ESS Satellite 4 Speaker System for Quad

[4yanx]

I am not certain that this is in the correct forum on this site, so it can be moved if a moderator deems appropriate.

In about 1975, I bought a system of ESS speakers designed specifically for quadraphonic, after using four Altecs, four Advents, and 4 JBL’s at different junctures. This system was called the ESS Satellite 4 System which was composed of four satellite speakers, each holding a 6” midrange and 2 ¼” tweeter and a bass reflex case holding a 12” driver. The bass reflex driver was driven by its own amp and he four satellites driven by and amp or receiver – all five speakers control by matrix unit with a frequency dividing network. In those days, the best receiver I owned was a Marantz 4400 and these speakers allowed the Marantz to sing about as well as it could, as I recall.

Over the years, I gave two of the satellite speakers to a friend who lost them who knows where. The bass amp/matrix unit went missing from my garage when my boys were younger.  I retained two of the satellites and the bass reflex case (driver shot). I asked many times, and in various venues over the years and could find no one else who had even heard of this system. Finally, a few months ago, a man near Chicago contacted me saying he had a complete working system and would I have interest. Of course, I could not resist and bought the lot. Now I am in the midst of fully restoring this system from the ground up.

I have enclosed a link below to a temporary website with a few pictures for anyone interested. I will try to post more pictures upon request (already I need to take a picture of the matrix unit’s innards), and will post views of the restored system.

I hope these will be of interest and I would be anxious to hear from anyone else who remembers these. They are, in my mind, one of the very first precursors to the satellite/subwoofer arrangements so popular these days.

http://home.comcast.net/~iowan1/ess.html

 

[Lucanu]

Wow, that's a very nice system for those days!

 

[JonUrban]

Nice. I somehow seem to recall seeing those at one point, though I can't place it. Very nice vintage!

 

[4yanx]

Thanks.

Jon, I wish I had come across someone who had heard of these awhile back as some thought I was nuts (ok, more nuts). I even asked a guy who used to be a distributor for ESS and HE'D never heard of them. I bought my original set at a small shop in Iowa back in the day. Being located in a college town, the store was always one that tried to be on the cutting edge and the salesman talked me into buying the system, suggesting that I'd be unique (he had NO idea). At one point, I had a La-Z-Boy recliner that I would position in the middle of the room with each of the four satellite speakers in the FL, FR, RL, and RR positions, suspended in woven macrame plant holders and the bass relex cube near the chair, doubling as an end table!

The finish on these was excellent and I will restore them to as-original, except that I am looking for fabrics that better serve as grills from a sonic standpoint, and that look 70's without looking like grandma's loveseat upholstery.

 

[lonster]

4yanx,
I have seen the power matrix come up on ebay from time to time, but it is a rare system indeed.
I have not seen these satellite's before, and it is a shame that ESS did not include one of their smaller Heil's in these, as I bet it would have made a great speaker even better sounding (my opinion).
I currently run my quad system with 4 ESS speakers too. I use 2 AMT3 Rock Monitors up front, and 2 AMT1a's for the rears. I also have 2 ESS LS8's that will be incorporated as 'dual mono' center channel speakers after Quad Bob gets thru his waist deep stack of restorations, and gets a chance to do my AU-999 amp.
I am currently looking for another set of AMT3's to use in place of the 1a's, and then move the 1a's back to the rear surrounds to complete the ESS 7.1 system .
I think I saw that you are located in the Greater Bay Area right? I'm up in Eureka. Next time I get down that way (and have some extra time), I would love to hear your system and talk some quad/surround.
Thanks for sharing your speakers,
Lonster

 

[Cai Campbell]

That's a pretty cool system, as far as satellite systems go. Aside from being rare, I bet it smokes most modern satellite systems! Normally I would shy away from satellite systems for quad but I'd certainly consider this ESS setup.

I had a pair of ESS floorstanding loudspeakers that I used for over a decade and they were fantastic. They had the Heil air motion transformer. I actually let them go when I got into quad and only because I couldn't find another pair of 'em.

Anyway, ESS made great-sounding speakers. Too bad they're not still around.

 

[4yanx]

Actually, if you look up ESS on the web you'll find that there is still an office in Sacramento. However, if you call the number, a person will answer simply, "hello". If you ask if it is ESS, they will tell you, yes, but that everything, materials, designs, and personnel (?) were sold and shipped off to Audio International in Germany. They still sell speakers, alright, but not sure if they are ESS designs. I sent them two messages to see if anyone there knew the specs of the original tweets in these as I have a couple on which the cones look a tad suspect. Never heard a word in return. Anyone know how to tell the specs of a speaker component without a spec sheet?

Oh, yes, "smokes" isn't even the word. The stuff labelled satellite systems today look and sound like toys in comparison. The whole system is really neat and an early example of a bass cube powered by its own amp while the satellites were driven my a normal amp or receiver, thus requiring less power.