"Phil Allison" wrote in message
...
Iain Churches wrote:


Yes I remember that too. Clever advertising, and
by all accounts successful. A lot of people bought
the JBL Century 100's for home use.


** That would have to be a lot of Americans who bought them.

Back in the early 70s, I worked briefly for a store in Sydney that
sold electronic components, kits for magazine projects and a couple
of speaker kits.

One of these happened to be the KEF kit 3 containing the drivers and
crossover needed for a KEF Concerto, minus box. Particle board boxes
were also available as pre-cut kits.

A built pair kits was on constant demo, A-B switched with a pair of
JBL L100s with their bright orange front grilles - see pic:

http://product-images.highwire.com/8593684/2748-2.jpg

Despite a price difference of more than 2:1, the JBLs sounded very
poor, " thick and coloured like tomato soup" was one comment and
with remarkably little bass. The store sold many KEF kit 3s and no
JBLs on the basis of that demo while I was there.

I bought a pair of KEF kit 3s then too, later improving them with
rebuilt crossovers plus massively deadened the cabinets. Sold them a
couple of years on at a small profit, after buying a second hand
pair of ESL57s.

I kept them for nearly 30 years.



A colleague of mine built a pair of transmission line cabinets using
the same kits based on the design published by Dr Arthur Bailey of
Bradford University in Wireless World in 1972. Whilst they were less
good at stereo imaging than many other (mostly two-way) designs they
produced a naturalness of sound that I have ever heard from any other
speaker save Quad ESLs and possibly one of the Philips MFB designs.

My colleague got married and moved into a terraced house where he did
not have the room for them so I bought them off him for £55 in about
1976 (the drive units alone were worth well over £100 retail) and we
kept them until my Management decided they were too big and had to go
somewhere in the early 90's. I was heartbroken and as I could not sell
them I removed the drive units and broke up the cabinets - I still
have those drivers boxed up in my (very dry) garage!

My F-in-L is an organist so there is a love of organ music around
here. I have never heard any speaker that can reproduce organ pedals -
particularly the reeds - with such clarity and realism. Real window
shakers at 10 paces from a 20W amp!

Since then I have had a pair of Spendor BC1's (still have them) and am
currently running a pair of KEF Q55's but neither were/are anywhere
near as pleasant and comfortable to listen to as those TL's.


--
Woody

harrogate3 at ntlworld dot com

"Woody" wrote in message
...

A colleague of mine built a pair of transmission line cabinets using the
same kits based on the design published by Dr Arthur Bailey of Bradford
University in Wireless World in 1972. Whilst they were less good at stereo
imaging than many other (mostly two-way) designs they produced a
naturalness of sound that I have ever heard from any other speaker save
Quad ESLs and possibly one of the Philips MFB designs.

Since then I have had a pair of Spendor BC1's (still have them) and am
currently running a pair of KEF Q55's but neither were/are anywhere near
as pleasant and comfortable to listen to as those TL's.

Dr Bailey took out a patent with Arthur Radford for the TLs.
Each speaker had a special Radford valve power amp build into the stand
as the speaker impedance was 25 Ohms.

The studio were I worked in London had a pair which were
little if ever used, so I asked if I could borrow them. My
request was granted and I had them at home for about a year.
My next door neighbour was away for very long spells in the merchant
marine, so I greatly enjoyed window-rattling performances of
organ music by Bach, and Buxtehude. These speakers were exceptional.

Iain

"Iain Churches" wrote in message
...

"Woody" wrote in message
...

A colleague of mine built a pair of transmission line cabinets
using the
same kits based on the design published by Dr Arthur Bailey of
Bradford
University in Wireless World in 1972. Whilst they were less good at
stereo
imaging than many other (mostly two-way) designs they produced a
naturalness of sound that I have ever heard from any other speaker
save
Quad ESLs and possibly one of the Philips MFB designs.

Since then I have had a pair of Spendor BC1's (still have them) and
am
currently running a pair of KEF Q55's but neither were/are anywhere
near
as pleasant and comfortable to listen to as those TL's.

Dr Bailey took out a patent with Arthur Radford for the TLs.
Each speaker had a special Radford valve power amp build into the
stand
as the speaker impedance was 25 Ohms.

The studio were I worked in London had a pair which were
little if ever used, so I asked if I could borrow them. My
request was granted and I had them at home for about a year.
My next door neighbour was away for very long spells in the merchant
marine, so I greatly enjoyed window-rattling performances of
organ music by Bach, and Buxtehude. These speakers were exceptional.



I used to have a compilation disc to show how good Denon recordings
were. It had a piece of Bach on it recorded in Limburg Cathedral that
had reeds on the pedals that I have never been able to hear on any
other speakers - same a pair of borrowed Cambridge R50's which were
essentially the same design principle anyway.

The Bailey TLs were almost the same as the IMF TLS50's and 80's - but
I could never have afforded them. The BC1's were ex BBC and only cost
me £70 - about a tenth of their then retail cost.


--
Woody

harrogate3 at ntlworld dot com

In article ,
Woody wrote:
The Bailey TLs were almost the same as the IMF TLS50's and 80's - but
I could never have afforded them. The BC1's were ex BBC and only cost
me £70 - about a tenth of their then retail cost.

My BC1s cost about 70 quid new - from the factory, and ordered up sort of
via the BBC in the early 70s. Serial numbers just over 1000.

--
*Yes, I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely ceremonial

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