Toby Speakers in Dallas-Any comments?

[BuddTX]

The first time I heard a "real" high end stereo system, I was in College. It was 1979-1981, and I was at a party at my Band Director's house, and I heard someone playing the guitar, and this guitar sounded soo sweet.

I went from room to room, looking for the person playing the guitar (this was a party for band students, so I figured someone had to be playing the guitar.

Turned out, that the sound was coming from a stero, and the speakers were from a brand called TOBY Speakers

A couple of years later, I found out they had a Houston retail outlet, and they sold like 3 speaker systems, and that was it. They had like 10 other pairs of speakers to compare, and, of course, the Toby's sounded the best.

I didn't buy any because I was a poor college student.

But, my question is, has anyone heard of these speakers, anyone have any first hand experience with the home speakers?

Are they still conidered awesom, are they great for the price? Tell me what you know about them?

Thanks.

 

[Shinerman]

I have never heard them before but from everything I have read in the past, they are considered to be good speakers. I have never really heard anything negative about them. It would probably be worthwhile to go give them a listen. Hell, take a trip up to Ft. Worth and maybe you can speak to Toby himself about them.

I am going to Ft. Worth this weekend to help my inlaws with a move. I think I might stop in and listen to them, after seeing this post. I go by their shop all the time when I am up there. If I do, I'll post my impressions.

Shinerman

 

[BuddTX]

I've been temped to drive up to Dallas and listen to these speakers!

Please let me know your impressions.

Toby had a neat setup back in the 80's. They had like 10 speakers, and each speaker had a photoelectric cell on top of the speaker, and when you wanted to listen to, say the JBL's vs the Toby's, they gave you a flashlight, and you shined the light on the speaker that you wanted to listen too.

This is going to sound funny, but I was suspiscous, because the Toby's sounded TOO GOOD.

They did this "newspaper crinkle" test, where the guy goes into a soundproof booth with a mic and a newspaper, and he crinkles the newspaper into the microphone.

He gives you another sheet of newspaper, and that becomes your "reference" sound.

As you used the flashlight to listen to the crinkle sound on the different speakers, they sounded like rain, or applause, anything but what the real sound sounded like.

OF COURSE, the only speaker that was true to the reference sound, was the Toby's.

Let me know if you have time to visit them this weekend.

See if you see any good values.

 

[Westrock2000]

I had considered checking them out, as I live in DFW, but when you look at the prices, I just think I would rather buy something from PartsExpress.

Theres a place called Tanner Electronics in Carrollton (near I-35 and 635 Dallas), and I think I remember seeing some drivers just like the ones on the right...they were like ~$8 each or so. Not sure if they were the same exact driver though.

The almunimum on the left looks cool, but the price list says $50 each....I'd rather get a Peerless or Vifa for that price....or the Dayton Aluminums for 1/4 the price.

 

[BuddTX]

I am going to Ft. Worth this weekend to help my inlaws with a move. I think I might stop in and listen to them, after seeing this post. I go by their shop all the time when I am up there. If I do, I'll post my impressions.
Shinerman

Shinerman,

Did you get a chance to stop by?

 

[BuddTX]

Sherman, any comments?

 

[Shinerman]

Hey BuddTX,

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. No, I did not get to go by the shop. I spent 15 hours a day moving crap, er stuff for the inlaws. I am supposed to go back at the end of the month so maybe I will be able to go then. I really want to listen to them. I'm thinking about revamping my bedroom system so I really want to give them a try. Plus, it would be nice to support a local Texan.

Shinerman

 

[nm2285]

They seem to be using Vifa XT and DX tweeters in their speakers. These are well respected tweeters (the XT is used in Polk's LSi series and Krell speakers) so they should sound good. As for the midranges/woofers, they seem competently made. No suprise that they sound nice. Just a question of whether or not the speakers are a good value.

 

[Rip Rowan]

Toby: the Real Deal

I have known Toby informally since the early 1980s. Toby speakers are the real deal. I have a pair of 1990 Toby D61s that I will stand up against anything at twice times the price in today's dollars (in 1990 the pair cost me about $800).

I have used my D61s as studio monitors in my control room as well. Toby will stand behind the construction of his speakers as though he was building Sherman tanks. I have cooked a couple of his speakers in the recording studio and in every case they were replaced free of charge, no questions asked, even though they were 10 years old. The D61 sounds amazing, I am sure that his newer models do as well.

Toby pretty much perfected the concept of the small-woofer rear-ported tower and IMHO his best designs are the ones based on that design. The classic was the D61 which was an 8" woofer and a Vifa tweeter, though the 6" tower design also had a great sound. He has experimented with a number of other designs but the tower design is just an amazing piece of work.

He manufactures his own woofers and yes does use Vifa tweeters which he mods slightly, or used to. When the crank-it-up car audio thing became popular, Toby leveraged his knowledge of building bulletproof woofers and started making bandpass woofer boxes for cars and trucks, and that became a big part of his business. Toby's bandpass boxes are chiropractic.

He had some distribution in the 1980s and I think into the early 1990s but my take on Toby was that he didn't have the head for the business. If you ever meet him you'll understand - the guy is a kind of combination of mad scientist and absent-minded professor - and I mean this in the nice way - he's a real character and is kind and obviously brilliant - but he's not some slick marketing type. And the business is run that way, too, so be prepared. Customer service is not the name of the game.

At any rate if you have the opportunity to get to Fort Worth, go by Toby Speakers and give them a listen, and if you are openminded and not swayed by brand names you'll buy them on the spot.

Rip Rowan
Editor, ProRec.com

 

[Rip Rowan]

Additionally...

I found this Googling "Toby Speakers".

This is absolutely the Toby Guynn I know.

http://www.toby.com/ABOUTTS/tobyhist.htm

 

[tx cowtown]

Life long Toby fan

I have lived in Fort Worth all my life and am very familiar with Toby and the other posts are very accurate. He sold speaker kits in the late 70's that included his famous 6x9 drivers, tweeters and plans to construct the enclosure. I built mine in 1978 and have used them continually since and they still sound fantastic. I have had to replace the woofers one time for a nominal exchange cost in the 30 year life of these phenomenal speakers!