I think you're friend was right about the x-overs, if I put the knobs on mine in the positions shown in the picture, they would sound awful....
Firstly, can anyone give an indication of when serial number 08659 rolled off the production line?
The owner had them set up in a very peculiar manner - at 90 degrees to eachother (!)
Naturally this made it quite difficult to make any real assessment of the sonic abilities of these old girls. But I gave it my best shot and listened to a few tracks. The speakers were being driven by a Leak Stereo 20, with a Tascam CD player and some form of eq device up front.
He told me that when he purchased the Altecs, he was informed by the seller that the xo's needed overhauling, but he hasn't found time to do it.
There seemed to be a fair bit missing from the sound to me. But I can honestly say, I was left thinking that there was a lot of potential. New xo's, better front end, speakers facing in the right direction, etc. That is the only conclusion I could draw.
Anyhow, here is a couple of pics.
I think you're friend was right about the x-overs, if I put the knobs on mine in the positions shown in the picture, they would sound awful....
I've had multiple sets of model 19's and they've all been great. I even went as far to build a brand new set from scratch with the new Z19 network and they sound just like the originals. There is a detailed post of the project here on this website and audiokarma. Altec Model 19 Speaker Building Project - AudioKarma.org Home Audio Stereo Discussion Forums
If you really want to listen to the model 19's the speakers will need to be repositioned. Placement with all speakers is important and listening to speakers in that configuration is like taking a corvette out for a test ride with a trailer attached. You'll bet a little feel for what they can do, but you won't get the "experience". See if you can take a little bit of time, move some furniture around and adjust the xovers closer to the 12 o'clock position and I'm sure that you will receive a different listening experience.
The white decal on the network indicates early for 19's, you can verify this by the load being 416-8B and 802-8G.
Re-cap the crossovers and do the ground mod.
If the Stereo 20 can be bought, get that too, and put it in the hands of a competent tube audio tech for a boutique rebuild. It's one of a very few toob amps i'd choose to own, preferred over an Mc 225 and i really like the 225.
Not all vegetables make good leaders.
Thanks Tom.Originally Posted by bowtie427ss
The system I listened to is owned by an extremely competant valve man - builder, repairer, etc. Work floods in to his shop, which is why he hasn't gotten around to the xo mods, but when he does, I can assure you he will make a tidy job of it.
His choice to locate the speakers as shown is based upon the bulk of his listening being from other parts of his house. He described it like having a band playing in one room, while he is off doing other things! I respect his choice there, even if it seems contradictory to my statement about his audio expertise. He also has several other 'critical listening' setups in the house.
There were 3 Leak Stereo 20's I saw there - along with a TL50 monoblock (awaiting a friend!) plus Quad IIs and others. Each Leak had been meticulously rebuilt.
I owned and rebuilt a Stereo 20 some years ago,and enjoyed it immensely. I sold it to my best friend who to this day uses it to drive B&W DM2a's, and occasionally a big pair of Klipsh floorstanders. It still sounds great. I only sold it because I found bliss in a 2 watt, type 45 SET amp driving my big Klipsch's.
All gone now, which is why I am back here learning. Thanks again for your post.
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