CHERRY VINTAGE AUDIO / objets d'art (Since 2014) 

CHERRY VINTAGE AUDIO / objets d'art (Since 2014) 

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Acoustic Research (AR) Classic Model 26

AR Classic Model 26
AR Classic Model 26

 ('92-'94)  $600 (uber rare)

In spectacular cosmetic condition, fully tested and fully operational, this pair of Acoustic Research (AR) Classic Model 26 is finished with hand-rubbed, furniture-grade, cherry/mahogany veneer.  This series of AR Classic models are extremely rare.   The Model 26 was second only to the TOTL Model 30.

Weighing in at 76 lbs each, the beautiful enclosure of the Model 26 has dual woofers loaded in an acoustic suspension configuration. (Acoustic suspension is the low frequency loading method employed in the SRA series as it still offers the most linear method of producing low frequencies, irrespective of amplitude.)

The two woofers are used in a vertical array, but are separated by the SRA. Placing one woofer at the top of the cabinet and one at the bottom reduces the chance of exciting nodes in the listening environment as the path lengths to any given point very rarely coincide. This helps to reduce the upper bass congestion prevalent in many floor standing speakers, while retaining the weight and transient impact present in live music.

At the time of production, the drive units were all new designs from Acoustic Research .  All the cone drivers employed in the Classic 26 feature cast-baskets, rather than the more common (and significantly cheaper) pressed steel type. This reduces vibration from the drive unit itself, providing a more stable environment for the moving parts. The tweeter was an all-new soft cloth dome design with a 1" voice coil and liquid cooling for improved power handling. The same tweeter was used in all the AR Classic series models, and like all components in all AR systems, was selected only after extensive listening tests.

The stunning enclosures were designed to be as inert as possible. They are trapezoidal by design and have a relatively small footprint with distinctive sloping tops.  They are also heavily braced internally and finished in very high quality, hand-rubbed cherry/mahogany real wood veneers.  Acoustic Research stated that the trapezoidal shape helps to reduce standing waves within the enclosure and provide increased rigidity. At 13" deep and only 10" wide, the front panels (baffles) are as slim as possible for any given drive unit size and are heavily reinforced. (this was to reduce early reflections in the mid to high frequency areas).  The removable, solid-wood framed grills are also pristine.

The Classic 26 is equipped with high quality gold plated terminals which will handle cables in many forms. They will accept spade lugs, 4mm banana plugs, pin plugs, and bare wire. They are bi-wired linked by a gold plated jumper bar.

Specs:
Dual  8" poly woofers
Dual 5" poly mids
1" soft dome tweeters
Response: 38 HZ - 20 kHz 
SPL:  88dB
Impedance: 4 ohms
MSRP: $1800/pair
Weight: 76 lbs each 
Dimensions: 10"W x 13"D x 46"H


About Acoustic Research (AR)...
The legendary Acoustic Research was a Cambridge Mass. based company that manufactured high end audio equipment. 
 

They
 were well known for the AR-3 series of speaker systems, which used the 12" inch acoustic suspension woofer of the AR-1 with newly designed dome mid-range speaker and high frequency drivers which were the first of their kind. AR's line of acoustic suspension speakers were extraordinary for their time, as they were the first loudspeakers with flat response, extended bass, wide dispersion, small size, and reasonable cost.

In 1967, Acoustic Research was bought by Teledyne Inc., and for the next 22 years it continued development and operations in Cambridge as Teledyne Acoustic Research. Technological breakthroughs in this period included the high-current amplifier. When purchased by Teledyne, AR was the world's second largest supplier of branded loudspeakers.  
As of today, the brand is now owned by VOXX. 


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Tannoy Sensys 1
Tannoy Sensys 1

Tannoy Sensys 1 

('02-'06)  $450

*Why bother with frequencies that only your dog can hear?

In absolutely pristine cosmetic and operating condition, this pair of Tannoy Sensys 1 are rarely seen in the wild.

With the introduction of Sensys, Tannoy has combined the core element of sound quality with the other equally essential ingredients, cutting edge technology, clean aesthetic design and affordability, to produce a class leading range of exceptional loudspeakers. Avoiding visual tricks that often cause designs to quickly date, the refreshingly uncluttered appearance of Sensys is as reassuringly unpretentious as it is timeless.

The Tannoy Sensys 1 features Tannoy's Wideband technology and follows a minimalist signal path by virtue of the inherently simple crossover.  This simplicity is needed as the drivers are in a naturally phase correct alignment and the integrated design allows for a seamless frequency transition. Sensys 1's high power handling capabilities and high efficiency make for one extremely dynamic package that became a classic and a favorite of audiophiles. 

With a 7” cast chassis mid bass driver and 1" WideBand high frequency unit this is a bi-wireable stand-mount speaker of immense ability. Combining tremendous bass weight and impact with natural open voicing and sound staging.

Specs:
Enclosure Type:2-way bass reflex
Recommended Amplifier:20 - 100 Watts
Power Handling (RMS):75 Watts Peak
Power Handling:225 Watts
Frequency Response: 49Hz - 51kHz
Crossover Frequency: 2.7kHz
Crossover type 2nd order  /  LF, 3rd order
HF Sensitivity: 88dB
Nominal Impedance:8 Ohms
Drivers: (each enclosure)
~1" 25-micron titanium dome, neodymium magnet system
~7" Multi-fibrer paper pulp cone
Dimensions:8.3"W x 13.8"H x 11.5"D
Weight: 15 lbs each


About Tannoy's WideBand technology...
Tannoy has pioneered wide bandwidth audio reproduction in its high-end loudspeaker designs. The undisputed benefits of extended high frequency performance have been recognised by audio enthusiasts and recording industry professionals worldwide. Tannoy has received many international awards for products utilising Wideband technology. Although developed in parallel with the emerging technologies of extended bandwidth SACD and DVDA players, their engineers have long since recognized the improvement that a Wideband Tannoy SuperTweeter can make to a system, even when using bandwidth limited conventional analogue or digital recorded software.

The key element to understand first of all is that Wideband performance drive units are not there simply to increase the amount of high frequency information you perceive, the acoustic benefit is much more subtle than that. It is the enhancement of the frequencies within the accepted audible band that makes this technology so special.

'Why bother with frequencies only your dog can hear?' This question, often asked, took them to the very heart of what Tannoy Wideband™ technology is all about: Musical instruments produce considerable energy above 20kHz and, with effects of harmonics and overtones, achieve frequencies well beyond what might generally be considered as the limit of human hearing. For instance, the over 20kHz energy of a trumpet, fitted with a particular type of mute, does not drop into the noise floor until 100kHz. Violin and oboe exhibit energy above 40kHz, while sibilants in speech can also be shown to have energy above 40kHz. Research has shown, through the measurement of brain wave activity, that humans do perceive ultrasonic components within music. Concluding that the mechanism of ultrasound transmission is through bone conduction, probably via an organ in the inner ear, called the saccule, to the cochlea, the organ responsible for hearing.

In addition, Wideband technology reduces phase error and significantly improves transient performance below 20kHz. This leads to increased tonal accuracy throughout the whole frequency range, even bass information is faster and tighter, effectively enhancing the total listening experience. Music, speech and soundtrack effects have an increased immediacy, airiness and impact, providing a performance that sounds more natural and true to life. Extreme physical demands are placed on the high frequency unit when performing at such extended bandwidth levels. The need to achieve completely consistent constructional and acoustic quality has led Tannoy to design and produce its own titanium dome driver at its Scottish based manufacturing facility.


About Tannoy...
Tannoy is a British manufacturer of speakers and PA systems.  Founded by Guy Fountain in London in 1926 as the Tulsemere Manufacturing Company, today the company is part of the Music Tribe group of brands.  They eventually moved to Coatbridge Scotland in the '70s.

Tannoy's image is particularly linked to both studio monitors as well as its Prestige range of home speakers. Prestige speakers use Dual Concentric cone speakers and are easily recognized by their "vintage" design. Tannoy is notable for its 'Dual Concentric' speaker design, which places the tweeter behind the center of the medium or bass driver. "Dual Concentric" is a trademark although Tannoy is not the only speaker manufacturer to design coaxial speakers.

In 2002, Tannoy was acquired by TC Group and TC Group was subsequently acquired by Music Group in 2015. Following the Music Group acquisition, it was suggested that the Coatbridge facility would be closed and all related activities would be relocated to Manchester England. In 2016, however, Music Group confirmed that Tannoy loudspeaker manufacturing would continue in Scotland, with a brand new manufacturing facility planned.


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Mission 773
Mission 773

Mission 773 

Mission 773 (England, late 90's)

As with all the excellent British-built Mission speakers, the model 773 produces excellent sound.  We assume that most HiFi addicts (like ourselves) know about the British-built Mission loudspeakers.  For a long time in the '90's, the brand was ubiquitous, omnipresent and virtually synonymous with speakers in the way that Wharfedale was back in the '70's.

The Mission 773 enclosures have real and beautiful light oak wood veneer.  These are relatively small towers that are a biwireable 2 way tuned reflex system with front ports.

Each 33" tall enclosure has a single 1" viscous laminated dome tweeter and two 5" Audax *aerogel cone woofers (with **phase plugs instead of dust caps).  They each weigh about 21 lbs with a small 6.5" footprint.

*NOTE:
The Audax Aerogel series of drivers feature a cone made of a unique acrylic polymer gel with a blend of Kevlar and carbon fibers embedded into it. The result is an ultra-light and extremely rigid cone that produces outstanding clarity, precise imaging and unequaled sonic definition. Developed for no- compromise high-end designs, these drivers make outstanding midbass and midrange drivers.


**NOTE:

Phase plugs are sometimes used instead of traditional dust caps.  With a phase plug, the cone excursion moves in a very close tolerance around the stationary plug whereas a dust cap moves forward/backward with the cone.  A phase plug helps to reduce heat generated by the voice coil by allowing the heat to exit through the narrow circular gap of the plug.


Specs:
Frequency response:  50 Hz - 20kHz ±3dB
Nominal Impedance: 8 Ohms
Amp Power: 25 watts minimum
Sensitivity: 88 dB
Crossover Frequency: 3000Hz


About Mission Electronics...
Formed in 1977 in Huntingdon England, Mission Electronics' first product was their 770 loudspeaker and they continue to build loudspeakers to this day. They have also built other Hi-Fi products including CD players, amplifiers and tuners etc. under their own brand name "Mission" and from 1984 under the "Cyrus" brand name.

In the 1990s, the Mission loudspeaker business was taken over by the Chinese owned International Audio Group (IAG), and the Cyrus Audio business became part of the NXT Plc group and then became a independent company in 2004.


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Siefert Research Maxim III-H
Siefert Research Maxim III-H

Siefert Research Maxim III-H  

(mid 80's)  $500 (firm)  uber rare

This incredibly rare set of Siefert Research Maxim III-H speakers have been part of our personal collection for many years.  This matched set is in pristine cosmetic condition, completely original and operating perfectly.
As of this post (to our knowledge) this is the only pair of Siefert Research speakers available for sale in the USA.

The Maxim III-H is best described as being just one of the pure audiophile level Siefert Research models.   Regardless of which model was produced, all of them are extremely rare since they were never mass produced.  Each pair was hand-built in Malibu CA during the late 80's.

In our humble opinion...the Maxim III-H model fits our own personal definition of the "perfect" bookshelf speaker.  
These were 100% made in the USA (Malibu CA) and easily rivaled (and surpassed?) the acknowledged high quality of famous German/American/European speakers like Canton, Braun, ADS, Sonus Faber, etc.


The original designer, Dan Siefert (see his bio below) described the Maxim III-H as his last and best configuration of a two-way, front-ported, compact system featuring 40-Hz resonance woofers, low IM distortion, low group delay and high power handling capability (safe for use with amplifiers of up to 250 watts power capability). 

The cabernet oak veneer enclosures are substantially heavy with radius corners and the highest quality construction combined with the best components available at the time.  

The back story:  
It was several years ago (2014) when we first discovered Siefert's speakers.  We came across a pair that was unknown to us (at the time).  After being blown away during a test, we were intrigued enough to spend quite some time online to track down and email the designer, Dan Siefert. (see his bio below).  He was kind enough to reply with a wealth of inside information way beyond what was available online.  He also sent us a package with original spec sheets, sales sheets and technical design information about the Maxim lineup.  Here is his explanation as to what the "H" meant on these Maxim III-H speakers:

Dan's reply:  "With the Maxim III-H, you have what I consider the best series of Maxims. The "H" stands for hybrid. Looking at the tweeter you will notice that the dome is aluminum but the surround (outer edge) is not.  It's known that 99.9% of all dome tweeters are a single piece construction.  So, if you have an aluminum dome (high stiffness), the surround would also be aluminum. Aluminum makes a great diaphragm but a lousy surround (where you want high compliance, not high stiffness).  In the '80s there were almost no hybrid construction tweeters.  Today they are somewhat more common. Bottom line: my hybrid tweeters combined the high stiffness of an aluminum dome with the high compliance of a polyamid surround made a very good speaker even better."

Stereophile magazine 1985:  "There are very few loudspeaker systems of any price that don't make a critical listener accurately unhappy when he or she returns from a live concert to put on a recording. The Maxim is, amazingly, one that doesn't. In fact, of all the speakers in this price class that I have heard. I would say that Siefert's Maxim III is probably the most successful design of all. Mated with a suitable power amplifier, and not pushed too high a listening level, it is one of a small handful of moderately priced speaker systems that can make most audiophiles (and practically all music lovers) quite happy for an indefinite period of time. Recommended."  ~J. Gordon Holt 
https://www.stereophile.com/content/siefert-maxim-iii-loudspeaker

SPECS:  
Two-way, reflex-loaded stand-mounted loudspeaker system. 
Drive-units: 1" hybrid dome tweeters and 6.5" woofers.
Frequency response: 46Hz–32kHz ±2dB
Nominal impedance: 8 ohms.
Sensitivity: 86dB/W/m.
Minimum amplifier power: 25W. Max: 250W  
Dimensions: 13" H by 9" W by 12" D. 
Weight: 18 lbs each


About Siefert Research...
*Dan Siefert began his engineering career in 1975 at Great American Sound Company, designing high-end solid-state audio pre-amplifiers and power amplifiers. In 1983, Dan founded Siefert Research, designing, manufacturing and marketing high performance loudspeakers.

In 1986 Dan joined Harman International Industries, Inc . as a Senior Systems Design Engineer. While at Harman, Dan brought several speakers to Market for professional, consumer and computer/multi-media applications. While at Harman, Dan was assigned to the Research and Development department, reporting to Dr. Floyd Toole. Dan then focused his attention on measurement technologies and contributed to the development of Harman's advanced subjective and objective measurement techniques. 
In 1996, Dan founded One on One Technical Products, Inc. currently providing engineering services to the Consumer Electronics Industry.  He is also a senior partner at Infinite Environments.
Dan is a member of the Audio Engineering Society (AES), the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) and the Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) . Dan is also a certified THX Home Theater Products developer.


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Klipsch KSB 3.1
Klipsch KSB 3.1

Klipsch KSB 3.1 

('97-'99)  $200

As the TOTL in the Klipsch "Synergy Monitor" Series released in 1997, the KSB 3.1 features a unique (one of a kind) 8'' woofer, "Tractrix" horn tweeter and large front-firing bass port.  The cabinets have a nice looking rosewood veneer.

Rated at 8 ohms and 94dB, they are very efficient (easy to drive) but, like all great speakers, giving them more good clean power always brings out the best of what they were designed to deliver.


Specs:
Frequency response: 45Hz-20kHz(+-)3dB
Sensitivity: 94dB 1watt/1meter
Power: 100 watts maximum continuous (400 watts peak)
Nominal impedance: 8 ohms
Tweeter: K-94-S 1" silk dome compression driver
Woofer: K-1042-SV 8" Poly cone
Dimensions: 17"H x 9.25"D) x 9.4"
Weight: 12 lbs each


About Klipsch...
He probably wouldn't recognize most of today's products bearing his name but in 1946, Paul W. Klipsch (PWK) changed the face of the audio industry by inventing, discovering, hypothesizing, and proving that it was darn well possible to make and reproduce exciting, explosive, accurate audio. Real, dynamic music was heard in living rooms for the first time – nearly mimicking the power of a live performance. Along the way, PWK worked with industry giants, famous pop stars, and some of the smartest people in the world – always in search of a better sound.

Klipsch was an American audio pioneer, a true eccentric and a proud member of the Engineering and Science Hall of Fame. He gave rise to technologies that would forever impact generations of music lovers. He left an amazing legacy 


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Ambiance
Ambiance

Ambiance 

by Henry Kloss / Cambridge SoundWorks (mid 90's)  $200

In excellent condition, this pair of the original Ambiance model speakers were designed by *Henry Kloss' and sold by his last company, **Cambridge SoundWorks.

Inside each of the stone mineral brown, coated and sealed (acoustic suspension) enclosures, the Ambiance features a single 6.5" woofer (the dimensions include the mounting plates because the actual radiating diameters of the pulp cone are 4.5"). 
The 1" tweeters are ferrofluid-cooled units with plastic phase plates over the domes.
Perforated metal grills protect the drive-units, which are mounted on slightly recessed baffles, while electrical connections are via gold-plated five-way binding posts on the rear.
"Keyholes" are included on the rear panels to allow them to be wall-mounted, and rear brass bushings are also fitted so that the Ambiance can be bolted to optional stands that were available at the time but not included.

During its review Hi-Fi Classic magazine said:
"The Ambiance sounded beautifully balanced, delivering a full-size sound image with not a hint of its origin in two small boxes....we can say that very few small speakers we have heard can match the overall sound of the Ambiance, and, like its manufacturer, we know of none that surpass it....they provide a lot of good sound from a small, attractive box at a hard-to-beat price."

Basic specs:
Dimensions: 11"H x 7'W x 5.5"D
Weight:  8.75 lbs each
MSRP:  $230/pair


*About Henry Kloss...
His prolific hi-fi design and manufacturing career spanned over a half century.  He died of a subdural hematoma on January 31, 2002, three weeks before his 73rd birthday.

Habitually clothed in khaki trousers and oxford cloth shirts, their button-down collars unbuttoned and sleeves rolled, Kloss (pronounced with a long o, to rhyme with "close") looked like someone familiar with tools. Indeed he was. As a boy, he was able to add rooms and bath fixtures to the Pennsylvania cabin he shared with his mother and two sisters.

After entering MIT in 1948, Kloss worked part-time for a contractor and bought woodworking tools to make furniture for his basement apartment. Instead, he used them to turn out enclosures for a speaker system an MIT professor and his student had designed. Henry dropped out of MIT after being drafted. Stationed in New Jersey, he took a New York University night course in high fidelity taught by Edgar Villchur, who had conceived a radically new type of loudspeaker.

In 1954, Villchur and Kloss founded Acoustic Research to develop and produce it. Henry provided the facility, a cabinet and speaker-assembly shop he was already operating in a Harvard Square loft. Two other partners, Malcolm Low and J. Anton Hofmann, son of the great pianist Josef Hofmann, supplied $5000 in capital. That led to the AR-1, the world's first acoustic-suspension loudspeaker system, with its relatively small enclosure and proportionally prodigious bass.

But Villchur remained home in Woodstock, New York, while Kloss ran the Massachusetts factory. That caused friction, leading Kloss, Low and Hofmann to break away and put their initials on a new firm. In 1957, they founded KLH.

In 1967, after producing more landmarks, including the KLH Model Six speaker, the fine-sounding Model Eight radio, and a hi-fi system in a suitcase designated Model Eleven, Henry started Advent to work on projection television. The speakers he built to fund that effort quickly became best-sellers.

Henry Kloss embraced innovation. He was quick to employ the transistor, which was crucial to the KLH Eleven's portability, and he ingeniously combined previously unrelated concepts with two Advent firsts: a cassette deck featuring Dolby noise reduction (which he had prodded Ray Dolby to adapt for consumers) and chromium dioxide cassettes. That synergy made the medium truly musicworthy.

Yet Kloss was genuinely modest about such achievements. "Some of the particular things I have done...could have and should have been done before," he once told me.

After leaving Advent, Henry started Kloss Video and, in 1988, co-founded Cambridge SoundWorks, for which he designed some three dozen products. His newest radios, marketed by Tivoli Audio, have the simple, signature look of his KLH models, even down to their planetary dials.

Kloss, informed by his own muse and unimpressed by fashion, created boldly original, straightforward, utilitarian products that lowered the price of performance. Longevity was another criterion, in what he built and what he bought. When he retired his second Checker automobile after 14 years of use, Henry vowed to drive his new Mercedes diesel for 20.

He owned it to the end, 17 years in all. For the many people who so admired Henry Kloss, that wasn't long enough.


**About Cambridge Soundworks
Cambridge SoundWorks' Chairman was Henry Kloss, a name that will be familiar to anyone who has followed the hi-fi world with a knowledgeable background. Mr. Kloss was a speaker man all his life, being involved in Acoustic Research in its formative years, leaving that company to found KLH, then becoming the force behind Advent. He appeared to lose his way in the '80s when his company produced a projection TV system, but the appearance of Cambridge SoundWorks saw a return to his woofer-n-tweeter roots. The company's first product, a tiny satellite/dual subwoofer package called the Ensemble, along with a similar package from Bose, set the style for what became a bestselling "lifestyle" loudspeaker system . In addition, the notion of selling only direct to the public, with a 30-day money-back guarantee and a toll-free number where expert advice was always available proved a winner.

The Ambiance, Cambridge SoundWorks' second product, was a more conventional mini-monitor that resembled a slightly larger-scale version of the Ensemble satellite.

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