GBRev80's system

Hi TuneLand, I've moved GBRev80's thread from system gallery to here so he is among his fellow Tunees. Welcome to TuneLand!

Hello all!  I am new to this forum (in fact, I have never posted on any blog before) and have been looking through the archives for some information on a pair of wonderful MGD speakers I recently purchased.  

The seller told me they are MGD Rev 80 and, after looking in the forums, I discovered that meant a floor standing speaker with an 8-inch woofer.  They have 2 sets of tuning heads per speaker and appear to have a walnut finish.  Other than the model number, he knew very little about the speakers (other than the fact that they sounded beautiful).  I believe I am the third owner (and will be the last).  Some questions:

- How do I verify the model?
- Is there specific guidance for tuning the cabinet?
- The serial numbers (stamped into gold-colored plates) are 2572 and 2900.  Although it is not a big deal to me, the non-sequential serial numbers struck me as odd.  Were MGD speakers tracked by serial number?

I feel honored to own these beautiful hand-crafted speakers and hope to learn more about tuning my room to bring out their best!  I will post some photos soon.

(Note: If I violated some protocol by posting a question on my first post or posting in the wrong forum, please let me know and I will adjust accordingly)

Thanks!

Hi GB

I need you to do something for me so I can tell what vintage these are. Can you take off the grill and tell me if the grill grommets are made out of plastic or rubber? Plastic, they will be hard and rubber they will be somewhat soft (rubbery).

thanks

Hello, Michael. Thanks for the response! They have plastic grommets. Also, they have black trim mold at the base of the cabinet (I could not find any photos of MGD speakers with painted trim).

Congratulations, this is a set of my first major production run of Rev 80's. I believe those serial numbers are from the "Okoume" vintage. This is a guitar veneer pronounced Oak-come-E'. Among MGA (MGD) speakers this is a collectors item. These were made just before the Long Island runs. I believe serial #2500-2980 (or close to) were the only 80's with this veneer. These were not made on a production line but hand built by musicians in Hamilton Ontario Canada.

A pretty cool pair, hope you got them for a good deal.

Nice to see them again!

Thanks for looking into it, Michael! It must be fun to continually re-discover your craftsmanship throughout the years ...

At first, I thought you were going to say something like, "Oh ... plastic grommets ... uh ... yes ... well, those are actually MGD rip-offs made in Taiwan. The tuning bolts are faux and do not actually work. The walnut-looking veneer ... well, it is actually a toxic laminate. Finally, the non-sequential serial numbers reveal that they were manufactured 20 years apart and are likely stolen."

I like your actual message much better!

The previous owner installed rubber feet that were screwed into existing inserts. I read in the forum somewhere that you did not recommend rubber feet. I guess my first act should be to remove these?

Also, what is the "official" name of these speakers? MGD Revolution 80 (or 80i)?

Thanks again!

Hi GB

These are the Revolution 80 (Rev80).

Yep, try them without the rubber feet.

It is somewhat fun now seeing my designs becoming collectables. I guess I didn't really think about it much when I started designing them. The speaker line took on a life of it's own. And yes there are copies made over in china of all my stuff. They even use a picture of me in their ads. I get emails all the time from somebody using my product and as they get going I say "where did you get it" Guess I should be flattered. Oh well I just hope they like it. I guess that makes me like a Rolex

Could you imagine how much money I could make if they paid me a royalty?

To honor the circle of life, I asked my wife to send the speakers back to you if I get hit by a bus (seriously!). What a cool idea to get one of your creations back in excellent condition after several decades. Anyway, on to the forum topic ...

Although I am not a collector, I would like to know more about the Revolution 80s if you are in the mood to elucidate. When were they made? Did the design evolve? What makes the revolution series different than the other series? How was the design goal different than the Revolution 60s?

We just moved into a new home, so I have not spent much time setting up my system(s). The components that will comprise the system in the Great Room include:

- MGD Revolution 80 Floor Standing Speakers
- Jungson DA-120IA Integrated Amplifier
- Schiit Bifrost Multibit DAC
- Music source is a digital phone/tablet

I suspect my tuning challenge will be non-trivial because the Great Room joins with the kitchen, entry, stairway, and eating area in an open floorpan. I will continue to scour the forum to get educated on room/system tuning ...

Thanks and have a great day!