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Guys, can you shed any light on these please.

kennyh

kennyh

pfm Member
A friend clearing out his old mums house called me to see if I was interested in the old stereo equipment there ,as he knows I've always loved this sort of stuff.

It was basically Leak equipment in very nice order which he doesn't want and I didn't want to bring home so he's putting it all on Ebay.

However these bloody big old speakers made up the package, again no interest to me so he said they're going in the skip there and then which I couldn't let happen.

They just interested me too much. Anyhow I've got them home and tried to find out a bit about them but drawn a total blank on a web search re "Unit 4".

They are obviously home made cabinets but everything seems in stunning condition albeit dusty, very dusty.
I take it these were a kit project back in the 70's?
The cabinets are very big and heavy and the bass measures 12" across.
Connections look basic and flimsy wire accompanies them.
Should I risk coupling them up to an amp (may a Nait) to try them?...I'm a bit scared of damaging either the amp or indeed the speakers.
I've a feeling they'll sound awful but I'm seriously tempted to give them a whirl.

Thanks guys for any info.

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Wharfedale migrated to Rank in the seventies. You have something from the mid period.

Give them a whirl, no harm done. Then put them on ebay for the Japanese collectors.
 
Thanks Mike I'll fire them up later. Would you use the thin cable supplied or use a more expensive and thicker type to match the amp?

Many thanks.
 
They were indeed a Wharfedale kit from the early seventies. I once had the top of the range unit 5's which had a midrange driver as well and a bigger cabinet...
 
Thanks very much for that. So will they have done Units 1 through 5 as various priced and specced kits then?

I wonder how many people built them?
 
Oh that the lilac high end unit thats sometimes referred to in very early Royd designs. I forget but I was reading about that somewhere...anyway its not used any more.

Yeah give them a spin if youre prepared to take any risk....... then flog em off :)
 
Thanks for the great info lads. Am I right or wrong in assuming that decent-ish spec hifi was simply run on bellwire type cable back in the early 70's. The kit in the house I was at today must have been above the norm back then but only used this piddling cable.
 
Bell wire stuff was not uncommon back then and often came with "stereo systems". It should work, though sticking on your existing cable should work as well.
 
I built a pair of Wharfedale Glendales from a kit in 1972. I remember building the cabinets in school woodwork class ! The Glendales were 3-way though and I'd guess at a 10" woofer from memory.
 
Ok lads a quick update as promised. Mixed emotions really.
I thought I'd change the wires to some decent cable first off so bolted some on I had spare.

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I then gave them a thorough hoover out and removed years of grime from them, they scrubbed up not too bad. Especially after a wipe with some "magic liquid" a furniture restoring friend gave us a while back ;)

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Then it was time to try them. I chose to put them with a little Nait so as not to overpower them, I was worried they were rated at only 25 watts.

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Well flippin' eck they worked. Not only worked they sounded so fresh and precise. I'd rate them better than the Warwicks and Heybrooks I usually use with this amp, and not a long way off the Arivas on the main system for tonal qualities.

Then came the bad news, after a few minutes I realised the sound was ringing out so sweet at the top end from the left speaker..........but unfortunately I realised it was dead on the right, tweeter not working:confused:

Now these cabinets are sealed on every joint and access will be awkward.
So before I start fiddling what is the chance guys of me simply finding a detached/broken wire to the tweeter inside? I'm not a hifi specialist.

Is that a 100/1 chance it being a connection and more likely the tweeter is knackered?
The unit looks good but as I say it's dead.....shame as the sound without it is very slick indeed.
I'd like to keep these but if I can't fix this fault it looks like they'll be in the skip after all.

As an aside, the lad I got them off called with another set for me this morning he'd discovered. They are Wharfedale Linton 2s and simply as new. He's asked me if I'll give them a whirl today and see if they play as good as they look.

Thanks lads
 
I had one speaker find where the wire had come loose but its more likely that the unit is finished.

Its probably bell wire inside the cabinets but its not the end of the world :)

Have a play as its what the funs all about. They dont owe you anything. I think a similar high frequency unit was used in the first Royd A7s. Joe worked at Wharfedale. I may be wrong but they look like a similar design at first glance

You could put some different tweeters in for a laugh but its probably all set up to work as spec. getting in will be difficult. Probably cut the back panel off witha jigsaw and reseal it when finished

I would have my doubts though. I dont think speakers like the Lintons are that well regarded now
 
There are a number of reasons why a tweeter won't output sound, none of which would be insurmountable and certainly none that would make these suitable for a skip.

It is hard to tell from your last pic but if the tweeter is mounted from the front of the baffle then it shouldn't be too difficult to remove it without having to take the back panel of the enclosure off.

Once removed, and electrically disconnected from the crossover network, a quick test with a multimeter will either indicate, or rule out, the tweeter as faulty.

Report back with the result of such a test, and, if necessary, further diagnostic assistance may be provided.

Craig
 
Thanks a lot guys for that.

Craig, you fired me up to have a go and see if I can do anything. Unfortuately the bloody tweeter is bonded in and you'd need to smash it to remove it.

Even getting the back cover off is proving impossible without damage. He certainly sealed them well ;)

It was worth a try though, especially with that kind offer of assistance.

Many thanks again.

PS Just tried the Lintons, fully working and lovely but sound from them is nothing special............as opposed to these flippin kit built ones that sound superb but are broken.
 
Nothing else spoiling today, Mrs. in bed with full on flu, just cancelled our holiday flights for Monday so may as well preoccupy my time with something!

Right, sliced all the mastic and have now removed back cover complete with some electrics attached to it, that was a struggle and a half.


Was dismayed to find it full of what I at first though was fibre glass.....that's all glued to the inner case as well.
Didn't fancy putting my arms into that lot but now I'm wondering if it is glass, I've touched it and have no shards or itching on my hands........it feels quite smooth.

Do you reckon it is glass or is there a special speaker wool they'd have used?

Just checking before I delve any further.

Cheers again for the lift guys.

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Tweeter out. It was just the plastic protector bonded to the speaker.

Right what am I doing now, what is the test please? I'll need to get a battery for multimeter first I reckon though :(

Thanks again

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Its good that you are taking the time to fix them, even if you decide to part with them just pass them to some one else who could use them, its a shame to throw stuff away
 
The Wharfedale ´purple fried egg´tweeter is known to malfunction.
A simple test with the multimeter will tell if it's open circuit.It can sometimes be repaired.There are lots to read about this tweeter on the net.
 
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