('71-'76)   $600 (Xlnt, refoamed)

In very good cosmetic condition, 100% original and fully operational, this pair of the much heralded Altec Lansing Segovia 874A speakers are a vintage throwback to the "good old days" of fine loudspeaker design. 

In this 3-way system, (rated at 4 ohms) the original (refoamed) proprietary woofers have 10" cones (in 12" frames) with stepdown rings, 20 lb alnico magnets and flat wire wound voice coils.
To complete the trifecta, they have 4" mids and proprietary dome tweeters.

The authentic American walnut enclosures are in fine shape; there are no battle scars as are often seen on cabinets nearly 50 years old.  The unique, lattice-style wooden grills are beautiful, they catch your eyes immediately; they scream "vintage"!

( "You can't rush good furniture making. Selecting woods, matching grains, milling pieces, bonding, bracing, sanding, finishing, re-sanding, inspecting, and more sanding and hand-rubbing all take patience and time." This was the attitude of the more than 40 skilled craftsmen at Hill-Craft Mfg. Company, they were the cabinet makers who made all of the speaker cabinets and ensembles for Altec.)

The Segovia was their top-of-the-line oversized bookshelf speaker. It was a great-sounding speaker back then and still sounds wonderful today.  The Segovia features all direct radiators (drivers) and they are also very sensitive.   They are not horn loaded, but still very efficient.For size and sonic comparison, they are the same size and basic configuration as JBL L100, but way more neutral plus they have sealed enclosures as opposed to JBL's ported ones. The woofers crossover at a sensible 500Hz while the L100 crossover was at 1500, which is really high for a 12" driver. Altec smartly used a near full-range 4" midrange in this speaker, covering the entire midrange.

Online comments:
"One thing real neat about the Segovia 874A is the 12" woofer was used exclusively in the Segovia, the magnet is just massive with an impressive extruded type basket design.  They operate in the 4 ohm range and have some decent cabinet weight to them. Inside you should find the original insulation" (yes, it's there!)

"I have a pair, and they play all types of music well. Live music, to me, is exceptional. The high and mid attenuators help with room acoustics."  (agree!)

"Have used mine with my Scott 299C and they worked / sounded great. 299c and LK72 are basically the same amp. I actually thought they sounded better hooked up to the 8 ohm taps, though. Currently my Segovias are powered by my Dynaco ST35, again with the 8 ohm taps. Both combinations are really, really good! You will have no problems enjoying them"

From Altec's 1971 catalog:
"The new 3-way Segovia incorporates all the exclusive Dynamic Force design concepts which are featured in the Barcelona, Granada and Santiago speaker systems. Housed in a contemporary cabinet with an attractive fretwork grille, is a completely new 12-inch Dynamic Force woofer capable of producing an extended low frequency range with very low distortion characteristics. The popular Altec 405A 4-inch speaker provides a smooth mid frequency response with wide dispersion characteristics. The high frequency tweeter is a high quality dome radiator with excellent dispersion and virtually flat response to 20,000 Hz. The dividing networks are a full 12 dB per octave filters at 500 Hz and 4,000 Hz. mid-range and high frequency attenuator controls are provided on the rear of the enclosure.

Basic specs:
Frequency Response: 20-20,000 Hz 
Power Rating: 60 watts
Impedance: 4 ohms
Crossover Frequency: 500-4,000 Hz
Dimensions: 25"H x 14.5"W x 12"D
Weight: 50 lbs each

About Altec Lansing...
Altec Lansing was an American based electronics company founded in 1927.  Their primary products are speakers and associated audio electronics for professional, home, automotive and multimedia applications.

Engineers at Western Electric who later formed Altec Services Company, developed the technology for motion picture sound that was introduced in 1927 with the release of The Jazz Singer.  For the best information about this famous company, here is a great link that tells the real story:

http://www.audioheritage.org/html/history/altec/altec-1963.htm

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('76-'80)  SOLD

In splendid cosmetic condition, completely original and fully operational, this pair of RtR EXP-12M speakers are most certainly very rare.

As with all their EXP models, the EXP-12M  woofers have 2" high temperature voice coils (cured and outgassed), substantial alnico magnets and authentic walnut veneer cabinets.  Essentially, this is a 3-way system in sealed cabinets; each contains a single 12" woofer (expertly refoamed), single soft dome midrange (with a single layer high temperature voice coil) and single 3" soft dome wide dispersion super-tweeter.  They have banana connections, tone controls and circuit breaker protection on the back of the cabinets.

Despite the colorful history of RtR speakers, it should be noted that the EXP-12M model was built well before BIC was associated with RtR; This was an era before BIC bought the brand and the quality began a noticeable decline.  The EXP-12M appeared while RtR was deeply involved in the design of well respected and very high quality products for themselves and other high-line manufacturers.

Specs:
Frequency response: 32-25,000 Hz with
Sensitivity: 90.5dB
Recommended amp: between 20-100 watts
Crossovers: 1250 Hz, 10,000 Hz
Dimensions: 14.25"W x 12"D x 25.5"H
Weight: 45 lbs each


About RtR...
The initials  "RtR" stood for  "Robert Rehorst and Ron Teyes", the original founders of RtR.  Around about 1967, Bob became interested in electronics and high fidelity equipment. He and a friend, Ron Toews, started making some of the very first electrostatic speakers in 1968. Their company was called RTR Industries, a combination of both their initials. The company was in business until 1981. 

During the height of business in the 70's the company produced about 10,000 pairs of speakers per month. They ran the business out of a large building on Deering Ave. in Canoga Park CA.  Eventually, the company was sold to BIC America and the product line was morphed into other BIC speakers but never had the high quality that was so dominant in the original RtR lineup.  Today, without any doubt, most of the original vintage RtR vintage speakers are high on the list for collectors looking for great speakers...well made, real wood and excellent sound.

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('78-'79)  $200

Obtained from the original owner and in very good condition, this pair of *Linear Phase Technics SB-X10 is a two-way system from the late 70's

Each of the walnut veneer cabinets contains:
~single 8" woofer (with treated cloth inverted surrounds) featuring a wide frequency response up to 5Khz to retain smooth crossover at 3Khz. 
It also has a heat-resistant voice coil. 
~single 1"soft dome tweeter with aluminium bobbin, polyamide adhesive, polyester insulation layer, thermal protection relay and 13,500G magnet.

The SB-X10 was part of the second generation of Technics' Linear Phase loudspeakers, in more discrete shapes than the big *SB-7000.
The tweeter is naturally recessed in comparison to the slightly protruding woofer.
Thermal relays for each driver are placed at the input point of the speaker coils set in as soon as excessive heat builds up caused by amplifier clipping ; The reset buttons are located at the back, just above the terminals.
SB-X10 was named SB-X1 in Japan, with differences in crossover frequencies and part of the specifications.
Japan also had a tiny & cute SB-X01 added to the lineup.

Not ultra high-end but very well made bookshelf loudspeakers with clean and straight sound.

*About Technics' linear phase...
Although the Japanese dominated much of the hi-fi scene during the 1970s, there was one important area where their reach was more limited. That was the loudspeaker market. Yes, the companies' catalogs may have been full of glittering arrays of tempting models, but dealers outside of Japan seldom had that many in stock for interested buyers either to see or hear.

One vintage Japanese loudspeaker with which everyone is familiar is the Yamaha NS-1000M [HFN Oct '18], but what is less well known is that all the big Japanese brands offered something of a similar size, cost and ambition (if not absolute quality). It was inevitable then, that Matsushita – then the world's largest maker of electronic consumer products – would offer a series of linear phase high-quality loudspeakers under its Technics brand.  This series reached the wider market around 1977. As with much Japanese kit, the famous SB-7000 offered a headline refinement to set it apart from competitors: 'phase linearity'.

Linear phase loudspeakers were not new and had been available for professional use since the mid '60s. But the Technics' designs (on their bigger models) were based on complex set-ups involving active crossovers and multiple amp channels.

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(2024)  SOLD
Available in either American Walnut or Cherry

As the exclusive dealer rep for *Davidson Audio we are pleased to announce their latest creation...Trois Facon (French for "three ways" pronounced "traw-fa-cone").  

*NOTE: The boutique artisans at Davidson Audio have previously created and designed the Bel Suono, Febrero, Ottobre, Froy, Augustus and other models over the years.  Those who decide to buy any of Davidson Audio's designs can rest assured they will own exclusive, "one-off" custom designs hand-built by a master craftsman with many years of teaching and building unique speaker systems.  Mr Davidson is always available for personal contact regarding any questions about his designs.

Each of the 46 lb enclosures measures 21" tall x 11.25" wide x 16" deep.
When placed on the matching stands, they are 42" tall.  They have a nominal impedance of 6 ohms.   The cabinets have your choose of either luxurious American Walnut veneer or Cherry.

*NOTE: as of 7/27 the Trois Facon with cherry finish is sold and no longer available.  

John Davidson describes the Trois Facon:
"The Trois Facon is my second 3-way design. My last two designs (Bel Suono and Augustus) focused on using top-of-the-line drivers and, as a result, proved to be more costly than expected.  Even though I've never been (and probably will never be) profit motivated when it comes to building speakers, I usually end up with a final price that's related to build costs. 
Having said that, it's probably more than likely a lot of people are not comfortable paying over $2000 for a pair of speakers. So, the focus for the Trois Facon was to build the best speaker I can with moderately priced drivers and, ultimately, reduce the cost. 

The bass driver I selected for the speaker is the Peerless SLS-830667. This driver has been around for many years and has a reputation for value and performance. Also, this woofer is optimized for use in a sealed box, easily reaching the F3 roll off at 45Hz. But in addition to this, sealed woofers have a gentler roll off than ported boxes giving this design usable bass below 40Hz. The Peerless woofer also has a great flat extension up to 1Khz.

The midrange driver is a SB Acoustics 4-inch ceramic cone drive with a beautiful flat response through the midrange frequencies. The driver starts to roll off at about 3 Khz and has no breakup until about 7 Khz, well past the intended crossover point.

The tweeter also comes from SB Acoustics. This 1" ceramic dome tweeter has a ruler flat response from 800Hz to over 30 Khz. The ceramic dome is very stiff pushing any breakup mode well past the audible range. This tweeter is easy to listen for without any fatiguing characteristics.

The cabinet is constructed out of ¾” MDF on all sides except the front baffle. The baffle is constructed from 1” MDF and the cape with ½” piece of solid American walnut or Cherry.
An internal enclosure is also constructed inside the box to isolate the midrange from the woofer. The box is also integrated into the cabinet to provide bracing on the tall side of the cabinet. The sides and top of the cabinets are covered in thick walnut veneer to match the baffle.

I also built a pair of very sturdy, matching wood finish stands.  These stands are so strong they easily support the 46 lb. cabinets.
This combination gives this system a sleek and elegant look.

The crossovers are constructed using air core inductors, and polycaps. No electrolytic capacitors are used in the crossovers. I use a combination of 1st order; 2nd order and 3rd order filters to take advantage of the wide power bands and natural roll offs of each of the drivers. This provides a seamless transition between the drivers. The crossovers frequencies are 650Hz and 3Khz. Overall, this is one of the smoothest speaker systems I have ever built and I will miss them. I have enjoyed them so much I am finding it difficult to hand them off to my Cherry Vintage Audio in Greenville SC (since 2019, they are the exclusive dealer handling my designs.)  

The speaker has a sensitivity of about 87dB per 2.83V. The impedance never goes below 6.5 ohms and stays at 8 ohms or more for 90% of its frequency range. It is an easy speaker to drive. It does well with any amp or receiver of about 50 watts. Max power is about 100 watts but as always, any time the speaker starts to sound stressed you need to turn down the volume. I personally was using a 300-watt amp.

About Davidson Audio...
Based in Easley SC, John Davidson has over 25 years experience in custom loudspeaker design and technology.  During the late 60's, at the tender age of 12 and through the teen years, the addiction to HiFi led to a serious study of electronics.  For his senior high school project he built his first amplifier.  Eventually he earned a degree in electronic engineering technologies and began to work in the industrial manufacturing area.  All the while, the HiFi bug continued as a serious hobby.  Today, his designs can be seen and heard exclusively at Cherry Vintage Audio in Greenville, SC

In the mid '90s, with the consent and encouragement from wife and family, he decided to build a high quality media room at home. After setting a substantial budget for the intended gear, he discovered, very quickly, just how little the speaker budget had actually brought to the table. This led to researching the REAL cost in manufacturing high quality speakers which, in turn, led him to the surprisingly abundant world of DIY.  From that point on he never purchased a new set of commercially built speakers.

With his substantial and continuing understanding of electronics and the benefits of his other serious hobby, woodworking, he set out to build his own speakers. By intensive reading and studying (along with trial and error), he gained the understanding and formulas of speaker construction.   Over the next 25 years he built many sets of speakers of his own design along with some from other designers he had come to respect.

As he states "my designs typically start by combing through hundreds of data sheets from driver manufactures to find specific drivers that fit the acoustic and electrical characteristics I want.  Using that reference data, I make base calculations on the crossovers.  However, since drivers are a type of motor and dynamic by nature, the static calculations serve only as a starting point. It is impossible to produce a design with just base static calculations that will be pleasing to the ear.  So next comes the most difficult and time consuming aspect of any new design: hours, days, weeks, and even months of listening, testing and tweaking the crossover to produce the desired final product. Once the crossover is worked out the woodworking starts.  Selecting the best materials, I construct the cabinets. I use proven construction techniques and try to add visual interest using contrasting solid woods and veneers.  Internal bracing adds rigidity and lining the enclosures with acoustic foam eliminates standing waves and distortion. In the end, the enclosure must be functional but also pleasing in cosmetic design.  My philosophy towards loudspeaker design begins with the realization that it's an artful process that's based in science and engineering.  The final tuning of the crossover by ear combined with the design and construction of the enclosure is what elevates a loudspeaker into something you never tire of listening to."

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