Mystery bookshelf speaker ID

[Deep South]

After spending half a day researching, I am no closer to identifying my latest thrift store grab. No markings anywhere on these but they are heavy so I assumed they were worth the $5. I want to identify this woofer and re-foam accordingly. Here is what I do know:

-Vifa D20TD-05-06 809 tweeter
-6-1/2" clear Poly woofer stamped 4 OHM with 1056, 6102, & 8910 on the magnets (1056 is a Fisher code but I don't see any Fisher speakers in clear poly)
-Brown grill cloth similar to the old Norman Labs models
-Sealed cabinet stuffed full of batting, does not appear to be a home brew set.

First post! Any help is appreciated!

 

[j_garcia]

I think I've seen Fishers, or some other similar inexpensive speaker, with similar blue poly midbass. Vifa tweeter indicates not too cheap. Cabinet looks generic, but well made. How does the x-over look? All black wiring and solder suggests to me it might be a DIY or a DIY rebuild.

 

[Deep South]

Crossover looks good, I'll get a picture later. Didn't think about until now BUT the heavy wire inside is making me think it was a kit of some sort...Madisound? Yes, the Vifa's make it worth the price of admission!

 

[everettT]

Could be older infinity 's. That looks like the woofer they used from some of the mid 80s
https://www.google.com/search?q=1980s+infinity+speakers&client=ms-android-att-us&prmd=sivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwivifnphp7NAhWMix4KHTJiAacQ_AUICCgC&biw=690&bih=331#imgrc=C6PDfYDW3LiVsM:

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Excuse me for being Capt Obvious, but both woofers surrounds are perished and dust caps are missing as well.

 

[Deep South]

I thought Infinity too, but not only is the tweeter offset in the cabinet, it's a vifa. The cutouts are perfect fits too and the inside of the cabinet has black over spray, like I've seen inside factory cabinets from Advent and AR. No names on the speaker terminals either and that's where the Infinity E-L series was tagged.

 

[j_garcia]

The way the sealing foam is applied could mean DIY as well, or simply added after the fact. Factory would more likely have a silocone there or a pre-cut gasket, but the cabinet looks OEM and the drivers are definitely nicely fitted and seem to be what it was made for. Midbass can easily be re-foamed.

 

[Deep South]

I'll test all the drivers and get more pictures this weekend. If everything is in working order, I plan to re-foam these and refinish the cabinets. IF anybody has ever seen a set of these or comes across the EIA codes for the woofers, please let me know.

I did find that Madisound sells a MISCO 6102 poly woofer but it's not clear like mine.

https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/approx-6-7-woofers/madisound-6102-4-6-polypropylene-cone-woofer/

 

[TLS Guy]

I would be 99% sure that is a DIY speaker.

The woofer is an MCM. They made tons of them and they were very popular back in the eighties with a lot of DIYers. They made 6 1/2" and 8" clear polycone woofers. Those Vifa tweeters were also popular.

The coils are definitely from Madisound, that is the way they have looked from way back. The choke you can see is their house brand.

The grill cloth they sold also, I still have tons of it.

It looks to me that the woofer cut out was done by hand with a rip saw.

Is the woofer 6 1/2 or 8"?

There still is a lot of old stock about.

Here is the 6 1/2"

http://www.parts-express.com/6-1-2-poly-cone-midbass-woofer-4-ohm--299-609
They are $4.88 a piece.

Here is the 8". $22.92 a pop.

 

[j_garcia]

That's not the cutout you are seeing, it is the tiny strips of foam applied around the counterbored lip.

 

[Deep South]

Good stuff, thanks for the research! Going to check the solder joints and look for extra holes in the recesses where the speakers were mounted to see if this was a doner cabinet or a kit from somewhere else. Looking more and more like a PE or Madisound build kit though.

 

[Deep South]

 

[Deep South]

Looking at the internal wires and state soldering, these are definately DIY. I'm guessing the woofers aren't worth the cost of a refoam???

 

[highfigh]

Looks like a Solen cap, too- I bet someone at Madisound (Larry) would recognize the numbers on the back of the magnet.

 

[TLS Guy]

Looking at the internal wires and state soldering, these are definately DIY. I'm guessing the woofers aren't worth the cost of a refoam???

That is a Madisound board. It is not a Madisound kit. That is a crude first order crossover, not suitable for those drivers.

The woofers are MCM. I don't think those speakers are worth worrying with unless you completely rework the crossovers.

You can replace those drivers cheaper than you can refoam them.

The tweeters are good, the woofers are low end and not worth the trouble.

Unfortunately you bought junk.

 

[Deep South]

At $5 I'll keep the cabinets and the Vifa's and consider it money well spent!

 

[Deep South]

From another source: Madisound Sledgeling kit, first version. Here's a page where a guy goes into a lot of detail on a later model version (same sonics, cosmetic changes):

http://www.n1kdo.com/sledgeling/index.html

Those 6102 woofers are no joke. Very nice woofers. Very flat response. "1056" code on them means made by Gefco, which was correct at that time (IIRC, they later shifted woofer production over to Misco, but they were essentially still the same woofer, just with cosmetic differences like cone color and such).