Thanks for the fast response. So hard to find info on these.
ESS speakers "Translinear" Transstatic
These were speakers designed by California based company called ESS, that is, Electro Static Sound before they used the Heil Air Montion transformer. These models were current in 1970-1975. I am curious if any one still owns either of the above models, or has seem them listed on any of them listed in the used audio web sites. They were incredible speakers for their time,and sounded as good as many of so-called elctrostatics of today. They used good driver elements, for example, the KEF B-139 oval driver for the bass response.If anyone has knowledge of either of these above vintage speakers,please leave info on this Web page. Thank you!!
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@mynameislarry its a 1.60 A circuit breaker on your TLS IIs. --------------------------------- Glad to see you guys are enjoying your revitalized amt creations. I worked there early 1980s, and still fiddle with them a bit. Running scratch designed AMTs right now with my larger mono tube amps and a recently upgraded full Class A 50w solid state amp this weekend. All new crossovers, with really good parts, and pairing with really good woofers can open up a whole new world of sound. Keep it going! |
Wow, this thread has been going for a while. I was looking for info on the ESS Tempest Lab Series ll. I was wondering what the red buttons on front and back are for. Anyway, I stumbled across a pair for a really good price and loved the sound so much I bought another pair. I've recently stripped the vinyl covering and added wood veneer. I think these are keepers. I've lost a lot of my high-end hearing and these tweeters more than compensate. So can anyone please explain the red burttons? The seem to be an overload protection or something?? |
I am listening to a 12 inch woofer and ESS AMT from an ESS Eclipse B122 right now. Finished the build about 2 weeks ago. Bill Holman Brilliant Corners sounds wonderful. Of course I don't have the budget constraints of a main line consumer speaker that these had when they came out I 1978. So, crossovers are much better in design, technology, parts and tolerances. These blend beautifully. |
I'm almost 42. Grew up with the ESS AMT sound. In fact, until the recent hostile takeover, I used to run ESS' social media for the Ricky Caudillo era. The latter are, by far, the best of the bunch. And I say that as an AMT lover. Commenting here because I'm interested in acquiring more RTR electrostatic panels, as it seems a few of you are selling. Btw, I'm powering my Transtatics with a 43wpc Linear Tube Audio tube amp. I don't suffer for power or transient attacks or deep, authoritative bass. Heading into 2023, these are my new reference speakers. |
This is my first viewing of the thread. I first heard the Transtatic I in 1971, and wanted a pair badly. Unfortunately, I was a starving musician (not literally ;-), so had to settle for a pair of Infinity 1001’s (the 2000A’s little brother). I also heard the Infinity Servo-Static I, which at around $2,000/pr was the most expensive speaker I had then heard. But there was something about them I just didn’t like. Ten years later I was in a different financial position, and saw a pair of the Transtatics in The Recycler (a Los Angeles-area buy-and-sell rag) for $400, and snapped ’em up. One speaker’s original KEF B139 woofer had been replaced with a knock-off, so I called ESS in Sacramento to get another. They had one and only one B139 left! Like @jermo I am in Washington State, but am keeping my Transtatics. Somewhere along the way I picked up some spare RTR ESL tweeters, but am keeping them as well. That RTR tweeter was the first ESL I had heard,,and it started my love affair with ESLs. By the way, the FMI (Fulton Musical Industries) Model J also employed the RTR ESL tweeter---six per speaker. In the 1970’s, the most transparent tweeter there was. Dave Wilson used an array of them in his original WAMM. |
I've loved ESS since first hearing them back in the early 70's. Still have a couple pair with the large original Heil tweeters. One with original mylar and the other with Kapton diaphragms, still sound great to me! Just wondering if anyone has a pair or heard the model with the huge Heil woofer. Can't remember the name, Transtar? |
Better late than never to respond. I have a matched numbered pair of ESS TS Is and have been contemplating selling them. I purchased them (1973) as floor models from Paulson's in Tacoma, WA. They are in great shape and the rosewood veneer is intact and shiny. I have 7 or so extra RtR es wafers that I scored on ebay a few years ago. They are the only downfall of the TSs because the wafers were glued and riveted together making it difficult to repair. I also have a roll of mylar given me by a British man in case I decided to attempt a repair. What are you willing to pay for a one-owner pair of ESS TS towers? I reside in WA, the State. Shipping would be expensive for over two hundred pounds. Also, I would have to custom construct transport boxes in the case of sending them via freight. |
I've been an ESS fanboy for some 40+ years, still using my amt 1b pyramids I bought from a friend in the late 70s in my main system. He got them from the original owner as trade for some concrete work he'd done, and I paid $350 for them. All I've done since is refoam the woofers twice, and replace the passives once. What brought me here to this old thread is that I have a chance to purchase a pair of Translinear speakers from an acquantance the next town over. On-line info for these is very lean, and that helps muddy up consideration of their fair market valuation, so I haven't any idea what a fair price would be for the pair. I heard them yesterday and boy do they sound nice. Huge and heavy, though |
I still remember my one and only audition of the Transtatic l speaker system at a boutique stereo store located in Santa Cruz Ca. in 1972. In their era I think they were the best system by far until the introduction of the Infinity Servostatics which were a whopping 2200 dollars more expensive than the 1200 dollar price of the ESS. My house payment at the time was 145 dollars per month so one can see that these high end speakers of that era were more expensive than 10K speakers today relative to the vanishing value of the dollar. |
Ds1058: I love this story, especially about the speakers flying off the car roof on the freeway! This speaks to the difference in build quality compared with today's junk, which would have to be swept up instead. I first ran across the Transtatic and Translinear in 1970 when an Oakland dealer was going out of business. He was selling both at half price, but I could not come up with the asking price then. At the time only the Infinity ServoStatic at about five times the price of the Transtatic, could outperform them among the speakers that I had heard. But the bass of the Transtatic was at the time the best I had heard, nearly causing me to wet myself! |
I picked up a couple of Translinears several years ago at a Goodwill for fifty bucks, but since I have another high-end system, after listening to them for awhile, I put them into storage. I would like to restore them as a gift for a friend along with a Carver HR-752 and TLM-3600 that also are stored. In case I have to replace the drivers, I need crossover points. Please, help. |
I have the only 2 sets of these ESS speakers that I've ever seen like this, there are 4 satellite speaker small bookshelf looking and 1 large bass sub and a satellite power matrix? that says Electrostatic sound systems ... I bought them from the original owner in 1978 and he bought them in 1973 ... While I'm sure there are tons of new stuff to surpass them the sound is really remarkable just a pleasure to listen to ... Anyone else have any experience with these? |
The ESS AMT was my first intro into high end in the mid '70s. A friends attic with a Marantz integrated amp and turntable and the spekers. It was the hang-out for our gang in while in college. It was a great way to spend the cold Iowa winters. Amazing sound for its day and still stands on its own. If anyone is interested in an upgrade - we now offer a killer one. Check out our info on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151132188420489&set=a.10151126147345489.460048.119021235488&type=1&theater. |
i could never tolerate the original ESS AMT1 in the top where it was so rough as to be intolerable. the same effect was present in early shibata equipped cartridges and the original threshold 400 amp. i can only imagine the high frequency cacophony if all three of those components had been used together. i never got to hone in on the lows of the towers like transtatics with their transmission line loading in the lows. i will guess they werent quite as good as the IMF and Fried embodiment of that approach. i think mike wright of the UK did that design work on the IMFs and later TDL. there are numerous speakers out there now with heil drivers including one with a very large amt (Atma Audio) marketed by Paul Squillo Music Systems. i heard a LARGE version of this speaker at the moorpark theater while attending a performance of dan hicks and it didnt exhibit the roughness i referred to that i heard in the AMT1s. perhaps this technology has evolved to a more usable state. |
just bought me a used AMT 1D that was built after 2001 so it's the newer line but the cabinets are the same design. I will improve it some more with dakiom feedback stabilizers and the fact I have many sound processors like dbx, bbe, behringer, it will definitely have very little limitations cause I can alter the sound in which so many seem to have their limitations. I also acquired an AMT 10B, and with my ohm walsh 300 mk 2 rebuilt by ohm, at least i can switch. I also have eminent tech lft 8a's and a maggie 2.5r's with new ribbons, I have the best of both worlds and if i ever find space, i can always pull out my DINOSAUR, an ACOUSTAT SPECTRA 33 the electrostat the size of a room! |
I just came across this thread. I HAVE A PAIR of original ESS transmission line speakers; the ones that were made just before the Heil tweeter were added. I purchased them in Toronto for $900 in 1970. I moved back to NY in 1972 with the two speakers on the roof of my car. Going about 70 mph on the Thruway in the middle of the night they lifted off my roof rack, (I thought they were gone) and they did a perfect 180 degree flip (as seen from my rear view mirror) and landed on the side of road, sliding, with almost no damage. One of the speakers broke part of the top teak wooden panel, which I glued together again. Ten years later I replaced one of the Kef 9x12 oval speakers; the part cost me $125.00 in the 80's. My wife didn't like the size, and when one of the fuse housing broke I retired them to the attic. They are still there! and I think in good condition. I will post a photos when I set them up. I remember incredible sound playing Pink Floyd - Money. What sold me on them originally was a cover shot of a stereo magazine with them competing with 10 foot Magnaplanars Monsters and coming in second. |
I just posted some comments as a former dealer for ESS. Whatever happened to the owners and can you tell us the inside story of what happened to ESS. My guess was that they went for the mass market and failed. I remembered two of the owners, Gary Hudson and Phil Coelho but not the third, who was a college professor. |
The Transstatics were low sensitivity loudspeakers so they would not play loudly without the potential for damage. My store sold a few and fortunately they were discontinued before we sold many. It was a very good sounding system but just not meant to be played loudly. The Phase Linear 400 was not a good match. The Phase Linear 700B might have been better but still was a poor match for the Transstatics. We serviced just about every Phase 400 we ever sold. You guys must have been loaded to be able to afford the JBL Paragon. I use to stare at that system in the Dell audio directory published yearly and daydream about owning it. Other speakers that caught my eye during that period were the Stephens with enclosures designed by Eames. They were virtually identical to JBL. In fact, Stephens originally worked at JBL in the early days. However, the sound of JBL, Altec, and Stephens was becoming obsolete in many ways with introduction of the acoustic suspension systems and the "New England Sound." |
I was a tech in R&D for ESS for 1.5 yrs. '77-'78. The company was long past the electrostatics by then. I hired on there so I could afford a pair($450 ea.) of what I believed were the best sounding speakers in the world. Don't have all the answers for your questions, forget the 'statics they were before my time and did not compare with the Heil AMT. I helped with the proto-types of all of the systems at the time including one special one called the Transar (full range Heil AMT). I left the company with what may well have been the best pair of speakers to that date: 1978 AMT1B Bookshelf built in the lab by myself with hand tested |
I just registered for this site as I was trying to remember the name of the speakers I owned that had an oval KEF woofer and electrostatic elements. I believe I was using a Phase Linear 400 to drive them and blew a lot of the RTR elements. I seem to recall the woofers did a strange thing when overdriven. You must remember the era that these speakers were available. My memory is decidedly fuzzy and it's not all due to advanced age. My roommate at the time had a JBL Paragon that sat between the Transstatics. When he got tired of the Paragon, we both purchased a pair of Infinity Servo Statik I speakers and stacked the panels in our living room. Talk about blown RTRs. I now own Thiel CS3.5s but this forum brought back a lot of memories. |
"Sound As Clear As Light" was their slogan. I own a numerically matched pair of Rosewood units purchased as floor models from a Tacoma, WA in 1972. dealer. I got them from a friend who originally purchased them from Paulsens, then sold them to me for $600/pr. He decided to go with K-horns, so I became a proud recipient of the ESS Transtatic Is. I have replaced 4 of the original RtR es wafers. They are glued and riveted making them difficult to repair - My stereo guy is giving it a try. I purchased 8 replacement units on Ebay for $250 (1 bad one) from Infinity 2000A speakers. I will pass these ESS down to my offspring because they are truly wonderful in sound quality and quantity, and they are pleasing to the eye. I also have the instruction manual and sales brochure. |
I would like to hear what anyone has to say about this comment!! -- My Dad gave me a pair (of broke down Cabinets) of ESS Performance Series (Model 5) Heil Air Motion Transformer Loudspeakers... They sounded horrible, but me just being a kid, they gave me something to tinker with. For the specifications number: Each ESS cabinet consists of: one 5" tweeter, one 10" woofer, one 10" passive radiator at upper half of cabinet on the back[(flat-disk style)(rear firing.) and a snap on dark cloth-coverd grille with the small aluminum ESS name plate on bottom right-hand corner... On the inside of the Cabinets: Acoustic Baffling and a Crossover Panel. Crossover Panel used to provide overload protection and frequency ratio for the 5" Tweeter. The Cabinets still have a black front and back, but the sticky back vinyl "wood grain" covering for the top, bottom and sides has fallen off, (finally some 8 years ago)... So to get back to my story, Both of these ESS Loudspeakers were stored in my Dads moisture air filled garage, thus leading to all the foam surrounds on the woofers and passive radiators to become non-existent over time as well as the faux wood grain de-adhering from the Cabinets... So to make a long story short , I purchased new OME 10" woofers (with rubber surround this time) with same 125 watts RMS and purchased new OME replacement passive radiators (which means I'll have to rubber cement them to the existing octagon shaped aluminum frame on the back of the cabinet which holds the diaphragm into place)...with a couple coats of semi-gloss black spray paint to touch up the bare looking 3/8" Heavy Compressed (High Fidelity Grade) Particle Board (Pre MDF technology era ), not only will these Loudspeakers look good, but they will rock the house, just like they did in the 80's...these speakers will perform optimally when placed 45 degrees in the corners of a room...the bass from the passive radiator reflecting out from the corner and woofer firing at front, what an outstanding combination for low,low bass ...Now some trivia questions that I would like answers to: What year did the ESS Performance Series (Model 5) come out? How much money did a pair of these speakers cost when they first hit the shelves? Was ESS top-of-the-line for its time? Why did ESS shut down (go out of business)-(in Southern California?) Thank for for you interest in ESS Vintage AUDIO as much as I am -- Dave |
To Gary dated 01/14/07. The best thing you can do with the AMT-1 is too ditch the woofer and visit your local Car Stereo driver dealer and buy the best 4 ohm Sub bass driver that he stocks ( not neccesarily the most expensive . Cast chassis, not too tight a suspension ( VERY IMPORTANT )and about 89- 92 db per watt efficiency should do the trick. I myself have chosen a 10 in Kevlar type driver with a huge magnet assembly, cast chassis and have also done the capacitors up with all polyprops used and rewire as well. The bass driver preferably will have a lightweight cone ie Polyprop, Carbon fibre or kevlar as it needs to ba able to respond to about 1200 Hz to intergrate with the treble unit. As the crossover and efficency levels and the treble unit is originally a 4 ohn load a car sub driver is actually a great choice - just ignore the horrible paint and bling of the car sub drivers. Stay away from pressed steel chassis as well. Mine are fantastically inproved with the new driver. |
I currently own a pair of ESS Eclipse B102 studio monitors. I would love to get some infos about them because they were heavily modified and I would like to see them in their original state. My speakers came with a completly new enclosure in walnut finish. The old cones and the passive radiators have been replaced and the speakers were recabled. There were also new cable posts added and the speakers and the bases got nice spikes and a partial sand filling. |
My name is George. I bought a pair of ESS bookshelf speakers in 1979 while a sophmore in college. I think they were the model PS-8. I thought they sounded great except the AMTs failed. ESS sent me replacements. As I remember it, ESS was not very friendly about it. What is it about old audio gear from the 70's that makes you so nostalgic? Was it that the equipment was better, or that the times were better, or both? |
Hi my name is Art Galvan, if you are interested in old ESS stuff you are going to love this. I found the original AMT prototype built by Dr. Heil it was sold to me by the west coast sales rep for ESS who happened to be in Palo Alto, CA. the same day Dr. Heil was showing his new AMT driver to the owner of the store where he was looking for factory reps to carry the ESS line. Dr. Heil met the Salesman from ESS and the rest is history. The original AMT is now in the R&D Lab at Moore Industries where I work. drop me an e-mail if you would like to see it. agalvan@miinet.com |
I check in on this thread a few a times a year. I am always interested in the old ESS stuff. I am poor so I cannot partake of the spate of vintage ESS auctions this past year, there were some gems like a mint pair of restored Transtatics. Shipping fee is the killer nowadays. I disagree with comments about the Transtatics being outclassed by todays's speakers. Unless one spends well over $10,000 these used Transtatic and Translinear speakers are a real barging even with the cost of restoration. They are "music lovers" speakers not "home theatre" boomers. I recently had the pleasure of spending an afternoon listening to a friend's restored Transtatic I's playing Beethoven quartets to big film scores to classic Pink Floyd and it is an excellent speaker. ESS really knew how to optimize a transmissionline labyrinth for good phase response and flat bass. This type of manufacture is gone now because of shipping costs. T-lines today are just 'faked' and are really no different than long ported rectangular boxes with a whole lot of stuffing inside to damp the bass and choke-off the real bass output. The RtR psnels have a nice smooth yet highly dynamic sound just as I remembered it from the early 70's. My friend did replace the KEF B110 midrange with a modern unit from Seas. He made a slight adjustment to the stuffing in the 'tunnel' out the back and also re-built part of the x-over and the supply to the electrostatics. I told him if he ever wanted to sell them I'd find a way to buy them...but I know he love's em as much as I do and these really were a "speaker for a lifetime" from those golden days in the early seventies, if only I had known that then. I have a nice system which I mentioned in another post on this thread here, but those ESS...get 'em if you can find 'em! |
A friend of mine just purchased a pair of TransStatics for $50.00! They are the most amazing speakers I have ever heard. Whatever you play through them sounds as though you are hearing it for the first time. He uses monoblock tube amps with his (KT-88s). The clarity is amazing. I wish I could find a pair. I know If I am lucky enough to find some I will be paying a little more than $50.00 for them! |
That's not bad at all although it's the shipping that'll get you. You do know they weigh over a 100 pounds each? First thing where they are will determine the possible overall condition. The weather can destroy a good speaker not to mention what it can do to the cabinet it's housed in. I own a pair that I bought and am in the process of re-storing myself. In fact my B139 replacements for the original 6171 or low end drivers arrived today. So next I'll work on finding the other replacements. If you decide to buy these know this the older the unit the chances are they will be difficult to restore to original specs that is unless you have a bottomless checkbook. Good luck and happy listening. I also own a pair of ESS AMT1A since 1977. ZGRK |
That's not bad at all although it's the shipping that'll get you. You do know they weigh over a 100 pounds each? First thing where they are will determine the possible overall condition. The weather can destroy a good speaker not to mention what it can do to the cabinet it's housed in. I own a pair that I bought and am in the process of re-storing myself. In fact my B139 replacements for the original 6171 or low end drivers arrived today. So next I'll work on finding the other replacements. If you decide to buy these know this the older the unit the chances are they will be difficult to restore to original specs that is unless you have a bottomless checkbook. Good luck and happy listening. I also own a pair of ESS AMT1A since 1977. ZGRK |
Hi, I saw your post and would like a bit of advice, please. I am the original owner of some ESS AMT1 Towers, which need some work, as the bass sounds muddy. I've got a friend who will be replacing the old capacitors for me to see if that will help. Now, I've got the chance to pickup a pair of ESS (Electrostack Sound Systems, Inc.) variable omni translinear I towers. They'd be $125 and I cannot hear them before I buy them. Do you have any thoughts on these speakers? I bought mine in 1974 and these, I assume, are older. Any feedback will be appreciated. Thanks. Gary |
I sold HiFi gear in the late 1970's and had the opportunity to try every speaker out there. In the end, I bought a pair of ESS 7's to mate to my Marantz 2270. The speakers(and Marantz) are still going strong after all these years. Everytime we have guests, they always complement on the sound of the speakers. You will not find a better, more realistic bass reproduction and the overall image those speakers produce is still competitive today. I love my 7s and would love to grab a pair of Translinears. |
Hello fellow music lovers, I bought my first pair of ESS speakers back in 1975-76 they were called "Tempest" and sold for $500.00 per pair. Last month November 2006 I just bought a set of AMT3 Rock Monitors from a seller on ebay who lived in New Hampshire. I'm from Albany, New York but since 2001 now living here in Germany. Anyone want to guess the cost to have these monsters shipped by air to Germany? $750.00 plus the $855.00 winning bid. Took them out of the box yesterday and found dust for speakers - four woofers - two midrange, all of which need to be replaced. Inside the housing I also found the missing pieces of the speaker cover frame-work - made of particle-board - that someone tried to use for handles in order to try and pick these babies up off the ground!!! Dumb move. They've been well used but not abused by their owner - but someone got into the housing and played with the hardware. As both AMT were loose - the plastic on top cracked, the plastic sides were flopping around inside as well. At first I was disapointed, as I just wanted to hook them up and zoom off into sonic-heaven....but the reality is, it's worth the investment and the time and patience needed to perfect this Winter Project. Also, the good news is that the outside housing is in mint condition, with a little wash and polish they'll make any owner proud. So that's the story of my dream speakers. I couldn't afford to buy them back in 1975 and now I cant afford not to have them. You ESS lovers know what I mean! Much respect from Dave in Germany, Host of the following websites: www.ten-years-after,com (Now) www.alvinlee.de (Tribute) Enjoy our work! |
I have a pair of AMT-1b's that I want to sell (South Florida, in use since purchase in 1970's or so. Can anyone recommend a venue or price? Bob miami_grower@yahoo.com |
Just came across this thread and thought I'd comment. I sold stereo in the mid 70's for a company called Atlantis Sound in the Wash DC area and grew quite fond of the ESS line, especially the AMT-1A and AMT-1T's. I owned a pair of the AMT-3's for a while, but never could get them to sound even remotely coherent. The AMT-1T's were (and are) special, though. I recently acquired a pair and had the woofers rebuilt (surround rot) and am still amazed how well they hold their own against many more modern designs. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. |
Holy moly i love this type of talk! I have owned a multitude of pairs of the ESS AMT line of towers, pyramids, bookshelfs, etc. Whence first i heard the AMT MONITOR towers, i was sold on the sound of the Heils. The owner, a youngster, had removed the cast 12" front firing woofer radiator combo, and replaced them with generic ribbed-pulp 12's. While removing the phase coherence of a single 12 and a bass radiator, he was essentially phase-cancelling bass, enhancing midrange production, increasing power handling, and biasing power levels of two 8ohm woofers and one Heil diapragm, towards the woofers. Something about that combination, or having never heard the AMT ESS line of loudspeakers, threw me for a loop. I had never in my life heard a pair of house speakers, floor standing or otherwise, sound that brilliant and punchy. Today, yes, this very day the 7th of August yr 2006, i currently own ONE pair of the AMT-1B pyramids / ONE pair of the AMT-3 Rock Monitors / ONE pair of the AMT MONITORS / ONE pair of the AMT-1C pyramids / ONE pair of the AMT-1D bookshelfs / ONE pair of the AMT-1D pyramids / ONE pair of the AMT-II pyramids / ONE pair of the M6 mini-bookshelfs (non-Heil) / ONE pair of the PS-820 bookshelfs / and ONE pair of the PS-920 bookshelfs. Can you tell i was adversely affected by the one experience??? lol... i love the Heil line-up, i listen to the whole lot of them, regularly! |
Sunnyjim,interesting stuff.I have some Crown ES212s which use similar RTR made stat panels.The Crowns use 12 5inch stat panels arranged in a curved screen 3 high by 4 wide.The bass [below 350hz] is handled by two ten inch woofers in a sealed box.Even by todays standards they sound superb.They are clearly better than the older Quads and many of the Martin Logans I have heard.They are surprisingly dynamic and have real world loudness capabilities.Apparently they cost the same as a family sedan in the mid 70s so they should be good. JT |
