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Post by shuggie on Nov 14, 2014 10:37:54 GMT
Martin kindly donated these speakers to me. The bass units' foam surrounds were completely rotten, but easily fixed at very modest cost using re-foam kits from www.goodhifi.com/ . Since repairing them, the Minimax speakers have been sitting in my office, driven by a little stack of Quad 34/FM4/306, and sounding rather respectable. The bass performance is very limited, but there's an engaging musicality about these little speakers that makes you forget about really deep bass. The top end was a bit ragged, but that was cured very effectively by applying Russ Andrews Focus Rings (which I had to hand) around the tweeters. The raggedness was clearly a diffraction effect caused by the recessed front baffle. These little speakers were supposed to be going to my brother, but I rather think they're keepers. I'm trying to work out how best to replace the spring clip cable terminals with 4mm posts, but otherwise I don't think there's anything that needs 'upgrading'. So, thank you Martin! |
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Post by MartinT on Nov 14, 2014 13:02:43 GMT
Glad to hear you repaired them without trouble, Hugo. The focus rings are something I used with my previous speakers to good effect, so well done as I had an idea that tweeter was half decent.
I bought them back in 1984 when I went to work in Germany for a while and needed a portable system. They did good service in my room, staying in sergeants' quarters with the Royal Hussars in Fallingbostel.
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Post by ChrisB on Nov 14, 2014 14:24:14 GMT
They're great little speakers aren't they?
I have an old schoolfriend who would have been at Fallingbostel at around that time - he was in the Queens Regiment.
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Post by MartinT on Nov 14, 2014 15:32:43 GMT
Yes, it was a town full of different regiments and it had a great NAAFI shop.
I ran the speakers from a pair of home-made MOSFET amps, driven from a Marantz PMD-430 cassette deck (which is still in the garage somewhere - maybe).
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Post by MartinT on Nov 14, 2014 15:41:24 GMT
Dear oh dear, I found a photo of the Videotones in my room in Fallingbostel (with breeze block stands). You can see the Marantz deck, too.
No laughing at the back, please!
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Post by aurender on May 24, 2015 16:01:05 GMT
Way back around 25 years ago I did a lot of work in Hungary and went to the Videoton factory. They made a range of AV equipment including a few decent speakers as well as several very old fashioned looking radiograms. Very nice people and it's a pity they weren't able to develop the speaker range and establish a market position in the long term western market.several of the speakers were designed to look like books so could be disguised in use.
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2015 7:11:44 GMT
The Minimax was a really good speaker and solidly made too. Does anyone remember the Foundation Blue Chip? It was a souped up Minimax on a really good stand. Retailed for £250 IIRC. I never got to hear the Blue Chip but I live in hope of a mint pair appearing on EBay one day.
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Post by ChrisB on May 26, 2015 7:25:08 GMT
I can't remember that one at all.
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Post by MartinT on May 26, 2015 8:59:16 GMT
I loved the Minimaxes but never heard of the Blue Chip. Was it branded as Videoton?
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Post by Deleted on May 26, 2015 10:21:06 GMT
No, it was branded Foundation. I think they bought a job lot and modded them. Supposed to be a real little stick of dynamite  sadly nothing online about them but they were featured in the mags of the day. I seem to remember a mini review in the front of a Hifi Choice. I also seem to remember a wee blue triangle as a badge. |
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Post by gasgiant62 on Feb 9, 2017 10:18:51 GMT
http://www.hifimagazin.hu/HFMCD/HFM/CIKKEK/HFM2511.HTM
Hi guys, new to forum. I was reading the old post on Videoton minimal 2 and the foundation Blue chip, I found this article online, I don't understand the foreign language but they mention the Foundation blue chip version of the minimax, the link above takes you to an old Hi-Fi news and record reviews article. Regards.
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Post by gasgiant62 on Feb 9, 2017 10:30:39 GMT
Hi, I think the Foundation was the speaker stand and the blue Chip was the slightly upgraded minimax 2' I have a pair of old carcasses and was thinking of using KEF B110 bass units and T27 tweeters? Any thoughts.
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Post by ChrisB on Feb 9, 2017 11:16:26 GMT
Welcome to The Audio Standard!
Thanks for that link.
I've put the piece through Google translate and though not perfect, it reads better to me now than it did in the Hungarian version!
And finally, something very very special: the company Blue Foundation
Chip speaker. Just £ 200 will mate, the only
question that this is the amount of two hundred pounds and speakers
how the speaker footing. Cliff Stone (Foundation of the company
one person) has always insisted on the plinth so important
to be sacrificed him more than the speaker itself. Well, this is now
It came together as the Blue Chip is nothing more than a (slightly
amended) Videoton Minimax, a premier paired legs. THE
bass supposedly pretty good, "compared". From there, however, upward
the troubles begin, and Blue Chip high transmission of the Gold Alvin
When cooking scrambled eggs compared audible sounds. Besides: rustle,
distortion and high pulls, "phasing" effect and the smallest audience
fejmozdulatára change the sound image. "In any case, the plinth
excellent."
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Post by julesd68 on Feb 10, 2017 0:03:23 GMT
Dear oh dear, I found a photo of the Videotones in my room in Fallingbostel (with breeze block stands). You can see the Marantz deck, too.
No laughing at the back, please!
I'm loving that pic Martin - don't know how I missed it the first time! It should have a caption on it - "Martin T - your sentence is to listen to your music on tiny speakers for 20 years"I've got to ask about those heels as well - do they still get an outing on special occasions??  |
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Post by MartinT on Feb 10, 2017 0:17:12 GMT
Hah! The only time I wore that suit while in Germany was the odd formal Sergeants' dinner, otherwise it was pretty informal civvies. That was my portable system, it all fitted in a bag. Even then, I sported Cambridge R40s at home.
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Post by julesd68 on Feb 10, 2017 0:20:19 GMT
The plot thickens - I didn't know you were in the army in Germany or did I?
Memory like a sieve ...
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Post by MartinT on Feb 10, 2017 0:24:53 GMT
Attached to, not in the army. I implemented and serviced their computers for the North Germany regiments.
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Post by julesd68 on Feb 10, 2017 0:29:37 GMT
Very interesting! Like to hear more about that another time ...
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Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2017 4:18:42 GMT
According to that Hungarioan summary, we should be looking for a copy of Hifi Answers May 1987 and a review by Gold Alvin (his pornstar name, I guess) I'm sure there was a more positive account in Hifi Choice. 1987 would be about right, probably earlier in the year IIRC. Anyone hoarding 1987 mags?
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Post by MartinT on Feb 10, 2017 7:22:11 GMT
Goodness me, that 1987 issue has the Finial Laser turntable featured. What a long gestation period it took to come to market.
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