Author Topic: Sunn Horn Array Speaker?  (Read 1506 times)

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Offline Devilman1214

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Sunn Horn Array Speaker?
« on: July 31, 2020, 05:17:48 am »
Hi! I recently inherited some Sunn equipment and am not a musician. I've found info on the 2x15 cabinets but have been unable to find anything on this speaker. Someone told me it's an array or horn speaker? They were attached to the top of the 2x15 bass cabinets that I received. If possible, I'd like to know what they are and approximate value. I'll probably be selling them since I have no use for them. Thank you for any help you can provide.

Offline EdBass

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Re: Sunn Horn Array Speaker?
« Reply #1 on: July 31, 2020, 07:12:39 am »
I'm pretty sure those are from a late 60's Sunn Coliseum PA system. If so, the 215 cabs were loaded with JBL D130's and the drivers behind those radiators were probably JBL 375's.

Sometimes referred to as a "Beach Boys" PA because the Beach Boys used the first ones in the mid 60's.
Pretty rare stuff. Not many of those made, no frame of reference really so it would be hard to even guess at their value.
Fairly useless as far as live sound in today's world, the only interest might be from a collector, or more probably a vintage hi-fi person interested in lust the drivers themselves.
If you still have the 215 cabs, those D130' are worth something if you find the right person; as with the horns, vintage hi-fi folks, however if they are solid there might be some interest among guitar players.
If you want to sell them, put them on eBay. You'll certainly find out what they are worth that way.

If it is indeed a 60's Sunn Coliseum PA system, and you happen to ALSO have the amplifier that was used to power that system, that's another thing altogether. Those bring pretty strong money from the musician world.


Offline Devilman1214

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Re: Sunn Horn Array Speaker?
« Reply #2 on: July 31, 2020, 07:32:41 am »
Thank you for the info! That's WAY more than I've been able to find searching the web!

Offline EdBass

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Re: Sunn Horn Array Speaker?
« Reply #3 on: July 31, 2020, 11:27:14 am »
Surprisingly, I found the entire system on Reverb. I think they only made about 20 of them;

https://reverb.com/item/14980757-sunn-coliseum-pa-1967-69

It's rare, looks to be pristine, I'm a collector, have the resources, and I'd LOVE to have one. That said, I assure you I wouldn't consider paying anywhere NEAR that asking price...
I might start at about half.
 

This is the amp those speakers came with, as I said that's the key (valuable/sell-able) component ;

https://reverb.com/item/1050625-sunn-coliseum-p-a-1968

https://reverb.com/item/3387478-sunn-coliseum-pa-head-1968-includes-original-sunn-branded-kt88-s-mississippi-queen-hendrix


Offline loudthud

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Re: Sunn Horn Array Speaker?
« Reply #4 on: August 02, 2020, 09:56:21 pm »
Ed, In the first Reverb listing you posted, the amp has an extra jack on the back panel and what looks like a pot with no knob on the shaft. I'd be interested to find out the details of this especially if it was a factory installed endorse' mod. Somewhat like the amps Leslie West used that were patched together via some mod on the back panel.

Offline Watson

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Re: Sunn Horn Array Speaker?
« Reply #5 on: August 03, 2020, 08:08:18 am »
They were part of what the catalog listed as the Coliseum Sound System.  See page 21 of the 1969 catalog and page 4 of the 1970 catalog scans.
« Last Edit: August 03, 2020, 08:17:34 am by Watson »

Offline EdBass

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Re: Sunn Horn Array Speaker?
« Reply #6 on: August 03, 2020, 12:30:52 pm »
Ed, In the first Reverb listing you posted, the amp has an extra jack on the back panel and what looks like a pot with no knob on the shaft. I'd be interested to find out the details of this especially if it was a factory installed endorse' mod. Somewhat like the amps Leslie West used that were patched together via some mod on the back panel.

No idea. I can't see how it's wired up in any of the pics. I would think by it's position and the jack next to it that it would be a slave out, however I'm not sure how you would use it in a PA configuration, except may to power another set(s) of speakers.
It looks like a complete factory Coliseum rig, possibly it left the factory with a slave head and multiple speaker columns? If not factory, that mod looks to have been done a loooong time ago.