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Hales owners discussion

We may have lost Mr. Hales to professional audio and the factory to history, but these are still fine speakers. I'm curious how others have their's setup, what tweaks they've found that offer improvements to the sound, etc.

Currently my Revelation Threes are ~3.5' from the front wall and 4.5' from the side walls. This is in a volumetrically large space (330 sq. ft.; volume unknown). Setup in a smaller, rectangular room (215 sq. ft.) they were 4.5' from the front and 3.5' from the sides. Straight Cardas method.

On a raised floor they were better without spikes; on a concrete slab the spikes are a must.

Mine are also toe'd in very little. Maybe 20 degrees. I listen in nearfield, btw. Now they're 7' feet apart and 5 feet from the listener. Before it was a 6' triangle.

Anyone tried anything radically different that worked? Mass loading, cones, etc.?

Oh, for reference my system is SF Line 1, McCormack DNA-1, CAL ALpha/Delta for CD, AP Oval 9, HT ProSilways and Illuminati D-60, plus various cones, weights, etc. What others are feeding their Hales with would also be of interest. Thanks in advance for any feedback.
fpeel
mitchb's avatar
mitchb
212 posts
 
Replacing the stock tweeters with the Seas Millenium tweeter gives the speaker a whole new sound. I always liked my T5's but now they are a different speaker. It's a good thing that I like the sound as I think they would be almost impossible to sell with all the modifications I have done to them.
dawgbyte's avatar
dawgbyte
290 posts
 
If they sound better, why would they be harder to sell? You say the Seas Millinium tweeter gives it a whole new sound. Can you elaborate - old sound versus new.
mitchb's avatar
mitchb
212 posts
 
Dawgbyte, It would be easier to sell a pair of Hales stock than it would with all kinds of modifications as people know what they are getting when they buy stock items as opposed to a speaker that has been modified. Although I put alot of money into my speakers they would be harder to sell. That being said I wouldn't want to sale my Hales as I really like the new sound. The Seas Millenium tweeter have added a fuller,softer yet still very detailed sound. My speakers sound "bigger" now. With the new tweeters the music is easier to listen to for long periods of time. In fact my wife sometimes has to drag me out of the listening room complaining that I've been their all day.
The Hales with the origional tweeters were very good and I enjoyed them for years. The old tweeters were very detailed being an alluminum dome. They were almost harsh at times but they were still really nice sounding. With my new tweeters the entire sound of the speaker has changed. Even bass is fuller and the mids are even smoother. The new tweeters took the edge off without sacrificing detail. My speakers are "fuller" sounding. The ctrossover mods have alot to do with the new sound as well. I think I got lucky because I really could have ruined my speakers with all that I have done. It was a risk.
dawgbyte's avatar
dawgbyte
290 posts
 
Mitchb - thanks for the details. It sounds interesting and certainly worth a look given the cost to find something that exceeds the Hales.
mitchb's avatar
mitchb
212 posts
 
The problem with selling Hales speakers is that because Hale's is out of business they have lost their value significantly.It would be hard to replace the Hales with the funds recieved from them by selling to get a speaker near as good. That is why I took the chance and did the mods.It's as if I have got new speakers without the loss of selling my old ones.
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