Wharfedale Super 12 Full Range Transmission Line Speaker Build
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- čas přidán 12. 07. 2024
- Sample track, repairs and general maintenance of this beautiful 12 inch full range driver. Plus a brief history of Gilbert Briggs & Wharfedale.
Are these an affordable alternative to Tannoy speakers?
I'll be fixing the speaker surrounds, voice coil rub and transplanting the magnets. Stay tuned to the end for a sample track. My driver versions are the Wharfedale Super 12 RS/DD but there are a few different variations out there.
0:00 Introduction
0:29 A brief history of Wharfedale & Gilbert Briggs
2:48 Common issues with Wharfedale Super drivers
6:24 Repairing a rubbing voice coil
8:34 Addressing the surrounds
12:22 Transplanting the magnets
14:37 Transmission line cabinets
16:35 What do they sound like?
18:38 Should you buy them?
19:34 Sample track - Jak na to + styl
Great job Vintage Boulton, I think at the moment this is the most underrated audio gear youtube channel.
Thanks a million! Means a lot to me
I Bought Heavily on these 12 inch Wharfedale and the Linton 2's and Denton 2's as well for My High End Acoustic Builds here in Southern California High Desert Music Scene and Everyone agrees They Blow away My Acoustic Research Builds hands down 🙌 🇺🇸 I also appreciate Vintage British Motorcycles
Awsome video , i was gifted 3 matched oaits by a old friend of mine .
Dirty Frank R.I.P.
I’ve got a set of the Super 12’s with the Alnico magnets. They were my dad’s. He bought them new in the early 60’s. He had one of the voice coils rewound about 5 years ago at a local speaker shop called the Vancouver Audio Clinic. If I recall correctly the wire was flat aluminum and was ordered in especially for the job. He had them in Carlson Enclosures that he built back then. They sounded pretty spectacular. They are waiting for new enclosures now.
Just found this channel, it's so good!
Really cool, unusual information - well presented and filmed.
Nice job man, subbed!
Awww thank you so much 🙏 wait until you see the next couple of videos, slow going to produce but going to be worth it 🙂
I'm delighted to follow your channel. Excellent knowledge, craftsmanship, and presentation! Thanks!
Thank you so much, that means a lot to me!
Fullrange speaker is verygood option for listening music without loss of wide range of frequencies.Wharfedale fullrange are collectable gem.
Great content! Really nice camera work and editing too... Subscribed.
I got some 60's Isophon kits, all alnico, they're relatively cheap and sound like a modern fast speaker with lots of body:)
awesome
Great video! I also prefer my 12 RS DD with a notch filter. I'm using only one driver for my dedicated mono system and it is housed in a bespoke cabinet made to the original specs of Briggs.
Just came across your video and loved every minute of it and I'm now subscribed. Wharfedale didn't make a full range 15" driver but did make both hifi and musical instrument versions of the 15" units. When fitted to 5 cubic ft. and over enclosures, the Super 12's sound sensational but as you say the surrounds would need attention for optimum performance. I've also noticed that all four of your drivers are of the ceramic magnet type. If you think they are good, try the Alnico magnet versions if you can find a pair. The comparison is (to my ears) like chalk and cheese. I'm not sure of the details and dates but I suspect that Rank thought that the ceramic magnets were a cheaper option and probably outsourced them as Gilbert was manufacturing his own Alnico magnets using a DC power line (utilised for electric trolley buses that ran past his factory in Bradford Road). Legend has it that when they threw the switch for the electromagnet, the trolley buses running past would come to an abrupt halt!
@@andrevanstiphout thankyou! And wow that is some cool info about Briggs, thanks for sharing ♥️🙏 I definitely need some alnicos... Getting much harder to find 😕
@@vintageboulton I'm assuming that you're in Oz (from your accent). The Alnico Super 12's pop up every once in a while on Marketplace. One pair sold less than a month ago and there is another pair in cabinets on there at present. As Molly would say.... Do yourself a favour and find them 😂
Just found this video, really well done. I have a few early Super 12s one from 1956, I also have a few early super 10s one with the tri-arm basket. I’ll have to make a video of them, one uses the older style wood board spider. SQ with a nice tube amp is fantastic. Great video and channel!
Thank you so much my friend! I'd love to see the 10s in action 👍
What great advice! I have a set of Sansui speakers from the 1960s with Alnico magnets and LOVE them. I recently picked up another speaker set using the same drivers that I'm going to transfer to a new cabinet. Your advice has been very useful. Thank you! Those speaker look AMAZING.
These speakers were mentioned in a Sound Practices article I believe and highly rated
Great video. Well done and interesting because i always wondered about how you can fix a fabric surround.
Just come across your channel. Great content! Subbed!
Right back at you!
@@vintageboulton 😃
A full range coaxial with large midrange and tweeter, possibly even open baffle combined with a transmission line woofer, might be an awesome speaker build project. In addition you might also want to use digital electronic x-over and digital amping.
I'm not one to look at vintage gear through rose tinted glasses but I've always loved the the look and design of the old Wharfdale open baffle SFB speakers. Briggs knew what he was doing. Had the chance to pick up an empty set of baffles but missed out not too long ago.
Agreed! Those SFB were pretty groundbreaking for their time
I got one SFB from a friend. It is the first original baffle style. I have it hooked up to an old mono RCA tube amp. It sounds so amazing for its age. But I notice the bass is deeper when I have my head behind it (for whatever reason) than when I am facing it. It is about 6 inches from the wall. How can I get that bass to come out forward? The wall is a thick wood panel wall.
@@alanrogs3990 The SFB was Gilbert's answer to Quads Electrostatic Loudspeaker. Briggs wrote extensively about open baffle theory.
The bigger base from behind is probably due to the wings, sound bouncing off of them. Make sure they are at least 1.5 metres away from any walls(I know it's hard depending on your listening space)
Apart from that check the surrounds on the woofers, the same problems like in this video.
All in all any sort of open baffle sometimes just doesn't have the same bass as other designs. Hope that helps!
@@vintageboulton Yeah, 1.5 meters isn't going to work. That's hardly possible for anyone unless they have a pretty big room. Maybe I should put them on some small industrial wheels to roll it out when I want.
The surrounds are fine. It was re-foamed long before I got it and they were done very well.
I find the tweeter pointing up to be really incredible because it is the only speaker I have that can sound pretty clearly standing in a joining rooms
This vid makes me want to resurrect my AlNiCo 12" Wharfedale full tange speakers from the '50s. I bought them with disintegrated surrounds. I installed new, foam surrounds as that is what they had on when I bought them, but they were gone. I don't know where to get cloth surrounds.
I think one of them had coil rub so that's why I didn't use them much. Thnx for showing how to fix them.
I own many 'dales with cloth surround drivers. I never thought that they'd let air through. The rubber cement is a good idea but I wouldn't want to impact transient response by having too much weight from impregnation with glue. How did yours turn out with three passes of rubber cement?
One of the 12's with a ceramic magnet was an rs12, not a super 12. The super 12 has super written at the center and a larger magnet.
Full range drivers really have their magic. Midrange is very alive and transparent. So far I have only heard small full range speakers so they really lack bass. I saw one Finnish review of Seas FA22RCZ 8" and I instantly got interested. I wonder how good they really are. They aren't too expensive either, but need really big cabinet to play bass.
I have looked at that driver for a completely new build, I think it is also very good value for money. Would you add a woofer driver for the lower frequencies? Or I know some people are very happy adding a. Subwoofer so they can keep the full range driver pure.
@@vintageboulton Review samples went straight to 50Hz in 60L= 2.2ft³ reflex box. That was with the room gain. Extra woofer might get fuller base from these.
Interdrivers. Are those frames die cast? In any case, if a pair is duff, remove the magnets, remove the dead coil, and glue on a weight holder to make them into passive radiators.
hi just picked up a perfect pair and yes the edging is not sealed i can blow air through them . is it important to seal them and would it be a substantial improvement ? thank you for the video much apreciated ..
I found a big improvement in the bass by sealing the surrounds!
Great video. Too bad that the word is out on Wharfedale again. Time was these amazing beasts could be had for a song.
Thankyou 🙏
Haha I know, I'm probably not helping those price increases with my videos. The key is to never sell! Unless I run out of room... Or my Mrs tells me too 🤣
What about techniec speakers I got some at home they good speakers I want to know?
If you transplant the magnet will you lose magnetism?
No you wouldn't, this is only a physical swap out. Different magnet types ie ferrite, ceramic or alnico require different methods to de-magnetize
@@vintageboulton I guess you haven't disturbed the pole pieces.
Foresure
Saludos, no le veo sentido cambiar el filtro o los imanes de un par a otro, no sé cuál es el fin, hay que preservar la originalidad, salvo en los casos de reparación y aún ahí hay que cuidarlos y preservarlos, todo se debe a caprichos personales o a qué....
I'm sorry. It not sounds good.
You're listening on CZcams. Don't expect anything to sound great on this medium.