BBC LSU/10 Parmeko speakers
 

I am doing research on a pair of BBC LSU/10 Parmeko speakers.
I was hoping someone would be able to provide some information on them.
Cheers
Tom

BBC LSU/10 Parmeko speakers
 

In article Rc6Tf.5936$092.4953@trndny04, THOMAS GOULET
writes
I am doing research on a pair of BBC LSU/10 Parmeko speakers.
I was hoping someone would be able to provide some information on them.
Cheers
Tom



Their still around!, formed in 1927 they used to make a lot of
transformers and I've still got a few of 'em here. Seem to remember
having an old valve radio with their name on the speaker!....


http://www.parmeko.co.uk/html/contact.html
--
Tony Sayer

BBC LSU/10 Parmeko speakers
 

"THOMAS GOULET" wrote in message
news:Rc6Tf.5936$092.4953@trndny04...
I am doing research on a pair of BBC LSU/10 Parmeko speakers.
I was hoping someone would be able to provide some information on them.
Cheers
Tom


Only a small amount of information:- The LSU/10 used a Tannoy 15" driver and
Lorentz tweeter driven by a 12 watt amplifier. They were in use in 1962, but
I have no idea when they entered service or were replaced. This brief
description and a picture can be found on
http://www.oldsms.co.uk/gear/typeb.php


S.

BBC LSU/10 Parmeko speakers
 

In article ,
Serge Auckland wrote:
Only a small amount of information:- The LSU/10 used a Tannoy 15" driver
and Lorentz tweeter driven by a 12 watt amplifier. They were in use in
1962, but I have no idea when they entered service or were replaced.
This brief description and a picture can be found on

No - the originals had Parmeko dual concentric drivers. I think they date
from about the early '50s. The tweeter was added after FM started and some
home listeners were hearing things you couldn't on the LSU/10 which I
think cut off at about 10kHz which was fine for AM radio then. The amps
were either Leak or SoundSales. Cabinets were made by Lockwood who later
moved on from just being cabinet makers to produce their own designs for
recording studios, etc.

With the need for higher SPL for pop music sessions some were modified to
Tannoy units.

--
*Some people are only alive because it is illegal to kill.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

BBC LSU/10 Parmeko speakers
 

THOMAS GOULET wrote:

I am doing research on a pair of BBC LSU/10 Parmeko speakers.
I was hoping someone would be able to provide some information on them.
Cheers
Tom


A quick look on the BBC website revealed only a passing mention on page 10 of this:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/archive...nograph_78.pdf

There may be more if you dig deeper.

--
Eiron

There's something scary about stupidity made coherent - Tom Stoppard.

BBC LSU/10 Parmeko speakers
 

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...

The originals had Parmeko dual concentric drivers. I think they date
from about the early '50s. The tweeter was added after FM started and some
home listeners were hearing things you couldn't on the LSU/10 which I
think cut off at about 10kHz which was fine for AM radio then. The amps
were either Leak or SoundSales. Cabinets were made by Lockwood who later
moved on from just being cabinet makers to produce their own designs for
recording studios, etc.

Lockwood of Harrow were actually coffin makers. They build
a range of excellent infinite baffle enclosures for Tannoy 15inch
and 12inch dual concentrics, for studio use. The Major was the
most impressive of these.

They used the same gold handles on speaker cabs and coffins:-)

Iain

BBC LSU/10 Parmeko speakers
 

"Iain Churches" wrote in message
...

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...

The originals had Parmeko dual concentric drivers. I think they date
from about the early '50s. The tweeter was added after FM started and
some
home listeners were hearing things you couldn't on the LSU/10 which I
think cut off at about 10kHz which was fine for AM radio then. The amps
were either Leak or SoundSales. Cabinets were made by Lockwood who later
moved on from just being cabinet makers to produce their own designs for
recording studios, etc.

Lockwood of Harrow were actually coffin makers. They build
a range of excellent infinite baffle enclosures for Tannoy 15inch
and 12inch dual concentrics, for studio use. The Major was the
most impressive of these.

They used the same gold handles on speaker cabs and coffins:-)

Iain
The Lockwood Major 12" was the 'speaker in the first studios I worked in.
The sounded wonderful, driven by Quad IIs.

They needed those handles, even on castors they were hard to shift.

S.

BBC LSU/10 Parmeko speakers
 

"Serge Auckland" wrote in message
...

"Iain Churches" wrote in message
...

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...

The originals had Parmeko dual concentric drivers. I think they date
from about the early '50s. The tweeter was added after FM started and
some
home listeners were hearing things you couldn't on the LSU/10 which I
think cut off at about 10kHz which was fine for AM radio then. The amps
were either Leak or SoundSales. Cabinets were made by Lockwood who later
moved on from just being cabinet makers to produce their own designs for
recording studios, etc.

Lockwood of Harrow were actually coffin makers. They build
a range of excellent infinite baffle enclosures for Tannoy 15inch
and 12inch dual concentrics, for studio use. The Major was the
most impressive of these.

They used the same gold handles on speaker cabs and coffins:-)

Iain
The Lockwood Major 12" was the 'speaker in the first studios I worked in.
The sounded wonderful, driven by Quad IIs.

We had then at Decca, of both 12 and 15 inch types. I bought
a pair for the control room at RCA when I moved here.
I wonder what happened to them.

They needed those handles, even on castors they were hard to shift.

I heard that the Majors had poly sacks full of sand in the bottom.
I thought they were first class- we drove themn with Radfords.
I have never seen a pair on e-Bay.

Iain

S.

BBC LSU/10 Parmeko speakers
 

In article ,
Serge Auckland wrote:
The Lockwood Major 12" was the 'speaker in the first studios I worked
in. The sounded wonderful, driven by Quad IIs.

They needed those handles, even on castors they were hard to shift.

The only place I've heard them was in the original TMS (television music
studio) in Lime Grove which was previously Studio H which became the
experimental colour studio in the '60s. But those were the 15" versions.

My favourites of that time were the BBC LS3/1 which were a
transportable/OB version of the LS5/1. 15" bass unit and concentrically
mounted pair of HF1300. Superb stereo image and not so coloured as pretty
well every other monitor of the day due to a smaller cabinet than was
usual.

I've never been a fan of the old Tannoy units despite once having owned a
pair of Autographs. And those also put me off horn loading - for Keith G.
;-)

--
*Who is this General Failure chap anyway - and why is he reading my HD? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

BBC LSU/10 Parmeko speakers
 

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Serge Auckland wrote:
The Lockwood Major 12" was the 'speaker in the first studios I worked
in. The sounded wonderful, driven by Quad IIs.

They needed those handles, even on castors they were hard to shift.

The only place I've heard them was in the original TMS (television music
studio) in Lime Grove which was previously Studio H which became the
experimental colour studio in the '60s. But those were the 15" versions.

My favourites of that time were the BBC LS3/1 which were a
transportable/OB version of the LS5/1. 15" bass unit and concentrically
mounted pair of HF1300. Superb stereo image and not so coloured as pretty
well every other monitor of the day due to a smaller cabinet than was
usual.

I've never been a fan of the old Tannoy units despite once having owned a
pair of Autographs. And those also put me off horn loading - for Keith G.
;-)


OK, I'm here, I see ya! I know what you mean about the 'horn sound' - I
fully understand that a lot of people wouldn't/won't like it.

There are moments (especially at switch-on) when I can think the Firewood
Horns sound honky myself (especially with a certain female R3 presenter who
sounds like she is in a phone booth) but it quickly passes. The thing with
these FHs isn't whether or not they sound *better*, it's just that ordinary
speakers sound so crap by comparison afterwards - thick and muddy with a
definite loss of detail and imaging. I have revisited this and checked it
over and over again. I still have Ruark Paladins and a pair of 'perfectly
acceptable' JM-Labs on the go here (HT) to compare, as well as a number of
pairs of shrapnel in the garage. (The B&Q TLs went Oop North a number of
weeks ago.)

Over the last few years I have waded through a lot of different speakers
(other Ruarks, Tannoy, B&W, KEF, Wharfedale, Quad plus others I can't
remember now - even Eltax, springs to mind) and *nothing* satisfied me until
I had heard the FHs!! I don't rule out some of the *seriously* expensive
multiway speakers sounding good, but who TF can even go there? A pair of
Klipsch Heresies a young friend brought round once were the closest - I
could live with them, but even my mate Pat's recently-acquired Cheviots
sounded thick and heavy-handed to me!!??

I don't know what to say - if I really didn't like them, I wouldn't use
them. (I could find a home for those I've built so far by close of business
tonight.) The Needles are on my computer setup (with valves) and give a
spookily good sound - putting the voices right into the monitor in the first
pic, not so good in the temporary 'double' setup in the second pic:

http://www.apah69.dsl.pipex.com/show...er%20Setup.JPG

http://www.apah69.dsl.pipex.com/show...er%20Setup.jpg

(Always people are amazed at the bass from speakers that measure 2.5" across
the drivers!)

The Pinkies (Buschhorns) are so easy to listen to, it's easy to forget them
and they really do disappear! The much bigger Jerichos are 'work in
progress' and are going to have to have correction networks fitted to kill
the 'crunchiness' that Serge picked up on, but even they sound superb to my
ears after a few seconds (not even minutes) acclimatisation....??

You're a bit dab at the woodworking - why don't you grab a pair of dinky
little Visaton FRS-8s (8 ohms) at about 7 or 8 quid a side and some
'acoustic fluff' from Impact Audio...

http://www.impactaudio.co.uk/

(Excellent, fuss-free and quick!)

...and bash out a pair of Needles for yourself? They are by far the most
impressive for what goes into them! (Dims &c can be found on my webpage
http://www.apah69.dsl.pipex.com/needles/needles.htm - ignore the Fostex
bits, the Visatons sound better!!)

It would cost *nothing* and take you less than a couple of evenings - I
think you would be pleasantly surprised! (No need to paint or even glue them
to start with!) They'd come in handy somewhere or I'm sure someone here
would take them off you if you didn't want to keep them - I sent a pair to a
friend in Brussells and he hasn't used his AE 3-way floorstanders since!!
(Take pix if you do decide to have a go! ;-)