Lowthers - Please educate a village idiot...

Thanks so much for all of the insightful responses! There are no words I can really relay to you all in terms of my appreciation. And, I want to say that to everyone here.

This is definitely information I can go forward with. To be honest, I have been searching out ideas for the past few weeks, and have come across some of what has been suggested.

I did consider the Klipsch speakers. However, in the room I will be setting this up, the Corner Horns are not an option. I did come across the Heresy a few weeks back, and was more than pleasantly surprised. In fact, our purpose of visit was to take this gentleman out on a marathon session of auditioning for him to "upgrade" from the Heresy. After hearing them, my question was "WHYYYY????" That is a speaker to think about, but it doesn't look like a speaker of long ago - I guess some will argue with me saying that.

The Medallions interest me on several levels. Number one, I am intrigued by the idea of a classic, back loaded horn. Number two, I saw a pair done up along the lines of the finish I described and they just look so darn cool. I would be proud to have a setup like this in my house, and it could even serve as a conversation piece centered around my uncle, John Zielinski.

Again, I guess I am unwise for thinking about a speaker I know little about, but I want to explore the possibility.

I appreciated the Fostex suggestion. While I am unaware of any Cain & Cain dealers around here, I can look into it. There is a dealer who sells Omega(?) speakers using the Fostex driver which I could audition.

Twl, I have seen the Lowthers in the Voight Pipes and they definitely look interesting. Based on your comments regarding "opening the window more only to have more muck fly in", I should probably bring the amp along for any Lowther audition, and maybe an old CD player. Just to see if I can deal with the sound. 50 - 55 Hz bass extension is certainly more than acceptable.

My hope is that a local audiophile will come along and allow me to give this type of speaker a listen.

Sean, thanks for your response.

I put my friend in contact with my speaker repair friend. It seems like this will be something he will have done at some point. Short or long term I am not sure. But, the Klipschs are his babys, what he cut his teeth on, and his rite of passage into hifi. The last thing he would ever do is walk away from them. From what I heard, the cost to restore them, cabinets and all, is very reasonable, and is a no brainer.

I've e - mailed Mbhcid and will hopefully get together with him at his convenience. Looking forward to hearing the Lowthers!

Thanks for all of your input, Twl. You've really added a lot to my understanding.

I am kind of expecting to really like the Lowthers. The less expensive Beauhorns used to strike me as being indescribably ugly, but actually the look is growing on me. That being said, the Medallions are still more inline with the cosmetics and aura I am looking to achieve.

Despite having speakers which reproduce the bottom octave in full force, I am less an addict to it than one might ever believe. So many loudspeakers which don't go so low endear and really impress me for getting other things right. I consider midrange and ability to play without congestion, for example, to be far more important attributes in a loudspeaker. I also hear that room positioning, proper floor/speaker coupling, and cabling(JENA Labs?) help to maximize the LF performance.

A rolled off treble isn't as bad, in my opinion, as it is sometimes made out to be. If the speakers go out to 15KHz they do better than most people care about - many can not hear that far, or much beyond that range anyway.

I will see if the upper midrange peak bothers me. If so, I'll seek out your wisdom, should you be so kind.

Also, since I hear that the Lowthers should really not have much power put into them, am I going down the right road with this combination? I am kind of thinking the amp will be running KT66(6L6) tubes, and while they aren't powerhouses, am I asking for trouble by not using a 3 - 7 wpc SET? Obviously, I would HATE setting up this system, only to damage the speakers in a few weeks.

Thanks again!
Joe

Distortion, thank you. I will certainly keep everyone in the loop.

As an update, Mbhcid(Mike) and I have been in contact, and I will be taking him up on his gracious offer some weekend in September, once we work out the details. I gather he owns the upper end Beauhorns, and that should be a real treat for me. I have heard they are about as good as a Lowther gets. While the Beauhorns are out of my budget, if I am indeed a "Lowther", I believe I will build a pair of Medallion II kits.

Thanks again for all of the responses!

TWL and I seem to very much be on the same page. I have heard much of what he offered up regarding the drivers. In I addition, reconing down the road does not seem to work out so well due to the physical properties which TWL outlined.

Mbhcid, your offer is very kind, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I would love to take you up on it. I will send you an e - mail in the near term.

Sean, you are so right about the Heresy. My friend was basically given the directive to upgrade due to WAF. Although, I think that could be improved immensely from what he already has(repainted black). The woofers should be reconed and he is down a tweeter, but if they this good now, how good would they be when he has them restored? For the record, he ended up with a pair of Von Schweikert VR2, and I think I happen to prefer the Klipsch. Again, my question to him "upgrading", WHY???

Yes, the Omegas are not back loaded horns. They seem to be a size up from a monitor(bookshelf) using the Fostex driver in a ported cabinet. Will I like them? Are they for me? I have no idea, but they are probably worth a listen just to get my bearings.

The PHY HP look interesting as well. I tried to jump on a used pair here on Audiogon, but they were already sold. I am thinking of checking into them as well.

But, my main focus right now is Lowther Medallions. If they please me, I will go for them. I think they serve my goals the best.

At some point, I will have to spin a couple of tales regarding my Uncle John. He had a lifetime of stories, and after getting to know him, I realize why they call his the greatest generation.

Thanks again to all,
Joe

An update on the Lowther situation...

I have not yet visited Mike, and heard his Beauhorns, but we have been in contact,
and I need to take the blame. School at night and on the weekends has made studying,
along with a lot of home remodeling work supercede my abilities to make the journey.
I would still love the opportunity to give them a listen.

In recent months, I have done a lot of research into this type of loudspeaker. Of course,
the information pointed me to a back loaded horn. Not being a woodworker, I was a bit
off put by the prospect of building a horn. But, eventually, I found plans for a cabinet
that seemed both attractive and elegant to me, visually and sonically. However, due to
very favorable comments I have heard, via Stereophile and people I have corresponded with,
of the Moth Cicada, I began to wonder if a bass reflex cabinet would be a better
move for me at this juncture. Still, the allure of the horn was something I wanted to
explore. Later, based on the opinions of the Lowther in America, not Lowther - America
site, as to the superiority of the ported box to a horn, I decided I would pursue this.

I have purchased two pairs of Lowther drivers, the PM6C with ceramic magnet and the PM6A using the alnico magnet. Both are the older design without the redesigned whizzer cone, implemented to correct the "Lowther shout".

The drivers arrived last week, and although I don't have cabinets yet built, needed to give
them a listen. As most people know, listening to a driver out of a box, can often be an
unwise move. There will never be any bass, and the tonal characteristics of the driver are
often far from what they would be otherwise. You could get awfully disappointed and make
the wrong decision, but hey, I won't have much free time until at least March, and the urge
was far too great, so I relented.

I decided to try the cheaper, lower on the totem pole, PM6C first. With a cold tube amp, the
sound was thin and sterile. Of course, there was no bass. I was not disappointed, as I
didn't expect much at all. However, within maybe 15 minutes, something interesting was
happening. The sound was improving dramatically, which I realized was the warmup of the amp.

After a while, the driver was making music, and I began to play around. Hooking my Coincident Troubass subwoofer into the equation added the foundation of the music as well as some warmth. I then decided to try the PM6A. As soon as hooking this driver up to my amplifier, with no signal whatsoever, there was A LOT of noise. I am uncertain as to whether this is characteristic of the driver, or just a problem with mine specifically. The other PM6A exhibited the same behavior. Is it because of the fact that the voice coil is magnetic? I am told the sensitivity
of the driver is the reason, but do not really believe it as the PM6Cs do not share this noise, and I have been around very sensitive louspeakers who also have never exhibited this.

With music, and the left channel driving a PM6C and the right channel driving the PM6A, the sound was engaging and lively. After a while, I again added the Troubass subs. My reason for using the different drivers was to get a handle on their differences. The PM6A is a bit more sensitive and forward. It is also more clear, and gives more separation of voices and instruments, in terms of jumping out when they take center stage.

In short, I will say that it is true what they say about Lowthers, they sound like NOTHING else out there.

I can see why the world falls into those that love them and those that hate them.

The sound is incredibly clear, fast, and immediate. That is good and bad. If you are a fan of the type of sound that Vandersteens produce, you will hate them. If you like forwardness and detail, you will love them.

Where do I fall? Well, I think I fall into the group that loves them. With my subs going, and Louis Prima blaring, I can honestly say that I don't remember having so much fun listening to music in a long time. I have often said to myself that my AtmaSpheres give me the sense that I
am listening to the master tape itself. The Lowthers transcended that, and gave me more of an impression that I was listening to live music than perhaps I have ever had. I can see where many people find them agressive. However, to my ears(and we are ALL different), they were
uncommonly forward, lively, fast, and fun, but never crossed the line into harshness, brightness, or irritation.

On another note, I had the volume control set much higher than I expected with these drivers, so they can definitely take some power and rock out. Specs for them in a bass reflex cabinet state that they will make at least 102 db for one watt, but I was juicing them pretty good. They are not just for low powered SET amps, although that combination is obviously the way most people go.

Switching back to my Coincident Digital Masters gave me the impression that wet blankets had just been thrown on my speakers, and believe me, the Coincidents NEVER sound like that. They are pretty lively and detailed. In time, my ears adjusted back to the sound, and I was having a great time. But, it was just another thing that crystallized in my mind how very different the Lowthers actually sound from everything else.

I have no idea whether I will still hear the same things or feel the same way once I mount them in a box or after I live with them, but my initial impression is overwhelmingly positive.