original SVT 10" 32 ohm speakers

[jebersole]

I think I have 4 original 10" 32ohm speakers from a very old SVT cabinet. They are in what I think is half of the original cabinet. The guy I bought it from (about 15 years ago) said he chopped the original cab in half to make two 4x10 cabs.

Anyway, I have a couple of questions:

I don't use this cab anymore and have no intentions on aquiring 4 more speakers and an empty SVT cabinet to put them back to their intended use, but maybe someone else would. So, do these have any "vintage" value?

If so, is there a way to verify that these are the original speakers from an old SVT 8x10 cabinet?

Thanks, Jason

 

[JimmyM]

Absolutely and absolutely!

CTS SVT speakers from the 70's are the tops. However, you won't make a fortune on them. You can expect in the ballpark of $100 or more on each, though, as long as they work and are in decent shape.

And the way you tell how old they are is the code on the back of the magnet. CTS's speaker code was 137, followed by 4 numbers usually, the first two being the year of manufacture, the next two being the month. Most SVT speakers had 4 numbers after the manufacturer code, but some might have 3, and in that case only the first number is the year, like "3" for 1973. If they're not CTS, you can Google "speaker codes" and get a list of manufacturers and their codes.

It's pretty obvious if they're original because of the date and the rarity of 32 ohm speakers in the 70's, and almost all early SVT cabs were loaded with CTS's. Now if they date to the 80's or later it gets kind of fuzzy.

 

[jebersole]

Just pulled one. Here are the numbers:

5810144
6910001
137 7335
32 ohms

I haven't had the grill off of this thing for a while. The speakers actually look pretty good. The worst of the bunch has what looks like a little bit of fingernail polish along the edge of the little center dome. I've seen these come apart from the paper cone on other speakers and buzz, so maybe it was repaired for that. All of the cones look good and none of the center domes are missing or pushed in.

Maybe I'll Ebay them. Thanks! Jason

 

[JimmyM]

Definitely CTS's from 73. I must be wrong about the last two numbers...have to refresh my knowledge But you'll definitely sell 'em, fingernail polish and all.

 

[JimmyM]

The last two digits aren't the month but the week of the year it was made. Just thought I'd add that in case anyone give's a rat's patoot.

 

[T-Bird]

Hi, Jason.

I don't use this cab anymore and have no intentions on aquiring 4 more speakers and an empty SVT cabinet to put them back to their intended use, but maybe someone else would. So, do these have any "vintage" value?

Thanks, Jason

They do have a value, but having bought some used speakers, both modern and vintage, the value of an used speaker lies in the basket. Well in the magnet structure to be more precise, but as that is often (semi-) permanently attached to the stamped or cast section it really doesn't matter .

One thing is the physical condition, especially in the gap and the other thing is the availability of the correct reconing kit.

Vintage speakers are always a gamble and if You have any means to test those speakers, do test them as the fair asking price depends quite heavily of the real, measured condition.

IME/IMO as always.

Regards
Sam

 

[jebersole]

Testing makes sense. I can easily hook them up and make sure there are no audible problems. Based on your post though, it sounds like there is a way to quantify the quality of these speakers by some other means... or did I misunderstand???

- jason

 

[JimmyM]

It's not necessary to take them to a speaker shop and have them scoped or anything, but you should plug them into a cabinet of some sort and run some bass through them (not too loud since they're pretty low power handling), and also run a CD through them and listen to them and make sure they don't sound bad. Another thing to do is push very gently on the cones around the voice coil cover, and if you feel anything rubbing, the voice coil is shot and you'll need to have them reconed. You can get away with holes in the cone repaired with nail polish (or even duct tape), but a shot voice coil is death. Reconing is expensive (I just did my CTS SVT speakers for $81 each), but reconing kits are widely available, they're exceptional speakers, and well worth the aggravation factor. They don't handle a lot of power, but no SVT cab sounds as good as a CTS-loaded SVT cab.

 

[T-Bird]

Hi, Jason.

Testing makes sense. I can easily hook them up and make sure there are no audible problems. Based on your post though, it sounds like there is a way to quantify the quality of these speakers by some other means... or did I misunderstand???

- jason

If You have a signal generator (PC based is fine) run some sines and pink & white noise trough Your amp to a speaker mounted in a box. That'll reveal any acoustical and suspension problems.

As for the pushing of the cone, if one doesn't have experience in that area the results are colourful to say the least.

For some voice coil /suspension/air gap combinations it's really hard to push the cone evenly enough for reliable results. Furthermore if the uneven pressing reveals different results in the different sides of the cone (voice coil) the coil is more than likely out of alignment. And You don't know what's rubbing there, might be debris or magnet chips as well as a burned coil. Some a-holes don't inspect the structure closely enough when reconing, I have a fine on-line auction example of that .

Also inspect the surrounds closely for any tears and signs of creasing, those speakers are old and most likely well used after all.

If You're not going to use 'em, the easiest solution IMHO is to find a fair price for a reconed one, subtract the price of the reconing and You won't need to worry about fooling any-one.

If You want a good home for them as opposed to max bucks in the e-bay, pay for the supporting membership and put them into the classifieds.

Regards
Sam

 

[JimmyM]

As for the pushing of the cone, if one doesn't have experience in that area the results are colourful to say the least.

For some voice coil /suspension/air gap combinations it's really hard to push the cone evenly enough for reliable results. Furthermore if the uneven pressing reveals different results in the different sides of the cone (voice coil) the coil is more than likely out of alignment. And You don't know what's rubbing there, might be debris or magnet chips as well as a burned coil. Some a-holes don't inspect the structure closely enough when reconing, I have a fine on-line auction example of that

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree about pushing on the cones. You make very valid points about the problems in doing that, but on 10"s, it's not so hard to do it evenly. And I'm not saying that you should put so much pressure on the cone that your fingers punch through it. I'm saying just barely put your fingertips on it and slowly and gently push in a little. At the place I go to for recones in Orlando, the staff always does that first thing when someone takes in a speaker for repair. And though it could be debris, it would still have to be cleaned to work properly.

I don't know...I've never had any ill effects from doing a quick check of a speaker that way. Maybe it's a fluke and I'm just begging for it one day, though