Ias Beaulieu Speakers

[David Hall]

These look to be later iterations of what Thomas Henry Charles on page 5 around February 2021 posted, with David Halls' reply (ex- IAS) following shortly afterwards, (I was out of the loop on the thread at the time for reasons beyond my control). The differences with your model indicate the use of a SEAS midrange, (possibly as per the Beaulieu and the miniature 808 for bass/mid) and a Philips treble unit; the latter deploying the late Alan Willis' (ex- IAS and David's partner in the company and co-designer) perforated treble dome to address resonant peaks, as per the super little 808 quarter-wave horns found on this forum, (I have a pair and they are quite something when set-up suitably well). As for the bass unit, Thomas Henry Charles' bass unit looks to be an original, but what it actually is, as in manufacturer is baffling (no pun intended) as it has the trademark white painted cone, as was used on the earlier Studio 811 model of 1981 that I remember well at Essex Hi-fi when it was launched. The SEAS bass unit on your pair is not beyond a possibility as IAS used the famed bass/midrange unit from them as mentioned above, so obtaining an alternative wasn't beyond the realms of possibility. DomT made mention that he knew Alan Willis though, and so may well be right about it originally being a Volt driver being fitted to your version of the later 810 model. The only thing is that the earliest of Volt bass units had very low fs stats (free-air resonance frequency) with subsequent later generation units not being as low. From my work on my Beaulieu's from 1980, the very low fs contributes to a considerable difference in bass extension within the original David Hall/Alan Willis designed enclosures that had the full-width horn mouth at the bottom of the loudspeaker enclosures on the Beaulieu as compared to the IAS cabinets that were altered after David's departure from IAS in 1982 when another designer took his place and influenced certain changes that, to some listeners ears, were less impressive sounding, but maybe more measured. I cannot comment as I've not listened to any later versions. Included in the changes from the earlier models was the reversed internal layout of the horn-tract, which took the mouth of the horn to the top of the cabinet; probably to make the loudspeaker less overwhelming in reactive room acoustical environments by distancing the low-frequency output from floor-level. The mouth was also reduced in width. These changes were not only applied to the Beaulieu, but also, (it appears), to the 810 model too. Also, I think the earlier model was called the Studio 810, as the white baffle design was in-keeping with the Studio 811 model. Whether the original 810 model shared the 811 model's Medite cabinet, Thomas Henry Charles might be able to shed light upon this? David might be along to expand further on all this. I still find my Beaulieu's the dream loudspeaker system though, five years into owning my second-hand purchase from their original owner since 1980, and much as with your purchase, from Hampshire, near to their Southampton home.

Hello Bluoz,

I have only just come back onto this forum and can see more posts on our older loudspeaker designs. The design you have is using the Richard Allen 8" paper cone Bass unit. It also looks like an Eagle midrange which was used in the Cadnam Export. It uses the Horn Indederiminate length design that I developed, which was used in all of the speakers I designed with Alan Willis, my partner in IAS. I think this was orginally the Midhurst, which later developed into the 810. It is a long time ago and we were regularly bringing out various versions of our designs. They still look nice.

 

[DomT]

Hello Bluoz,

I have only just come back onto this forum and can see more posts on our older loudspeaker designs. The design you have is using the Richard Allen 8" paper cone Bass unit. It also looks like an Eagle midrange which was used in the Cadnam Export. It uses the Horn Indederiminate length design that I developed, which was used in all of the speakers I designed with Alan Willis, my partner in IAS. I think this was orginally the Midhurst, which later developed into the 810. It is a long time ago and we were regularly bringing out various versions of our designs. They still look nice.

Hello David you had mentioned previously that you were working on some new speakers. Any news please? (Previous IAS speaker owner) Thanks

 

[Bluoz]

Hello Bluoz,

I have only just come back onto this forum and can see more posts on our older loudspeaker designs. The design you have is using the Richard Allen 8" paper cone Bass unit. It also looks like an Eagle midrange which was used in the Cadnam Export. It uses the Horn Indederiminate length design that I developed, which was used in all of the speakers I designed with Alan Willis, my partner in IAS. I think this was orginally the Midhurst, which later developed into the 810. It is a long time ago and we were regularly bringing out various versions of our designs. They still look nice.

Dear David,

Very glad you have taken time to confirm the provenance and design of these speakers . You must have been very busy at the time with all the different versions that seem to have crept up in this great thread!

Am I right in thinking that, most likely, we are talking late 70s rather than early 80s for these? Fully appreciate that this may not at all be easy to recall from the dawn of hifi times. Nowadays I hardly recall what I did last month ...
Anyway a belated big, big thank you for having built something special that already gives me immense listening pleasure! And of course good luck with all your current ventures, be it with new speakers or otherwise.

 

[dannywhack]

Just came across this thread. Having been after some Beaulieu's for a few years, I picked up some 811's a couple of years ago, from a nice chap that lived just down the road from where I'm originally from. He bought them new, delivered in the back of a Reliant Robin and they ended up being used as speakers for a boat bridge trainer in a nearby college.

They sound lovely, need a small amount of TLC (one chip to the veneer on top of one of them) and some new grills maybe (there's still the original velcro on the front).

Curiousity got the better of me, thought I'd have a look inside them just to check the caps - seems that there's glue present from a couple of crossover changes - although the current crossover in there looks to me to be original to the finished speaker - the glue for all of them is exactly the same. IAS serial stickers on the back have no serial numbers.

Will pop up some better pics when I get a chance if anyone's interested.

 

[VanDerGraaf]

Brilliant speakers- very glad to see this thread still active.

 

[PaulTMFM]

This has been a very interesting thread especially because so little info about IAS is available on the web. It's also wonderful reading all your stories and the input from people who actually designed the speakers in question.
My Dad and I had a passion for hi-fi that began in the very late 1970s, but unfortunately not the budget to purchase the equipment being lauded at the time.
We attended many hi-fi shows and retailer showcases around the Midlands, and were wowed by some pretty expensive set-ups from the likes of Linn, Sondex, Meridian, Logic, Pink Triangle, Spendor, Oracle, Alphason, Naim etc.
Dad spent quite a lot of time visiting Graham Nalty in Derby, a dealer of hi-fi systems that often included upgrades designed by himself. He sold my Dad the idea of a kit turntable and amplifier to keep costs down. So my Dad constructed a Connoisseur BD1 deck and fitted an SME3009 arm to it, then built a Nalty Classic amplifier. The system required speakers. Our lounge had little space for huge cabinets so Graham suggested auditioning some smaller types. Dad eventually settled on IAS bookshelf speakers. No idea what model they were, but the sound was sweet and inviting.
In the intervening years I've gone over to the dark side with twin Technics turntables and a mixer, but I've also inherited a fair amount of equipment from my Dad (he sadly passed in 1996), including the aforementioned IAS speakers.
It would be great to find out more about them since there is no identifying label other than the IAS logo on the front grill. What I do know is that they are 9 1/2 inches tall, 6 inches wide and 6 inches deep in black cabinets with a black cloth front grill.

 

[Tony_J]

Those woofers are desperately in need of re-foaming!

 

[PaulTMFM]

Those woofers are desperately in need of re-foaming!

Or re-woofing??
The speakers were stored in a bedroom closet and retrieved this year. They haven't seen any serious action in over 25 years.
Anyone have a clue what model of speaker it is? Possibly a prototype?
The cabinets are sound. Not sure about the condition of the crossover network but I can take a look, and research the cost of replacement woofers while I'm at it.

 

[Tony_J]

Or re-woofing??

Probably not as long as the voice coils are intact - replace the foam surrounds and they should be fine.

 

[Lawrence001]

Or re-woofing??
The speakers were stored in a bedroom closet and retrieved this year. They haven't seen any serious action in over 25 years.
Anyone have a clue what model of speaker it is? Possibly a prototype?
The cabinets are sound. Not sure about the condition of the crossover network but I can take a look, and research the cost of replacement woofers while I'm at it.

If you re-woof you should use the same model otherwise the speakers will not perform as designed and could sound terrible. Refoaming small woofers is not difficult it takes a couple of hours to get it right, moreso the removing of old dry foam and cleaning/prep than the fitting of the new surround.

There's a Dutch company that supply all sorts of sizes. A photo of the back of the drivers will be a good starting point as hopefully they will have a make or model number on to establish what they are.

 

[PaulTMFM]

If you re-woof you should use the same model otherwise the speakers will not perform as designed and could sound terrible. Refoaming small woofers is not difficult it takes a couple of hours to get it right, moreso the removing of old dry foam and cleaning/prep than the fitting of the new surround.

There's a Dutch company that supply all sorts of sizes. A photo of the back of the drivers will be a good starting point as hopefully they will have a make or model number on to establish what they are.

Update...

I've removed the woofer from the speakers and all is not what it seemed. The driver units blew as I recall some time ago and they must have been replaced - or maybe the speakers were another kit project that my Dad undertook? I'm puzzled to say the least, but knowing my Dad he could not afford to spend much money on hi-fi repairs or new components, so therein may lie the answer. Anyway here is what confronted me:



There is no info on the reverse of the tweeter unit either. It seems this pair of speakers is now destined for the skip.

Please don't mock this - they were his pride and joy in the days before we finally did invest in decent equipment (most of which I still possess and in good condition too). It really has brought back the memory of that time - and not in a good way. Ah well.

 

[It Cost How Much!?!]

This has been a very interesting thread especially because so little info about IAS is available on the web. It's also wonderful reading all your stories and the input from people who actually designed the speakers in question.
My Dad and I had a passion for hi-fi that began in the very late 1970s, but unfortunately not the budget to purchase the equipment being lauded at the time.
We attended many hi-fi shows and retailer showcases around the Midlands, and were wowed by some pretty expensive set-ups from the likes of Linn, Sondex, Meridian, Logic, Pink Triangle, Spendor, Oracle, Alphason, Naim etc.
Dad spent quite a lot of time visiting Graham Nalty in Derby, a dealer of hi-fi systems that often included upgrades designed by himself. He sold my Dad the idea of a kit turntable and amplifier to keep costs down. So my Dad constructed a Connoisseur BD1 deck and fitted an SME3009 arm to it, then built a Nalty Classic amplifier. The system required speakers. Our lounge had little space for huge cabinets so Graham suggested auditioning some smaller types. Dad eventually settled on IAS bookshelf speakers. No idea what model they were, but the sound was sweet and inviting.
In the intervening years I've gone over to the dark side with twin Technics turntables and a mixer, but I've also inherited a fair amount of equipment from my Dad (he sadly passed in 1996), including the aforementioned IAS speakers.
It would be great to find out more about them since there is no identifying label other than the IAS logo on the front grill. What I do know is that they are 9 1/2 inches tall, 6 inches wide and 6 inches deep in black cabinets with a black cloth front grill.

Are they 808 mini monitors with the wrong drivers?

 

[HoopsOnToast]

As a guess, they might have originally had Seas 11F mid-bass drivers, as used in other IAS bookshelves as well as midrange in the larger speakers.

 

[PaulTMFM]

Are they 808 mini monitors with the wrong drivers?

I've no idea tbh.

 

[PaulTMFM]

If they are 11Fs I may be able to find equivalents, so thanks for the info