1970s Goodmans speakers

[Martyn Miles]

I have started collecting Goodmans speakers from the 1970s, when Goodmans was still a serious manufacturer of quality loudspeakers.
Those Axiom and Axiette drive units are now very collectable.
Some of the later complete speakers are still viable and sound pretty good at the end of decent amplifiers.
I am currently restoring a pair of small Achromat models and a pair of the later Ministers.
There is a rising interest in models other than old Kefs and Wharfedales, etc.
M Miles.

 

[Nero]

I think I have a box of DT4 tweeters somewhere, as well as some badges if you need anything.
Goodmans had an amazing paper cone manufacturing facility back in the day, and made some very musical speakers. I don't rank the Achromat as one of them though....

 

[Colinb]

I have had a few pairs. A mint pair of Ministers which I sold to another fish a couple of years ago. A pair of Goodwoods which I rebuilt and sold to a mate and a pair of Magisters which I currently use in preference to the other much more modern speakers that I have. The Magisters have been completely rebuilt/restored as they were a mess when I got them and had the wrong tweeters. I added extra bracing to the cabinet, replaced the stuffing foam with Earthwool and polyester/lambswool, made new gaskets using foam used to seal hatches on yachts, recapped the crossovers with Solens and took them outside the cabinets, added six (one set for each driver) new deltron sockets on a new backplate and rewired them internally. They are now on stands about 16" high and sound great. I now have an itch to try some better caps in the crossovers and have been trying to work out what the inductor values are in order to experiment with new heavier gauge ones. It also appears that the woofers are run full range so I shall try running them with a separate amp and then adding an 800Hz crossover . Easy enough to do just as an experiment.

 

[Martyn Miles]

I think I have a box of DT4 tweeters somewhere, as well as some badges if you need anything.
Goodmans had an amazing paper cone manufacturing facility back in the day, and made some very musical speakers. I don't rank the Achromat as one of them though....

Thanks for the offer.
The Achromats are the 100 model, which use Dalesford's damped polypropylene coned drivers. The tweeters are SEAS ones, used in the Dynaco A25.

By the way, I have a pair of A25s.
Superb loudeakers.
M Miles.

 

[kennyh]

Martyn, I've had these lying in my garage forever. Main problem is one of the domes has come off a driver as per pic taken just now, weird as they still sound excellent.
Mids and tweeters all great, cabinets not too shabby either.

If you needed any spares I'd break them for you if anything fitted yours.

 

[Martyn Miles]

Martyn, I've had these lying in my garage forever. Main problem is one of the domes has come off a driver as per pic taken just now, weird as they still sound excellent.
Mids and tweeters all great, cabinets not too shabby either.

If you needed any spares I'd break them for you if anything fitted yours.

Many thanks.
Where are you situated?
If you want to sell/dispose of the cabinets as well I would like them.

Many thanks.
Martyn.

 

[kennyh]

Martyn, 2 minutes off Junction 26 on the M6.

 

[kennyh]

Hi Martin. I'll chuck these in too if you like. I need my garage space back.

 

[PaulMB]

Miles, are you still messing around with some AR7s? was it you? I ask because I just re-foamed a pair and the foams I ordered in Holland got lost in the Italian post, so I got fed up and bought a pair of "universal" foams locally. The next day the Dutch foams arrived! And I'm not going to do them over since the lady I did them for is very happy with them as they are.
Soooo, I have a brand new pair of foams specifically for the AR7. If you can use them I'll post them to you (hoping they do not get lost again). I can also send you the 4 strips of 5x4 film negative that I used to shim the coil and are the perfect thickness (at least they were for mine).
Send me a PM with your address if you want them.

 

[Martyn Miles]

Miles, are you still messing around with some AR7s? was it you? I ask because I just re-foamed a pair and the foams I ordered in Holland got lost in the Italian post, so I got fed up and bought a pair of "universal" foams locally. The next day the Dutch foams arrived! And I'm not going to do them over since the lady I did them for is very happy with them as they are.
Soooo, I have a brand new pair of foams specifically for the AR7. If you can use them I'll post them to you (hoping they do not get lost again). I can also send you the 4 strips of 5x4 film negative that I used to shim the coil and are the perfect thickness (at least they were for mine).
Send me a PM with your address if you want them.

Thanks, Paul.
I have just ordered a pair !
If I can cancel the order I will and buy yours.
I'll let you know soon.
Martyn Miles

 

[Martyn Miles]

Hi Martin. I'll chuck these in too if you like. I need my garage space back.

Thanks.
I live near Oxford, but I do travel up 'your way' from time to time, so I will be in touch.
M Miles.

 

[Martyn Miles]

Miles, are you still messing around with some AR7s? was it you? I ask because I just re-foamed a pair and the foams I ordered in Holland got lost in the Italian post, so I got fed up and bought a pair of "universal" foams locally. The next day the Dutch foams arrived! And I'm not going to do them over since the lady I did them for is very happy with them as they are.
Soooo, I have a brand new pair of foams specifically for the AR7. If you can use them I'll post them to you (hoping they do not get lost again). I can also send you the 4 strips of 5x4 film negative that I used to shim the coil and are the perfect thickness (at least they were for mine).
Send me a PM with your address if you want them.

PM sent.

 

[Nero]

Thanks for the offer.
The Achromats are the 100 model, which use Dalesford's damped polypropylene coned drivers. The tweeters are SEAS ones, used in the Dynaco A25.

By the way, I have a pair of A25s.
Superb loudeakers.
M Miles.

Hmm, not the Achromats I remember. They must have re-used the name later. The originals had a kind of leather effect vinyl covering, with solid wood frames, which, apart from looking dated on the day they were released, sounded awful. The bass drivers were a clear doped PVC cone with cast alloy basket made in Havant.
Their only saving grace was the patented Hitachi pleated surround on the bass driver - genius idea and greatly underused elsewhere

Cheers

 

[Martyn Miles]

Thanks, Paul.
I have just ordered a pair !
If I can cancel the order I will and buy yours.
I'll let you know soon.
Martyn Miles

PaulMB.
Order cancelled.
I would like your surplus AR7 surrounds.
Thanks.
M Miles

 

[Martyn Miles]

Hmm, not the Achromats I remember. They must have re-used the name later. The originals had a kind of leather effect vinyl covering, with solid wood frames, which, apart from looking dated on the day they were released, sounded awful. The bass drivers were a clear doped PVC cone with cast alloy basket made in Havant.
Their only saving grace was the patented Hitachi pleated surround on the bass driver - genius idea and greatly underused elsewhere

Cheers

Yes, you are correct.
Those early Achromats were visual disasters.
I think they learnt from these early models that the way to go was to use other manufacturer's drive units, like many speaker concerns in the '70s.
All rather sad, as Goodmans had a wonderful past with their '50s and '60s drivers.
In the mid. 1960s my Father bought me an expensive 12" Goodmans bass driver for use with my bass guitar amplifier.
Friends were very envious of that unit, as their guitar amps. had somewhat 'dodgy' drive units.
I wonder what that cast frame/large magnet driver I had would be worth now ?
Somewhere on PFM a contributor gave the history of Goodmans and what a good training ground it was.
Billy Woodman, of ATC speakers, did his apprenticeship at Goodmans.
Another proud British business that has gone forever...

 

[kennyh]

Thanks.
I live near Oxford, but I do travel up 'your way' from time to time, so I will be in touch.
M Miles.

Look forward to it Martyn.

 

[PaulMB]

PaulMB.
Order cancelled.
I would like your surplus AR7 surrounds.
Thanks.
M Miles

I was away from the computer for 24 hours. I got your PM and replied. Can you confirm you got my reply and send me your address? Also your "real" email might be useful.

Paul

 

[Martyn Miles]

I was away from the computer for 24 hours. I got your PM and replied. Can you confirm you got my reply and send me your address? Also your "real" email might be useful.

Paul

Message received and answer sent.
Thanks

 

[Martyn Miles]

I have looked at the Ministers.
They have directly connected bass/mid. drive units.
The drivers are paper-coned, plastic coated units. The magnets have gold coloured labels with ' Goodmans of England' printed on them
The crossovers are simple inductor / capacitor types
The tweeters appear to be Goodmans. They have soft domes.
I find direct coupled speakers give an 'immediacy' not always found with other loudspeakers.
The Dynaco A25s are a good example.

 

[Beobloke]

Hmm, not the Achromats I remember. They must have re-used the name later. The originals had a kind of leather effect vinyl covering, with solid wood frames, which, apart from looking dated on the day they were released, sounded awful.

This was the early Achromat range, consisting of the Beta, Kappa and Sigma models. The later range consisted of the 100, 250 and 400 models.

Your comments are interesting as I had a pair of Sigmas a couple of years ago and still think they are one of the best Goodmans models of the period that I have heard. Still wish I'd kept them, in fact.