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Reviews For: Drake MS-4

Category: Speakers for communications

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Review Summary For : Drake MS-4
Reviews: 5MSRP: 99 appx (at least)
Description:
Matching speaker (cosmetically) for the R-4x series.
Metal cabinet. Intended to house the seperate Drake AC-4 power supply if desired.
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0053.8
WB5AGF Rating: 2022-06-10
A Typical Speaker Of The 1960s Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The Drake MS-4 Speaker assembly (an oval speaker mounted in a wrap-around steel case with a perforated metal front) is typical of its era - mechanically well built but making no attempt to enhance its acoustic qualities.

The speaker itself (an oval unit mounted so it points out through the perforated metal front) is open to the rear (no baffling or other acoustic treatment) of the case (a large space which could hold either the AC-3 or AC-4 transmitter power supplies).

For HF ('shortwave') operation, where high background noise is frequently the norm, the MS-4 Speaker is OK but from an acoustic standpoint you could get at least as good a performance from a 6X9 oval speaker taken from a TV set of the 1960s and mounted in a suitably sized cutout in a sheet of plywood (or as I had used with my shortwave receiver, before I got my ham license, a round speaker taken from an old TV and mounted in a Tupperware bowl that I stuffed with kitchen paper towels for 'damping').

I wanted the AC-4 to match my Drake receiver and transmitter; improved sound quality led one to try adding kitchen paper towels and the like behind the speaker to act as acoustic damping.

(signed)

Paul, WB5AGF
N5XJT Rating: 2016-10-08
Very Good Older Speaker Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Surprised at negative reviews - Methinks it is a very good accessory speaker. I use mine with an older Tempo 2020 and it provides very clear understandable audio. This is a 4 ohm speaker but it also sounds good with 8 ohm radios. Only con is the size but you can easily place a power supply inside the enclosure.
W8AAZ Rating: 2009-08-12
Matches the set Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Probably no better or worse than any comparable rig speaker from the old days, they were all about the same, oval speaker in a metal box. I suppose that you could go nuts and install some sort of damping materials etc. inside to clean up the sound on any of them, if there is no power supply etc. to take up the space. But if you want your Drake outfit to look correct, you gotta buy one and you will pay a collectable item price for it on most days unless it is thrashed.
K8KOO Rating: 2005-11-29
good matching speaker Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Good looking speaker compliments the Drake radios visually and aurally. Certainly no match for the Heil ClearSpeech, but compares favorably with other non-dsp speakers in the 'shack. Plenty of room in the cabinet to tuck in your AC-3 or 4 power supply.
WB9YCJ Rating: 2002-12-25
Problematic Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Metal grille and cabinet had "audio resonances" which articulated themselves easily. Very noticable when tuning CW notes. Really annoying ! Constantly trying to put toothpicks,
paper, etc, in spots that "ringed" to attempt to deaden the noise. This speaker only made the gear look good. Eventually replaced with speaker(s) with non resonant (non noisey) cabinets.