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Snell Type A Serial ' 1485, 1486

My new found speakers only have the Type A listed on the panel. Not AII or, AIII. Of course they are the two piece and the first thing I did was to pull the bottom panel to check the woofer surrounds, yes they are in need of new surrounds. I have replaced several different surrounds on other speakers, however, these appear to have a balance system in the resin around the VC cover. Does this mean that there are some extra steps needed in order to replace the surrounds correctly? Next I'm very curious as to the value of these speakers? I picked them up very, very inexpensively and the cabinets are pristine as well as the covers. I think I may have something pretty special but most everything I read is pertaining to the AII's and III's. Is it possible these are the originals or, is there some other way to identify the model?
I have a set of Audio Research M-100 mono blocks that I am planning to use for the amps. Should I anticipate trying to get a solid state amp for bi-amping the woofer section? Since I'm pretty much ion the dark on these any and all information available would be much appreciated. I think they may put my Vanderstine 2Ce's in the minor leagues if what I've read on Snell holds any water!

John
johnfish44
team212
250 posts
 

Hi,
Yes indeed a pair of true classics-- repair the surrounds--a common occurence unfortunately with the woofers, the other drives should be OK.
Definitely Bi Amp-as in my pic-Ha!-- take up the offer from the previous gentleman and procure the DB X over-it was rec' for the speaker. The JC Symmetry X over was superior but rare as hens teeth on the SH market now.

Take pride -a great speaker

Good Luck,

DesW
http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/team201/Snell_A.jpg
fishboat
245 posts
 
You have something special. You won't need the Vandys any longer. I have two pairs of Type A's, one similar to yours & one pair of AIII's.

I'll have to recheck my serial numbers on mine...I think they are in the 1200's. Right around this time the AI's became the AII's. I think the AII's just had some wiring changes with the same parts as the AI's. With serial numbers in the 1400's I'd say you have AII's.

RE: the woofer surrounds...my AIII's need the same thing. I'm told (by Mark@Snell) the replacement surrounds should be a "light" material. I will have Tri-State Loudspeaker do the work on them. Dante at TriState suggested including as much of what's left of the surrounds in the packing to them so they can look at it & match it as closely as possible. Once you have new foams you'll need to break them in so they loosen up. Snell used to do replacement foams, but last I heard they stopped(they subbed it out anyway).

Value $$: It depends on how bad someone wants them. There was a pair of AIII's (9/10 condition, new surrounds) on ebay two weeks ago that went on a BIN sale for $2000. This might(?) be on the high side, but I can't say the buyer made a foolish deal. One way to look at it is that they are quite long in the tooth from an age standpoint. A more realistic way to look at it is how they sound relative to what's available today & at what price. AIII's with the right signal fed to them can be stunning.

Power: You should have enough, but the Type As are not afraid of power(4 ohm, 86dB, ~35-18500Hz). I run around 300-350 watts/ch into 4 ohms on my AII's. My amp is SS, pre-amp,CDP, DAC are tubed. I biwire only. I have the external crossover, but haven't used it, yet.

Once you're ready to light them up, let me know & I can give you some hints on setup. Make sure you have the correct top on each bottom...it matters.

Great score, you'll love them. I'd like to hear them with all tube power.
carlos43
11 posts
 
I recently repaired a pair Ser.#1511 & 1512. They were a right and left hand. The woofer cone is special with the added resin weight around the DC to lower its resonant frequency (by design). However, that won't affect the refoam job. The woofer is an Italian made RCF #L12P48.
You may want to think about recapping the mid and tweet sections. P. Snell used many bundled NPE caps that have now been well documented on the www as becoming problematic with age. The entire xover board is removable from behind a hidden panel located just below the mids.
fishboat
245 posts
 
I checked both of my pairs last night. The AIIs I have are #1031 & #1032. The AIII's are #12815 & #12816. I agree with Carlos' comment on the crossover caps. I plan to freshen up mine, I just haven't focused on it yet. (be careful when/if you remove the grill...it's held on my brads ~6 inches on center)

Carlos...You have the woofer model presumably from the set you fixed. Do you know the specific model numbers & mfg of the tweeters & mids used on the AII? If you have the info, the makes/models of the woof-mid-tweeters (2 of them) used on the AIII's would be very helpful. The AIII's went to a 12 inch woofer so it is different. I also know the midrange changed between the AII & AIII. I'm not sure whether the tweeter changed. Adding the second tweeter is also new between AII & AIII.

ANY of this info would be greatly appreciated.
bksnell
1 posts
 
I have the 1511's and 1512's Carlos mentioned. Carl does great work and these speakers are in great shape. I, too, have too many speakers and have chosen to use my XA1900's in the room where I now have the Type A's. Carl also installed L-pads on the tweeters and mids so you can tune them to your room and listening taste. If anyone is interested I can be reached at asachs@mindspring.com . Thanks.
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