• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

GW Score? Magnum Opus Speakers

G

GWHunter

New Member
Well I have been reading this site for a few months now and finally found something different that I can't find much info on. Was at the Goodwill by work during lunch yesterday. Right now I enjoy picking up unusual audio just to see but I can't find any info about these. I need to clean the two pots and the switch probably needs a recap too but first things first. The sound is very flat So I will see what a good cleaning does.

Anyone seen these before? any info on them?

thanks.
 

Attachments

  • 006.jpg
    006.jpg
    63.5 KB · Views: 324
  • 007.jpg
    007.jpg
    70.2 KB · Views: 497
  • 009.jpg
    009.jpg
    79.9 KB · Views: 320
  • 022.jpg
    022.jpg
    74 KB · Views: 362
Register to hide this ad
I could be wrong, but they seem like a white Van speaker... way to many speakers in my mind... Very odd layout as well. Wow, 7 speakers I just counted... I am surprised that they are flat with all those in there, you could always make your own crossover and make them sound great.
 
Rough crowd around here. I think I spy two Philips tweets in those boxes (disregard Piezo comment). I'd have bought them just because of the sticker on back :)
 
I love Magnum Opus. Great song. Kansas is a great band. :D

Those are.... well, ...... very-peculiar-looking. Kind of a modern-art thing going on. Great conversation pieces if you can get them sounding great (Did you mean 'flat' in a good way or a bad way?).
 
Last edited:
Passive radiator on TOP? That's different, for sure.

No reason it won't work, but boy, that looks odd.

Regards,
Gordfon.
 
Gang-Twanger said:
I love Magnum Opus. Great song. Kansas is a great band. :D

Those are.... well, ...... very-peculiar-looking. Kind of a modern-art thing going on. Great conversation pieces if you can get them sounding great (Did you mean 'flat' in a good way or a bad way?).
Click to expand...

I love Magnum Opus, too. The Magnum Opus One, that is. It doesn't matter whether you mean the phono stage or the line stage, they're both outstanding. Unfortunately, the only one I have so far is the line stage; the phono stage is VERY hard to find for sale. Owners are invariably too rich to have to sell it, and since it is one of the very best phono stages ever made, there is nothing to upgrade to from it. So people who have one rarely let it go. Plus, it's very rare to begin with. So was the line stage, with only 50 units ever built. Equally, they are both very expensive. The line stage was $15,000 direct from the manufacturer when new years ago, and showed up in a shop here (brand new one, but the dealer had to pay the same price as everyone else ex-manufacturer) for $25,000. A lot of money for a preamp! I got the line stage just by sheer luck (right place, right time, right price for that time), but I'm s-l-o-w-l-y building up the "war chest" fund to eventually ferret out a matching Magnum Opus phono stage. One day, one day... hopefully while I still have good enough hearing to appreciate it. :D



Okay, fun stuff aside, I've seen a couple of speakers here in the audio market labeled "Magnum Opus", but they didn't look anything like the one in the OP. I wonder if they were from the same company, and if not, how many times the name has been used by different manufacturers? :dunno:
 
Last edited:
"white van" seriously! :no:why is it every time someone posts a peculiar or obscure speaker someone has to post they are white van speakers and total crap, when obviously looking at those you can tell there is at least some quality built into them and they in no way resemble any white van stuff i have seen, especially since there is some obvious build quality to those that you don't see in white van stuff such as thick box construction and recessed drivers, what looks to be real wood panels on the sides, decent looking binding posts and a fused crossover.

good luck with them let us know how they sound when you get done cleaning them up.

cheers
 
The mid and piezo "could" be suspect, but the rest speaks of quality to me.

I would have quickly picked them up........even if only to scavenge patrs from.



Turborusty
 
I remember when those speakers were made though I never heard them and they were a "regular" speaker company so to speak and certainly not "white van".

I've heard some pretty good speakers that used piezos; astute designers have made good use of them.
 
Last edited:
duaneage said:
Nice Piezo tweeter there.
Click to expand...
Looks like a Motorola Powerline, which can sound rather nice when used as a supertweeter with a correctly designed crossover, like Dahlquist did. I believe the tweeters are the successor to the Philips AD0160, which break up at 16khz, hence the use of a supertweeter.

Also, Rectilinear are far worse at spraying drivers all over the baffle haphazardly but you don't get people calling those white van. :thmbsp:

The placement of the passive radiator isn't great though - much more likely to get damaged by things being placed on top. It would spill a drink pretty quickly...:D
 
I thought this would get some discussion. I wish I had a model number but the paper with that was ripped off I assume since there are staples on the back.from the add (very cool btw) it looks like they're TOTL model.

When I first saw it I too thought the top was passive but the 3 way toggle switch on the back controls the top woofer I was shocked it was a functional woofer. So it has a total of 8 drivers. Also they weigh in at about 70-80lbs each. I will post pictures when I start into them. Very strange

Flat in a bad way to me....BUT the Wife unit loves them! She doesn't care for my Polk, Klipsch, PhaseTech, Infinity, JBL, OR Altec's. So this alone is worth it to me but I gotta see what they look like inside. They sound better hooked up to her Pioneer Elite. Also they are very efficient almost like my SP3500's.
 
Last edited:
they are rather peculiar, I surely would have picked them up, no doubt..:yes: Seems like that era had a lot of funky speakers.....look at DBX,Epicure, EPI, Ohm and some of the speaker arrays that Sansui came out with....or the KEF 107's, not from that era, but definitely different.....I know I would definitely be kicking myself if I ever passed up my Epicure 20+....or my Ohm Pro42.....at the time I purchased either one, I never heard of them, I was at the beginning of my addiction :lmao:....and I had to make the decision on a whim.....I was attracted by both their weirdness and their build quality.....I mean Epicure with the drivers and inverted tweeters (never saw such a thing....LOL) on top and in front, and the Ohm with the egg tweeter and the stop sign cabinet design......:scratch2: The only thing about scoring the "weird" designs, is their lack of stackability :lmao: Great score, can't wait to hear about them when you get them sounding as they should :thmbsp:
 
I think if you cleaned them with a water hose and a hammer they would still sound the same. JK:banana:
 
Well took the back off and cleaned the pots and switches that made a huge difference. Sounds like the tweeters were not working till I cleaned it up now they sound much more balanced even a little bright with the controls turned all the way up. For $20.00 I am very happy. Also the top 10" woofer is a full range and sounds much better with that off and acting as a passive.

Thanks for the help.
 

Attachments

  • 100_2955.jpg
    100_2955.jpg
    88.2 KB · Views: 158
  • 100_2956.jpg
    100_2956.jpg
    80.5 KB · Views: 112
  • 100_2957.jpg
    100_2957.jpg
    59.1 KB · Views: 120
i figured those had some decent speakers in them, look at those nice large square magnets on those woofers! money well spent id say and glad to hear they are sounding good after the cleaning.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom