Electro-Voice Sentry 500

[Wagner]

I am in the process of buying back a pair of these old monitors I sold over 10 years ago. While looking at some images I have come across a veneered version of this box with what appears to be a wood horn rather than the plastic material used on the ones I owned.
The version I owned was clad in a very basic industrial vinyl type wrap. Never have seen them any other way until now.
They are identified as the "SFV" version. Was this an EV produced version? I can only find it on Asian websites?

Standard version like I had:
http://xarchiwum.pl/electro-voice-sentry-500-studio-monitor-i1426265876.html


"SFV" version, didn't know it even existed until today:
http://audio-database.com/ELECTRO-VOICE/speaker/sentry500sfv-e.html

Any information would be appreciated

Thank you

[Don McRitchie]

With JBL's great success in selling their pro monitors to the Japanese consumer market in the 1970's, both Altec and EV tried to get in on this bandwagon. In the late 70's and early 80's, they both developed specialty high-end speakers just for that market. EV's and Altec's specialty speakers were never intended to be sold in North America, and to my knowledge, never were. The EV's were actually designed by a Swiss office of that firm.

I can pretty much guarantee that this version of the Sentry 500 was part of EV's Japanese market initiative that produced the Patrician II in 1984 as described on this page (http://www.audioheritage.org/html/profiles/jbl/everest.htm). They were apparently not that successful, and soon dropped by EV.

[Wagner]

With JBL's great success in selling their pro monitors to the Japanese consumer market in the 1970's, both Altec and EV tried to get in on this bandwagon. In the late 70's and early 80's, they both developed specialty high-end speakers just for that market. EV's and Altec's specialty speakers were never intended to be sold in North America, and to my knowledge, never were. The EV's were actually designed by a Swiss office of that firm.

I can pretty much guarantee that this version of the Sentry 500 was part of EV's Japanese market initiative that produced the Patrician II in 1984 as described on this page (http://www.audioheritage.org/html/profiles/jbl/everest.htm). They were apparently not that successful, and soon dropped by EV.


Thank you for your thoughts. I too was thinking along those lines (that the Japanese market seems to get all the "pretty" stuff!) but found it odd that I had never once come across that variation until today.
Not one English language reference to the dressed up work speakers! But, there seems to be a fair number of them. I was initially wondering primarily if the horns were some custom aftermarket product, but all the cabs also seem to enjoy the wood veneer as well as being produced in stereo pairs.
In your reference to the involvement by the Swiss, I am assuming you are referring to the Patrician's revisit and not the rather pedestrian Sentry?
And do you know what the "SVF" stands for?

Thanks again

[martin2395]

Maybe SFV means Solid Finish Veneer? Or at least something like that :)

[Don McRitchie]

Definitely part of EV's Japan marketing effort. Below is a picture of them in a Japanese catalog that was auctioned on eBay.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ELECTRO-VOICE-85-PATRICIAN-II-BARON-SENTRY-DIAMANT-SERIES-SPEAKERS-JAPAN-CATALOG-/111133818561