VINTAGE - Spring suspended woofer cabinet ?

[Lafayette]

I ran on strange speaker boxes from early 60s, or even older - big boxes (size of KEF Concerto original first series or slightly bigger), on little wheels, so floor standing boxes with low frequency driver in its own box that is attached via set of springs to the wooden plate; that wooden plate is slid into the main enclosure (the one that is on wheels) and holds the bass box in the air inside the main cabinet that is only visible. If slightly pressed down from behind, it will bounce few seconds before coming to still. If pushed forward it will immediately come to still, maybe slight bouncing before becoming still.

So, it is designed to keep the bass speaker out of contact with the floor through its enclosure by being hung on the main box. Springs make no audible sound if the boxes are gently moved.

The high frequency driver is inside the main box, the brand is Peerles, however the model number is not visible. I don't know what driver is used for bass, it has a fabric protection on its own on its enclosure, and would need to open the box. It is closed from the back with a number of screws, and the speaker can only be accessed from the back.

This allegedly came as part of the home system that was powered by an ordinary big Blaupunkt or Telefunken radio, and needs to be opened and checked, most likely rewired and equipped with a crossover, as tweeters have separate cables and I don't know what is in the bass box beside the speaker...

As I never saw something like this - is this some known design, does it make sense to restore? Is this system of bass box hung in this way something that makes sense?

 

[TLS Guy]

I ran on strange speaker boxes from early 60s, or even older - big boxes (size of KEF Concerto original first series or slightly bigger), on little wheels, so floor standing boxes with low frequency driver in its own box that is attached via set of springs to the wooden plate; that wooden plate is slid into the main enclosure (the one that is on wheels) and holds the bass box in the air inside the main cabinet that is only visible. If slightly pressed down from behind, it will bounce few seconds before coming to still. If pushed forward it will immediately come to still, maybe slight bouncing before becoming still.

So, it is designed to keep the bass speaker out of contact with the floor through its enclosure by being hung on the main box. Springs make no audible sound if the boxes are gently moved.

The high frequency driver is inside the main box, the brand is Peerles, however the model number is not visible. I don't know what driver is used for bass, it has a fabric protection on its own on its enclosure, and would need to open the box. It is closed from the back with a number of screws, and the speaker can only be accessed from the back.

This allegedly came as part of the home system that was powered by an ordinary big Blaupunkt or Telefunken radio, and needs to be opened and checked, most likely rewired and equipped with a crossover, as tweeters have separate cables and I don't know what is in the bass box beside the speaker...

As I never saw something like this - is this some known design, does it make sense to restore? Is this system of bass box hung in this way something that makes sense?

The electronics look to be around 50s vintage. The finish on these speakers matches the cabinet with the electronics. It seems as if the speakers were designed for bi-amping. I suspect this is a representative of a long line of really odd audio contraptions to come out of Germany in that era. In the UK we regularly laughed out loud at contraptions that came out of Germany. It is a curio, but I think you can forget getting any audio fidelity out of the contraption.

 

[Lafayette]

The electronics look to be around 50s vintage. The finish on these speakers matches the cabinet with the electronics. It seems as if the speakers were designed for bi-amping. I suspect this is a representative of a long line of really odd audio contraptions to come out of Germany in that era. In the UK we regularly laughed out loud at contraptions that came out of Germany. It is a curio, but I think you can forget getting any audio fidelity out of the contraption.

Thanks, I think you cannot be right more... and contraption is the word Above the radio in that cabinet is one Garrard with like ten 78s piled up on its plate, and then a set of heavy switches next to it, which I think must have been used for switching on the speakers or possibly even lights in the room where this was originally kept...then two strange cone-shaped Visaton completely sealed metal cans with six wires soldered to it, and a schematic diagram still engraved there dealing with 3 drivers, so I assume those were used as crossovers for the drivers in those boxes... Number of wires going out of that cabinet is pretty impressive, of course presently cut with no markings, so a bit of investigation must take place whoever decides to use whatever part of this.. If space would not be a problem, I would have played a bit with it, but getting into this might have serious consequences on my marital status...hm maybe two flies with one hit...
Btw, I still have a fully working Blaupunkt Riviera tube radio from the end of 50s, it has two main speakers in its regular cabinet, and 2 strange and very fragile looking almost flat, magnetless, fully transparent "tweeters" on the sides of its cabinet, which I never understood how those work, but they hiss and work, and the radio has magnificent FM (mono) sound...