My finds are usually more "spotted something I knew to be special" than "stumbled upon something cool and googled it", but this thing goes beyond any treasure trove I've encountered- best for me was a quad of nice custom 2-ways from disneyland- 2206h woofers and 2426h compression drivers on DDS ENG90 waveguides, in fiberglass-coated cabinets for $75 per. This find dwarfs that, it'd seem.
Congratulations!
Akardec's Iconic is moving to the east coast!Last weekend I was really excited to meet Steve Schell, as well as Akardec, and we powered up the Iconic for the first time in what I'm guessing is decades. That was a great experience! It works and sounds great and is following me home.
How great? How does it compare to its modern grandchildren?Originally Posted by farleybob
Akardec's Iconic is moving to the east coast!
That sounds very intriguing -Akardec's Iconic is moving to the east coast!
sounds like we need to talk you into having a local listening party!!
2ch: WiiM Pro; Topping E30 II DAC; Oppo, Acurus RL-11, Acurus A200, JBL Dynamics Project - Offline: L212-TwinStack, VonSchweikert VR-4
7: TIVO, Oppo BDP103D, B&K, 2pr UREI 809A, TF600, JBL B460
Saturday was a great day all around. Farleybob is a highly accomplished and interesting fellow, and I am heartened to know that this Iconic has fallen into the proper hands. Both buyer and seller are fine folks, and a good time was had by all on hand that day. I was reminded at what an amazing, neutral, natural, dynamic reproducer the Iconic still represents 77 years after its birth, and what a MIND ROASTING innovation it must have been in 1937 when it first went on sale. There was nothing within 50 miles of it sonically at the time. We listened to a variety of program material and enjoyed the utter naturalness of this fine reproducer in an outdoor, backyard setting. Thank you to Akardek, farleybob and everyone else involved for this peak experience!
Hi audiomagnate. I thought they sounded really good. It's tough to compare them without being able to a-b (they're still en route). I guess the first comparison that springs to mind is the Altec Valencia or the 19. It's a similar sound I think.
Hi Heather. I'm up for a listening party. Unfortunately, my officially sanctioned old hifi listening area (the basement) has been gutted to be remodeled. Or at least modeled. As soon as it's done, that would be great.
Thanks for the kind words Steve. I enjoyed my trip out to LA. It was great to meet you!
Apologize for resurrecting an old thread, but I just came across this and wondered if you have done anything further with this rare piece of audio history!
How did you power up the field coils? Are you still playing this setup? What an amazing find.
I'm pretty sure that guy is long gone, but who knows.
Hi. No, I'm still here and the Iconic is too. I'm powering it with a very nice reproduction field coil supply that Steve Schell was kind enough to sell me.
Well that begs the question...how does it sound?
Sounds great! Especially considering it is 70+ years old. If I had to compare the sound to something, a Valencia probably has a similar sort of sound. Which makes sense, I guess, since the drivers are related. I don't listen as often as I should. I haven't finished restoring the second Iconic yet, so it is still in mono (not that there's anything wrong with that). I need to figure out the best cone to use as a replacement on #2.
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