Anybody heard Rectilinear iii Highboys?

Old Driver

Old Driver

New Member
I recently purchased an almost mint pair of Rectilinear iii Highboys at an estate sale. They are 1970 vintage with Jansen Flexair woofers and two knob mid/tweeter adjustable controls on the back of the cab. I didn’t know much about them or Rectilinear at all for that matter. But, I took a $200 gamble and bought them.
Cosmetically they were solid but, the crossover capacitors had failed in both cabinets knocking out the Phillips midrange drivers in both, so I replaced them with Audyn Q4 capacitors.
I honestly wasn't prepared for the results.
They are just spectacular!
The imaging/soundstage is outrageous hooked up to my McIntosh 7300 amplifier.
I have 7 pair of vintage speakers going for much bigger bucks, JBL Century 100s, KLH Model 5s etc. What’s going on? These Rectilinear iii’s are well…..better.
How come people aren’t talking them up more on AK?IMG_4265.jpeg
 
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These are not talked about because they didn’t flood the market when new. They are out there but not as common.

I know they were on my list in 69-70 but were just too big and more money than the AR-5 I bought.

As far as the speakers you have listed, those were ubiquitous and folks have or have heard them. So lots more talk on ak about them than the Rectilinear.
 
What a find! I lusted after those speakers in 1972. I just could not afford them. Everyone in my gang that they were killer speakers. If I found a pair like you found, I'd be buying them too - just to finally have them!
 
The spotlight goes around here and rests on different speakers for awhile and then moves on. There used to be a lot of talk about those and the lowboys, do a search and find some info. there was the DQ-10 for awhile, Bozak, ESS and always Klipsch etc. modyfying them and restoring.
 
Rectilinear speakers were a thing here in the '70's, always in the Boston adverts (new). As the brothers related above they were expensive and big.

Rectilinear Research Corporation - Wikipedia Rectilinear Research Corporation - Wikipedia

Given who would have been buying them back then, and not to be morbid, but I would think they would be more prevalent in the used or "estate" market than they appear to be. Did they all go in a dumpster? :dunno:
 
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I have restored two sets of Highboys and they sounded wonderful. Some people might be turned off by their size, but they are only slightly larger than Fortes. I have a third set in the cellar waiting restoration. The veneer is thicker than most and can take to sanding before refinishing.
 

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Isotonic said:
I have yet to hear a pair, but have always wanted to. I've never run into them in the wild.
Click to expand...
Isotonic said:
I have yet to hear a pair, but have always wanted to. I've never run into them in the wild.
Click to expand...
I’ve been collecting vintage speakers for awhile now and thought I was beyond the surprise stage with new speakers. I thought I had pretty much heard what “good” sounded like. The Rectilinear Highboys proved me wrong. They are that good.
I’ve read a lot of posts about driver issues with them. I’m guessing it has something to do with folks under powering them with equipment not up to the job. They do need some amplifier horsepower to get them in the sweet spot but, when they are there……wow!
If you have a 75 watt+ amp and you find them locally, they are an absolute BUY in my book.
 
TomD62 said:
I have restored two sets of Highboys and they sounded wonderful. Some people might be turned off by their size, but they are only slightly larger than Fortes. I have a third set in the cellar waiting restoration. The veneer is thicker than most and can take to sanding before refinishing.
Click to expand...
Isotonic said:
I have yet to hear a pair, but have always wanted to. I've never run into them in the wild.
Click to expand...
I refinished mine with Watco Natural vs. the Medium Walnut Danish Oil I usually use. I was a bit concerned that they might be too light but, the Natural finish really brought out the walnut veneer’s wood grain. I’m really pleased with the results.
 
Bill Ashton said:
Rectilinear speakers were a thing here in the '70's, always in the Boston adverts (new). As the brothers related above they were expensive and big.

Rectilinear Research Corporation - Wikipedia Rectilinear Research Corporation - Wikipedia

Given who would have been buying them back then, and not to be morbid, but I would think they would be more prevalent in the used or "estate" market than they appear to be. Did they all go in a dumpster? :dunno:
Click to expand...
Bill Ashton said:
Rectilinear speakers were a thing here in the '70's, always in the Boston adverts (new). As the brothers related above they were expensive and big.

Rectilinear Research Corporation - Wikipedia Rectilinear Research Corporation - Wikipedia

Given who would have been buying them back then, and not to be morbid, but I would think they would be more prevalent in the used or "estate" market than they appear to be. Did they all go in a dumpster? :dunno:
Click to expand...
I got mine at an estate sale and was thinking the same thing. They had a pair of AR 3’s there too. I’m guessing the original buyer bought them first in the early-mid 1960s, grew out of them and bought the Rectilinears in 1970.
 
Old Driver said:
I refinished mine with Watco Natural vs. the Medium Walnut Danish Oil I usually use. I was a bit concerned that they might be too light but, the Natural finish really brought out the walnut veneer’s wood grain. I’m really pleased with the results.
Click to expand...
Wonderful job btw on your set in the posted pictures!
 
Old Driver said:
I recently purchased an almost mint pair of Rectilinear iii Highboys at an estate sale. They are 1970 vintage with Jansen Flexair woofers and two knob mid/tweeter adjustable controls on the back of the cab. I didn’t know much about them or Rectilinear at all for that matter. But, I took a $200 gamble and bought them.
Cosmetically they were solid but, the crossover capacitors had failed in both cabinets knocking out the Phillips midrange drivers in both, so I replaced them with Audyn Q4 capacitors.
I honestly wasn't prepared for the results.
They are just spectacular!
The imaging/soundstage is outrageous hooked up to my McIntosh 7300 amplifier.
I have 7 pair of vintage speakers going for much bigger bucks, JBL Century 100s, KLH Model 5s etc. What’s going on? These Rectilinear iii’s are well…..better.
How come people aren’t talking them up more on AK?View attachment 3767678
Click to expand...

Thanks for that great post!

How hard was it to change the capacitors?

You have really motivated me!
 
Enophile said:
Thanks for that great post!

How hard was it to change the capacitors?

You have really motivated me!
Click to expand...
Honestly, it’s pretty easy to change speaker capacitors. If I can do it, you can too. I spent my career behind a desk. It wasn’t really until retirement that I discovered hand tools.
There are a lot of videos on YouTube that show you how to solder. That’s the toughest part and not as intimidating as it sounds once you give it a try.
I start by removing the driver screws from the cabinet. Often the woofer is the only one you need extract to get started. Once inside, you’ll see the crossover board. I like to take a picture of it with my phone before doing any surgery. You need to know the number of and value of your capacitors so you know what replacements to order. Most of them kinda look like little cylinders shaped like fire crackers or beer cans. It’s much easier to read the values usually printed on the caps from a picture vs. contorting your head and neck while poking around with a flashlight, looking in a dark speaker cabinet. Sometimes the best option it to remove the screws holding down the crossover board to get a closer look in better light. It all depends what you’re working with. Sometimes the board is even glued down. The manufacturers that did that deserve to roast in hell.
It’s best to not cut wires if you can help it. When you have to, I attach a small piece of painters tape to each end of the cut wire and label where it goes. Always take pictures before cutting a bunch of wires so you can refer back to them later.

Once you’ve figured out what caps you need you can order them online from Parts Express or any reputable supply house.
The old capacitors mostly used as OEM in vintage speakers are usually electrolytic type. They are filled with a gooey fluid that dries out with age or sometimes they pop like old batteries and leak. It’s best to buy new replacements that are polypropylene film caps. They sound better and don’t deteriorate with age like the old caps.

You can spend a fortune on new capacitors. Is it worth it? AK members far more knowledgeable than I, debate this point to death. Buy what you’re comfortable spending. Stay away from the cheapo “kits” on eBay. My experience has been that they are worthless.

Note, the new film caps will be significantly larger than your old electrolytic ones. Sometimes it can be tricky to fit them on your old board. I tack them down with a hot glue gun and if possible secure them to the existing board with zip ties before attaching them with solder.

Since I’m still a relative newbie to this, I only cut and replace the old caps one by one as I go along, so I get everything where it belongs.
Anyway, it’s not that difficult and you’ll feel great listening to your speakers knowing you fixed them yourself.
 
Some speakers react more dramatically to cap changes then others. With my III's(I had a few pairs, BTW) I noticed little to no change between those that had them changed and those that didn't. My AR3's, Klipsch La Scala's, Bozak 401's...yeah pretty noticeable. The III's not so much. That's not to say that they don't benefit from just having fresh caps in there, particularly if the old one's are leaking. Just relaying my own experience to a subject that has been debated ad nauseam through the ages.
 
sberger said:
Some speakers react more dramatically to cap changes then others. With my III's(I had a few pairs, BTW) I noticed little to no change between those that had them changed and those that didn't. My AR3's, Klipsch La Scala's, Bozak 401's...yeah pretty noticeable. The III's not so much. That's not to say that they don't benefit from just having fresh caps in there, particularly if the old one's are leaking. Just relaying my own experience to a subject that has been debated ad nauseam through the ages.
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You may be right about little change in the Rectilinear iii’s after recapping, but I have no way of comparing before and after in my case. When I received my pair, both Phillips midrange drivers were dead. After recapping, they miraculously came to life and the speakers sounded great.
Before this project, I recapped several KLHs, 5s, 6s, and 23’s. In almost every case, they had a non function tweeter or mid until I recapped them the same way…..go figure.
 
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