Vintage 3-ways - repair or replace ?

[Steve Burchell]

I have a wonderful set of Hitachi HS-335s which I have been running from a TEAC A-H500 reference system. Unfortunately the large woofers are both 'slapping' at any decent volume (too much loud dub). So I thought I would get the bass drivers replaced but struggled (in London) to find anyone who would do it. When I did fond someone he thought it would be £400 or so - and I don't know whether the mid-range or tweeters could also be nearing end of life. So I looked at new speakers but it seems anything in the £400 range is two-way and doesn't approximate the quality of these old speakers. Alternatively I started looking at vintage secondhand 3-way speaker pairs but again - are they all likely to start failing...and what brand to get ? Its a minefield. Nominally 50w 8ohm amp - I was looking at a pair of Klipsch KG 2.2 but without trying them on my system...am I going to be dissappointed ?

I would welcome any suggestions for

a) refurb services

b) new comparable speakers

c) vintage speakers that will last

Over to you experts....

 

[FennerMachine]

1). Ask Hitachi for recommendations. Alternatively find a speaker refurb specialist even they are the other end of the county. Send them or get them picked up by courier if necessary. Get it done right first time and they should last you years again.

2). Spendor or Harbeth. Not cheap but very good quality. Otherwise, not sure. A 3-way speaker has to be done properly to get the benefits over a 2-way or you are better off with a good 2-way.

Other makes do 3-way speakers, usually floor standers, which might suite you better if you listen to lots of bass heavy music. Email a few manufacturers and stores with your requirements. Go have a listen, taking your amp with you. Then get home demo’s of anything you really like.

3). Second hand you are back to the same place you started. You have no idea how long they might last or even if you will like them.

Note that newer speakers might not be better with your amplification.

If you really like what you have then stick with it.

 

[chebby]

Yamaha NS-670s. Pretty good condition. One faulty midrange, but is including pristine replacement unit in the sale (£200 Buy It Now)...

clicky

 

[Vladimir]

Sell the Hitachis on ebay and buy a pair of Meridian M20s.

Clicky

 

[lindsayt]

Are your bass cones slapping because the surrounds on them have perished or sagged? If so, £30 to £40 worth of repair kit plus a couple of hours time will get them working good as new. There are youtube videos showing you how to do this. It's a pretty easy job.

 

[Steve Burchell]

Thank you Fenner, Vlad, Cheby and Linds - good points all well taken.

I was already looking at those Yamaha's and will bear them in mind but off now to listen to these Klipsch 2.2s which I can get pretty cheaply. Before I do I'm gonna unscrew the woofers on the Hitachis and have a good rummage around. Wish me well - will report back...

 

[lindsayt]

Can you post any close-up photos of the front of your Hitachi bass drivers? Sometimes if they've sagged a bit so that the voice coils are rubbing, this can be fixed by unscrewing them and turning them by 180 degrees. So it's possible you could be looking at a free, 5 minute repair job.

 

[nopiano]

If that doesn't work then how about these long-established people?

http://www.wilmslow-audio.co.uk/repair-and-upgrade-service-4-w.asp

 

[Melchior]

Yamaha NS-1000M speakers are impeccable and readily available in the second-hand market. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

 

[Steve Burchell]

Thank you all for your wise advice. I have now sorted the problem with the woofers (it was the pushed in dust cap that was crackling and I have turned them round anyways) but have discovered that both tweeters are blown (embarrassed to say that the mid-ranges are so good I hadnt noticed until I started taking them apart).

Listening to some Klipsch and Polk speakers has convinced me to repair these (was v tempted by the Yammy's but not enough bass for me). So I THOUGHT I had found OEM suppliers in the States but having taken my money they informed me that the tweeters are no longer available. So long story short (after a prompt refund) this is my new question

the original tweeters are Hitachi 2400251 25mm metalised domes which are 8 ohms and 10w (max 20w). I have searched and searched (knowing that I will have to modify th cabinets a bit as everything these days is smaller than these 120mm babies). The only tweeters with those specs are cheap chinese pieces of plastic rubbish for under a tenner. Looking through Wilmslow and Falcon websites I can find similar tweeters but they are always higher wattage 50w (max 100w) being the norm.

How much of a problem is that going to be ? Should I wait it out until something spot on appears on ebay or bite the bullet and go with matching impedence but not wattage (my TEAC is 50w per but I am assuming that on a three way speaker the wattage is cumulative of the three drivers ?)

Grateful for any thoughts as ever..

 

[RobinKidderminster]

No expert but whilst woofers are matched to cabinet & crossover a tweeter is a bit of a loner. Each may have its own characteristics but apart from crossover is little effected by other drivers. Having said that, the volume of the tweeter compared with other drivers will depend on its efficiency and not just impedance. Max power is irrelevant. I would punt with decent tweeters (if u want to keep them) but be prepared to put a variable resistor between the tweeter to fine tune the balance with a view to replacing it with a fixed resistor after experimentation.

 

[Steve Burchell]

Just wanted to thank all the wise advisors and encouragers.

I listened to some other speakers and decided that short of spending a £1000 I was going to end up disappointed - so I started educating myself. Some incredible resources online not least Rick at http://www.stereomanuals.com who was able to post me the original 70's service manual from the states for about £3 ! I wasn't up to messing about with the crossover resistors and reluctant to chop about the cabinets. After detailed advice regarding tweeter frequency ranges and sensitivity (thank you www.connect-audio.co.uk) I was able to source two Monocore tweeters for £20 each (from bluearan in southampton - connect-audio didnt have that particular one available) that corresponded with the specs and fitted the cabinets (couple of wire adjustments and new screws). Coupled that with ordering some new dustcaps (again, unavailable in the UK as far as I could tell) from the US with proper rubber glue, careful cutting out (the scary bit) of the old pushed in caps and replacing. I now have a fabulous set of detailed, warm, room filling speakers wide a deep sound stage and sub-woofer type frequncies again. For about £60 and a few hours of fascinating self-education ! Very happy bunny - all my music sounds fresh again.

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