Vintage Asylum

Classic gear from yesteryear; vintage audio standing the test of time.

Return to Vintage Asylum


Message Sort: Post Order or Asylum Reverse Threaded

Strange old Sphere-speaker questions????

153.42.80.135

Posted on March 22, 2001 at 21:17:42
I just recalled something that has been bothering me for a while. A former neighbor of mine used to have a pair of peculiar sphere shaped speakers (they were old, not the new Gallo speakers) They were heavy, black spheres about the size of a Basketball that rested in chromed tripod ring stands about 2 feet off the floor. The speakers had a slot about 5 inches long facing towards the floor and another, shorter slot opposite that had the HF driver behind it. My neigbor recalled these speakers originally went with a very modern looking rosewood and steel console system, that had broken down and was long gone.

I recall they sounded quite good for the unusual design, but nobody could remember who made them. The owner did think they were from the late 60's or mid 70's, but he purchased the system secondhand so he was not sure.
I have not been able to dig up any info on a similar system anywhere, so perhaps my description will catch someone's attention

Thanks for any help, Sincerely, Doug Eisemann

 

Hide full thread outline!
    ...
Re: Strange old Sphere-speaker questions????, posted on March 23, 2001 at 11:52:15
RBP


 
Doug, I remember them, and even saw a pair on ebay about a year ago. I remeber the "good" sound also. I will look through my CD's of equipment pics (from Ebay) and see if I can shed some light. If I do not reply...then I did not find them.

I do remember Grice electronics in Pensacola FL. had them....Grice went out of Biz in '83.

I saw them between 73 and 76 for sure.

 

Re: Strange old Sphere-speaker questions????, posted on March 23, 2001 at 12:03:29
Hmmm, I'm glad someone else knows what I am talking about. I just remember being amazed at these little black "bowling balls" creating such a big, diffuse sound field. Not really hi fi, but pretty neat anyway. Ill keep my eyes open as well

Thanks, Doug Eisemann

 

Re: Strange old Sphere-speaker questions????, posted on March 23, 2001 at 23:30:58
Jelly Roll Mozart


 
I have a pair of speakers made by JVC Japan from the 60's. They
were bought in Japan where they were used in movie houses. They
can be set on post stands or hung from the ceiling. They sound like
the ones you're are inquiring about-- with the exception that they don't
have any slits on them.
They are hanging from the ceiling of my shop. They work fine there,
as they are a little bright and that works well with the equipment
noise.
I A/B tested them with some friends one night against my Lynn Olsen
Ariels. Had to disconnect them after about five minutes--they
just couldn't stand up to Lynn's when played side by side.
Regards,
JRM.

 

Re: Strange old Sphere-speaker questions????, posted on March 24, 2001 at 00:24:32
Hello, for some reason, I think the owner said the speakers were from a Canadian company, although he couldn't remember the brand at all. I think I know of the JVC's you are talking about, and these are not the same thing. Same idea though. The idea of the sphere, or part of a sphere has been a popular concept in audio for quite a while (like those Bose 1/8th sphere corner cabinets with a bazillion drivers in them)

thanks, Doug Eisemann

 

Re: Want new ones, ???, posted on March 24, 2001 at 04:23:52
Hi,,,

Here's a link to a company that makes composite spherical enclosures, complete speakers or DIY. I am going to use a 6.5" Fostex FE-164 full range driver, in a single sphere. I tried to convince myself to do the folded TQWT, but the promise of the spheres is just too appealing. They are easy to work with, nice people.

www.members.com/UltSpeaker/index.htm

Richard :)

 

I might be able to point you in the right direction...., posted on March 24, 2001 at 17:24:12
blunted-one


 
I have had several 'saucer' stereo systems from Electrohome, which is a canadian company. These stereos were sold sometime in the 70's, and came standard with black, spherical speakers. Although the ones I have owned did not have the slots you are describing, they were similar enough otherwise for your description to have caught my attention. I do know that Electrohome made several different versions of this system (ie. a table-top, and at least one more that had its own 'pedestal' stand), and they all came with similar globe speakers...perhaps the ones you are describing came with the pedestal version...?
At any rate, I do not recall right now the model name or number of these units, I sold mine on ebay and saw others there as well under various headings such as 'saucer stereo', 'eames era stereo' 'space-age stereo', etc. Most of the ones I saw were complete systems, although I have seen just the speakers for sale from time to time.
I do recall the speakers were each equipped with only one driver, and although they did look very cool, the sound quality was pretty bland. Of course, that may not be an issue, or you may be planning on modifying the ones you describe anyways, which would be my personal recommendation if you were to get them for your own use.
Hope this is of some use to you!
-Paul

 

Re: I might be able to point you in the right direction...., posted on March 25, 2001 at 16:56:29
Hi, I found an Electrohome saucer stereo on ebay. It sure does look nifty, but the speakers are not what I am thinking of. On "my" speakers (I dont have them) there really isnt any apparent "front" to the enclosure, it is perfectly spherical. THe slots I talked about are apparently ports for bass (the larger one facing the rear) and treble, ( the smaller one in the front) THe pedestal stand was a simple ring stand with three legs that the ball sat in (with the wires coming out the bottom). I will check out some period High Fidelity magazines to see if I can come up with something. Not really a big deal, it has just been bugging me for several years!

Thanks, Doug Eisemann

 

Re: Strange old Sphere-speaker questions????, posted on April 11, 2001 at 02:34:50
Sean


 
The only "sphere's" that i remember were made by Design Acoustics. It was a model D-12A. As befits it's name, it was a 12 sided design that used multiple woofers, tweeters and mids. They were produced in the very late 70's and retailed for about $1500 per pair ( list price ). While i don't recall any "slots" in them, they were pretty heavy from what i remember. I do remember that they were pretty "thirsty" and needed a sturdy amp to drive them. Hope this helps.... Sean
>

 

Page processed in 0.025 seconds.