I have 2 quadraflex model 66 speakers-
each quadraflex has
a 12" woofer
a 5" mid-range
a 3" tweater
sealed box
they are really heavy too (i don't know if that means anything)
box says they are rated to 40 watts
they were probably made in 60's-70's
i also have 2 sony ss-u807, they have:
a 2 1/2" tweater
a 3 1/2" mid-range
2 - 8 1/2" woofers
open box
they are really tall and really light
they are rated 200 watts
they were probably made in the 80's
my reciever is a pioneer sx-203, rated 150 watts
which pair should i keep?
each quadraflex has
a 12" woofer
a 5" mid-range
a 3" tweater
sealed box
they are really heavy too (i don't know if that means anything)
box says they are rated to 40 watts
they were probably made in 60's-70's
i also have 2 sony ss-u807, they have:
a 2 1/2" tweater
a 3 1/2" mid-range
2 - 8 1/2" woofers
open box
they are really tall and really light
they are rated 200 watts
they were probably made in the 80's
my reciever is a pioneer sx-203, rated 150 watts
which pair should i keep?
You should keep the pair that sound best to you. Do you need us to tell you which ones those are?
i've had the sony ones in for a couple hours at best, so my ears haven't gotten accostumed to them yet. They can handle the higher volumes better without breaking apart though.
ps. as i'm a newbie, what changes do the different sized speakers do, and what is the difference between sealed box and open air box?
ps. as i'm a newbie, what changes do the different sized speakers do, and what is the difference between sealed box and open air box?
They both sound like pretty lousy speakers.
The sonys will have that rather dead japanese sound. The others sound like the big flabby impressive speakers that dumb college students bought back in the 70s and 80s (I knew better myself).
One thng that works sometimes for old crappy speakers is to remove the woofers and line the boxes with 1/4-1/2 of plaster (the dry powder kind, not premixed).
Mix the plaster in small batches, and it shouldn't be runny wet or you will add so much moisture to the box that it will destroy the particle board. You have to do small batches because the plaster dries very quickly. You have at most ten minutes of working time with each batch.
Don't rinse your tools / hands in the sink. It is better to rinse them outside (the plaster is ok for the soil as long as you rinse over reasonably wide area -- it is actually good for the soil in moderate amounts)
Or use a bucket or dishpan to wash your hands and tools. This way the plaster you wash off will settle to the bottom of the bucket and harden there and not plug up the plumbing.
A plastic bowl works best. A big bleach or laundry deterget bottle with the top half cut off is a good mixing bowl that you can throw out when you are done.
Any hard plaster in your mixing bowl from the previous batch can be removed very easily by soaking in warm water; the plaster will suddenly lose adhesion to the plastic and come off in just a few pieces and you then have a perfectly clean bowl for the next batch.
You will get a nice arm workout mixing all of this plaster, but the results will be worth it, if you are on a budget and this is the only choice you have.
You may also have to remove the other drivers as well to get them out of the way. Getting any plaster on the drivers or the crossover is a bad mistake. Be sure to write down or put tape markers on the wires so that you know how to put them back exactly the same way.
It helps to put a little carpenters glue or Elmers in with each batch of the plaster (unless it is the kind that already has this).
The plaster doesn't have to be completly even or look good in the slightest since nobody is going to be able to see the inside of the box. Try to use the same amount in both boxes tho.
This makes the box cavity slightly smaller but it really tames the vibrations of the crappy flabby boxes on most commercial speakers of this ilk, including the Sony's. You may then need to drill a small 1/8-1/4 hole (start small and work up) in the back of the box to make up for the lost box volume if the boxes are sealed. If they are ported you don't have to do this, but you may want to experiment with changing the port length.
An $8.00 bag of plaster should be enough, unless the boxes are really huge. Two bags should be enough in any case.
If the boxes are sealed let the plaster dry for a couple of days or more before putting the woofer back in. If the plaster is still cold when you touch it, it isn't fully dried yet.
Ported boxes will have no problem drying out if you put the woofer in right away, unless you live in a very humid area or your room is cold.
The sonys will have that rather dead japanese sound. The others sound like the big flabby impressive speakers that dumb college students bought back in the 70s and 80s (I knew better myself).
One thng that works sometimes for old crappy speakers is to remove the woofers and line the boxes with 1/4-1/2 of plaster (the dry powder kind, not premixed).
Mix the plaster in small batches, and it shouldn't be runny wet or you will add so much moisture to the box that it will destroy the particle board. You have to do small batches because the plaster dries very quickly. You have at most ten minutes of working time with each batch.
Don't rinse your tools / hands in the sink. It is better to rinse them outside (the plaster is ok for the soil as long as you rinse over reasonably wide area -- it is actually good for the soil in moderate amounts)
Or use a bucket or dishpan to wash your hands and tools. This way the plaster you wash off will settle to the bottom of the bucket and harden there and not plug up the plumbing.
A plastic bowl works best. A big bleach or laundry deterget bottle with the top half cut off is a good mixing bowl that you can throw out when you are done.
Any hard plaster in your mixing bowl from the previous batch can be removed very easily by soaking in warm water; the plaster will suddenly lose adhesion to the plastic and come off in just a few pieces and you then have a perfectly clean bowl for the next batch.
You will get a nice arm workout mixing all of this plaster, but the results will be worth it, if you are on a budget and this is the only choice you have.
You may also have to remove the other drivers as well to get them out of the way. Getting any plaster on the drivers or the crossover is a bad mistake. Be sure to write down or put tape markers on the wires so that you know how to put them back exactly the same way.
It helps to put a little carpenters glue or Elmers in with each batch of the plaster (unless it is the kind that already has this).
The plaster doesn't have to be completly even or look good in the slightest since nobody is going to be able to see the inside of the box. Try to use the same amount in both boxes tho.
This makes the box cavity slightly smaller but it really tames the vibrations of the crappy flabby boxes on most commercial speakers of this ilk, including the Sony's. You may then need to drill a small 1/8-1/4 hole (start small and work up) in the back of the box to make up for the lost box volume if the boxes are sealed. If they are ported you don't have to do this, but you may want to experiment with changing the port length.
An $8.00 bag of plaster should be enough, unless the boxes are really huge. Two bags should be enough in any case.
If the boxes are sealed let the plaster dry for a couple of days or more before putting the woofer back in. If the plaster is still cold when you touch it, it isn't fully dried yet.
Ported boxes will have no problem drying out if you put the woofer in right away, unless you live in a very humid area or your room is cold.
So if you are on that kind of budget I'd do the plaster thang with the sonys. If it doesn't work, you aren't out much. You could practice with one of the older ones just so you could A/B compare how much of a diff it makes.
But if you do it right, it should greatly improve them. They will have a lot more, and much tighter bass if you can stop the cabinet resonances from messing up the sound.
Any speaker box that sounds hollow or woody when you rap on it with a knuckle benefits hugely from stiffening up the box this way.
If you don't care how they look, you can just add a few stiffening ribs to the outside of the box. Screw and glue them on. This way you don't change the box volume at all. Liquid nails and drywall screws would work pretty good for this.
But if you do it right, it should greatly improve them. They will have a lot more, and much tighter bass if you can stop the cabinet resonances from messing up the sound.
Any speaker box that sounds hollow or woody when you rap on it with a knuckle benefits hugely from stiffening up the box this way.
If you don't care how they look, you can just add a few stiffening ribs to the outside of the box. Screw and glue them on. This way you don't change the box volume at all. Liquid nails and drywall screws would work pretty good for this.
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