Speakerlab Model 3

Another summer project that I finally got around to getting most of the work done is this pair of Speakerlab Model 3 circa 1975.

These units needed the woofers re foamed and the mids need to be done which I will do next.

Speakerlab was a California Seattle company that most have not heard of. the sold kits that you could build or have units built for you.

They still have a site up where you can peruse their catalogues of yesteryear.

 
This pair of Model 3's feature Peerless mid range and tweeters, I would also assume that this would be a 12'" Peerless woofer.

The cabinets are a beautiful walnut veneer that I will look into re finishing when the weather gets nicer. Although there is a tiny separation in the mid range surround I have found that it has not affected the sound at all. This will be fixed in short order

Very similar in size and bass as the Altec Model 9's this pair is a bit more refined with the same efficiency that pairs well with the tube amp. I had these speakers at the same time as the Altec's so it was an easy decision to let the Altec speakers go to the same person that bought the Cerwin Vegas.

I have been running this pair of speakers with the Magnavox Push/Pull tube amp and the sound is pure liquid gold to my ears. Extremely full bass, lush, lush mids and sparkling highs. The sound stage is deep and wide.

This pair of Speakerlabs are going to be around in the listening room for some time.

Cerwin Vega D3 Speakers

Another summer project getting finished today is this pair of Cerwin Vega D3 speakers. These needed a re foam job and I picked them up as they have an efficiency rating of 93db, I figured this would be good for the tube amp.

I sourced the proper red foams and was surprised to see a decent cast basket for the woofer.

The internals had very little sound dampening material in them which would make one think there would be a pretty good back wave in the bass department, I added some more dampening material into the box.

The finished product turned out as follows.

Sitting on the pedestals I found the bass very mussy and boomy, I opted to get them about 9 inches off the floor and it cleaned up the bass significantly. There is still some muddiness there and perhaps a bit more filling is required to dampen the bass.

Where these speakers really shine is the forward mid range and the high end from the horn tweeter. Being forward in the mids envelopes you into the sound, there is a very realistic 3D image presented.

A fun speaker well suited to a tube amp, I have not tried it on solid state but from what I hear these are meant to be rockers, although they do a wonderful job on jazz and acoustic music. 

Update:

Although these speakers have now moved on to another audiophile along with the Altec Lansing Model 9 I really liked the forward mid range with these speakers that gave them incredible front to back depth. I often thought these were the closest to being in the room with the musicians as I could get live.

I ended up adding even more dampening material into the cabinet and it really cleaned up the bass. I would have liked to hear these on a push pull tube amp before their departure.

I will keep my eyes open for this project again.