Hartley speakers--anyone heard/heard of?


i recently found an old pair of hartley bookshelf speakers in a thrift store, and upon doing a bit of research found that they are one of the oldest manufacturers of speakers still in existence. yes, they are currently based out of wilmington, n.c. after their beginnings near london and subsequent moves to n.y. and n.j. they still manufacture their own drivers by hand, although they do not currently build finished speakers. i have to say that the midrange on these unassuming little speakers really surprised me with it's immediacy and detail (but then again i'm easily impressed :-) but i REALLY was impressed that they are still around, quietly crafting their product for all these years.
musicdoc

Showing 1 response by bdp24

Exactly correct Marty. The tweeter Levinson used was the Decca ribbon, and the old Quad, a pair per side, was the midrange driver, with the 24" Hartley in a big box. The speaker came with an active cross-over designed by John Curl. The system was named the HQD, for the obvious reason. I believe most of them now reside in Japan. VERY expensive when they were introduced!