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Ken’s system

(forum name: Datubie)

My encounter with Vitavox started via the closure of an old movie theater in 2001. I managed to track down the equipment manager & got appointment to rummage inside. Talk about “The-kid-in-a-candy-store” syndrome! There were racks of KT66 amplifiers, Altec 604 co-axial drivers, Altec 515, 416 woofers, 1005 horns, compression drivers, 816, 828 enclosures etc. and they were willing to sell them all as junk! I made out like a bandit on that one!!

Although I didn’t know it at the time, the real prizes were a pair of Gaumont Kalee 2 way horn systems in the main hall. Each comprised of a Vitavox 15 Cell Model 220S/531 (CN129), single entry horns with Gaumont Kalee (GK) Model 379 drivers and a front horn dual woofer LF section not unlike the Altec model 210 enclosures. Inside one of the LF enclosures were a pair of Vitavox K15/40 (CN142) woofers & the other held a pair of Goodmans Audiom 80s. Due to the huge size of the LF enclosures, which were some 84” high, 22” wide and 40” deep; I was forced to leave them behind after scavenging the other parts. Unfortunately, due to all the excitement, I didn’t have the presence of mind to take picture of the speakers in their natural environment.

This is the setup I have at home:

The Model 531’s + GK drivers replaced the original Altec H1005 + 288C and the K15/40’s moved in & Altec 515B’s moved out of the Onken enclosures. For the crossovers, I’m currently running passive 2nd order Butterworth at 400 hz for the low end and 7000 khz at the high end. Frequencies above this are handled by JBL 2405 “Slot” tweeters. The horns you see in below the 531’s are based on the JBL 2397 design and are currently unconnected. These will feature in an upcoming tri amp setup.

Frontal shot of one of the 531 horns. An ECC83 is pictured for size reference. The paint is the original matt black and the white dots are screen paint accumulated over the years; which is probably 50 plus.

Front and rear shots of the K15/50. The lighter colour patches on the rear of the cone are repairs due to insect damage.

The rest of the system consists of a Sony CDX5000 used as a transport, an ancient SFD DAC, DIY 300B SET amplifiers, Sony tuner. Not shown is a Westrex 12D turntable with an Origin Live modded RB250 arm. The Quad II’s flanking the CD player (2nd shelf from bottom) are not connected.

Under construction for the tri amp setup are;

A pair of #45 SET amplifiers to drive the JBL 2405’s & JBL copy horns, a pair of GM70 SET amplifiers for the K15/40’s. The current 300B amplifiers will work the 531 horns.
Signal splitting duties will be done by a digital Behringer unit.

April 2005 update

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