Estate Sale Speaker Bonanza

N

NC_Bill

Member
I went to an estate sale yesterday, I was interested in their pictured MCM furniture. It turned out the furniture was way overpriced: 2X to 3X retail. So I passed on all of it.

But on another table, I spotted several sets of vintage speakers, no prices. OK, are these overpriced as well? So I ask the seller, "how about these speakers". He rattled off a price. So I asked, "what if I buy all of them?" I have learned the deals are often when you buy the whole pile, rather than picking out the gem.

I only "need" one set. Even that set I don't need, but thats how I am framing it. I need one set for my workshop. I also wouldn't mind upgrading a set I have in one room. Right now, that set up includes KLH 23 speakers. If one of these are better, I'll move off the 23s. So that's two sets.

I ended up with these four pairs:

1. KLH 20s. Missing grills, cabinets in poor condition. I'll refinish these, and most likely move them on. IMG_3633.JPG

2. RSL 3600. Cabinets are decent, could need a refinish. Might be a worthy workshop set.

3. Pioneer CS-99A. I avoid
Japanese speakers, but the price was right and these look really nice.

4. Quad Electrostatic. No power cords, I tend to avoid electostatic speakers, but these were so interesting. Most likely, these will move on.


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Love the Quad 57's! Ran a pair for 10 years. Mate the with a good 15 watt amplifier and you will be amazed. They will need to be charged and tested 1st.
 
Quad 57s are wonderful speakers and are on almost all 'greatest speakers of all time' lists. But they are old and may not be working at their best, and repairing them isn't for the faint of heart. But you might be lucky and realize you are listening to the most wonderful midrange ever. The high end is excellent, but very beamy. The low end is clear and clean, but even with the best room placement, isn't opulent (and many of us like full bass).
I'm glad that your AK name suggests you are in North Carolina, so too far away for me to be tempted.
But seriously, move slowly and deliberately in deciding what to do about the Quads - most of us never get a chance to acquire a pair at any expense.
 
You did well buying the whole lot.

I own several pairs of RSL 3300s. They are fabulous. The mids on the 3600 can freeze up - something you'll want to check. They'll have film caps that are probably still fine. Just Deoxit the lpads and restore the cabinets and you'll have a great pair of JBL killers.

I also have had multiple 99As which get mixed reviews here on sound, but noone doubts their looks and build quality.

Earlier this year I recapped two pairs and of all the speakers I've recapped, these had the most dramatic improvement. Night and day difference after the recap. With fresh Nichicon audio grade electrolytics, 99As have some of the best mids I've ever heard, second only to my Bozaks. They make solid bass too with ample quality power and the right placement.

I wish I could find estate sales like yours! All I ever see is BPC.
 
Nat said:
Quad 57s are wonderful speakers and are on almost all 'greatest speakers of all time' lists. But they are old and may not be working at their best, and repairing them isn't for the faint of heart. But you might be lucky and realize you are listening to the most wonderful midrange ever. The high end is excellent, but very beamy. The low end is clear and clean, but even with the best room placement, isn't opulent (and many of us like full bass).
I'm glad that your AK name suggests you are in North Carolina, so too far away for me to be tempted.
But seriously, move slowly and deliberately in deciding what to do about the Quads - most of us never get a chance to acquire a pair at any expense.
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Thanks, Nat, for saying what I was thinking, sir.
 
The Pioneer regularly sell between 400 to 600 CAD in Calgary. The MCM hunters really like them. Folks more concerned with the appearance.

congrats on the score. I love restoring speakers as most are straight forward. The KHL grills should be easy to reproduce. I really like pure white linnen covers on the old speakers.
 
Tozco said:
Of the box speakers you got there, the RSL's are going to be the most fun, at least in my experience.
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I have found this as well. I set up three sets in demo mode. The KLHs were OK, nothing great. The Pioneers were better. The RSLs won the contest, really put out the bass. I will be doing more testing, as one set goes back east with me to possibly replace my KLH 23s, one set stays here for workshop duty, and the KLHs and the Quad Electrostatics will be sold to fund the hobby.

Agree with the above, the Pioneers win the MCM contest on looks. My HIFI room here in the west is MCM, but no way they replace my JBL C50s with matching console. I was hoping the Pioneers would sound better than the RSLs. Not looking that way.

I've made a set of grills in the past, using surplus pegboard I had laying around. I did buy the grill cloth from Amazon. Wonder if I have any left, and if so, it is enough. Otherwise, agree, the whiteish fabric looks good, kind of Advent in appearance.

I tend to go through a lot of speakers here. The JBLs maintain "champion" position, everything else is subject to change. I've gone through several KLHs, a couple of Advents, a couple of Bose and a Cerwin Vega set too.
 
DesertRatt said:
Whenever I see pictures of used speakers like this, with the beat out cabinets I wonder: What do people do, use speakers for saw horses? How do speaker cabinets get so beat to hell? Hey! Those are speakers! Be careful!

:bowdown:
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Yes, the KLHs were bad, water stained, beat. So I decided to refinish them first. Stripped them, then used oxalic to remove the water stains, then stained them. Right now, I am applying poly top coats (two so far). IMG_3657.jpegIMG_3707.jpeg
 
NC_Bill said:
I have found this as well. I set up three sets in demo mode. The KLHs were OK, nothing great. The Pioneers were better. The RSLs won the contest, really put out the bass. I will be doing more testing, as one set goes back east with me to possibly replace my KLH 23s, one set stays here for workshop duty, and the KLHs and the Quad Electrostatics will be sold to fund the hobby.

Agree with the above, the Pioneers win the MCM contest on looks. My HIFI room here in the west is MCM, but no way they replace my JBL C50s with matching console. I was hoping the Pioneers would sound better than the RSLs. Not looking that way.

I've made a set of grills in the past, using surplus pegboard I had laying around. I did buy the grill cloth from Amazon. Wonder if I have any left, and if so, it is enough. Otherwise, agree, the whiteish fabric looks good, kind of Advent in appearance.

I tend to go through a lot of speakers here. The JBLs maintain "champion" position, everything else is subject to change. I've gone through several KLHs, a couple of Advents, a couple of Bose and a Cerwin Vega set too.
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Trust me you cannot judge or appreciate what 99As can sound like without replacing those 7 almost 60 year old Elnas. They will be completely different with fresh caps. This is based on my experience with 3 pairs.

As I said above, the RSLs used films, so probably still sound the same as they did 50 years ago.
 
Recapping and redoping the KLHs may change your mind about their qualities. You are doing nice work on the cabinets, but that won't affect how they sound.
If you weren't sprucing them up, I wouldn't have said anything about the KLHs because, even after recapping and redoping, they probably won't stun you with their greatness - you have the 23s, which I would consider noticeably better sounding (and better looking, which may matter). But if you are putting effort into them, why not make them sound their best - they are nice speakers.
 
onwardjames - where in New Hampshire for the refresh? I have no expectation of ever actually finding a pair, though I have been looking since I heard them at The Listening Room in Scarsdale NY in 1974 or so. I thought I had a line on a pair in a barn 25 years ago or so, so the guy disappeared. But I'm hopeful, so I'd like to know who can do work on them.
I do have a pair of Wharedale SFBs (Type III (?) - the square frame MCM ones), which were Gilbert Briggs' response to his friend Peter Walker's ESLs. Briggs' reckoned that a large part of the appeal of the Quad was the lack of cabinet resonances (which Briggs was concerned about, also, hence his use of sand filled baffles (and SFB)). So he built an open baffle dynamic drivers speaker using both a 12 inch woofer and an 8 inch one, and and upward firing Super Three tweeter. It lacks the Quad's immediacy and high end clarity and extension (if you are on axis), but the SFBs had significantly better base, and much greater dispersion (which mattered back when groups of people listened as a social activity, rather than the golden eared audiophile all by himself in the sweet spot). When HiFi was mono, the SFB was a lot easier to sell - it is a bigger speaker than the Quad, and, to be honest, neither as specially good sounding nor as prestigiously pioneering as the Quad, so when stereo came in, two in a room, well out from the wall, preferably at an angle, didn't go over well. Lovely speakers anyway. That's some comfort.
 
Nat said:
onwardjames - where in New Hampshire for the refresh? I have no expectation of ever actually finding a pair, though I have been looking since I heard them at The Listening Room in Scarsdale NY in 1974 or so. I thought I had a line on a pair in a barn 25 years ago or so, so the guy disappeared. But I'm hopeful, so I'd like to know who can do work on them.
I do have a pair of Wharedale SFBs (Type III (?) - the square frame MCM ones), which were Gilbert Briggs' response to his friend Peter Walker's ESLs. Briggs' reckoned that a large part of the appeal of the Quad was the lack of cabinet resonances (which Briggs was concerned about, also, hence his use of sand filled baffles (and SFB)). So he built an open baffle dynamic drivers speaker using both a 12 inch woofer and an 8 inch one, and and upward firing Super Three tweeter. It lacks the Quad's immediacy and high end clarity and extension (if you are on axis), but the SFBs had significantly better base, and much greater dispersion (which mattered back when groups of people listened as a social activity, rather than the golden eared audiophile all by himself in the sweet spot). When HiFi was mono, the SFB was a lot easier to sell - it is a bigger speaker than the Quad, and, to be honest, neither as specially good sounding nor as prestigiously pioneering as the Quad, so when stereo came in, two in a room, well out from the wall, preferably at an angle, didn't go over well. Lovely speakers anyway. That's some comfort.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks. I have known about Sheldon Stokes for quite a while, but, for some reason, I thought he was in the Southwest.
 
Quads restored and ready to play another 50 years is a bucket list item for me. 57's or 63's, I don't care which.
 
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