Lowthers - Please educate a village idiot...


Hello.

Despite me spending way too much time and effort on audio, and having two systems where one would do most normal people, I will, at some point in the future have a third.

My favorite uncle has a Williamson circuit tube amplifier which he built from a kit. He is a Marine who served our country valiantly during the roughest stretches of WWII(Guadalcanal, Solomons, etc.) and is a proud man. This system would become my remembrance of him.

Everyone thinks his stereo is an antiquated piece of junk, but when he saw my eyes and enthusiasm light up when he told me about it, he was just as happy as I was. He found a taker to pass along his treasured amplifier, as he is now to the point where he sees the end of the road in front of him. To have someone view him passing along this piece of him as an heirloom rather than something which should have instead be left at the curb swells his heart with pride and honor.

In order to do him justice, I want to give this amplifier a system which provide it with its proper level of importance. I have been toying with the idea of building a retro style system around this piece, albeit with a CD player.

The idea I have is to pair the amplifier with a pair of Lowther Medallions. The speakers would be done up in black, with maybe a tan grill at the mouth of the horn. A 1950s look to be sure.

The only issue is that I have no experience whatsoever with the Lowthers. And, more specifically, the Medallion.

Would someone please be so kind to educate me as to the Lowthers. I realize they are not for everyone, and I don't even know if they are for me. But, many have told me that if you fancy them, they are just pure magic. Some have even told me that it is the closest speakers to live even after all these years. Also, as I try to live by the mantra about not buying speakers I haven't auditioned(unless a KILLER deal comes along) are there any outlets for me to go give them a listen? I live in the Philadelphia, PA area.

Thank you all for your help,
Joe
trelja

Showing 3 responses by philefreak

Go with a Fostex driver loaded horn such as Cain and Cain and you will be amazed! I am dealer and I do sell these, but I really don't want you to buy a pair from me. I'm sure you have a Cain & Cain dealer near you.
The Omegas are not a back loaded horn. They are just highly damped monitors. That's fine with most drivers but with Fostex or Lowther it don't work. Since I'm stating my humble opinion, from someone who has listened to both and currently owns both. The Lowthers that I own are DX4s in 2nd Rethms and the Fostex are in a Cain and Cain single horn Bens. If your amp is strong in the bass and is all around neutral, then the Lowthers may be ok. If your amp is a little airy like most SETs then you'll need the extra weight that the Fostex do. The Lowthers do seem a little more transparent, but at the end of the day I can't get past the peaky highs. The Fostex are all around a more natural sound. If the amp is push pull, then maybe and only maybe(listen at home) the Lowthers. But I know the Fostex will work either way without a home audition. I tried everything to like the Lowthers, Decware Gizmos,Cardas cables, you name it.BTW, I've also owned the Omegas and they sound just like Lowthers. There highly damped box just don't work with single drivers. They will have no upper bass, like the left keys on a piano. Not low, low, bass but bass nonetheless. I'm just trying to help another old A-goner who has been here since the good old days.
Trelja, You will not have a problem with high frq. rolloff with Lowthers or Fostex. The Fostex don't do low,low bass either, but in the midrange they seem to be more relaxed. Amp/speaker synergy will heavly play a factor in your decision. I use VBT subs with my Cain and Cain Bens connected to my amp terminals, but still running the Bens fullrange. This way I don't have to worry about impedance problems when using preamp outs, cause good sounding pre.s(no, not bullet proof pres.)don't buffer the outputs, so if the pre. outs are not buffered and are parallel then you will have impedance problems with using subs if you use the second pre. out. So use the amp terminals to run your your sub. just like if you were going to run biwire cables except run one of the speaker wire to the sub. in.Crossover your sub where you think it sounds best, I cross mine over at 60Hz and barely have the volume on. They blend real well. This will give you the best of both worlds. SETs running your single driver speaker for great highs and mids and a sub running things down low.