks like a dogs breakfast of a recone. I would get it done properly.
I cannot make out the writing on the back. Are you sure it is a PM2. Is that a power socket at the back, which would mean it is a field magnet. (If it has PM in the inscription then it will not be a field coil) If you want to find out more about it I suggest taking good photos and contacting John Howes at the Lowther Museum. He knows more than anyone about historic Lowther and Voigt drivers.
It certainly looks like a dogs breakfast of a recone. I would get it done properly.
Thanks for the feedback. I will contact John ASAP.
I’m including some higher resolution images. The badge says both
PM2 as well as “Permanent Magnet”. While inexperienced with field coils, I was hoping
That I would find one inside. Over the moon to have a Lowther of any stripe however. I located images of other Brociner 4’s. They surprisingly show a similar cone,(dark blue grey) not the characteristic white. In fact the photo in the ad suggests the same. Should prove to be an interesting mystery. Thanks again.
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I bought a pair of Lowther-based speakers from a guy in New Jersey that had the same cones. They were definitely not the correct cones for my speakers. And mine were also serviced by Amprite.
So either one of two things is true:
1.) Your speakers were also reconed, like mine, and the blue-grey cones we both ended up with are the type Amprite happened to think were best for Lowthers
2.) The blue-grey cones are appropriate for your Lowthers, so Amprite decided they would probably work in mine.
So either one of two things is true:
1.) Your speakers were also reconed, like mine, and the blue-grey cones we both ended up with are the type Amprite happened to think were best for Lowthers
2.) The blue-grey cones are appropriate for your Lowthers, so Amprite decided they would probably work in mine.
Interesting.....
Thanks for the additional info. Check out the picture of the
Driver in this ad. The whizzer is definitely not white. I would argue that the
Main cone is in fact gray. That does not mean that our cones are original, only that they closely resemble the original cones.
J
I bought a pair of Lowther-based speakers from a
guy in New Jersey that had the same cones. They were definitely not the correct cones for my speakers. And mine were also serviced by Amprite.
So either one of two things is true:
1.) Your speakers were also reconed, like mine, and the blue-grey cones we both ended up with are the type Amprite happened to think were best for Lowthers
2.) The blue-grey cones are appropriate for your Lowthers, so Amprite decided they would probably work in mine.
Thanks for the additional info. Check out the picture of the
Driver in this ad. The whizzer is definitely not white. I would argue that the
Main cone is in fact gray. That does not mean that our cones are original, only that they closely resemble the original cones.
J
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Hello! Didn't see that you had replied.
I suspect the cone in the advertisement was re-touched so it was obvious the driver had a whizzer. I've seen a lot of this sort of thing older advertising, particularly in magazines. For instance, the silver/grey cones shown in the attached photo are, in real life, just regular black cones. But the editor in charge of the article, apparently, wanted to make the presence of the drivers more obvious, so they did what you see.
I suspect the cone in the advertisement was re-touched so it was obvious the driver had a whizzer. I've seen a lot of this sort of thing older advertising, particularly in magazines. For instance, the silver/grey cones shown in the attached photo are, in real life, just regular black cones. But the editor in charge of the article, apparently, wanted to make the presence of the drivers more obvious, so they did what you see.
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Knarfor,
That would be both an interesting and disappointing revelation. I desperately want these to be the original cones for obvious reasons, not the least of which being that Lowther wants something like $800 to recone, update the chassis and remagnetize. Not an unfair price but that with shipping to and from is well beyond my resources presently. So I will simply pretend that I never saw your silly theory. 😉
That would be both an interesting and disappointing revelation. I desperately want these to be the original cones for obvious reasons, not the least of which being that Lowther wants something like $800 to recone, update the chassis and remagnetize. Not an unfair price but that with shipping to and from is well beyond my resources presently. So I will simply pretend that I never saw your silly theory. 😉
Concerning post #9 the cones pictured at the bottom of the post look original but old. The paper Lowther used was thin and hard, and went "old paper brown" over time, not grey.
Did you get to contact John Howes?
I bought a couple of cheap full range drivers from the seller below. Apparently he services and recones old Lowther drivers as well. Might be worth trying to contact him.
PAIR of 8" full range drivers for Lowther Acousta or upgrade Celestion Ditton 15 | eBay
Did you get to contact John Howes?
I bought a couple of cheap full range drivers from the seller below. Apparently he services and recones old Lowther drivers as well. Might be worth trying to contact him.
PAIR of 8" full range drivers for Lowther Acousta or upgrade Celestion Ditton 15 | eBay

Knarfor,
That would be both an interesting and disappointing revelation. I desperately want these to be the original cones for obvious reasons, not the least of which being that Lowther wants something like $800 to recone, update the chassis and remagnetize. Not an unfair price but that with shipping to and from is well beyond my resources presently. So I will simply pretend that I never saw your silly theory. 😉
I've re-coned a pair of Lowthers before. It's not difficult; and I was able to retain the original square frame. It just takes patience and some shims of the proper thickness.
That said, because it's still quite possible your cones are original (they do match the photo, assuming it is not retouched) it would be prudent to leave them as-is until you know for sure. Your can get new Lowther-standard cones any day. But if it turns out your cone is an original cone, you will never find an OEM replacement.
I'm changing my tune a bit, by the way, because I came across another photo of a Brociner 4C with your cone (see attached).
What are the chances that these 3 different specimens of this driver were all re-coned the same, and with cones that match the sales literature?
What are the chances that these 3 different specimens of this driver were all re-coned the same, and with cones that match the sales literature?
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I will remind posters that if your only reason for being here is to insult and belittle your fellow forum members; then perhaps you should refrain from posting
Actually it was intended as a joke. I was simply pointing out that the theory did not fit my desperate need to confirm my own theory. Apologies to any and all who were offended. I’ll leave the humor to the experts.
Concerning post #9 the cones pictured at the bottom of the post look original but old. The paper Lowther used was thin and hard, and went "old paper brown" over time, not grey.
Did you get to contact John Howes?
I bought a couple of cheap full range drivers from the seller below. Apparently he services and recones old Lowther drivers as well. Might be worth trying to contact him.
PAIR of 8" full range drivers for Lowther Acousta or upgrade Celestion Ditton 15 | eBay
Thanks for the contact. I did write John Howes but I did not hear back. I’ll try again. I was in touch with several people including now, Roger Russel who features the Brociner 4c on his website and may have missed John’s email. I’m going to leave the cone as is for now, patch the leg on the cabinet that came loose while wrestling the beast into my car and will post a link to a video ASAP. Some folks might be interested in seeing/hearing it in action. I certainly am. Thanks to everyone for the assistance.
- Jason
I'm changing my tune a bit, by the way, because I came across another photo of a Brociner 4C with your cone (see attached).
What are the chances that these 3 different specimens of this driver were all re-coned the same, and with cones that match the sales literature?
Knarfor,
Thanks for all the sleuthing. These speakers and the drivers do appear to have resided largely in the Tristate area. Mine were found in Brooklyn. Funny thing is that I’ve been combing the streets for a find like this for ten years and now that I’ve managed it through dumb luck, I can’t stop thinking the next Lowther or Feastrex is just around the corner wherever I go. It’s maddening! In any event I appreciate your input greatly. J
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