Sony APM-990 - Vintage Monster Speakers from Sony

Here are some pictures of a huge pair of speakers that I encountered in a thrift store recently. They were Sony APM-990 Speakers. Apparently, these vintage speakers were known for having square woofers.

I haven't found much information online about these monsters. But, according to the label, these vintage floorstanders were 220 Watt speakers designed for 8 ohms of impedance.  One of the thrift store workers hooked them up to whatever stereo receiver was available on the shelf and they had enough power to boom big sound throughout a fairly large retail store.

It's amazing that such brawny speakers can be obtained for about $40.  This pair seemed to be pristine.  Even the particle board cabinets didn't have any obvious chips.

The music pumped from these monsters wasn't from a genre I particularly like and the volume was cranked way to high.  I can't really say I got a good feel for the sound quality of the Sony APM-990 speaker system.  Does an Accurate Pistonic Motion create better sound?  I'll never know and our new apartment doesn't offer the space to find out.  (Plus, our new downstairs neighbor seems nice!)

Are these the greatest speakers of the 1980s?  Probably not.  Of course, the audiophiles over on Audiokarma.org seem to think they are crap.  But, with $40 and an old Van Halen CD, you probably can't go wrong.

Vintage Speaker Encounter: Scott SP1412 Floor Standing Speakers

Once you decide to be a sane human being, a responsible married man, and good neighbor in an apartment complex, huge speakers show up everywhere. For example, I recently ran into these big Scott SP1412 Floor Standing Speakers.

 

They were a tad ratty and would need new surrounds and new grill cloth for sure.  But, they might not have been a bad buy for the $20 or $30 that Goodwill was asking.  Fortunately, speaker grill cloth isn't too expensive for hobbyists to buy on Amazon.



Pardon the dust, but people back the grills we must.  These Scott speakers do look bad ass in a very vintage way.

These speakers also need new surround foam.  Generally speaker refoam kits are also not too expensive on Amazon. It's just a matter of patiently giving the old speakers the TLC that they need.  Since they are 8-ohm impedance speakers, they should easily work with one of my stereo receivers.

Vintage Audio Sighting: Technics SB-2745 Speakers

Just a week after buying myself mondo huge Technics speakers, I came across a second similar set in a different thrift store.  These were Technics SB-2745 speakers.  They had similar characteristics to my larger Technics SB-2845 speakers.  However, these speakers had a pronounced duct at the bottom.

Technics SB-2745 Speakers

Like my speakers, the Technics SB-2745 speakers were 200 watt speakers.  While the cabinets bore the scars of a long life, the cones and surrounds looked good.  If the sound quality came any where near the quality of my SB-2845 speakers, then someone found a great deal!

Technics SB-2745 Speakers

The frequency response curves looked similar to those of my Technics speakers.  These would definitely rock the house!  Like most Technics gear, these speakers probably don't get the respect they deserve.  Here is a discussion on Audiokarma.org.  However, I suspect that they are probably much better than the average modern stereo speaker.

As this audioholic found, people who stumble across these speakers and hook them up are surprised and pleased!

In 2025, if you are looking for floor-standing speakers that can handle some power, you might want to check out a pair of Cerwin-Vega SL-15 speakers. They are the brand's flagship speakers and you can see them here on Amazon!

Classic Cerwin-Vega SL-15 Speakers (Amazon photo)

Big Ass Fisher DS-151 Speakers from the Thrift Store

Big ass speakers are one fun thing about shopping for home audio gear at the thrift store.   You can find some really big speakers that are wildly impractical by today's standards.  

Fisher DS-151 Speakers

For example, last week I saw these Fisher DS-151 speakers at Goodwill.  The cabinets were quite large.  Notice the TV and mini-stereo speakers in the picture above.  The speakers appeared to be in good shape.  However, they weren't as powerful as their size might indicate.  They are three way 50 watt speakers with 8 ohms of impedance.

Some Fisher speakers are reputed to sound really good--especially with classical music.  But, since these are really old speakers, I'll bet they will need to be restored.  For example, they may need to be refoamed.  But, they both looked pretty good.  SOmeone will find a treasure!

Fisher DS-151 Speakers Uncovered