Why are vintage speakers so short and low to the ground???

[audio]

I've been wondering......why did they make vintage speakers from the '60s and '70s so short? These days, there is so much talk about listening height keeping your ears level with the tweeters and what not. Did they just assume that everyone would be listening while sitting in bean bag chairs or something??

[JohnnyK]

I have a pair of AR3a speakers, which are "short" speakers. These speakers were never intended to be placed directly on the floor. The manual that came with these speakers recommends that either the speakers are placed on speaker stands (AR made stands for these speakers), or that the speakers are placed on shelves. YIKES!!! These speakers are HEAVY. The shelves would need to be plenty strong to support these speakers.

[Bob Lovely]

Prix,

People were shorter then?

I do know that speaker designs were different then because of many reasons: technology, aesthetics and even the components that were used. A lot of speakers could used upright on stands (as been said) or they could be used 'bookshelf style'. My vintage JBL L-166's can be placed effectively either way and sound great.....I use them for mastering:

[Clay]

Hi Prix,

Not all vintge speakers are short.
Mine are 1973 vintage and are 48" tall.
I had to make one since I could only find one.
It has a 1/4 wavelength transmission line so no subwoofer is needed.

[Clay]

Here are some vintage towers for sale on ebay.
I think they are the best sounding vintage speakers I ever sold in the 70's.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3038118399&category=14993

[audio]

Originally posted by Clay
Here are some vintage towers for sale on ebay.
I think they are the best sounding vintage speakers I ever sold in the 70's.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3038118399&category=14993


They're near me also. I don't know, I'd have to get the stamp of approval from Steve first. Also, I wonder how the efficiency is? Remember, I'm doing 20 wpc of tubes. If Steve says these are good, I'll think seriously about them. I trust his ears because I know from his mastering that he understands how I want to hear my music.

[BeatleFred]

Short spekaers in the late 70's?

These are 6ft tall (and go down to 18Hz) :

http://www.bobbyshred.com/infinity/QLS.html

[Alan]

My brother had a pair of ESS AMT-1's(this is 1976!), I got him a Marantz 1200B to drive them. As I remember they didn't have much bottom end and the Heil drivers were rather beamy. Not a bad speaker really. He traded them in for a pair of Infinity QLS. Funny...when we picked up the QLS's in Toronto in my van, the boxes where about 80" high. He got some SAE stuff to drive them, 2100L(pre), 2800(parametric) and two 2300's(amps). About a year later one of the Infinity/Watkins dual drive woofers(dual voice coil) developed a problem around 105 hz. when they were driven hard. He still has them.
I remember listening to the Infinity Servo-Static 1A in '75...not all vintage systems are small...;-).

Alan

[audio]

I know that there are obviously some HUGE speakers from the '60s and the '70s. In fact, some of the bigger speakers I've ever seen are vintage. What I meant is that there seems to be an abnormally large percentage of mid-size floorstanders that are like 22-30" tall, max. It just strikes me as being odd considering most people's ear level sitting in chairs is about 36-40". These aren't speakers that you want to put on stands either because they are so wide and heavy. Take Steve's Tannoys for example. If I'm not mistaken, those are about 26" tall. Now assuming one wants to do some serious listening and really take in a premium soundstage, would you want to sit on the floor or something? Did these speaker manufacturers somehow know that most of their product would eventually end up in Japan?? Anyway, I was just wondering if these speakers were meant to be that low and image higher than modern speakers or if they just didn't think about such things. I have no idea, that's why I started the thread. What's up with all the mid-size speakers??

[Steve Hoffman]

Back to planet earth. My Tannoy's are 45 inches tall. Just right.

[mne563]

Yeah, the dogs luv 'em, right?:)

[audio]

Originally posted by Steve Hoffman
Back to planet earth. My Tannoy's are 45 inches tall. Just right.


Woah! Talk about a gross miscalculation. Sorry, Steve. I was confusing your cabinet type with these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3035786383&category=14993

This is exactly the type of thing I'm talking about. These are a big and wide box that is 26" tall. What are you supposed to do with these?

[Gary]

They don't mention a year for those speakers on that eBay listing.

Back in the olden days, music was either on reel-to-reel tapes or on vinyl. The first "audiophile" turntable was probably made during the early '70's - perhaps it was an Ariston Audio or Linn brand.

Proper listening height for speakers was not a consideraton for the average stereo listener!

And more affordable (popular) speakers means smaller speakers.

Heck, "stereo" was still "new" and people did not see anything wrong with using them for end tables and pieces of furniture. That's why some of them look so nice!

And they had a high WAF! :D

[Steve Hoffman]

Originally posted by prix



Woah! Talk about a gross miscalculation. Sorry, Steve. I was confusing your cabinet type with these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3035786383&category=14993

This is exactly the type of thing I'm talking about. These are a big and wide box that is 26" tall. What are you supposed to do with these?

I have no idea. But those are 12" speakers and like I said, I'm not into the Tiny Tannoys. They are meant to be less "disturbing" to wives I guess.

[JohnnyK]

Originally posted by prix
What I meant is that there seems to be an abnormally large percentage of mid-size floorstanders that are like 22-30" tall, max. It just strikes me as being odd considering most people's ear level sitting in chairs is about 36-40". These aren't speakers that you want to put on stands either because they are so wide and heavy.

The stands that AR made for their speakers were nothing like modern speaker stands. MOst moder speaker stands are mad up of a metal tube with a metal plate on top and bottom. The AR stands were made from plywood and were very short. They were, maybe, 12" to 18" high. They were more lika an elevated shelf.

[fjhuerta]

Yeah, I know about that. My grandma's KL-777X speakers are TOO short! I mean, I know they were made in Japan, but whenever you take off the cover and see all drivers piled up you wonder whether people didn't know any better back then!

I think they won't sound any better on stands. Steve, you once mentioned back then, speakers were meant to be corner-placed. I'd then assume speakers would lose a lot of bass response if elevated, right?

[Clay]

I'd then assume speakers would lose a lot of bass response if elevated, right?
Or possibly loose the too much bass if in the corner on the floor.
Actually you will want them elevated to ear level.
tweeters are directional and you will loose some highs in the tweeters are not line of sight.

Say ear level and 1' in from the wall, then move in and out from back wall to adjust bass and imaging.
Those Kenwoods will sound better off the ground IMO

[audio]

Don't the tweeters in the old Tannoys fire upwards at an angle?

[Steve Hoffman]

Not at all.


http://www.tnt-audio.com/casse/tannoy-concentric_e.html

[audio]

Originally posted by Steve Hoffman
Not at all.


http://www.tnt-audio.com/casse/tannoy-concentric_e.html


Okay, I was misinformed. I was told that the Monitor Golds did this. I think it was the same "deaf as a post" audio dealer that told me they were "honky":rolleyes:, so you know how it is.