Coral Speakers - A Brief History & Vintage Hi-fi Review

Coral Speakers are an audiophile bargain of the vintage HIFI world. Enjoy my humble review and brief history of this once very special Japanese company.
More than anything I just wanted to share my love for Coral Speakers. Over the years I've collected as many of the drivers as I can, only parting ways with a couple of pairs when space got too tight!
I'm hoping that this video might be the start of a friendly open forum to share knowledge and experiences with them. Then I would like to make second video with all the extra info we've collated :)
They also made some phono cartridges! These are now super rare and in the same league as the Grace cartridges.
Here are some other amazing websites with more information about some of the drivers //
Rutcho's Audio Page - rutcho.com/speaker_drivers/cor...
Glow In the Dark Audio - www.glowinthedarkaudio.com/spe...
Links to my other Coral videos //
Coral Flat 8 Open Baffle Build - • Building Triaxial Open...
Coral 12TX-1 Open Baffle Build - • Building Triaxial Open...
Finding the Coral Holey Basket Drivers - • The Best 3.5 Inch Full...
0:00 Introduction
1:34 Who Were Coral Speakers
2:27 What Types Of Speakers Did They Make?
6:45 What Are The Characteristics Of Coral Speakers?
13:26 Are They A Vintage Hifi Bargain?

[@insolentstickleback3266]

I answered a Craigslist FREE add this week. Ad stated OLD speakers, when I arrived I was stunned to see a pair of Coral BX 1200 speakers, a Sansui RA 500 reverb amp, a Teac A4010S RR, and a Kenwood KR 6160 receiver. The gentleman was a Vietnam veteran, and this stuff had been in storage for decades.

[@dwerbil]

I assume you picked up the sweet package. How does it sound??

[@deepfake_fm]

My girlfriend surprised me with a set of Coral BX85s I had my eyes on for the last few months from an antique store. Had no idea if they worked, I was just taken away by the aesthetics. Needless to say, I was ecstatic to receive these as a gift. Hooked them up into my Pioneer SX316 receiver from mid 00s, and modern turntable. They sound incredible and drive really well. Integrated high frequency adjustments on the back, these things really sing and have a lot of warmth. Super pleased with them.

[@Mike_S_Swift]

I was stationed at Takhli Thailand 1970 and bought a pair of Coral BX 1200’s. Cost was 160$ for the pair at the AF base exchange store. I’m still rocking them as my front surround speakers. They drive very easily. Still sound great after 50 years. They are 6 speaker 5 way.

[@vintageboulton]

That's awesome, great to hear! I think a lot of people from the US forces bought them while stationed at bases around asia

[@danlachappelle]

bought a pair today at good will for $34.99 before 15% old guy discount they are a 9/10 cosmetically and sound great and mellow warm for sure wood was beautiful

[@mandomtz]

I'm glad Coral's are finally getting the cult they deserve. Very rich sounding and classy looking speakers.

[@Skellingtor]

Subscribed after you posting your Coral Stage 5 demo in the aussie vintage audio group. Really enjoying the direction you're taking your channel and the videos you're posting up. Keep going

[@vintageboulton]

That's awesome! You would be one of the first then, thanks for the support 👍

[@masudaharris6435]

I remember seeing Coral speakers when I was living in Okinawa in the 60s. Good to know they're gone but not forgotten. The company name, by the way, is pronounced "FU-KU-YO," exactly as written. I remember Coral speakers as having a different look.

[@phatjbl]

I was given a set of Coral 3 ways with paper cone mids and tweeters and the 12 inch woofer with a dust cap looking like Altec 416s. Model numbers escape me but the sound particularly the bass in its sealed enclosure brings fond memories. I moved on to Celestion and Ar after giving these away. Mine were probably the 12sa. My Rotel 1210 amp really kicked them along in my small bedroom. Great to see younger audio enthusiasts discovering DIy speaker building.

[@vintageboulton]

Great speakers! It's a rabbit hole that's turned into a full blown obsession for me 🤣

[@AlbertJamesBallantyne]

Thanks for that - Long time fan of coral drivers, like you the first kit I built was a Coral 2-way. I have had some of the Kabuki models too - BX1001 and BX1101 great fun and big dbs. Currently I have a pair of Coral alnico 4A-70 in open baffle with 2 x 10" drivers (alnico drivers from BX 1001) in ripole configuration for under 200hz. Works for me!

[@brycecraggs4362]

Well done with this video. Luckily i have my fair share of these beautiful speakers. I have been a fan since the mid 80s and use them still in all my main systems. The Beta's in particular are magic in horns. Thanks.

[@chrisbruchet2449]

Thank you for this video! Very little online in terms of info and history of Coral. I just recently gambled and picked up a pair of BL20's with Coral 8 betas. I love them, something wows me on every album I revisit with them.

[@vintageboulton]

The beta 8s are the best of the best, you're in hifi heaven!

[@rajaizkraja]

Great video, I'm looking forward to holey basket build video. I have a pair of those and they're waiting for their new enclosure for ages now!

[@vintageboulton]

Thanks for the support! Hopefully real soon 😉

[@kfl611]

I like you accent ! Thanks for posting. I read on some online forums, where people listed Coral speakers right up there with some of the best speakers ever ! Or rather as they put it - 'most desired, most listenable, speakers ever'.

[@vintageboulton]

Haha thank you, that's a first - I'm in Australia 😊 Yes I think Coral were very passionate about making first class speakers and are even more highly regarded in Japan to this day.

[@Geoduck.]

What a joy to view this learned a lot. Thanks

[@robertozanetti7707]

Excellent presentation ...........................

[@peterrabbitwarren]

great video thx. Had some 10" Peak coaxial which were dissappointing. Will keep an eye out for those 3.5" beauties.

[@mr586308]

Top video buddy. I got myself a pair of Coral X7 speakers recently and super impressed with them

[@vintageboulton]

Thanks Peter! Ooo the X7's, I think they were made to compete with NS1000m, do they compare??

[@mr586308]

@@vintageboulton O yeah I agree, I have just compared them to some NS1000M that a friend has and yes they very much compare very well. Same crisp top end as is typical of Japanese gear. Build quality is on par as well.

[@GarretClaridgeMeerkat]

wow amazing

[@RolandSvensson-qx1yj]

My Coral speakers I am using every day and have done since 1986 when they where built by me are Coral Beta 8 in a closed aprox 30L cabinett reciveing only frequencies between 100Hz to 5kHz. Above 5kHz a Coral AH 503 with a Fostex D232 and the lens AL603 is working to 12kHz then a Coral H105 with AL601 lens takes the rest to the top. The bass under 100Hz is reproduced by a pair och JBL 4530 copys equipped with RCF L15 554. A transistor pure class A 30+30W amp drives the bass and a pure class A 10+10W tube amp drives the 30L cabinetts. Two more years and they have been in dayly service for 40 years. Nothing else I own has lasted that long. This system still sound better than most high end stuff on the market. Amazing quality :-)

[@Fiend404]

great video mate. I got a pair of coral flat 5s in open baffles myself.

[@vintageboulton]

The 5s are Kevin's (Glow In The Dark Audio) all time favourite. I need them! 😂

[@DYNABLASTERTUNERS]

@@vintageboulton Yes you need them, they are magical, but also Vifa 10BGS is magical, Phase Audiophile Five midbass etc. The green cone Corals 8" or 10" don't know for sure should also be great, but they are very rare

[@nikkipatton-mk8st]

The flat 10s were wonderful! I have a pair of bx 50s now

[@Christopher_Giustolisi]

I had the opportunity to listen to a few recent high end speakers. The measurements are near perfect, they sound great and yet they can´t make many instruments (especially drums) sound as real as some relatively cheap fullrange speaker in a horn enclosure. I also had the opportunity to listen to a pair of Coral BL-200 that was on sale but sadly I couldn´t afford them. But luckily there are many good new fullrange speakers still around. If you like open baffles, try a pair of Sica 10" Fullrange drivers.

[@socksumi]

My first experience with Coral speakers (in the 1970s) was how screamingly bright they were compared to the others being demoed. The tweeter was hot as blazes and it caused me to think that the Japanese love a very bright sound.

[@ot5774]

Hello! Very nice video :) I have the Coral 10F-60 full range drivers mounted in my DIY backloaded horns. Do you know how they compare to the Beta's? I guess mine are cheaper and not as good as they are.

[@vintageboulton]

Thankyou! I haven't ever listened to the 10f-60 but from the brochure it looks to have an impressive frequency range and sensitivity. It doesn't have a whizzer cone or phase plug, so I'm guessing(only guessing) that the mid range would not be as pronounced as the Beta range. As for the price, it appears at the top of their complete brochure that I have so I think it might have been expensive. Hope that helps!

[@wrongIQ]

Hi! Great story that you've presented! Do you know something about Corals 8A-36? The are available for sale but I had no luck googling for info on them

[@vintageboulton]

Thankyou! I've never had any of the 8A range but they all appear to be full range drivers around 30 watts, 93db sensitivity and will probably go down to about 40hz. They seemed to have made a lot of different full range lines, some were more popular than others. I would grab them!

[@wrongIQ]

@@vintageboulton thanks! I may grab them as you suggest as long as they look NOS. If I would I'll keep you informed on what are they :))

[@SorJongAng]

I have coral sg-b6 speaker Cant stop listening from this speaker but I need more detail for This speaker do you have some link or website

[@NickP333]

Hmm…This is very interesting. I’ve got a pair of Pioneer speakers from 1959 with an alnico driver and a compression horn tweeters made by a company called Fukuin Electric. Likely a coincidence, but still interesting. Those Coral full range are beautiful. Fantastic vid. 👍🔊😊🎶 Edit: My Pioneers have that midrange magic your talking about and sound amazing with pretty much all types of music.

[@vintageboulton]

Thanks Nick, appreciate the support 😊 Are the Pioneer's you have the Pax 30 by any chance?

[@NickP333]

@@vintageboulton No, they’re actually called CS - 201’s. I unfortunately can’t find too much information about them, but did find a KZbin vid showing them. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnWlkmaeg8aDkLc I’d like to put the drivers and tweeters in a better constructed cabinet, but also don’t want to really mess with them. I guess I could always put em back in. My main speakers are Tekton Pendragons right now, which are sensitive enough to be driven by any amp at aprox 95dB sensitivity. I’d love to find spec sheets on the Pioneers.

[@NickP333]

@@vintageboulton Btw, we need higher impedance speakers back of at least 16 ohms, but everyone seems to be going in the complete opposite direction…lol 👋😊

[@vintageboulton]

@@NickP333 agreed! A lot less distortion when paired with tube amps that have 16ohm taps

[@ErikGroomer]

Lots of versions of the PAX-30’s. My fave is the G version.

[@eriktorp-olsen1706]

I've got five . . . yes five Coral Flat 8's. I use two of them in Open Baffle, the other three are replacements in case of disaster.

[@scottdavis0801]

Craigslist near me has Coral speakers all the time. I see the Coral bx-11 for sale/cheap?

[@roberthart9886]

I worked in audio retail back in 72. We sold Corals. I had 1501s. This gen had wooden lattice grill covers. I would play Frankenstein by Edgar Winter Group at max volume, powered by Kenwood 8004 integrated amp

[@vintageboulton]

I miss the lattice grills

[@Mike_S_Swift]

My BX 1201 grills are reversible lattice one side fabric other. I have the fabric side out as lattice side is a dust magnet.

[@nickparkin8527]

I use the coral holey baskets and they sound flipping fantastic. Pair it with a subwoofer and you’re in heaven. I’ve bought lots of tc500a’s and the output transformers on the tube amp are fantastic for SET amps.

[@vintageboulton]

I have read this also! Sadly I am not capable of building my own amps... Yet ☺️

[@nickparkin8527]

@@vintageboulton build a RH84 amp. It’s super simple and sounds fantastic and you can use these output transformers. I built it when I was 20 (24 now) and it’s not terribly difficult. I could even give you advice if you wanted. Could share my phone number or something

[@vintageboulton]

@@nickparkin8527 that would be awesome! I'll take you up on that I think. What's your email address?

[@tbrown6559]

I found this same Sony RtR, got it for free. Internal amp, tubes all work and look great. I don’t think the tape head works. So I immediately thought a person could use the internal amp for a vintage tube build. If anyone knows how to get the internals out safely, and correctly please message me! And know I know about the great speakers ! Who knew?

[@nickparkin8527]

@@tbrown6559 Just turn the amplifier off and start taking things apart. Make sure the amp is off for about an hour so there’s no voltage in the caps. The actual amplifier isn’t that great but the output transformers and tubes are fantastic

[@richardwissing954]

I have a pair of BX-40' speakers. I thought they were CANAl !. I have been using them for a few years. I like the sound of them. Mine do not look like a kit. I am guessing they made it to the USA by way of a person in the service. Thanks for the video.

[@vintageboulton]

Your welcome! Glad you're enjoying the BX-40 ☺️

[@stormshadow5555]

What year is your Coral brochure dated? Thanks

[@stormshadow5555]

What material is the very center round bull's-eye part of your driver's made out of? I know you said the cone part is paper.

[@BTW...]

It's a textile mesh. I suspect it serves as voice coil ventilation.

[@cobar5342]

Corals certainly have a great reputation. I wonder what you think is the closest replacements might be, on the market today?

[@vintageboulton]

Without a doubt Lii Song's(Lii Audio) full range drivers! A few of their drivers are directly influenced by the Coral flat and beta range.

[@cobar5342]

Thank you for that advice. Appreciated, from a fellow full range fan@@vintageboulton

[@paulgood2218]

I have a pair of beautiful coral bx50 with original boxes and booklets and dust cloths and all

[@vintageboulton]

Beautiful!

[@ruitravanca9059]

What is your opinion about speakers Carol BX805? M thanks

[@vintageboulton]

I have not had them personally but they look like a great 3-way speaker. Plus, anything Coral produced were probably better than the competition, but as with most things marketing rules the day and other companies had better marketing - especially outside of Japan.

[@rainbowmat8204]

Sir, i have used and sold Coral 12" and 8" speakers, with self made amplifiers, they sound great, but unfortunately i have no coral speaker right now... they were excellent speakers

[@vintageboulton]

That's awesome, whereabouts did you sell them? Did you have a favourite?

[@rainbowmat8204]

sir coral speakers were available in Pakistan 1970s, at that time i made hand made amplifiers with coral 12" speakers and sold in the local market, they were best sounding speakers. i never find coral speakers again

[@rolandpritchard1731]

I dont know much about coral speakers and how I hnow something new that I did not hnow. I have 10 in full range wharfedel no cross overs 60ts and big cab thay sound lovely. I got them second hand, the guy I got them from did take out the speakers to up graid to newer cabs and thay were coral as he loved the sound of them, but what I have do sound great and I love them and theres something about only having one unit ,one speaker in a cab, it's just a sound of it's own.

[@vintageboulton]

That's awesome, look out for one of my next videos then! I'll be showing off the Wharfedale Super 12s

[@ruitravanca9059]

What is your opinion about speakers Carol 10SA-3? M thanks

[@vintageboulton]

They would be amazing value for money. I've had multiple sets of the 10sa-1 and 12sa-1 and everytime I'm amazed. Very beautiful never fatiguing sound. Of course the key is to find them for a bargain price, I see them going quite often for $50 or less with rough cabinets which makes it a great project to restore. If you can replace the very old capacitors they'll have a new lease on life!

[@ruitravanca9059]

Many thanks for your comments and help. Where I can find replace capacitors, for this model.@@vintageboulton

[@ruitravanca9059]

I ll buy one of this by 60€ It´s seems ok to me.

[@paladinonicolas]

Hola te consulto a ti cómo experto en coral, cómo haces para mantener y limpiar por ejemplo un coral Flat 10 para estén así de blancos? Compré unos pero están con muchas manchas pero me da miedo arruinarlos

[@vintageboulton]

If you're really careful then start with a very soft paint brush(like sable) and brush it across the surface of the cone to get rid of any loose dust and dirt. Then if you're confident do the same thing but lightly damp the brush with water this time - not too much! However these Flats that I have a more yellow than white I've got some other drivers with stains on them too, it's horrible to look at I know but I've had to live with some - as long as it doesn't affect the sound!

[@avelinoclarissas.5568]

Sir how can I order coral speaker if I want?

[@vintageboulton]

They don't manufacture them anymore so you can only hunt them down on second hand markets

[@ErikGroomer]

I was afraid that you would praise the triaxials. But you didn’t. I don’t understand anyone who thinks they’re great. I had a mint pair and hated them so much I decided not to sell them on. I threw them, with great energy into a dumpster. Huge disappointment.

[@vintageboulton]

Yeah, I definitely wanted to love them and I'd still like to try some other configurations but I don't think I'll ever get round to it. I'll probably keep them for sentimental reasons haha

[@meshplates]

12 TX looks like a copy of a Jensen.

[@vintageboulton]

That doesn't surprise me, Coral actively looked to the European designers for inspiration and were given some great advice from some apparently

[@kfl611]

Are you wearing your boxer underwear? Love it !

[@bigtopsteve]

I have a pair of BX-7s and BX-300s. Both are in decent shape. The BX-7s sound really good with a good low-end punch. The BX-300s are not as punchy but also sound great.

[@vintageboulton]

People really love the BX range, better than the competitors equivalent offerings at the time I think