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emaidel
02-18-2008, 05:41 AM
Anyone remember the ESS "Transar" speaker? For those who don't, it was billed as a "full-range" Heil-equipped loudspeaker, and was quite stunning looking for its day (mid to late 70's). It was also very expensive - $5,000 - a helluva lot of money at the time.

Actually, a "full-range" Heil, was a misnomer, as the woofer portion had nothing whatsoever in common with the large Heil used as a midrange/tweeter (same unit as in the AMT-1b). The "woofer" portion consisted of what appeared to be opened up black plastic cups, stacked about 8" above one another, through which sheets of lexan were connected via four carbon fibre rods that ran the full height of the speaker. These strips would vibrate, much in the manner a paper cone would on an "ordinary" speaker, and generate freqencies far lower than the Heil midrange/tweeter was capable of doing.


In order for a dealer to carry the Transar, he had to attend a week-long class at ESS -- at his own expense - to learn all there was to know about the speaker, and also to know how to assemble it. Transars were paid for up front, and "custom-made" for their owners: each had a placard that said, "Custom Designed for..." with the customer's name added. Certainly the height of panache, and part of the speaker's appeal. The speakers were shipped, unassembled to the dealer who then actually built them in the customer's home. All of this carried a sense of uniqueness, which was another aspect of the speaker's appeal. To have a speaker quite literally "custom-made" in one's own home was something no one else could claim.

Unfortunately, few of the Transars ever worked properly. Most of the very large (and expensive) walnut panels didn't fit into the base for the speaker. The required amp (originally made by ESS, and then later redesigned by Carver) emitted a loud hum from its chassis, and the cement used to hold the lexan sheets in place hardened and resulted in a loud "crack" at certain frquencies. With all of these sheets "cracking" the sonic results were an annoying "buzz," which certainly wasn't particularly welcome after having shelled out five grand!

So, what did ESS do to appease all of its angry customers and dealers? Basically, nothing, other than discontinue the speaker's production. Afterwards, mentioning the ESS name, or "Transar" to any of the handful of dealers who attended the class and sold some of these clunkers almost got one killed!

Then, in 1981, the Transar II was designed. It was a less expensive speaker ($3,900) that was smaller, and which came with a coffee-table styled subwoofer, since the so-called "Heil woofer" didn't do particuarly well at very low frequencies. The "II" model also didn't require any special amplification and would work off the owner's existing amplifier.

While listening to the Transar II by itself, it seemed to sound pretty good. It played very loudly, with very impressive bass, and little or not audible distortion. The key phrase here is "by itself." One day, we took the Transar II to a local retailer who compared it to a similarly-priced pair of Martin Logan speakers. I'll never forget that comparison for as long as I live: the Transars sounded awful by comparison!

What also told me I was in "deep s**t" was that I was supposed to be heading up the sales department for these speakers, and the Chairman's retort to the comparison between them and the Martin Logans was something of the following order: "Music isn't always genteel, and dealers need to know that." In other words, if the speaker sounds harsh, well that's how it should sound.

That turned out to be my last week at ESS, along with my immediate superior. Not too long after that, the company delcared bankruptcy, and the Transar II simply faded into memory.

I worked for a number of different companies in this industry, but none ever so mistreated their dealers as did ESS. While the Transar II didn't require assembly in a customer's home, I can only imagine the problems that might have arisen, and how ESS would, just as they had in the past, completely ignored them.

Just another "stroll down memory lane."

E-Stat
02-18-2008, 11:58 AM
Anyone remember the ESS "Transar" speaker?
Never saw the full range version. My local dealer only carried the AMT-1. Interestingly, the Heil concept lives on as a tweeter in a German Burmester (http://blog.stereophile.com/ces2008/011208burmester/) speaker.

rw

mlsstl
02-18-2008, 12:17 PM
When I worked at the Stereo Buff in Springfield, MO (1974-76) we carried Heil ESS speakers for a while. They always seemed to have more promise than substance. I remember the transition between the woofer and tweeter as one of the more disjointed ones I've encountered. Overall, I just never considered them a serious speaker.

However, your explanation from the manufacturer's side explains everything. Sounds like their goal was to exploit a novelty rather than develop and improve an interesting driver concept.

However, the worst speakers I think I ever encountered were the Bertagni flat panels. They had styrofoam drivers in an aluminum frame. Despite some serious effort to find a way to set them up to hear some advantage they were complete failures in my book.

emaidel
02-18-2008, 02:21 PM
When I worked at the Stereo Buff in Springfield, MO (1974-76) we carried Heil ESS speakers for a while. They always seemed to have more promise than substance. I remember the transition between the woofer and tweeter as one of the more disjointed ones I've encountered. Overall, I just never considered them a serious speaker.

However, your explanation from the manufacturer's side explains everything. Sounds like their goal was to exploit a novelty rather than develop and improve an interesting driver concept.

.

ESS's engineers were very capable people, but the Chairman had his own ideas that he always forced down their throats. When I joined them in 1979, I did so because I truly believed that they had the greatest potential to be perhaps the most significant speaker line in the industry. Then, as I started to see all the dirty tricks they were playing on their dealers, and had played in the past, I began to wonder if I'd made a serious career goof.

ESS purchased the Dynaco brand, and before producing any Dynaco electronics (which the industry was all but salivating to buy, sight unseen, and which ESS never did anyway), they made a series of 2 and 3-way speakers under the Dynaco name. According to several engineers I spoke to, the Dynaco speakers, without Heils, were the most accurate loudspeakers the company ever made!

Still, the manner in which ESS treated their Transar dealers still tops everything in how NOT to treat your dealers.

One day, the Southern California ESS representative (who had previously been a VP of Sales and Marketing for JBL) was sitting in the lobby of a major retailer, along with the president of ESS. A few minutes after they arrived, the VP of purchasing for the retailer spotted ESS's president, and asked him what he was doing there. The response was, "I'm trying to sell your company some speakers." Then the VP angrily stated that he'd do "everything in ]his] power to see to it that that never happens." They were both asked to leave, and the representative resigned the ESS line that very day, not wanting his reputation to be as sullied as ESS's was.

JSE
02-18-2008, 02:59 PM
I just "liberated" my father's Heil ESS AMT Monitors that he bought back in the early 70's or early 80's. I have loved these speakers all my life and I have been trying to get them for years. They are in pretty good shape but I am think about doing a complete renovation from the cabinets to the woofers. The AMT sounds great so I doubt I will touch it unless I can find someone who can check it out. My father had the woofers refoamed many years ago and they seem to still be in good shape. I plane on striping the cabinets and replacing the "70's" grill cover material with something more modern.

I know the Heil ESS speakers have a turbulent past to say the least but these are some really impressive speakers. They can easily fill large rooms with "big" sound. The bass is very impressive and the mids are also very nice. These are not bright speakers by any means which is on of the things I like about them. My father used them as HT speakers the last few years with no center channel and they performed great. Maybe my hearing is influenced by the nostalgia factor for me but I really do love the sound.

These are big ungly speakers right out of the 70's. The main goal with my renovation is to update the looks a little and to make sure everything is working properly and to maybe find some better woofers.

Any ideas on the AMT refurb? What can/could be done and would it even be needed? Is there any point if they seem to sound great?

JSE

emaidel
02-19-2008, 05:12 AM
I The main goal with my renovation is to update the looks a little and to make sure everything is working properly and to maybe find some better woofers.

Any ideas on the AMT refurb? What can/could be done and would it even be needed? Is there any point if they seem to sound great?

JSE


Depending on the particular model year, the woofers on the AMT monitor ranged from OK, to pretty good. The best of the lot were on the "C" model, which were butyl-rubber surrounded woofers in cast metal baskets. Actually, one is a woofer, and the other a passive radiator,

If the woofers seem to be working OK, and you like the sound of the speaker, then my suggestion is to leave them alone, and work on the cosmetics of the speaker only. Replacing the woofers with others will alter the performance of the entire speaker system either in a positive, or negative way, depending on all sorts of characteristics of the woofer including impedance, efficiency, and construction materials.

If there is a speaker repair facility in your neck of the woods, you may want to check it out to see if they can help. Whichever route you take, have fun!

Feanor
02-19-2008, 06:49 AM
Depending on the particular model year, the woofers on the AMT monitor ranged from OK, to pretty good. ...

I hear the AMT-1 and a few lower price ESS models back in the day and was moderately impressed.

There are several speaker makers today who used Heil tweeters, and at least one driver maker who sells these for the DIY market -- see the Eton ER4 (http://www.eton-gmbh.de/dlstream.php?FileId=67&PHPSESSID=6fecdc46c2cb022e63161ad4611e54a6). However the ER4 is quite pricey and has to complete with numerous ribbon, planar, and dynamic drivers that are no more expensive.

MikeCR
09-20-2009, 10:40 AM
Emaidel.... I worked at ESS from 1979 to 1981. Please send me a private message when you have a moment. It was a small sales/marketing dept... so we must have worked together.

I just joined this forum and do not have privilege of sending private messages yet.

BTW... (to all members...) I still have a set of Transar speakers but have not listened to them in 15 years. Judging from the descriptions, I must have the Transar II speakers. They worked beautifully till my wife forced me to put them in a closet becuase they required so much room in our living room. I hope to bring them to life again soon.

PeteBleyer
04-08-2010, 02:21 PM
Greetings,
I cannot agree with U more about the ESS Speakers + am in wild Monkey Love with my (new for me) 1976 AMT 1b's. I have had them only a couple years now after romancing getting pair 4 only over 30 years, when I was 1st blown away by them. A used pair of these @ circa $600 in nice shape represents 2 so many of us, among the biggest audio bargains possible. My 36 year old speakers humiliate + spank the living hell out of a pair of admittedly nice looking $14,500 B&W's I heard @ a rich (but foolish) friend's house !!! ESS's R still quirky speakers, was a quirky company + equal #'s of people could B found who both hate the sound of these products + those of us who love them beyond words. They R a unique sound + truly nothing else sounds anything like them. No, they R not 4 everybody. But 2 me, they are perfection + frankly, have never heard such tight deep bass that IS NOT DIRTY but clean + punchy, combined with rattle snake highs + neither end of the sound spectrum suffers 4 the other. All of this said, and again, I do love my 1b's like nobody else.......these big speakers R so damn ugly, they even hurt my feelings. Some audiophiles close their eyes when listening seriously in part to transcend themselves into feeling like they're @ a live performance. I admit 2 doing so, but also, 2 not have 2 look @ these silly + now so dated looking burlap/hopsack + walnut monoliths. I agree, with whoever commented the 1c's looked so much better. But the all black 1d's finally did not look like anything U'd expect as a prop on that '70's Show on television. I am anxious to get people's experiences in updating the look of their ESS's. Normally I hate even the idea of molesting any of my gear + am 1 of those who deem things being left or restored 2 original as sacred. A rare exception 4 me here. Any suggestions + specific how 2 install a modern grille cloth + hip up the looks of these ugly but otherwise so wonderful sounding speakers would be much appreciated. Thank U.
Best,

Pete








I just "liberated" my father's Heil ESS AMT Monitors that he bought back in the early 70's or early 80's. I have loved these speakers all my life and I have been trying to get them for years. They are in pretty good shape but I am think about doing a complete renovation from the cabinets to the woofers. The AMT sounds great so I doubt I will touch it unless I can find someone who can check it out. My father had the woofers refoamed many years ago and they seem to still be in good shape. I plane on striping the cabinets and replacing the "70's" grill cover material with something more modern.

I know the Heil ESS speakers have a turbulent past to say the least but these are some really impressive speakers. They can easily fill large rooms with "big" sound. The bass is very impressive and the mids are also very nice. These are not bright speakers by any means which is on of the things I like about them. My father used them as HT speakers the last few years with no center channel and they performed great. Maybe my hearing is influenced by the nostalgia factor for me but I really do love the sound.

These are big ungly speakers right out of the 70's. The main goal with my renovation is to update the looks a little and to make sure everything is working properly and to maybe find some better woofers.

Any ideas on the AMT refurb? What can/could be done and would it even be needed? Is there any point if they seem to sound great?

JSE

hifitommy
04-11-2010, 11:51 AM
the inflation calculator: http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl shows that $5k in '77 is like $17k today.

at woodland stereo they sounded rough and bright at the top similar to what shibata stylused audiotechnica quad cartridges sounded like at the time. the same for the first threshold 400 amp i heard in a friend's system.

at the time i was used to hearing the infinity lines including servo statiks, QLS, QRS, monitor JRs (owned a couple pair), acoustats, etc. perhaps the dynamics were good on the amt but the top was unlivable.

the lows were nothing to write home about either. some of the later models had transmission line loaded B139 KEF woofers which DID have respectable bass.

when dahlquist DQ10s came out, a lot of speakers became moot. IMFs then came into my world and had that kind of imaging PLUS world class lows.

more recently, i heard some of paul squillo's speakers with large AMTs which are quite sensitive and believe now that the AMT technology may have evolved sufficiently. i am surprised not to see more of them.

explore this site and see atma-tec speakers in the gallery.

http://www.indigomesamusic.com/paulsquillo/

a pair of large atma-tecs are what fills the room at the moorpark theater in moorpark california.

Feanor
04-12-2010, 04:29 AM
the inflation calculator: http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl shows that $5k in '77 is like $17k today.

at woodland stereo they sounded rough and bright at the top similar to what shibata stylused audiotechnica quad cartridges sounded like at the time. the same for the first threshold 400 amp i heard in a friend's system.

at the time i was used to hearing the infinity lines including servo statiks, QLS, QRS, monitor JRs (owned a couple pair), acoustats, etc. perhaps the dynamics were good on the amt but the top was unlivable.

the lows were nothing to write home about either. some of the later models had transmission line loaded B139 KEF woofers which DID have respectable bass.

when dahlquist DQ10s came out, a lot of speakers became moot. IMFs then came into my world and had that kind of imaging PLUS world class lows.

more recently, i heard some of paul squillo's speakers with large AMTs which are quite sensitive and believe now that the AMT technology may have evolved sufficiently. i am surprised not to see more of them.

explore this site and see atma-tec speakers in the gallery.

http://www.indigomesamusic.com/paulsquillo/

a pair of large atma-tecs are what fills the room at the moorpark theater in moorpark california.
The classic Heil drivers are available today to DIYers from suppliers such as Parts Express, (see here (http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=264-600)).

They are, of course, inherently dipolar. What is as interesting is that they are good down to 800 Hz making them genuine Mid+High range transducers. Integration could be a bit of problem, i.e. dipole with monopole @ 800 Hz. Hmmm ... but dipole configurations are possible with convention drivers.


http://www.parts-express.com/images/item_standard_xtra/264-600_sI.jpg