RCA Model 300W1 Cabinets. SOLD OUT.

A pair of RCA model 300W1 cabinets that date from the mid 1950s, between 1955 and 1958 judging from the dates on the spec sheet and some other gear in this setup.  The advertising listed these as "RCA Custom Convertible Speaker Systems" and recommended using RCA 12" 501S1 BiAxial or the RCA 502S1 Direct radiator (Full Range) both designed by Dr. Harry F. Olson.

The cabinets match structurally, except for the Grille cloth, and the position of the cutout for the 12” driver: the cutout is in the center of the baffle board on the red grill, and the cutout  on the tan grille starts 5" below the top of the cabinet. 

The rear panels and baffle boards are ~1/2” Fir plywood and held in place with wood screws.   The baffles each have 4 #8-32 machine screw studs for mounting the drivers, and the cabinets were built with open bottoms, designed with multipurpose HiFi applications in mind. 

Three enclosure types are mentioned “bass reflex, infinite baffle, corner driver” in the specifications.   (See the scan of the specification sheet.)

These were tested with a general purpose 12” full range driver and the low frequency output was surprisingly good.  Not necessarily accurate, but the volume of the cabinet helps when using a stiff suspension, stamped frame paper cone TV speaker from the 50s. 

The cabinet shape is unusual with a 90º triangle form on the left and right sides, with the 2 sides of each triangle being of unequal lengths.  Some of the design features were used specifically to "eliminate low-frequency cabinet resonances".  

DATA: 

Volume=4.5 cubic feet

Dimensions: 34.25 x 29.5 x 14.5"

~5/8" Mahogany stock

Mortise and Tenon joints, glue-blocked reinforced.  Thicknesses for the mahogany and the plywood are slightly greater than stated in the spec sheet.

These cabinets are being sold as a pair, available only with local pickup.