Recently more and more fans of good sound are interested in old Soviet speakers. Today, these acoustics are in great demand and, oddly enough, they are sold not so cheaply. Is it worth buying Soviet speakers? Let's try to understand this issue.
General information
Pros say that speakers that say "Made in the USSR" always sound powerful and good, have a high-quality amplifier and signal source.
And it is not surprising that until recently, not only our grandparents, but also parents with pleasure turned on the Soviet speakers (AS - speaker systems). With their help, you can only listen to musical compositions, without even trying to connect to home theaters. However, they are not so bad - columns that say: "Made in the USSR."
Development of acoustics production
Before the first Soviet speakers appeared, users could only use ordinary radio broadcasters. These devices made it possible to listen to music. However, in 1951 the country's leadership approveda single standard that defined the basic parameters that broadcasting equipment should have. It was this year that became the starting point for the development of various models of acoustics. At that time, the technologies of the new production were simply impressive.
Soviet speakers had such basic elements as a loudspeaker, an electrodynamic head and a magnetizing element.
Even with a very meager case design, these speakers sounded very high quality. Anyone who uses modern acoustics will not always understand that he hears the sound reproduced by Soviet speakers. What is the reason for this magic? In a technical breakthrough in engineering!
After that, the country began producing new models of receivers, which for a long time were the only source of sound in homes and discos. An interesting fact is that such equipment was made by hand.
Radio "Symphony"
1965 was another milestone in the field of receiver manufacturing. It was in this year that the first domestic radiogram was released in the USSR. It was constructed using the lamp method. Stereophonics, called "Symphony", served as a kind of musical center of that period.
What did the composition of the radiola include? In her design was an electrophone. It allowed you to play vinyl records. The Symphony also included a receiver that emitted sound.
Today only a few have this radiolafans of retro, and even then it is used only for interior decoration. In terms of acoustics, this technique, which was the standard of engineering art in past years, is significantly outdated.
Next step
As for tube players, they were very rare in the homes of ordinary workers. The main reason is the high price of equipment and small batches of its production.
At the next stage, transistor recorders began to be produced in the country. This technique gave a large output power of sound. In order to buy such a tape recorder, a simple engineer had to set aside five of his monthly salaries for the purchase. However, despite this, the new technique has gained great popularity. The operation of such equipment could not do without the latest acoustics. And in 1974, new speakers began to be produced in the USSR. The first was the AC 10MAS-1M model. This Soviet acoustics was widely used for many years. A long-throw loudspeaker was introduced into the system, additionally equipped with a suspended latex diffuser. However, it is worth recognizing the fact that such a technique was not of high quality. The assembly of columns caused a lot of criticism.
Borrowing foreign technology
In 1978, the USSR began to simply copy Western-style acoustic systems. For the first time, engineers working in the B altic countries took up this business. Thus, the 35AC-1 model was designed, on the basis of which a whole series of S-90 systems was released. These Soviet speakers weresignificantly improved. Their body was also of high quality. It was assembled from durable plywood, which was used in the aircraft industry at that time. The back and side panels of the case were made of the most valuable wood species. The weight of the device was also impressive. This Soviet acoustics weighed 23 kilograms!
Final stage
The acoustics of the USSR finally developed with the release of the 75AC-001 model. It was the crowning achievement of engineering thought of the Soviet period. Mathematical design methods were used for the first time in the development of this model. In addition, computers (the forerunners of modern computer systems) were used to ensure optimal performance of various elements, such as the crossover and head.
The most perfect acoustics of the USSR, which was the model 75AC-001, had a loudspeaker of excellent quality. In addition, lovers of good sound were struck by its sensitivity, which was 91 dB. For those times, this figure was simply incredible.
The loudspeaker (electrodynamic head) of the model, among other things, provided a good frequency range, which ranged from twenty-five to twenty-five thousand Hz. In addition, the sound produced did not have as much distortion as previous models sinned.
Subsequently, the model was renamed. Its new name is 150AS-001. It was produced as acoustics "Corvette", as well as "Cleaver".
In total, about 50 models of such systems were developed in the Soviet period. Among them were those that were not even remembered by users. However, met in masssale and good options for such systems, the most popular of which we will consider below
Electronics
Under this name, a wide range of household appliances was produced in the USSR. Factories belonging to the Ministry of Electronic Industry, under the brand name "Electronics", produced televisions and calculators, computer systems and tape recorders. The list of these goods included electronic watches and other products.
The production of Soviet acoustic systems, which were the Elektronika speakers, was also established. There were several varieties:
1. "Electronics 25AC-033". This is a three-way speaker, which was enclosed in a natural wooden case. The nominal power of such speakers was 25 watts, and the peak power reached 100 watts. The speakers reproduced sound in the range from 31.5 to 25000 Hz and had a nominal impedance of 4 ohms.
2. Speakers "Electronics 25 AC-118". This speaker is also housed in a natural wood cabinet.
3. "Electronics 25AS - 126". This system is a three-way speaker system enclosed in a chipboard cabinet. The nominal power of such speakers was 25 watts, and the limit was 50 watts. The frequency of the sound was in the range from 4 to 20,000 Hz, and the resistance was 4 ohms.
4. "Electronics 25AC-132". This is a block three-way speaker with a rated power of 25 watts. She, as a rule, came in one set with the Elektronika 104C amplifier.
5. "Electronics 25AS-227". The power rating of this three-way speaker was 50 watts. At the same time, the system had some differences from the previous ones.models. So, isodynamic HF heads were installed in it. They were characterized by low distortion, which ensured high quality when playing high frequencies.
S-90
The best speakers of the Soviet period were, no doubt, S-90. The letter S stood on them, since this product was produced in Riga. They were called AS Radiotehnika. However, in those years, the Soviet people did not trust everything foreign. In this regard, the columns are still called C-90.
Being one of the best systems of the Soviet period, "Radio engineering" was widely used in houses of culture and at concerts even in the most remote corners of the country. Speakers were certainly present at school parties. They were the most powerful, as an amplifier was installed to them. Today, such retro-techniques are not cheap. Only one column of the Radio Engineering model will cost the buyer 4,000 rubles.
Description
For their time, the Radio Engineering speakers had the best characteristics. They belonged to the highest (zero) class and were qualitatively different from all Soviet equipment. In addition, this speaker was in no way inferior to the imported one.
The speakers operated in the frequency range between 31.5 and 20,000 Hz. Their power rating was 35W.
But this speaker system was far from perfect. She had a fairly high cost, reaching up to 300 rubles per pair. And the weight of these columns was impressive. Sometimes he exceeded 30 kg. In addition, when buying S-90 speakers, no one was surein what makes them a well-coordinated couple. After all, one of them collected all the power together and sounded louder than the other. However, this was not the only drawback of this speaker. Soviet speakers often broke down. The reason for this was weak and thin wires, which in themselves are impractical. In addition, the speakers sounded bad at mid frequencies, spoiling the whole impression of the acoustics.
Installation
Despite the existing shortcomings, the S-90 speakers were quite suitable for Soviet music lovers. For several decades, this speaker system was among the most popular. Music lovers do not forget about her today. After all, the S-90 speakers are a vivid symbol of a bygone era. This is a device of impressive size, which is equal to 36x71x28.5 cm. That is why they had to be installed correctly, keeping a distance of at least 2 m from the listener. However, this was impossible to do in cramped Soviet apartments. That is why the real sound that such acoustics could give out was heard only by neighbors.
Appearance
Quite solid and simple speaker cabinet C-90 is a rectangular non-separable box made of chipboard. Its finish is high-quality veneer made of precious wood. At the joints of the walls and inside the case, the designers provided special elements. This increases the strength and rigidity of the box itself.
The speaker heads are decorated with decorative frames. They are stamped from aluminum sheet and painted black. In addition, the speakers are protected by metal mesh.
At the bottom of the case, you can see a patch panel made ofplastics. It displays the amplitude-frequency characteristic of the speakers, the name of the system and its brand name. The connector of the Soviet speakers S-90 is located at the bottom of the rear wall of the case.
Internal content
If you open the case of the S-90 speakers, you can see a large amount of cotton wool, which is covered with gauze. This is an AC absorber.
It reduces the effect of sound pressure on the AHF, making the speakers sound better. Anyone who dismantled the body of the "Soviet legend" can also see electrical filters inside. They are placed on the board and separate the AC bands.
Modernization of old equipment
S-90 speakers are very popular with music lovers. Not surprisingly, many of those who are interested in sound quality seek to upgrade them. This activity is not only fun. It allows you to save a lot of money and get a great-sounding system.
Of course, the outside of these speakers, which are at least 30 years old, have already lost their former glamor. However, for those who decide to upgrade, the main thing is that the system is whole from the inside.
For this work you will need a soldering iron and pliers. You can not do with the modernization and without a set of screwdrivers. The first step is to remove the front panel. This can only be done after two dozen different screws have been unscrewed. After disassembly, you should pay attention to the speakers. They will likely require resuscitation. It is possible that the coil will need to be rewound. After that acousticspeakers on Soviet speakers will sound just perfect, without any extraneous overtones. Silk domes, which can be installed to replace plastic domes, will also make all tones more transparent.
Upgrading wiring and internal materials
Refinement of the case allows you to improve the sound of speakers at low frequencies. To do this, you need to remove the cotton-gauze pads, replacing them with inexpensive batting. All this is done quickly and does not require much effort. It is recommended to replace the wiring before installation.
The case is sheathed with batting. They will also need to cover the phase investor, but only after installing its pipe on the sealant. Switches in the new speakers will not be needed. That is why they can be removed as an unnecessary element. Thin Soviet speaker wiring in all connections should be replaced with copper.
As you can see, this is not so laborious. However, despite its simplicity, refinement changes the sound of technology. It becomes more qualitative and transparent, pleasing the ear of the music lover.
Old Soviet speakers can also be installed in the car. The price of such a system will be minimal, and the sound will amaze with its power and quality.
