Estate sale Fuselier speakers for $370 but I know nothing about them.

Hey all - thanks for the responses. As you know already, I did purchase them. I'm currently on the lookout for an amplifier/integrated amplifier to power them. Would anyone know any information such as the Power output, Power handling, RMS, Peak, Maximum output, maximum input power, etc so I know what amp is best to power them? Thanks. 

(also, I know they are likely not playable at the moment, but I am looking into fixing them either with a service or over time by myself. Thanks)

jond, that thread was what brought me to this community.  Thanks for bringing it up. I have no doubt that they are a premium craft, but I'm unsure of the condition and whether they have held up over time or if they are in good condition or not.  I'm very new to this hobby. Thanks for the response. 

Hey dill, thanks for the response. I hope I'm doing this right, I just joined this community.  Is there a way to know whether they work or not? I have to imagine this is quite the gamble, right? Again, I'm just getting into this so it's not like I would be able to get working on them immediately and make it a deal. But I am willing to learn!

Thanks for the response.  

weebeesdad, unfortunately there is no way to test them. They do look to be in spectacular condition, but that's not to say whether they have been used to death or not. 

For an hypothetical, let's just say the driver is shot.  Where does that leave me? Again, I'm very new at this but I assume the craftsmanship of the enclosure is probably the most important part of this, right? Could drivers and other parts be replaced yet still reproduce the quality tones that John was inspired to create?

Sorry for the ignorance here. I'm just getting into the hobby but I did not expect to be diving in this soon like this.  

Alright dill, you drive a hard bargain. I'll be picking them up tomorrow. 

fast freight, I do not have an expensive receiver. Or a receiver at all. I don't think the speakers even have cables coming out of them. 

Interesting, thanks for the info. I guess now that I think about it, there was nowhere for the wires to go in the speakers. The felt goes all the way around! While I have ya, I hope you don't mind if I hit you with a few more questions.

I am slightly confused about how I can find no photos of these ones exactly. I'm really curious about the center ones, since you remember yours (the ones on the outside if I'm understanding correctly). I'm slightly worried they may not be Fuseliers?

Unfortunately, the estate sale does not seem to have the amp or media unit to go with them, and as I've stated I'll be starting from the ground up here. Do you have any recommendations on what to go to get these going? Preferably on the budget side of things ... If you could even just point me in a direction that would be fantastic. 

And surely two of these massive speakers are enough, right? Was the previous owner really bumping all four of these? That seems like a copious amount of sound, ha. I may sell the middle (unidentifiable) two to my brother at a discount since I have no info on them as soon as I can confirm for myself they actually work.

Also, I just noticed you're on that OG thread linked earlier. Cool!

Here’s a look inside. I’m thinking they’re going to need some work, huh. 

I’ll just say it’s on the $150 side of things. At the moment I’m looking through Craigslist and FB Marketplace at < $100 stereo receivers as a placeholder for now just to tinker with these speakers.

I'll be using a turntable in the future but for the beginning I'll definitely be focused on streaming through my laptop and I would assume an AUX.   I know you said a receiver is unnecessary, I don't listen to the radio, but any thoughts on a Denon DRA-685 for $100? There's one somewhat local to me.   

Also, update for anyone still following along. The pair with all four sides covered looks immaculate inside.

Onkyo TX-37 available down the road for a mere $30. Tested and working.  I know it's stl a stereo receiver and not just an integrated amp, but for $30 this could give me a way to toy around with them for a while while I save up for something respectable ... Thanks for the help so far everyone. 

Yes, the volume with the kenwood is turned up all the way when using a TT or tuner. Also when I am using BT through the eskinsin. I have also tried using the eskinsin directly into the amp, and it does get 3 dB louder, but still caps out there as well.

(sorry for the late response I just now have hobby time again)

The level controls are turned up to the maximum. They can be turned and the volume can go down, but they cannot be turned to make the volume go up. They are at their maximum. 

@mesch I've looked for the output voltage on the Eskinsin but have been unable to locate it, but seeing as the volume does change a little, I am hoping that instead of an amplifier issue, it's more like both devices have too low of an output voltage to drive the amp any louder.  I suppose the only way to find out is to get a real streamer and see if that fixes the issue. I'll start looking into those now. I assume there is one that also has a sub out / volume controls (so basically a preamp?) 

Wow this is a lot haha

@dill  yes the only noticeable difference is that the sub out is no longer usable when switched to seperate.

Also, This is what I now know the 5S to be looks like without the sock. The other pair is still yet unidentified. RARE vintage Fuselier Model 5S Speakers, &#039;80&#039;s, Holy Grail, cons. SNs, orig | eBay

Hey Everyone! One year update here .. it took about four months to get the speakers back up and running. The one pair did need to be refoamed, and the left speaker needed a little TLC on the inside, but luckily, I found a repair shop and a guy that loves vintage gear so I was able to get that straightened out fairly easily. I’m using a Rotel 951 amp to power the two, and I have to say they sound great to my untrained ear. I’m also using an old Kenwood KR3130 as a preamp at the moment, although it seems to limit the volume to about 65 decibels at the moment. I’m bouncing back and forth between getting that serviced or just saving money for a nicer unit, but I have had a hard time finding something else with a low frequency out for my sub.

All that aside - they sound great, they look great, they work great. Best case scenario. Since I can only use one pair, I chose the one that I thought sounded slightly better (The ones with the socks around the entire unit, unsurprisingly) and the other pair is sitting in the closet.

I’m unsure what the value of them could be, but I feel like they are really only worth something to someone that knows the backstory behind them or has had a pair in the past. I’m not sure.

I've since turned the entire spare bedroom into a listening room and I'm thoroughly on the path of those that come before me on this forum.

@dill @weebeesdad @ghasley @mesch @vdotman @pickindoug @jetter

Thanks! I'm unsure of what you mean. Are you asking what connections I'm using? 

@weebeesdad thanks! I do see what you're talking about on the bottom, although from the listing I just posted it's a little hard to tell on the bottom since that cover is ruined and pushed down. But I will say the internals look identical so far as I can tell. I have been unable to track down any photos of the 3.3s so it's really just a guess for me. In fact, I believe that listing I posted is the only other photo I've found of Fuseliers.

apologies @mesch it appears that is a CD player. My power amp is the Rotel 951B MkII. Weirdly similiar names ... but anyways, that’s a great idea. But this is a very budget build, and I did luck out on the speakers, so I’ll keep perusing used and vintage items for the forseeable future, or until I have some expendable income to toss into this project. Thanks!

And at the moment I'm using an Eskinsin BT player into the Kenwood for music and occasionally an old Toshiba turntable for some vinyl, although typically I have that in another room with other speakers since I like to throw on a vinyl and do things around the house.