Fuse protection?

slong115

First post for me on this forum and I wanted to say 'Hi' to everyone, too.

I just replaced my four (very) old Sansui SP-2500 speakers that I bought back when I was in Vietnam with one pair of Monitor 70's and all I can say is WOW!! I have them connected to a Denon AVR-3200 and I can't believe the difference in the way the new Polk speakers sound compared to the Sansui speakers. The Sansui's were really decent for their day and I have had them for so long they are almost like old friends but I think they are going into storage after hearing the Polks.

So, my question is does anyone here bother to fuse their speakers? I had a high school buddy who worked for Heath Company as an audio technician before they got sold to Zenith (I am really showing my age here! lol) and he was a big advocate of putting external fuses in the speaker wires to help prevent any damage to the speakers in case of too much power or if the amp ever fried and sent too much current to the speakers. He used to say "Just like seatbelts, there is no guarantee that the fuses will help if the situation is bad enough but they might help and they are cheap insurance!" Sadly, he passed away a few years ago so I can't ask him for advice any longer and I thought I would come here and ask that as my first question on the forum.

Thanks in advance

Scott

dorokusai

Scott,

No, terrible idea. Sorry for the loss of a friend and audio consultant but there's just no reason to add them to a loudspeaker. It was common to find them in the 70's but modern circuit or overload protection has come a long way since then.

As long as your sensible on the volume knob and don't try and recreate the last rock concert you attended, you'll be fine.

As an aside, can you post pics of those old Sansui speakers? I'm just wondering what they look like.

Mark

slong115

Thanks for the info and such a quick reply, Mark. Nice to learn that I don't need to fuse these new Polk speakers. I've been sorting through my CDs trying to find albums to put them to the test and they really sound great.

I got lucky and the wife had not taken the camera with her this evening so hopefully I attached the photos correctly. I even remembered how to remove the grill for one of the pictures! I have removed them in the past but it has been about 20 years since the last time I did that. Lots of dust inside! :eek:

The SP-2500's were really good sounding speakers for their time but at almost 40 years old they are starting to show their age (plus a few battle scars acquired during moves from one house to another over the years). I shipped so much stereo equipment home from Vietnam that my Mom told me the delivery guy was begging me not to buy anymore items! LOL They still sound okay but there is no comparison between them and my new Polks.

dorokusai

Scott,

Thanks for the pics. I was thinking that was the model but wanted to make sure. That was a phase of Asian Hi-Fi that was often referred to as Kabuki loudspeakers...too many drivers, overdesigned, overrated but they sure did sell a lot of them. At that time, hell yeah, they sounded good, produced great bass and could crank out whatever you threw at them. Upon critical inspection and listening, they were just awful, LOL. Ahhh, those were the days. I wish it didn't require as much thinking anymore but alas we are better for it you know?

What new Polk's did you get? Monitor 70 right? Feel free to post pics of them as well. We're all nerds here so show us your setup and glad to have you aboard. That's a great start but you should try and get your ears on the new LSiM or even the old LSi if you really want your socks blown off.

Mark

slong115

Yeah, Mark, the SP-2500's have many hours of Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Grand Funk Railroad, etc pushed through them and they held up quite well to that type of music (all LP's, of course). Ah, those were the days. I have a few of those groups on CD now but I just can't seem to take them for prolonged periods of time like I used to when I was in my 20's! I have mellowed into more of a blues guy (Tinsley Ellis, Anthony Gomes, Jimmy Thackery, etc) but still get the old stuff out when I am feeling nostalgic.

Heathkit used to make some really good stereo equipment back in the late 70's/early 80's, too. I don't think they made speakers but they had quite a few tuners, receivers, amps, etc that seemed quite good for their time. With my buddy working there, I was able to get the kits at his employee cost and over the course of a few years I built a digital FM tuner, a stereo amplifier to go with it, a 25" color television, a fish finder and lots of radio control transmitters, receivers and servos. I loved building that stuff and I really wish Heathkit was still around but their type of electronic kits just fell out of favor as people could buy stereo equipment as good or better for the same price and just plug it in and use it!

Yep, I got the Monitor 70's. Couldn't pass up on the clearance price. Actually, my wife got them for me for my bday (I picked them out, though) but she also wanted something better than the Sansui's for her 'girl parties' that she has about once a month. She is from the Philippines and there is a group of about 30 Filipinas in our area and they are all a close-knit group so there are lots of parties at each others' houses. I have the speakers in our basement where I can listen to them with some volume and then my wife will use them for dance parties with her girlfriends, too. Right now I have them just quickly connected behind the bar but I haven't decided where I want them in the long run. As soon as I get them situated in their best location, I will post pic's. This basement 'playroom' is about 13' by 40' and I am impressed that these 2 speakers sound better in a room this size than 4 of my SP-2500s did. I thought I might need a subwoofer or 2 more Monitor 70's in a room this big but for right now I think I am good to go. I had two of the SP-2500's behind the bar and the other two at the far end where my pool table is. Sometimes the music would overpower conversations when I was playing pool with buddies. With the Polks near the bar, I think we will be able to listen to music at a decent level and still be able to talk while playing pool.