Snell Type A

[Guest P. Gtz.]

I bought a pair of used Type A speakers. Their serial number on the back has the following label:

2459/ II, and 2460/ II.

My question is whether these are Type A's or Type A II's. I have read where Snell has identified someone else's A's with serial numbers 1511 & 1512 as Type II's. I have seen pictures of Type II's where they were clearly labeled as II's (mine are not, other than that II on the serial numbers). The previous owner was told by Snell that the best they could figure these speakers were made in 1985-86.

Thanks in advance for any help provided.

P. Gtz.

[soundminded]

I bought a pair of used Type A speakers. Their serial number on the back has the following label:

2459/ II, and 2460/ II.

My question is whether these are Type A's or Type A II's. I have read where Snell has identified someone else's A's with serial numbers 1511 & 1512 as Type II's. I have seen pictures of Type II's where they were clearly labeled as II's (mine are not, other than that II on the serial numbers). The previous owner was told by Snell that the best they could figure these speakers were made in 1985-86.

Thanks in advance for any help provided.

P. Gtz.

I first heard the Snell Type AII in a friend's house in 1982 or 1983 (and liked it very much immeditately) so if these were manufactured in 1985 to 1986, they are most probably type II. I always liked this speaker and in my recent experiments with AR9 I duplicated the treble of this speaker which sounds to my ears distinctive and unique. This has to do with a slight peak of off axis radiation at around 8 khz compared to the forward radiation. In my case this was due to an electrical and tweeter arrangement in my experiment but I've noticed on the type AIIIi that they glued some sort of polyurethane on the front of the tweeter that Peter Snell's mother (she was at the trade show shortly after her son's tragic death) told me was to increase dispersion. I liked it a lot and listened to it for about 8 hours before I corrected it. I still like it even though it is wrong :-) Does your tweeter have anything glued to the front of it? My friend told me his did.

[Guest P. Gtz.]

I first heard the Snell Type AII in a friend's house in 1982 or 1983 (and liked it very much immeditately) so if these were manufactured in 1985 to 1986, they are most probably type II. I always liked this speaker and in my recent experiments with AR9 I duplicated the treble of this speaker which sounds to my ears distinctive and unique. This has to do with a slight peak of off axis radiation at around 8 khz compared to the forward radiation. In my case this was due to an electrical and tweeter arrangement in my experiment but I've noticed on the type AIIIi that they glued some sort of polyurethane on the front of the tweeter that Peter Snell's mother (she was at the trade show shortly after her son's tragic death) told me was to increase dispersion. I liked it a lot and listened to it for about 8 hours before I corrected it. I still like it even though it is wrong :-) Does your tweeter have anything glued to the front of it? My friend told me his did.

Thanks for the help. The speakers do have something glued to the front. I found that out when I had to replace the right side tweeter after an electrical storm. I found a tweeter used by ADC with the identical Audax/Polydex model number and mounting plate, resistance, etc (HD 12-9 D25). I had to remove a curved metal element that is about 1/4" wide on the "in side" of the speaker and tapers off to a little more than 1/8" on the out board side. Also glued to this piece of metal is a felt type material about 1" square. It is very similar to the material used in cars for noise insulation. I have toyed with the idea of removing the whole thing to see what happens to the sound. It is easy to replace, but I have discovered that apparently Peter Snell and I had similar tastes in speaker sound because his Type K and AII are the best speakers I have ever heard. I have owned Definitive Technology, B&W, Wharfedale, Bozak, Bang & Olufsen, Polk, Klipsch, Advent (originals), Norman Laboratories, Linn Kan, and Mirage among others. All too bright for me. I'm running these with an original Sunfire Amp from Bob Carver, an Apt One pre-amp from Tomlinson Holman, and a Rotel RCD-970BX CD player. The sound is detailed and full but not fatiguing. I have hardwood floors and all other speakers needed some sort of correction to make them sound right. I plan to give the A's a listen without the front frame and mesh. I removed them to replace the tweeter and decided to fasten them back on with velcro instead of staples.

[Guest P. Gtz.]

Thanks for the help. The speakers do have something glued to the front. I found that out when I had to replace the right side tweeter after an electrical storm. I found a tweeter used by ADC with the identical Audax/Polydex model number and mounting plate, resistance, etc (HD 12-9 D25). I had to remove a curved metal element that is about 1/4" wide on the "in side" of the speaker and tapers off to a little more than 1/8" on the out board side. Also glued to this piece of metal is a felt type material about 1" square. It is very similar to the material used in cars for noise insulation. I have toyed with the idea of removing the whole thing to see what happens to the sound. It is easy to replace, but I have discovered that apparently Peter Snell and I had similar tastes in speaker sound because his Type K and AII are the best speakers I have ever heard. I have owned Definitive Technology, B&W, Wharfedale, Bozak, Bang & Olufsen, Polk, Klipsch, Advent (originals), Norman Laboratories, Linn Kan, and Mirage among others. All too bright for me. I'm running these with an original Sunfire Amp from Bob Carver, an Apt One pre-amp from Tomlinson Holman, and a Rotel RCD-970BX CD player. The sound is detailed and full but not fatiguing. I have hardwood floors and all other speakers needed some sort of correction to make them sound right. I plan to give the A's a listen without the front frame and mesh. I removed them to replace the tweeter and decided to fasten them back on with velcro instead of staples.

Sorry, I have an anecdotal story. I found it interesting that someone had found a pair of experimantal A's. Their serial numbers were in the single digits. They looked rough on the front baffle and the most interesting part is that they had some copper wiring projecting from the baffle in front of the tweeter. It appeared to hold something that looked like fibreglass insulation. It is clear to me that Peter Snell was looking to tame the sound of the tweeter without adding electronics. The reason why I found this interesting is because in my desperation to make some of the speakers listed previoulsy listenable, I had experimented with various absorbing materials around and in front of the tweeters. I even sold a pair of Polks where the buyer specifically requested that I leave the insulating material modification in place. When Mr. Snell designed the K's, it looks as if he tweaked the crossover to give it his hallmark sound. The Def Tech's had the same tweeter as the K's, but their sound was too bright. Needless to say, I felt like a genius. That's why I'm curious to see what happens when I remove the metal bridge and felt from the tweeters. It might confirm my suspicion that these tweeters are also a bit bright.