Moving an S8R Olympus

[chuckb]

I will be picking a pair of Olympus S8Rs. I plan on wrapping them in blankets and loading them into a SUV for a 400 mile drive. The 375 drivers are heavy, and they are mounted on the small end of the horns. The horns are aluminum castings and I fear the weight of the 375 could break them, or damage the baffle, when going over a bump. Should I lay cabs down on their backs? Or remove the 375s for the trip? Has anyone out there found themselves in a similar situation, and if so, how did you handle it? I assume JBL shipped Olympus speakers upright with the 375s mounted, but these speakers are mint and irreplaceable, and I want them to be in the same shape at the end of trip as they were at the start of the trip. Thanks for your input.

[Wagner]

I will be picking a pair of Olympus S8Rs. I plan on wrapping them in blankets and loading them into a SUV for a 400 mile drive. The 375 drivers are heavy, and they are mounted on the small end of the horns. The horns are aluminum castings and I fear the weight of the 375 could break them, or damage the baffle, when going over a bump. Should I lay cabs down on their backs? Or remove the 375s for the trip? Has anyone out there found themselves in a similar situation, and if so, how did you handle it? I assume JBL shipped Olympus speakers upright with the 375s mounted, but these speakers are mint and irreplaceable, and I want them to be in the same shape at the end of trip as they were at the start of the trip. Thanks for your input.

If there is no back brace like a C40 then remove them.
Don't even hesitate.
May take a little effort but it will be effort well spent.
Should not be too difficult to pull them.
Don't know how they did it with the Olympus, but on a C40 it's a single Phillips head screw and washer.
If the Olympus is treated like the Apollo it will be mounted with a cast ring on the back of the baffle.
Either way, I'm digressing................take them out and avoid a possibly horrific event.

[script56]

The 375 have a metal strap securing the 375 in addition to the front baffle screws. It's fine I have had a pair turned every which way no issues, but just keep upright if worried.

[Mr. Widget]

The 375 have a metal strap securing the 375 in addition to the front baffle screws. It's fine I have had a pair turned every which way no issues, but just keep upright if worried.

Make sure these metal straps are installed. Without them, the baffle will likely get broken.


Widget

[chuckb]

Thank you for the prompt responses. I'll remove the rear panels before we load them. If they have the straps script56 and Mr. Widget referred to, I should be home free. If they don't, I'll remove the 375s. These are iconic speakers, and I want them to make the journey without incident. Lansing Heritage is a great resource.

[Wagner]

Make sure these metal straps are installed. Without them, the baffle will likely get broken.


Widget

Wise advice.
Yes, definitely make certain.
I have had boxes on which not all of the hardware was put back in place.
Better safe than sorry.
Best wishes for your move!

[chuckb]

Wise advice.
Yes, definitely make certain.
I have had boxes on which not all of the hardware was put back in place.
Better safe than sorry.
Best wishes for your move!

Thanks, Widget. These speakers are 'one owner'...a friend bought them new around 1971 or 1972. He has since put new surrounds put on the LE-15As, but I doubt the rear panels have ever been removed. If JBL put straps on the 375s they're probably still there. But I won't take any chances and will open them up anyway. I have a Harman Kardon Citation II that is in need of a pair of speakers, and I'm thinking the S8Rs may be a good fit for it. Do you know if S8Rs like tube amps or solid state amps? My friend drove them with a Mac 2105. They sounded good when he bought them in the 70s and they sounded good when I last heard them a year or two ago.

Thanks again for your input and for your well wishes on the move. I'm going to bring them home, standing up wrapped in blankets, in an Expedition. I'm on the downward side of my arc, but I'll be able enlist some muscle to load and unload them. I'm looking forward to spending time getting to know these speakers. They have the fretwork grills. Truth be told, I like the clean look of grill cloth more. So I may carefully remove and store the wood grills, make new frames, and wrap black gill cloth around them. We'll see what they look like when I bring them to their new home. Definitely a problem of luxury.

[Wagner]

Thanks, Widget. These speakers are 'one owner'...a friend bought them new around 1971 or 1972. He has since put new surrounds put on the LE-15As, but I doubt the rear panels have ever been removed. If JBL put straps on the 375s they're probably still there. But I won't take any chances and will open them up anyway. I have a Harman Kardon Citation II that is in need of a pair of speakers, and I'm thinking the S8Rs may be a good fit for it. Do you know if S8Rs like tube amps or solid state amps? My friend drove them with a Mac 2105. They sounded good when he bought them in the 70s and they sounded good when I last heard them a year or two ago.

Thanks again for your input and for your well wishes on the move. I'm going to bring them home, standing up wrapped in blankets, in an Expedition. I'm on the downward side of my arc, but I'll be able enlist some muscle to load and unload them. I'm looking forward to spending time getting to know these speakers. They have the fretwork grills. Truth be told, I like the clean look of grill cloth more. So I may carefully remove and store the wood grills, make new frames, and wrap black gill cloth around them. We'll see what they look like when I bring them to their new home. Definitely a problem of luxury.

They will love the Citation!

[chuckb]

They will love the Citation!

Thanks! I've tested all the CII's tubes and they're good, including the 6550s which look like they're well matched. But it hasn't been plugged in for 30 years, and old caps are highly suspect. So I'm going to have it checked out by a local hi-fi guy who specializes in vintage HK gear before powering it up. One can spend almost what a Citation II is worth on upgrading the power supply, which I'd rather not do. Would a good solid state preamp be a good match for the CII? Or if I'm using a tube amp should I also use a tube preamp? The only ones that come to mind are Macs...C20, C22. And they're pricey.