Vintage stuff in circulation in India

[GeorgeO]

Apart from the more mainstream Altec drivers that some of us on the forum have used to build speaker systems-and these also come in different models ,flavours and periods-Alnico, ferrite, and the like, I also discovered that there are different brands from different countries, and not just the big American brands, that sold gear into the Indian cinema market. British(,Wharfedale,Tannoy, Goodman), German(Klangfilm made by Siemens).

I am sure there must have been French and maybe Japanese stuff also sold here. Apart from drivers, there are amps, projectors, and various accessories that were sold, some of them are like tubes which are sold separately.
All in all it's a totally new and interesting world of possibilities, and I am beginning to explore some of the options that are available. Some stuff has been damaged beyond redemption, some has been melted or sold as scrap and a small fraction can be refurbished and re used.

 

[greenhorn]

yes on the jap stuff
https://gearheads.in/showthread.php?26734-Vintage-full-range-alnico-drivers-for-DIY-buffs
showed up some time ago

 

[SIDEWINDER18X]

Japanese ...... Fostex and TAD

 

[kartick]

Apart from the more mainstream Altec drivers that some of us on the forum have used to build speaker systems-and these also come in different models ,flavours and periods-Alnico, ferrite, and the like, I also discovered that there are different brands from different countries, and not just the big American brands, that sold gear into the Indian cinema market. British(,Wharfedale,Tannoy, Goodman), German(Klangfilm made by Siemens).

I am sure there must have been French and maybe Japanese stuff also sold here. Apart from drivers, there are amps, projectors, and various accessories that were sold, some of them are like tubes which are sold separately.
All in all it's a totally new and interesting world of possibilities, and I am beginning to explore some of the options that are available. Some stuff has been damaged beyond redemption, some has been melted or sold as scrap and a small fraction can be refurbished and re used.

Hello George - this is absolutely true. I have just about finished a speaker project which is based on the Soviet 15" cinema speakers from LOMO KINAP. I read that these are based on the Klangfilm design philosophy. Our very knowledgeable FM Rajiv also spoke highly of these. It was a long process of getting these speakers ready. So many hours of painstakingly tuning these to sound like these do, which is yummy. I complimented these with the Altec 288-Ks with Le-cleach horns and super tweeters which are crossed over quite high. Huge credit to Viren sir of Lyrita Audio to make this happen and being so patient. He considers the sound extremely well balanced and he considers it nothing short of the Altec 515s. In short it opened the doors of aural satisfaction for me. Realism are their forte. I will do a proper write up on these at a later stage. But the drive behind this project was to attempt a speaker which realizes the potential of alternative vintage brands like Kinap. These are built like a tank and I felt the huge Alnico magnets should perform well, so went ahead with it and I am glad I did.

 

[GeorgeO]

Indeed. Kartick. Did you recone your LFs? That's a problem with some of these older units, as you know.

I think anyone who is interested should get hold of these beauties before they vanish forever. Knowledgeable FMs like Rajiv and others(Vivek, mod Anilva), and various others( who may be trading, hoarding or collecting) can share their views.

I documented an Altec build a while ago, found the journey both interesting and challenging. Initially I used a passive crossover, then opted for MiniDSP active, with biamping, now I am veering around to passive, haven't made up mind.

 

[kartick]

Hi George - I was lucky to get the LFs in great condition so cones were intact. There were other pieces of the LFs as well but all were damaged so had left those. These were taken down from a legendary cinema hall in Delhi. I feel that extra connect with these as its like owning a piece of your city's history. MiniDSP seems good when one wants to toy around and reach that perfect crossover combination for the highs and lows. However, once the crossover points are finalized, going the passive crossover seems more appealing to me. Just passing the whole signal via another digital medium seems weird to me. Don't want to start any debates here, but I feel this way.

Even though I went for a simple first order passive crossover, but getting the crossover points right for LF and the super tweeter was a matter of careful and extended listening. The systems is so revealing that you change one thing in the chain and it immediately impacts the overall sound. It feels almost unbelievable that how can a change as small as changing the type of capacitor that I use with my super tweeter makes you feel that the texture of music has changed drastically. And, this I say for the entire spectrum not only highs. You can imagine how massively it changes if I change the value of that capacitor.

I have found Russian/Soviet PIO capacitors to work wonderfully well in my crossovers and also in my DAC circuit.

The Kinaps are a great pair of LF drivers. If you get a chance, do listen to these. I am extremely glad I went ahead with this endeavour. I am very eager to listen to my setup with my new turntable (modded a TD160 with custom plinth and arm with the help of Viren sir again). I have put on a Denon DL-103R on it so am guessing it will be giving me a massive SQ upgrade from what I used to hear with the DL-110.

 

[anilva]

I saw a great pair of Kinap listed on eBay and was interested, but the hassle of importing put me off.

They seem to be extremely well made and look like Klangfilm drivers. The difference between Altec and any other vintage drivers is that, the replacement cones and dias are available for Altec even if they are expensive, whereas none for the others. Unless one gets extremely lucky to get in original shape, there is no point in buying other brands and can never get the original authentic sound from them.

FM Rajiv stands out on this forum as a person singularly responsible for rekindling the enthusiasm on vintage equipment for many people including me. His knowledge, practical experience and helpful nature sets him apart.

Cheers

 

[kartick]

That is true. Rajiv is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. His evaluation of the vintage products is quite reasonable and he always discouraged me to not spend a bomb on highly desirable products like the Garrards, etc. I believe that is true. One should not judge the performance of a product just by the price it goes by in the market. He was kind to share a few tubes with me. I highly appreciate his gestures. I also remember, when I had purchased the Lomos, I had met with Rajiv in Chennai and had told him about the purchase, he gave me a lot of confidence about these. What I had read on the internet was that these are light on the bass, but I vouch that if one has properly tuned cabinets, these can deliver extremely rich and deep bass. I have the 2A-11 variant.

Another superb performer from the Kinap family is the 1A-13 HF driver. It is a field coil driver and I wish to use it sometime in life.

And regarding the difference between vintage Altecs vs other brands, I second your view that a major difference is between the availability of replacement parts like cones, diaphragms, etc. As I was lucky to find a near mint pair, I picked those up, knowing the risk that if these ever go bad, there is no repair possible.

What I want to sample now are a pair of Altec 288 Alnico versions (B,C,G, Hollywood). Hoping to get one soon. I have heard it extensively at Viren Sir's place. Especially because I use the GM70 amp, I feel the need to have these to make the mid tones lusher.

 

[GeorgeO]

Good luck in your endeavours on scoring the RWBs, they are, I understand quite hard to find, as are the other versions you mentioned. I will search for a pair once my 45 SET amps build is done. I've heard the 45s and like the sound. GPA gives support to Altec products, though at a price-the diaphragms for the 288s set me down $100 each when I bought them. Still, I suppose that's way better than not getting any! Field coils are interesting and sound nice especially in the mids, I had a chance to hear them. IMHO they sound even better when used along with a sub.

 

[elt93]

I recently heard a pair of Lomo Kinap 4A-32 for sale here. It was my first experience with vintage full range drivers and I was very impressed by how they sounded.

 

[kartick]

I recently heard a pair of Lomo Kinap 4A-32 for sale here. It was my first experience with vintage full range drivers and I was very impressed by how they sounded.

Oh nice, where did you find these for sale? Goa?? If you dont mind can you share the price these were available at?

 

[elt93]

Oh nice, where did you find these for sale? Goa?? If you dont mind can you share the price these were available at?

They are still available. If I had the money or space I'd get them myself hyeah:
Sent you a PM regarding the speakers.

 

[darksideboy]

I have a number of Philips alnico drivers which were pulled from old console stereos. I also bought a pair of Philips ad5200m from a dealer here. The problem with all of these though was reconing and restoration. Also if imported quad 15" magnavoxes from abroad

 

[GeorgeO]

I got a pair of Klangfilm 408a monoblocks restored. They were cosmetically reasonably good. Primaries were 100/110/220/250, for some unfathomable reason it came wired to 110. Anyway they were cleaned up, capacitors changed, and play as good as new.

 

[GeorgeO]

Of course the appropriate tubes were used, and some minor mods done.

 

[GeorgeO]

Design is EL 34 pp, tube rectified and output is about 25 wpc. In fully restored condition, list for a cool 2500 Euro minimum.

 

[JayaRaa]

I got a pair of Klangfilm 408a monoblocks restored. They were cosmetically reasonably good. Primaries were 100/110/220/250, for some unfathomable reason it came wired to 110. Anyway they were cleaned up, capacitors changed, and play as good as new.

some pictures of the restored monoblocks if possible. thanks

 

[Decadent_Spectre]

Anyone know of any Karlson couplers in India?

Perhaps vintage horns, FLH, Scoop,W bin, anything really.

Also if anyone has an old Crown Macro 5002VZ or Crest 10001. If the amps are in good condition I may buy/trade for them...the Karlsons as well.

 

[Fantastic]

Anyone know of any Karlson couplers in India?

You could build your own Karlson couplers. There are a lot of people building them around the globe.Many using Eminence drivers that are available here. Check them out as they don't seem to be too hard to build.You also have SQ reports on the various units that have been built and/or being built.

 

[Decadent_Spectre]

You could build your own Karlson couplers. There are a lot of people building them around the globe.Many using Eminence drivers that are available here. Check them out as they don't seem to be too hard to build.You also have SQ reports on the various units that have been built and/or being built.

Got out of the DIY game, been a while. I just don't have the time or inclination. Just curious if there are any, that would be an easy way to hear or acquire one.

There is also a problem with local carpenters, most of them seem poorly skilled for such things, they might be OK for regular sealed/ported cabs but they tend to have issues making horns/bandpasses or any cab that's not just a simple square/rectangle. A local cab shop with a CNC would ease this a lot and make "DIY" possible. At that point you must search for a good carpenter and supervise. I haven't been able to find Baltic Birch locally either. Overall easier to just import it from a custom builder abroad, more expensive though.