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Lowthers - Please educate a village idiot...

Hello.

Despite me spending way too much time and effort on audio, and having two systems where one would do most normal people, I will, at some point in the future have a third.

My favorite uncle has a Williamson circuit tube amplifier which he built from a kit. He is a Marine who served our country valiantly during the roughest stretches of WWII(Guadalcanal, Solomons, etc.) and is a proud man. This system would become my remembrance of him.

Everyone thinks his stereo is an antiquated piece of junk, but when he saw my eyes and enthusiasm light up when he told me about it, he was just as happy as I was. He found a taker to pass along his treasured amplifier, as he is now to the point where he sees the end of the road in front of him. To have someone view him passing along this piece of him as an heirloom rather than something which should have instead be left at the curb swells his heart with pride and honor.

In order to do him justice, I want to give this amplifier a system which provide it with its proper level of importance. I have been toying with the idea of building a retro style system around this piece, albeit with a CD player.

The idea I have is to pair the amplifier with a pair of Lowther Medallions. The speakers would be done up in black, with maybe a tan grill at the mouth of the horn. A 1950s look to be sure.

The only issue is that I have no experience whatsoever with the Lowthers. And, more specifically, the Medallion.

Would someone please be so kind to educate me as to the Lowthers. I realize they are not for everyone, and I don't even know if they are for me. But, many have told me that if you fancy them, they are just pure magic. Some have even told me that it is the closest speakers to live even after all these years. Also, as I try to live by the mantra about not buying speakers I haven't auditioned(unless a KILLER deal comes along) are there any outlets for me to go give them a listen? I live in the Philadelphia, PA area.

Thank you all for your help,
Joe
trelja
trelja OP
3,215 posts
 
Thanks again for all of the responses!

TWL and I seem to very much be on the same page. I have heard much of what he offered up regarding the drivers. In I addition, reconing down the road does not seem to work out so well due to the physical properties which TWL outlined.

Mbhcid, your offer is very kind, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I would love to take you up on it. I will send you an e - mail in the near term.

Sean, you are so right about the Heresy. My friend was basically given the directive to upgrade due to WAF. Although, I think that could be improved immensely from what he already has(repainted black). The woofers should be reconed and he is down a tweeter, but if they this good now, how good would they be when he has them restored? For the record, he ended up with a pair of Von Schweikert VR2, and I think I happen to prefer the Klipsch. Again, my question to him "upgrading", WHY???

Yes, the Omegas are not back loaded horns. They seem to be a size up from a monitor(bookshelf) using the Fostex driver in a ported cabinet. Will I like them? Are they for me? I have no idea, but they are probably worth a listen just to get my bearings.

The PHY HP look interesting as well. I tried to jump on a used pair here on Audiogon, but they were already sold. I am thinking of checking into them as well.

But, my main focus right now is Lowther Medallions. If they please me, I will go for them. I think they serve my goals the best.

At some point, I will have to spin a couple of tales regarding my Uncle John. He had a lifetime of stories, and after getting to know him, I realize why they call his the greatest generation.

Thanks again to all,
Joe
twl
3,251 posts
 
Joe, I've got a mod up my sleeve for taking the last bit of "shout" out of the Lowthers, if you feel you need to do that. It's quick and easy, but you have to be careful doing it. After you play them for awhile, then you can decide if you need to do that or not. The new drivers have improved quite alot over the older series, so you might be quite happy just the way they are.
twl
3,251 posts
 
Sean, I know that I'm lacking in the bottom octave. I don't take any offense at being reminded of that. That's just a plain fact of life with my speakers. It's okay with me. I can live with that to get the rest of the sound I want. I'm the first to admit that my speaker system has flaws, and it doesn't bother me at all to admit that. They do what I need them to do, and as long as that is the case, I'm happy with them. I also know that you were kidding me about it, and I don't mind that at all. I kind of like it. I'm not arrogant about my system, and have a good sense of humor. In fact I joke about my 2 watts and single drivers all the time.
sean
6,229 posts
 
Trelja: Heresy's use an accordion surround, so there is no foam to rot. If the driver needs to be re-coned, it is either rattling or torn. As for the tweeters, i don't know if one can find diaphragms for these or not. I would get busy looking for that before i would dump any more money into these. I think that i bought the last diaphragms that Klipsch had in stock and they told me "we won't be getting any more of these in. Ever". I think that these were EV T-35's, so it quite possible that EV or a repair facility would have diaphragms for these.

Twl: I knew that you wouldn't have a problem with what i said. You are both too honest and too much of a realist to not know and deal with the truth. If you told me that you had a 2 watt SS amp, THEN i would be worried : ) Sean
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phasecorrect's avatar
phasecorrect
2,013 posts
 
Hey...whats wrong with 2watts of SS power...my BOSE RADIO ROCKS>>>>>>
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