Using 30-year old speakers as monitors?

[Joepie]

Hi all,

this is the situation: Uptill now I have been using a simple, cheap, AIWA home stereo system for monitoring. The results were... well... OK, but only by going back and forth between them and two other stereos in my house to check my mixes.

I was at my parent's house a while back, and my dad has a set of Kef Cresta speakers from the mid '70's. He assured me that back in the day they were the best money could buy, and they were especially designed for high-dynamic music, like classical stuff. This makes me think they have a relatively flat frequency response... at least not the 'disco smile' that my current setup has.

Do you guys think it'd be possible to use his old speakers as monitors? Keep in mind that I'm in college and have no money whatsoever to buy any new gear. Let me know what you guys think about these speakers. Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Joepie

[NegadivOne]

I started mixing on some bose speakers from the 80's and they werent too bad. The should work fine, it really doesnt matter if they are "studio monitors", you can mix on pretty much any speakers as long as you are comfortable with them and know what music should sound like on them.

[hrwmusic]

id go for it. But get more accustomed to them first by comparing what you usually listen to through both speakers. It's important to get used to them, and learn what they might add, or take away. Also, google the speakers and you may find the frequency reasponse .

[MadAudio]

I'd be concerned with the condition of the drivers and foam after all those years. For example, if the foam edges of the woofers have deteriorated, the low-end response would not be the same as brand new ones of the same kind.

[Joepie]

Thanks for the responses.

@ MadAudio:
I looked at the speaker cones through the grille, with a flashlight, and they seem to be in good condition. At least no visible deterioration of any kind... does that mean they're ok, or would that kind of damage not be visible anyways?

[MadAudio]

Originally Posted by Joepie

Thanks for the responses.

@ MadAudio:
I looked at the speaker cones through the grille, with a flashlight, and they seem to be in good condition. At least no visible deterioration of any kind... does that mean they're ok, or would that kind of damage not be visible anyways?

You can't always tell from a visual inspection. I'd just try hooking them up and cranking them up slowly. If they don't get farty in the low end, they're probably OK.

[Joepie]

Well, I just hooked em up to the old amp that came with em (same era, Solid State amp, brand called Lafayette...) and they sound pretty good. They're a lot clearer than the hifi speakers I'm using now. Especially the highs sound a lot better.

No bass-problems, except when I turn up the bass on the Amp EQ (2-band EQ, woohoo!). I'm thinking it's the amp that's cracking up though, not the speakers. It makes the same noise when you turn the volume knob. Also, when the EQ is set to level, and playing at 'monitoring volume' the problem doesn't occur.

Looks like I got a new pair of monitors! Although the term 'new' might not be appropriate, haha.

[suntzu1982]

speaking of 30 yr old monitors...has anyone heard of UA300 series?

I'm in the same situation, my dad's old speakers. The funny thing is they say, "Studio Monitors" on them. So I'm sure if they are made for monitoring or music enjoyment. I don't even know if 'UA' represents the company or not.

[MadAudio]

Originally Posted by Joepie

Well, I just hooked em up to the old amp that came with em (same era, Solid State amp, brand called Lafayette...) and they sound pretty good. They're a lot clearer than the hifi speakers I'm using now. Especially the highs sound a lot better.

No bass-problems, except when I turn up the bass on the Amp EQ (2-band EQ, woohoo!). I'm thinking it's the amp that's cracking up though, not the speakers. It makes the same noise when you turn the volume knob. Also, when the EQ is set to level, and playing at 'monitoring volume' the problem doesn't occur.

Looks like I got a new pair of monitors! Although the term 'new' might not be appropriate, haha.

Yeah, that sounds like a dirty volume pot, and given the age of the amp that's no surprise.

Congrats!

[sjjohnston]

They probably weren't quite the best money could buy, but they were (and, I think, still are) pretty good speakers.

I think "Cresta" was a line, rather than a single model. Anyway, there was more than one version.

Speakers should definitely last that long. Particularly (as is likely) they were well-kept in a house, and not moved around, dropped, exposed to extreme temperatures, etc. People still use (indeed, regard as "vintage") some guitar amp speakers a lot older than that, and they almost all have been abused, often very much.

[Joepie]

Originally Posted by sjjohnston

They probably weren't quite the best money could buy, but they were (and, I think, still are) pretty good speakers.

I think "Cresta" was a line, rather than a single model. Anyway, there was more than one version.

Speakers should definitely last that long. Particularly (as is likely) they were well-kept in a house, and not moved around, dropped, exposed to extreme temperatures, etc. People still use (indeed, regard as "vintage") some guitar amp speakers a lot older than that, and they almost all have been abused, often very much.

I went to the KEF website, and they mention the Cresta-series in their 'history' section. The speakers in the pictures don't look like the ones I have though, so I guess there must've been different versions, even in the 70's. I'm sure they weren't the 'best', but my dad said they were definately high-end speakers in their time. I think they sound great to be honest.

Any tips on how to treat these to make them last? Besides of course not dropping them, putting them outside in the rain, etc etc...

[Kiauma]

The final test, as so many have said here, is in the listen. How do they sound?

One caution though, I do have some familiarity with vintage gear and you should be aware that early transistor amps were, for the most part, pretty crappy. The simple fact is the technology was fairly new, and really didn't have all the bugs out. Early transistor amps are famous for bad harmonics, for example. Lafayette was a decent brand though, at the time.

If you can, try a few other amps of more modern vintage. Just a regular old stereo will do, though I understand if you just don't have any options - just somehting to keep in mind if you get a chance.

Your Aiwa amp may not help either, as the speakers and amp are undoubtedly matched to compensate for each others weaknesses - but it may be worth a try.

Clean out your controls by opening the bottom panel and shooting some control cleaner in the control (there is usually a small hole near where the wires connect - the cleaner usually comes with a small tube you can stick in the nozzle to reach tight places) while turning the knob from one end to the next a few times. You can get it at radio shack.

[giraffe]

my second pair of monitors are some mission 770's
they were the bomb in the 80's!!!!!!!!

i've replaced both woofers (cause i blew one)
but mostly they help because the freq response goes much lower than my tannoy reveals.

[talontsiawd]

I used some decent hi fi 70's stuff for awhile. It wasn't ideal but it worked. My mixes were pretty much hit or miss. They didn't have the mids i needed. But they had better lowend than my moniters and decent highs. But way better than headphones or computer speakers, which i found to be about the same. I'd put my hi fi stuff between my moniters and my headphones. I have krk's too which people don't concider to be great. I'd actually still have them hooked up if my amp didn't blow. Just for some sort of reference, even though subjective and not real world- different speakers, it will give you a clue.