Sony SS-3100 are they still good?

[Fred999]

Hi all,
I bought a pair of the SS-3100 back in the late 60's.
I hardly used them the last 20 years, although they were kept warm and dry in a spare bedroom.

Now I've hooked them up to a Sony STR-DH540. I'm surprised that the sound is not that great. The sound is a bit muffled, and people's voices are not very clear.

Do speakers degrade over 50 years? I guess everything degrades and deteriorates.

I read something about the cones deteriorating, but I don't know how to get in to take a look.

Does anyone have any thoughts? Thanks for any advice.

 

[NINaudio]

With something of that age, it's quite likely that the surrounds were foam and have deteriorated and/or dry rotted.

 

[mazersteven]

I'm sure there are components that age plus the speaker cabinet. But your ears age too

 

[lovinthehd]

You should easily be able to look at the condition of the surrounds, but not likely the cones themselves aged poorly like foam surrounds tend to. Just take the grills off the speaker....snap a photo for us. As to how good those speakers were I couldn't tell you but that they're 50 years old and Sony speakers, probably room for improvement in any case.

 

[Fred999]

I'm sure there are components that age plus the speaker cabinet. But your ears age too

Right, ears are getting older, but I've been comparing to another pair, and the Sony definitely sound less clear, especially with voice.

 

[Fred999]

You should easily be able to look at the condition of the surrounds, but not likely the cones themselves aged poorly like foam surrounds tend to. Just take the grills off the speaker....snap a photo for us. As to how good those speakers were I couldn't tell you but that they're 50 years old and Sony speakers, probably room for improvement in any case.

Thanks, but I can't figure out how to take the grills off. I presume I need to get a knife or something in the side between the cloth and the wood, but they're so tight, I can't even get an exacto knife blade in between.

 

[lovinthehd]

Thanks, but I can't figure out how to take the grills off. I presume I need to get a knife or something in the side between the cloth and the wood, but they're so tight, I can't even get an exacto knife blade in between.

No manual at hifiengine.com for these.....non-removable grills I've seen on really low end speakers, don't know if yours are non-removable/stuck/glued in place....but that's the way in in any case. You can always repair a grill with some effort....

 

[zieglj01]

Hi all,
I bought a pair of the SS-3100 back in the late 60's.

Now I've hooked them up to a Sony STR-DH540. I'm surprised that the sound is not that great. The sound is a bit muffled, and people's voices are not very clear.
Does anyone have any thoughts? Thanks for any advice.

The grill seems to be held by some type of velcro ... the woofers foam is more than likely dry-rotted ... plus it does not hurt to replace the caps in the crossover with new ones .... speaker design has come a long ways since the 60's

Sony ss-3100 Diatone p610 foam surround - Loudspeakers - Lenco Heaven Turntable Forum

Sony ss-3100 Diatone p610 foam surround . So scrolling through facebook marketplace these pop up about 40 minutes away, a three way design from 1967 which includes a sony branded diatone p610 as a midrange!. Both need refoaming though as the

www.lencoheaven.net

 

[lovinthehd]

The grill seems to be held by some type of velcro ... the woofers foam is more than likely dry-rotted ... plus it does not hurt to replace the caps in the crossover with new ones .... speaker design has come a long ways since the 60's

Sony ss-3100 Diatone p610 foam surround - Loudspeakers - Lenco Heaven Turntable Forum

Sony ss-3100 Diatone p610 foam surround . So scrolling through facebook marketplace these pop up about 40 minutes away, a three way design from 1967 which includes a sony branded diatone p610 as a midrange!. Both need refoaming though as the

www.lencoheaven.net

Never thought of using a tape measure to angle a speaker Nice find.

 

[zieglj01]

And here is some more info

Advice: Sony SS-3100 crossover

i have a pair of Sony SS-3100. i bought them last summer from a Romanian shop with the equivalent of 150CAD. they were in their original state - as i was told - except for the mid-driver surrounds, which were replaced. the shop owner gave me the speakers for a test in a friend's system, with an...

audiokarma.org

 

[zieglj01]

Never thought of using a tape measure to angle a speaker

True

 

[Fred999]

Thanks everyone.

I like the comment from the link at audiokarma "the speakers sound marvelous as they are "

Repairing them myself is out of my expertise, I guess I'll start looking for some repair shops. If they can be fixed up for not too much, it might be worth it.

Failing that, I'll try to sell them... although probably not worth too much any more.

Thanks again.

 

[Fred999]

Another thought... does it matter which kind of speaker wire you use?

Would heavier or lighter gauge wire provide better sound? Or is it too late at this stage?

Thanks.

 

[lovinthehd]

Another thought... does it matter which kind of speaker wire you use?

Would heavier or lighter gauge wire provide better sound? Or is it too late at this stage?

Thanks.

It's more about distance and impedance matching to avoid loss, but not really a sound quality thing....try this site for all sorts of good information about speaker wire and use it's handy wire table http://roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

Replacing a surround isn't all that hard, but finding the correct kit may take a bit of looking....check out some of the instructional videos like this https://www.simplyspeakers.com/speaker-repair-instructions.html The crossover may be okay. Were you able to pull the grill off?

Then again lots of good speakers out there if you want to go that direction....just need a budget to help ya spend some money!

 

[Fred999]

It's more about distance and impedance matching to avoid loss, but not really a sound quality thing....try this site for all sorts of good information about speaker wire and use it's handy wire table http://roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

Replacing a surround isn't all that hard, but finding the correct kit may take a bit of looking....check out some of the instructional videos like this https://www.simplyspeakers.com/speaker-repair-instructions.html The crossover may be okay. Were you able to pull the grill off?

Then again lots of good speakers out there if you want to go that direction....just need a budget to help ya spend some money!

Thanks for the links. Read a bunch about wires, that helps.

Also looked at the repair link, too much for me to do, but looks like a repair might not be too expensive. If I can get them fixed for $100 or so, I'll do that. I really liked the way they sounded in my youth... Zeppelin, Cream etc...

If they're too expensive to repair, I'll be back.

Thanks again.

 

[lovinthehd]

Thanks for the links. Read a bunch about wires, that helps.

Also looked at the repair link, too much for me to do, but looks like a repair might not be too expensive. If I can get them fixed for $100 or so, I'll do that. I really liked the way they sounded in my youth... Zeppelin, Cream etc...

If they're too expensive to repair, I'll be back.

Thanks again.

Probably less shipping if you take the drivers out of the cabinet rather than ship the whole thing....unless you find someone local of course. To scratch my old speaker itch a while back picked up a pair of JBL 4311Bs, the sound did transport me back to that era somewhat, having listened to so much on similar JBLs back then