2. speakers
  3. 1080655017

Hartley speakers--anyone heard/heard of?

i recently found an old pair of hartley bookshelf speakers in a thrift store, and upon doing a bit of research found that they are one of the oldest manufacturers of speakers still in existence. yes, they are currently based out of wilmington, n.c. after their beginnings near london and subsequent moves to n.y. and n.j. they still manufacture their own drivers by hand, although they do not currently build finished speakers. i have to say that the midrange on these unassuming little speakers really surprised me with it's immediacy and detail (but then again i'm easily impressed :-) but i REALLY was impressed that they are still around, quietly crafting their product for all these years.
musicdoc
phizzer
23 posts
 
I did not know that they still manufactured speakers. One of my close friends acquired a pair from an ex-boyfriend of hers years ago and is still using them in her living room. The sound is impressive given the fact that they are over 10 years old. If you like what you hear and can get a decent deal on them, by all means go for it!
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Back in the 1950's, the 24 inch Hartley woofer was the ultimate. Only competition was the 30 inch Electrovoice.
dannylw's avatar
dannylw
172 posts
 
Hartley was still quite active up until the mid 70's with the concert master and other models. I never got a chance to hear one.
jimjenjr
50 posts
 
In the mid to late fifties the Hartley single cone 10" MS220 was placed in a modified infinite "boffle", correctly spelled as mentioned, and it was touted to have a performance between 20-20,000 Hz. They were demonstrated with a demonstration record which began with a drum roll and it was an effective sales tool. The speaker had a very good mid-range and because of this, it was a stellar performer which sold quite well. This period is also the same period where the Wharfedale W12FSAL was also promoted as a full range 12" speaker. It, too, was a remarkable speaker and I have recently purchased a pair and I am presenlty astonished as to how a 12" speaker can produce such highs. Both speakers had a foam surround and when you find them they do need to have those surrounds replaced.

These are interesting speakers which give credit to their designers for that time period in the music reproduction history. As such, there are many who are presently seeking these speakers as collectors items. They are not on a par with current speakers, but they are a credit to their designers who relied solely on their ears as their instruments for judging their merits.
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Jimjenjr...My second loudspeaker (circa 1955) was a 12 inch Wharfdale full range. I put it in a folded horn corner enclosure that I built. The interesting thing about this driver was the wool flannel cloth surround. (Really low Fs). Foam came later. It was driven by a Dynakit preamp and power amp (tubes of course) and was just about SOTA.

Of course Wharfdale was also famous for sand-filled enclosures.
More to discover