Arkay
Lunatic Member
Today I was passing one of the audio wholesale places here, and did a double-take. They had a pair of big and impressive/expensive-looking speaker columns. VERY eye-catching, but only very vaguely familiar to me.
The metal plaques at the base said "Tardis" and had a wide "T" logo below the name, which I think I have seen in some very high-end used audio boutique, but on a different model. The labels on the back identified them as "Tardis Sound Field Projectors" and indicated Model CL II, Serial Number 3083. There was a company address in San Diego, California. The label was printed, but the model number was written in by hand.
I've tried to search these online, but all I find is phone booths! [Dr. Who fans will understand...] Sorry about no pics, but I'll try to describe them:
I'm over six feet tall and these things towered over me, they were a good seven feet tall, if an inch. They are VERY HEAVY -- the guy had to really struggle to "walk-drag" one, when he pulled it out to let me read the label on the back. He obviously couldn't lift one, and could barely drag it; I'd guess they are a good 200 pounds each, from watching him. Each side had seven drivers (fourteen drivers in total) in vertical alignment (when seen from the front).
Viewed from the side, the front of the speakers where the drivers were mounted was curved/concave, so the speakers in the center were inset farther than the ones at the top and bottom. The tweets were in the center, mids in the middle, with larger woofers at the bottom and top, and thus farthest "forward". There appeared to be small rectangular ports for the largest woofers. I think these were not more than eight inches, but I could be wrong. There was a wider black base at the bottom for stability, and the main columns holding the drivers were entirely covered on the front and two sides with speaker cloth. That is, there was no grille; the main speaker columns are finished in speaker cloth instead of veneer.
There were solid strips (I'd almost call them slabs) of oak (several inches wide by about an inch thick) rising up from the base on each side, standing away from the main speaker columns by an inch or so, and arching over the top of the columns. They were fastened to the columns at the base, in the middle of each side and at the top. I would guess these were partly decorative, partly for bracing, partly for protection of the cloth-covered column sides, and perhaps partly to give people somewhere to hold on to when moving the things(?).
Overall, the darned things looked like pricey sculpture, as much as like speakers. The design sort of screamed "I'm high-tech (for that time) and I'm very expensive!". They actually had a relatively small footprint for the number of drivers, but seemed large because of their height and the curviness of the front (and rounded edges of the oak parts, etc...).
These were obviously high-end pieces, but I know nothing about them. From their design, condition, etc... I suspect they date from the heyday of vintage audio; end-seventies/eighties. Around the time of the best Infinities, when oak was a popular material for good speakers. The guy said they were originally sold/bought here for more than US$5,000 a pair (before any adjustment for inflation). I asked him how much they were now, and he indicated about US$900. I think he could be bargained down somewhat from that, but not too much. Maybe $800?
Right now, this is out of my budget, but that might change in the next few weeks (pending outcome of some negotiations), so if they are still there when the time comes, and they are worth it, I may grab them. Not sure about WAF -- they are very tall and a bit imposing, but since they are relatively narrow (smaller footprint) and rather sculptural, they might be more acceptable for the living room than the wider, chunkier-looking Infinities I now have (?).
I guess my questions are: (1) Does anyone know anything about these? (2) Do they sound as good as they look? (3) Is his price a good price/value for these?
Any information welcomed. Even if I don't get them, I'd like to know what it is that I have seen today. Thanks!
The metal plaques at the base said "Tardis" and had a wide "T" logo below the name, which I think I have seen in some very high-end used audio boutique, but on a different model. The labels on the back identified them as "Tardis Sound Field Projectors" and indicated Model CL II, Serial Number 3083. There was a company address in San Diego, California. The label was printed, but the model number was written in by hand.
I've tried to search these online, but all I find is phone booths! [Dr. Who fans will understand...] Sorry about no pics, but I'll try to describe them:
I'm over six feet tall and these things towered over me, they were a good seven feet tall, if an inch. They are VERY HEAVY -- the guy had to really struggle to "walk-drag" one, when he pulled it out to let me read the label on the back. He obviously couldn't lift one, and could barely drag it; I'd guess they are a good 200 pounds each, from watching him. Each side had seven drivers (fourteen drivers in total) in vertical alignment (when seen from the front).
Viewed from the side, the front of the speakers where the drivers were mounted was curved/concave, so the speakers in the center were inset farther than the ones at the top and bottom. The tweets were in the center, mids in the middle, with larger woofers at the bottom and top, and thus farthest "forward". There appeared to be small rectangular ports for the largest woofers. I think these were not more than eight inches, but I could be wrong. There was a wider black base at the bottom for stability, and the main columns holding the drivers were entirely covered on the front and two sides with speaker cloth. That is, there was no grille; the main speaker columns are finished in speaker cloth instead of veneer.
There were solid strips (I'd almost call them slabs) of oak (several inches wide by about an inch thick) rising up from the base on each side, standing away from the main speaker columns by an inch or so, and arching over the top of the columns. They were fastened to the columns at the base, in the middle of each side and at the top. I would guess these were partly decorative, partly for bracing, partly for protection of the cloth-covered column sides, and perhaps partly to give people somewhere to hold on to when moving the things(?).
Overall, the darned things looked like pricey sculpture, as much as like speakers. The design sort of screamed "I'm high-tech (for that time) and I'm very expensive!". They actually had a relatively small footprint for the number of drivers, but seemed large because of their height and the curviness of the front (and rounded edges of the oak parts, etc...).
These were obviously high-end pieces, but I know nothing about them. From their design, condition, etc... I suspect they date from the heyday of vintage audio; end-seventies/eighties. Around the time of the best Infinities, when oak was a popular material for good speakers. The guy said they were originally sold/bought here for more than US$5,000 a pair (before any adjustment for inflation). I asked him how much they were now, and he indicated about US$900. I think he could be bargained down somewhat from that, but not too much. Maybe $800?
Right now, this is out of my budget, but that might change in the next few weeks (pending outcome of some negotiations), so if they are still there when the time comes, and they are worth it, I may grab them. Not sure about WAF -- they are very tall and a bit imposing, but since they are relatively narrow (smaller footprint) and rather sculptural, they might be more acceptable for the living room than the wider, chunkier-looking Infinities I now have (?).
I guess my questions are: (1) Does anyone know anything about these? (2) Do they sound as good as they look? (3) Is his price a good price/value for these?
Any information welcomed. Even if I don't get them, I'd like to know what it is that I have seen today. Thanks!