Post by sub on Dec 15, 2017 9:59:36 GMT 12
I’ve been looking around for a TT based set up for my 15 yr old grandson who has caught the vinyl bug. A friend has given me a scruffy looking pair of Pye Prolab 100 speakers. Had been sitting around in his shed gathering dust and cobwebs for a long time. Have just hooked them up to make sure they worked before heading to Tauranga with them next week.
Frankly, I am impressed. A lovely, warm and balanced sound. Listening to Satchmo, on LP, just now, suits his style perfectly, in fact sounds better than on my KEF LS50s! The kefs are more accurate, but they emphasise a slurred sibilance on Satchmos voice that seems be present on this recording. No sibilance at all via the Prolab!
The Prolab appear to be 3 way Spkrs, some references on the web refer to them having a 12” woofer, but measured across the cone gives 10”. Can’t find information on line about what make the speakers are, but I guess they were assembled in nz in the 70s when import restrictions were in place.
Almost tempted to keep them for myself, but a bit big for my living room! Bought my grandson a cheap Philips TT based stereo off TM this week, I think these speakers will be a vast improvement on the ones with the set.
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Post by Owen Y on Dec 15, 2017 15:28:14 GMT 12
I remember when my neighbour brought home a Pye Prolab system, which would have been early 80s I guessing?
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Post by sub on Dec 20, 2017 22:09:34 GMT 12
Packed the Prolabs away to take to Tauranga, and have just played sides 3&4 of the Satchmo set referred to in op, listening through my usual Spkrs, the Kef LS50s. My housemate said “that sounds good, especially the duets (with Ella Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby), but he sounded better through those old speakers”!
Aaagh!
But, I must say I had forgotten how mellow Bings voice sounds!
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Post by Owen Y on Dec 21, 2017 8:47:33 GMT 12
Bing & Perry Como - I remember my brother playing on the radiogram.
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Pundit
Post by nakmad on Dec 21, 2017 13:32:08 GMT 12
Nice and solidly built too!. I have pair lurking in the depths of my storage unit, that I cant bear to send on their way just yet. In some rooms the bass could get a bit woolly, and always sounded that bit nicer on their stands.. (which I don't have), and sometimes a rolled up Rugby sock in the port tamed things a bit further!  . Was going to experiment with Dave Berrimen straw loading of the port but never did..
Never play Leapfrog with a Unicorn.
Cassette Fetishist
219 posts
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Post by Owen Y on Dec 21, 2017 13:59:50 GMT 12
Was going to experiment with Dave Berrimen straw loading of the port but never did.. A bit like my Celef Monitors (c.1976)... 'resistive loaded' port  
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Pundit
Post by nakmad on Dec 21, 2017 14:37:25 GMT 12
egzachary Owen
Never play Leapfrog with a Unicorn.
Cassette Fetishist
219 posts
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Post by michaelw on Dec 21, 2017 17:00:38 GMT 12
what's history on nz pro-lab gear ?
was the pye prolab related to the akai prolab ?
back in the day a friend had an akai prolab set in a rack and tbh it sounded awful referenced to my technics/sonys and another friend's mclaren/yamahas.
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Post by sub on Dec 21, 2017 19:41:32 GMT 12
I don’t know the history, but I understand that Pye gear was assembled in Waihi, at a time of import restrictions. They may well have connections to Akai. Fred at Retrotronics was advertising a fairly mint pair, now sold.
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Pundit
Post by nakmad on Dec 21, 2017 21:24:37 GMT 12
Indeed it was... PYE assembled Akai locally under license.. in Waihi. The original Akai Pro Lab rack systems were supplied with Pye Pro lab speakers. Whether the 'Pro-labs' was a local marketing concoction I can't say fully, but I suspect it was... From memory the tweeter was a Philips AD160T8.. as for the mid and woofer, memory fails me. The AP206C Turntable that still lurks here was a PYE built machine.
Never play Leapfrog with a Unicorn.
Cassette Fetishist
219 posts
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Pundit
Post by nakmad on Dec 21, 2017 21:32:32 GMT 12
what's history on nz pro-lab gear ? was the pye prolab related to the akai prolab ? back in the day a friend had an akai prolab set in a rack and tbh it sounded awful referenced to my technics/sonys and another friend's mclaren/yamahas. In my experience they were pretty reasonable. Turntable was still the main source back then, and the decks were fitted with a pretty awful Akai PC-100 tri-pole cartridge( their description) cross the range. It was very shrill... ditch it and use something decent and the sound was vastly improved.
Never play Leapfrog with a Unicorn.
Cassette Fetishist
219 posts
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New Member
Post by straighteight on Dec 23, 2017 19:29:32 GMT 12
I have two pairs of these, a slightly rough early pair and a very tidy late pair. The main difference seems to be the later grill has holes to allow adjustment on the mid & tweeter level controls. I agree the bass can be a bit off in some rooms so I have mine stacked in the garage where they have a bit more room to breathe.
They are pretty well built with good components for the time, including a poly cap on the tweeter. The tweeter is a Philips AD0161 which can sound nice and the other drivers also have Philips manufacturing codes but no obvious model numbers.
Interesting to hear the connection between the Akai AP206C and PYE, I hadn't noticed that until now. I have one that I bought at the same time as my second pair of system 100s, they had been in the same system for years or possibly since purchase. I'm not sure what the amp was that went with them.
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Post by sub on Jan 7, 2018 12:49:18 GMT 12
Just back from trip to Tauranga. The Spkrs I had must have been the later edition, as had cut outs on grill for the mid and tweeter lever controls.
They didn’t end up with my grandson, as my daughter claimed them first! Her old Spkrs had died and was using a real cheap pair of technkcs.
The Spkrs performed flawlessly and a wide range of music from LP was played through them while we were there, being used every day.
From The Angels, an Aussie rock band from way back, to Cleo Laine, John Lee Hooker, Van Morrison, Jim Croce, Neil Diamond, Pink Floyd, and even Placido Domingo.
I had takene my US RCM down, and cleaned about 50 of my daughters albums. Busmans holiday!
I continued to be amazed at the performance of these old Spkrs, left the mid and treble controls at 0 and set tone controls on the amp at 0 as well. If the record had bass then it was rendered with authenticity, while the treble was a revelation, the high notes were perfectly rendered.
Wouldn’t mind a pair if I came across them at the right price- found a nice looking pair listed by that Chch based vendor of vintage gear, $380 for the pair, but delivery costs make them too costly. Maybe I need to save my pennies for my old favourite, the KEF 104/2 or similar. They come up from time to time. A shabby pair listed on TM right now, but no grills, watching but I doubt I will buy.
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