RCA VICTOR XFK21W Speakers....SWEET find!

Hi all,

This past Saturday afternoon, I sort of hit the MOTHER LOAD and found a half dozen pairs of speakers INCLUDING the pristine NOS NORELCO 12" BASS drivers in the box. Some of the stuff I bought I will FLIP to raise money for my VINTAGE addiction. Of the lot of speakers, there was one pair that was a real STAND OUT! A vintage pair of RCA VICTOR XFK21W's. I am not sure how old these RCA are but, judging from a set of numbers I saw listed (I forget where) on the Speakers, I suspect these RCA could be circa 1949.
The Cabinets measure 19"L x 11.5"D x 10"H. There is one 8 inch Woofer and two Tweeters per cabinet. I guess these Speakers are some sort of
OPEN BAFFLE type design as the rear panel has numerous holes.
I removed the back panel to clean away the dust and to take pixs.
After the detailing and Oiling of the Cabinets, I hooked these oldies up to my FISHER 400 Tube Receiver. All I can say is WHOA! I was not ready, nor can I believe how EXCELLENT these old speakers sound! I of course am NOT ROCKING OUT using these speakers but, when listening to Classic Jazz or Classical Guitar, I am STUNNED how EXCELLENT they sound! They are quite efficent and truly sound wonderful with the Tube gear. The RCA VICTOR's are KEEPERS for sure! (Ooooh, pixs to soon follow).

Regards,
SixCats!

here's your pix Tom : )

BTW - I see the speaker codes in that back shot:

2746638 on the woofer, 2746617 on one of the tweeters - is that right ?

that would put mean they're made in 1966, 38th week, and 17th week respectively :thmbsp:

prior to the mid-60's, all the US speaker codes were 6 digit, (ex: 274301) so sometimes it's hard to tell if something is, say, 1953, vs 1963 . . .

I'm a HUGE fan of the mid 50's to mid-60's RCA speakers . . . even the 'entry-level' stuff sounds real good. . .

Hi Markus!

Thanks for posting the pixs. So, your thinking these speaker are more likely from the 60's eh ? Ummmm, I thought they might be older, that is to say late 40's/early 50's but, I'm sure you are correct. Still, these speakers are forty something years old and TRULY sound UN-real good!
Oooh geeeze, believe it or not, today, I found yet ANOTHER odd Speaker which I suspect is also (at least forty years old) that will join the "Castaways" on "SixCats! Island of MISFIT Speakers!".
Today, I bought a vintage MAGNAVOX MODEL 20S057.
It is a veeeery cool looking vintage SINGLE cabinet that measures
23.5"L x 8"D x 10"H. The cabinet has TWO eight inch "full range" drivers that fire out the sides of the cabinet. It's very RETRO looking and both the Cabinet and DRIVERS are in BEAUTIFUL condition. I am presently playing it on my SAE Amp and Preamp and so far, I am once again pretty darn impressed with this simple vintage gear. I can't wait until I have time to hook this up to the tube gear. Oooh, lol, I found this Magnavox Speaker for only four dollars and change! Un-real!

Regards,
SixCats!

Your RCA and Magnavox speakers are 60's models and were sold as auxilary extension speakers for stereo consoles.
Your RCA is the middle model in the line. The model below
it had a 6x9 and one tweeter. The top model had a 15" woofer,
horn midrange and two tweeter, it was large and floor standing, i have a brochure on them somewhere.
Your Magnavox having the 8" drivers would be the earlier version from the early 60's to about '67. The later version
available till about '71 had a 6x9 full range with whizzer cone
on each side.

Hi Ortho,

Welcome to the MADNESS! Thank you kindly for all the information you provided on the Speakers. So, the RCA are "middle of the line" eh ?
OK, lol, I can live with that! That being said, I would love to hear a pair of the LARGE RCA's with those 15" Woofers and Horns! So, the lil' Magnavox is also from the 60's eh ? How odd that in the last five days, I have found 6-8 pairs (some single) of lil' vintage 1960's Speakers! I have yet again found a new NITCH in this hobby!

Regards,
SixCats!

Nice find!!

I have got a pair of old RCA/Jensen from a console that I am going to build new cabs for.

15" Jensen woofer 1966
5x7 RCA mid 1966
3" mid/tweet RCA 1966
2x6" Horn tweet Jensen 1966

Nice stuff!! :thmbsp:

Hi Pio guy,

Sweet! Best of luck on your project! I think once you have it all together, your going to be REALLY impressed! I kid you not when I tell ya'll how FANTASTIC these old RCA's sound. There is just "something" about these speakers that keep me wanting to listen to them OFTEN and for looong periods of time. I think they have a very natural, easy to listen to, effortless sound. I find that when I put a little volume to these RCA's with the FISHER 400, they just sort of "open up" and have a warm yet, very detailed sound. lol...it's hard to discribe. All I know is that I am loving them and I am KEEPING them for sure! I realize that one day, I'm may have to "down size" my home and not have room for all the larger stuff so, these RCA's are coming with me! I figure if they sound as good as they do in the LARGEST room in my house (approx. 19" x 20") they would sound even better in a more modest room size.

Regards,
SixCats!

a bit off topic, buuuuuuuuuuuut

Sixcats! :

that little magnavox console I snagged that matches your's coughed up a little surprise:

two BIG sales brochures with the full Magnavox TV, Console, and speaker offerings for (I think) 1960 & 1961 :thmbsp:

concert grandes, extension speakers, YOU NAME IT !

one has a picture of your newest addition - the little magnavox trapazoidal extension speaker. COOL STUFF

WHOA! DUDE! EXCELLENT find!
Ummmm....wait, wait....I'm having a physic VISION....yes....yes....I'm seeing you....I'm seeing you standing....standing next to a COPY machine! LOL!

Regards,
SixCats!

Ha Ha Ha !

This is the 21st century my friend . . .I have ...................

A SCANNER !

these things literally fold out to poster size - double sided. It's gonna be a project, but I WILL scan them.

By the way. . . I only thought I was done bringing MAgnavox Consoles home . . . went a little north of Beemer today and snagged a free 64 or 65 Maggie Console - the damn thing is 6 feet long - very cool - and solid state

but it is CLEEEEEEAAAAAAAAN - fully operational, AM/FM w/ the Collaro Record Changer - 12 inch woofer, 4 X 10 Heppner horns . . . I was gonna give it to our daycare lady, but it's too damn cool

AAAAHHHHH! ! ! ! I have a problem . . . .

Hey SixCats!

I had these going in the old console and yes they are sweet!!!!!!

On the subject of building cabs....These were in a 3.5 C.F. sealed box and I have a pair of old boxes that are pretty cool.......Pondering putting them to use!

Only drawback....They are 3.0 C.F. Would I be able to get by with that?

If I stuff them with polyfill will it be "close enough" to the original size to make them sound good?

Thanks!

Hi Pio guy,

Oooh, regarding your questions on Speaker building, yikes, I haven't any idea. I would ask Markus. Oooh, lol, believe it or not, yesterday, I bought a
MAGNAVOX Console at the Goodwill for less than $10.00
I think it may be the same model Magnavox that MARKUS just picked up!
My Magnavox is Solid State, has two 12" Drivers and two HORNS.
Last night, I went MID-EVIL on the unit! The Cabinet was NOT worth saving but the unit's guts were fine. The COLLARO Record Changer did NOT work when turned on but, I think it could be a minor problem (I hope).
I saved the FM Tuner/Amp section (which appeared to work well) for MARKUS.
Anyway, I too will now have a Magnavox Speaker project!

Regards,
SixCats!

Same score RCA

I found only one of the RCA's--same model as yours--and I see that your post is almost a decade old...so I'm wondering, how did they hold up? Did you ever try rocking them out? I have my (one) connected to a super modern Philips receiver as the center speaker. I am still so green, I hardly know how to hook components up, but I am learning voraciously, and am curious how your Victors have held up over time.

Oops

Your post is only 4 years old...I was looking at your join date.