Soviet speakers acoustic: models, characteristics

Recently, more and more fans of good sound are interested in old Soviet speakers. Today this acoustics is in great demand and is sold, oddly enough, not so cheap. Is it worth buying Soviet speakers? Let's try to understand this question.

general information

Professionals argue that the columns on which it is written "Made in the USSR" sound always powerful and good, they have a high-quality amplifier and a signal source.

And it is not surprising that even until recently not only our grandparents, but also parents were happy to include the Soviet speakers (speakers - acoustic systems). With their help, you can only listen to music, without even trying to connect to home theaters. However, they are not so bad - the columns on which it says: "Made in the USSR".

Development of acoustics production

Before the first Soviet speakers appeared, users could use only ordinary broadcasters. These devices allowed listening to music. However, in 1951 the country's leadership approved a single standard, which determined the main parameters that the equipment for radio broadcasting should possess. It was this year that was the starting point for the development of various models of acoustics. At that time, the new production technologies were simply spectacular.

Soviet speakers had such basic elements as a loudspeaker, an electrodynamic head and a bias element.

Even with a very poor design of the case, these speakers sounded very high quality. Anyone who uses modern acoustics does not always understand that he hears the sound reproduced by Soviet columns. What is the reason for this magic? In the technical breakthrough of engineering thought!

After that, the country began to release new models of receivers, which for a long time were the only source of sound in homes and discos. An interesting fact is that such equipment was produced manually.

Radio "Symphony"

1965 was another milestone in the production of receivers. It was in this year that the first domestic radio was produced in the USSR. It was constructed using a lamp method. Stereo, called "Symphony", served as a kind of musical center of that period.

What included the composition of the radio? In its design was an electrophone. He allowed to play vinyl records. As part of the "Symphony" was also a receiver, which radiated sound.

Today this radio is only for some fans of retro, and even then it is used only for interior decoration. From the point of view of acoustics, this technique, which was the standard of engineering in the past, is considerably outdated.

Next stage

As for tube players, they were very rare in the homes of ordinary workers. The main reason is the high price of equipment and small lots of its production.

At the next stage, transistor tape recorders began to be manufactured in the country. This technique gave a large output power of sound. In order to buy such a tape recorder, a simple engineer had to postpone the purchase of five of his monthly salaries. However, despite this, the new technology has become very popular. The work of such equipment could not do without the newest acoustics. And in 1974 the Soviet Union began to produce new columns. The first model was AS 10MAS-1M. This Soviet acoustics has become widespread for many years. A long-range loudspeaker was introduced into the system, additionally equipped with a hanging latex diffuser. However, it is worth acknowledging the fact that such a technique was not of high quality. Especially a lot of criticism caused the assembly of columns.

Borrowing foreign technology

In 1978, in the USSR, a simple copying of Western models was started. The engineers who worked in the Baltic countries took up this task for the first time. Thus, the model 35AC-1 was designed, on the basis of which a whole series of S-90 systems was manufactured. These Soviet columns were significantly improved. High quality was different and their body. It was assembled from solid plywood, which at that time was used in aircraft building. The back and side panels of the case were made of the wood of the most valuable species. Impressive was the weight of the device. This Soviet acoustics weighed 23 kilograms!

The final stage

Acoustics of the USSR finally developed with the release of the model 75AC-001. It was the crown of engineering thought of the Soviet period. In the development of this model, mathematical design methods were first used. In addition, computers (predecessors of modern computer systems) were used to ensure optimal operation of various elements, for example, a crossover and a head.

The most perfect acoustics of the USSR, which was model 75АС-001, had a remarkable loudspeaker in its quality. In addition, lovers of good sound was struck by its sensitivity, which was 91 dB. For those times, this figure was simply incredible.

The loudspeaker (electrodynamic head) of the model, among other things, provided a good frequency range, which was from twenty-five to twenty-five thousand Hz. In addition, the sound was not as distorted as it was for previous models.

Subsequently, the model was renamed. Its new name is 150AC-001. It was released as an acoustics "Corvette", as well as "Cleaver".

In total, about 50 models of such systems were developed in the Soviet period. There were among them those that were not even remembered by users. However, there were also some good variants of such systems in mass selling, the most popular of which we will consider below

"Electronics"

Under this name, the USSR produced a wide range of household appliances. Factories related to the Ministry of Electronic Industry, under the name "Electronics" produced TVs and calculators, computer systems and tape recorders. There were electronic watches and other products in the list of these products.

The production of Soviet acoustic systems, which were columns "Electronics", was also established. There were several varieties:

1. "Electronics 25AS-033". This is a three-way speaker, which was enclosed in a natural wooden case. The nominal power of such speakers was 25 W, and the peak power reached 100 W. The speakers reproduced sound in the range from 31.5 to 25000 Hz and had a nominal resistance equal to 4 ohms.

2. Speakers "Electronics 25 AC-118". This speaker is also in a natural wooden case.

3. "Electronics 25AS-126". This system is a three-way speaker encased in a chipboard housing. The nominal power of such speakers was 25 W, and the limiting power was 50 W. The sound frequency was in the range from 4 to 20 000 Hz, and the resistance was 4 ohms.

4. "Electronics 25AS-132". This is a three-way block AC with a rated power of 25 watts. It, as a rule, went in one complete set with the amplifier "Electronics 104С".

5. "Electronics 25AC-227". Passport power of this three-way speaker was 50 watts. At the same time, the system had some differences from previous models. So, in it the isodynamic high-frequency heads have been established. They were characterized by low distortion, which provided high quality when playing high frequencies.

S-90

The best columns of the Soviet period were, unquestionably, S-90. They stood on the letter S, as this product was produced in Riga. They were called AS Radiotehnika. However, in those years the Soviet people did not trust everything foreign. In this connection, the columns are still called C-90.

Being one of the best systems of the Soviet period, Radio Engineering was widely used in the houses of culture and at concerts even in the most remote corners of the country. Columns were certainly present at school evenings. They were the most powerful, since they were equipped with an amplifier. To date, such retro technology is not cheap. Only one column of the "Radiotekhnika" model will cost the buyer 4,000 rubles.

Description

For their time, the columns of "Radio Engineering" had the best characteristics. They belonged to the highest (zero) class and differed qualitatively from all Soviet equipment. In addition, this AU in anything did not concede the import.

The speakers worked in the frequency range in the range from 31.5 to 20 000 Hz. Their rated power was 35 watts.

But this speaker system was far from perfect. She had a fairly high cost, reaching up to 300 rubles per pair. And the weight of these columns was impressive. Sometimes it exceeded 30 kg. In addition, when buying the C-90 speakers, no one was sure that he would make a harmonious pair of them. After all, one of them gathered all the power together and sounded louder than the other. However, this was not the only drawback of this speaker. Soviet speakers often broke down. The reason for this was weak and thin wires, which are already impractical in themselves. In addition, the speakers did not sound well at medium frequencies, spoiling the whole impression of acoustics.

Installation

Despite the shortcomings, the S-90 speakers quite suited Soviet music lovers. For several decades, this acoustic system was among the most massive. Do not forget the music lovers about it today. After all, the C-90 columns are a bright symbol of a bygone era. This is a device of impressive size, which is 36x71x28.5 cm. That's why they needed to be properly installed, keeping the distance to the listener at least 2 m. However, it was impossible to do this in close Soviet apartments. That's why only the neighbors heard the real sound that such acoustics could give out.

Appearance

The rather good and simple case of the C-90 speakers is a rectangular, non-separable box made of particleboard. Its finish is high quality veneer from valuable wood. At the junctions of the walls and inside the hull, the designers provided special elements. This increases the strength and rigidity of the box itself.

The head of the speakers is decorated with decorative frames. They are stamped from a sheet of aluminum and painted black. In addition, the speakers have protection in the form of a metal mesh.

In the lower part of the case you can see a plastic cover plate. It shows the amplitude-frequency characteristic of the AS, the name of the system and its brand name. The connector of Soviet C-90 speakers is at the bottom of the rear wall of the case.

Internal content

If you open the case of the C-90 speakers, you can see a large number of cotton wool, which is covered with gauze. It is a sound absorber of speakers.

It reduces the impact on the AHF sound pressure, causing the speakers to sound more qualitative. Anyone who dismantled the hull of the "Soviet legend" can see inside and electric filters. They are placed on the board and share the strips of speakers.

Modernization of old technology

The C-90 speakers are very popular with music lovers. It's no wonder that many of those who are interested in sound quality tend to modernize them. This occupation is not only fascinating. It allows you to save impressive money and get a system with excellent sound.

Of course, the outside of these columns, whose age is at least 30 years old, has already lost its former chic. However, for those who decided to upgrade, the main thing is that the system should be whole from within.

For such work, you will need a soldering iron and pliers. Do not do without upgrading and without a set of screwdrivers. The first step is to remove the front panel. This can be done only after two dozen different screws have been unscrewed. After disassembly, attention should be paid to the dynamics. They will most likely require resuscitation. It is possible that you will need to rewind the coil. After that, acoustic speakers on Soviet speakers will sound just perfect, without any extraneous sound. More transparent, all the tones will make silk domes, which can be replaced by plastic ones.

Modernization of wiring and internal materials

Improvement of the case allows to improve the sound of the speakers at low frequencies. To do this, you need to remove the cotton-gauze pads, replacing them with inexpensive batting. All this is done quickly and does not require special efforts. Before installation, it is recommended to replace the wiring.

The case is lined with batting. They will need to tighten the fasoinvestor, but only after installing its pipe on the sealant. Switches in the new speakers will not be needed. That's why they can be deleted as an unnecessary element. The thin Soviet postings of columns in all connections should be replaced by copper ones.

As we see, the matter is not so already laborious. However, despite its simplicity, the modification changes the sound of the technique. It becomes more qualitative and transparent, pleasing the hearing of the music lover.

Old Soviet speakers can be installed in the car's interior. The price of such a system will be minimal, and the sound will amaze with its power and quality.