Hallicrafters Model R-48 Speaker (1960s)

This speaker matches my Hallicrafters SX-122 receiver. It's a simple metal box with an oval, 3.2-ohm speaker inside, and a switch on the back to choose between "voice" and "fidelity." Hallicrafters also made a model R-48A speaker, which had the switch on the front.

The speaker is in fine shape and sounds great. You actually can use just about any speaker with a radio like this, but the 3.2-ohm speaker will give you better output at a given volume setting.

Believe it or not, I paid almost as much for the speaker as I did for the radio itself. Speakers were an optional accessory, so not everybody bought one in the first place. Accessories like this tend to get separated or discarded over the years, too. It took several months of casual looking before I ran across one in nice condition that I considered affordable.

It's fun to have a matching speaker for the sake of authenticity. I also own speakers to match my Hammarlund HQ-160 and Hallicrafters SX-28 and SX-42 radios, although the SX-42 speaker is not currently pictured.