10pi back in action

[Guest]

Some time ago I wrote here that a friend of mine had a pair of 10pi speakers in need of repair.

His wife (a keeper) decided that since he was carrying around these "useless" cabinets he must have wanted them for something. So she bought parts to restore them for him.

So after new grills and new woofers (new midranges are on the way) he fired them up.

Then he invited me over to listen.

My oh my. . .

I remembered these speakers as being "fine" and I remembered right. The image, even tho not a vertical array, is amazing. The "stage" is just huge - and that was with an *entirely* insufficient amplifier driving them. The speakers were set flat and placed not merely poorly, but almost as wrongly as they could be, in a largish room with a tall vaulted ceiling. He had to set them flat that to prevent amplifier shut-down with a 4ohm load. I involuntary smiled. I might even have teared-up just a little.

I can't wait to hear them driven properly.

He is currently shopping Adcom, Threshold, etc to drive them after saying he'd never spend that much money on stereo equipment ever again. ;-)

I was told there were a pair of 11s available on audiogon.com (net?) for $300. After hearing these 10pi's again, I'm tempted. But I'm having to save my money for something to drive my 9s after rebuild.

These 10pi's are not MK1s. They are early production models, fused, that my friend tells me I put ferrofluid tweeters in 1979 although I have no recollection of that event. The reason for the midrange replacement is that due to lousy storage the "eyeballs" deteriorated and there are bits of material stuck all over the drivers themselves. After he gets the replacements in I might "borrow" the originals from him and see if hemostats, magification, and patience might remove anything loose in those drivers.

There is a not-so-subtle but not terrible "plant-ring" on top of one of them, but other than that they really cleaned-up nicely.

Now it is time to start watching ebay for the metal stands.

The point in my writing is that I had heard neither 11s nor 10pis in many years. Comparing them with the 3as I get to hear often I have to say that I much prefer the 10pi. They have all the elements of sound I love in the 3as and, in my opinion, a better image. If it is true that used 11s can be had for $300, I'd be very hard-pressed to buy anything else in that price range. (except woofers and a mid-range for my 9s)

Bret