Thread: speaker quandry

Originally Posted by stevethemusicman

Hi There,

However I was just given a Mctintosh 2300 amplifier in great shape. I want to utilize it in the studio but I can’t afford real expensive studio monitors.

A few friends of mine told me that with the Mcintosh I really should be using a better studio monitor rather than the PA speakers I can afford.

Is it worth it to get the lower cost PA speakers or should I just bite the bullet and sell the Mcintosh (they are going for $1700 and up and stick with my 20/20 BAS.

If I was given a good-working McIntosh in great shape...I'd find something to do with it, or stash it until I had the bucks for proper speakers. I wouldn't want to get rid of it, unless I had to.

I wouldn't run PA speakers on it for studio monitoring...though I hear the Grateful Dead used those for PA amps. I don't know if they had modifications, or not...as in...something different than the RCA inputs? Anyway, I'd keep it. Maybe even just get some good home stereo speakers, and listen to your stuff on that to get an idea how it sounds on a home stereo?

Then again, if you're short on cash, and REALLY need something else, there it is. You may regret selling it, though, unless you buy a vintage piece of something else (guitar, amp, mic, etc.) How many things made these days do you figure will command the same lust-factor after decades, and retain (or even gain) value, because of their quality build, reliability and great sound? Your average new Pioneer, Onkyo, etc. is going to be cheap yard-sale stuff in 10 years.

That's just my opinion. I vote "keep it".

Good luck,

Kapt.Krunch

Everything the Grateful Dead had or have now was NOT stock in any way shape or form. They had a whole industry with their customization of gear their techs and friends came up with. Think Alembic......

Keep the amp. Research all the major brands of studio monitors. They all make or have made passive models of the most popular active models. They are less than half the cost in every situation.

Hi,


More on the discussion on this group about my Mcintosh 2300. My Brother in law has a pair of Design Audio ps 10's that he's going to give me. One of the woofers is dead. I was thinking that if I get the speakers and buy 2 matching woofers and install them myself it might be a good match for the Mcintosh. I believe that the speakers as they are take 100 watts a channel.


Do you think that by buying woofers with a higher wattage rating and perhaps a new crossover would make this ideal for my studio? As I mentioned in former posts I already have a pair of Event 20/20 BAS speakers but it would be nice to utilize the Mcintosh with another pair of good speakers.


Thanks,


Steve

Choosing the right woofer involves a fair amount of mathematics. The cubic footage of the speaker box and port(s) if any, crossover points, etc. all have to be accounted for. In addition to the wattage and frequency response, you'll notice specs like Qes, Qts, Vas, and many more on sites that cater to speaker builders. All of those numbers and more will have a dramatic effect on the resulting sound of your speaker.

You might want to try a site like Parts Express, which is one of those sites that started out as a site for people who build speakers. A call or email inquiry might save you a lot of guess work. They may be familiar with your speaker and/or have a suitable cross-reference book to make sure you get something that will fit your specific cabinet in more than just diameter.

Your idea of buying 2 matching woofers, is almost certainly the best way to go, at least they would have the same characteristic strengths and weaknesses. If the tweeters and crossovers work, personally, I'd be inclined to keep them as is.

EDIT: And if PS10, is short for "10-inch Powered Sub" you're right back where you started from - unable to utilize a vintage amp without doing some modifications to the sub.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by dvdhawk

Choosing the right woofer involves a fair amount of mathematics. The cubic footage of the speaker box and port(s) if any, crossover points, etc. all have to be accounted for. In addition to the wattage and frequency response, you'll notice specs like Qes, Qts, Vas, and many more on sites that cater to speaker builders. All of those numbers and more will have a dramatic effect on the resulting sound of your speaker.

You might want to try a site like Parts Express, which is one of those sites that started out as a site for people who build speakers. A call or email inquiry might save you a lot of guess work. They may be familiar with your speaker and/or have a suitable cross-reference book to make sure you get something that will fit your specific cabinet in more than just diameter.

Your idea of buying 2 matching woofers, is almost certainly the best way to go, at least they would have the same characteristic strengths and weaknesses. If the tweeters and crossovers work, personally, I'd be inclined to keep them as is.

EDIT: And if PS10, is short for "10-inch Powered Sub" you're right back where you started from - unable to utilize a vintage amp without doing some modifications to the sub.

Good luck.

Do you think that it would be a good thing to find someone locally that can repair the speaker? I don't know what's wrong with it. I will have them next week to be able to try out and look. I know that in the past speakers were re-coned if the coils were still good.

Thanks

Steve

Speakers with blown coils can be reconed. Do a search on Google for speaker reconing. Don't limit your options to local reconing operations. Find someone who can recone those speakers with NOS factory parts if possible.