Can anyone identify these speakers?

Tex
Tex Posts: 189
edited July 2011 in Vintage Speakers
I picked these up at Goodwill this weekend and was wondering if anyone could identify them. There are no markings on them anywhere other than on the mid-range horn. It has a "B" and "Beta" underneath it. It is a large, cast iron, horn. They appear to be from the 70's. Dust cap is messed up on one of the woofers but they both play fine and sound pretty good. They stand about 25 inches tall and weigh about 70lbs.
Post edited by Tex on
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  • george daniel
    george daniel Posts: 12,096
    edited June 2011
    kinda looks like a Klipsch Heresy almost
    JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
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  • Tex
    Tex Posts: 189
    edited June 2011
    I thought they might be Frazier but they are usually marked as such.
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  • george daniel
    george daniel Posts: 12,096
    edited June 2011
    The woofer and cabinet design has me confused--I'll bet you can drive them with 1 tube watt though.
    JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
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  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,151
    edited June 2011
    Home made Klipsch Heresys with side vents if those (99% sure they are) are 12" woofers.:biggrin:
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
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  • Tex
    Tex Posts: 189
    edited June 2011
    They are 12" woofers. I guess they could be home made but they don't really appear to be. Maybe they are an off brand Heresy copy?
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,804
    edited June 2011
    Interesting. HF and MR drivers are "Klipsch" (EV and Atlas, respectively) and the MR horn looks like Klipsch's. The woofer is unfamiliar to me, and I cannot quite read the EIA code thereupon.
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited June 2011
    They do look like a Heresy copy to me, but I actually like the horn loaded woofer better than the original design. Have you been able to hook them up yet? How do they sound?
    Jake
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,804
    edited June 2011
    The gen-u-ine Klipsch Heresy with a too-small closed box is notoriously light in the loafers when it comes to LF :-( The larger Conrwall did much better (FWIW).
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  • Tex
    Tex Posts: 189
    edited June 2011
    The numbers on the back of the woofer are 12671, 137 7908. The speakers sound pretty good but I'm not in love with them. A little light on the low end, and a little harsh on the mids. Somewhat fatiguing with certain types of music. I don't think I went wrong for $30.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,804
    edited June 2011
    Tex wrote: »
    The numbers on the back of the woofer are 12671, 137 7908. The speakers sound pretty good but I'm not in love with them. A little light on the low end, and a little harsh on the mids. Somewhat fatiguing with certain types of music. I don't think I went wrong for $30.

    Sounds just like Heresys :-) A single-ended 2A3 amp would be transforming for them (but you'd still need a subwoofer, and/or to put 'em in corners). There's a guy called Bill Crites who sells drivers and crossover parts for "proper" Heresys. Many folks swear by his efforts - you might want to seek him out and consider some judicious upgrades... or you can probably octuple (is that a word?) :-) your money by selling them on the open market. The fact that they're not "proper" Heresys is probably still a bonus.

    The EIA code "137" identifies the woofer as a CTS ("Chicago Telephone Supply") product; Klipsch also used CTS OEM drivers in their "Heritage" speakers for a while.... but the cabinetry of these looks like no Klipsch product I am aware of.

    Klipsch has a set of forums, and there is a Klipsch subform at www.audiokarma.org if you're interested enough to pursue these any further.

    EIA codes for speakers (and other things): www.webervst.com/codes.html
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  • Joe08867
    Joe08867 Posts: 3,919
    edited June 2011
    I found something similar that might be helpful.

    They might not be Klipsh but built by Beta Sound. They a lot of the same stuff except the one Horn might be an Atlas PD-5VH.

    Here is the link to what I found. They aren't exact but very very similar.

    http://community.klipsch.com/forums/t/73719.aspx?PageIndex=1
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  • Tex
    Tex Posts: 189
    edited June 2011
    I would say the mystery is solved. These might be a worthy project but I'm not a big Klipsch fan. I would like to thank everyone for their help. I knew this would be the place to find out about them.
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  • 20hz
    20hz Posts: 636
    edited July 2011
    Tex wrote: »
    I would say the mystery is solved. These might be a worthy project but I'm not a big Klipsch fan. I would like to thank everyone for their help. I knew this would be the place to find out about them.

    I think you found them .
    But I always see new klipsch stuff (heck yours may be a prototype) did you ever ask any body at klipsch ?
    I to am not a big klipsch fan , but I tell you just selling those tweeters on ebaywill pay your $30 investment .
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