Looks like the previous owner was seeking free lunch, first sealing off the ports, then trying to lengthen one.
There is no free lunch.
Baffle thickness = port length is the correct stock configuration.
I snagged a pair of M17 cabs off ebay for 20$ about a year ago. They were local pickup. The guy kept the 604G drivers for a future project. I managed to bring them down from NY this year to my house 1200 miles away.
I was glad they didn't fall off the platform. Lol
Now that I have them home, I'll take my Urei 604G woofers out of the 612 cabs, and put them in the 620 cabs. I have questions though...
One cab is slightly different. Around the port there are some screws that hold on some inside pieces making the port deeper. The port on this cab is 2.25" deep. The port on the other cab is just baffle thickness. It has no evidence of screws or the port extension. This makes me belive the baffle thickness port is correct
Also the cab that has the shallower port has a light area around it. Like there used to be some kind of trim or something. Could that have stuck inside and extended the port depth? Looks like it has some weird tape residue also. I can't figure out why there would be adhesive there.
Both cabs have the same "HillCraft" stamp on the inside brace.
My other issue is with the HF attenuator panel on the front. Bowtie, I kind of already talked to you about this last year, but I have another idea also. My plan was to cut a piece of oak ply and screw it to the inside in this area. My other plan involves the front panels from some 801 xovers. I could just mount them up without the guts. I have a pair already taken apart. Would that look better than the oak ply I wonder. I don't need or want an HF attenuator for these since I use Markwart xovers with a fixed resistor for the HF level. Any other ideas?
I am excited to get these up and running. The cabs are in good shape but are not perfect by far. They are great for what I plan to use them for.
I'll post some more/better pics when I get the drivers loaded in.
Last edited by Elitopus1; May 16th, 2017 at 11:02 PM.
Looks like the previous owner was seeking free lunch, first sealing off the ports, then trying to lengthen one.
There is no free lunch.
Baffle thickness = port length is the correct stock configuration.
Not all vegetables make good leaders.
Gotcha that makes sense. I know you have some first hand experience with these. Thanks
My plan today is to change the internal wiring to some bigger stuff. 12awg lamp cord of course. I also need to change the terminals on the back since my xovers are external still.
I really prefer cabs like these that have some scratches and extra screw holes. It makes me nervous when speakers are perfect and I have to worry about damaging them.
Rewired and loaded one cab. Altec used around 18awg wire for these cabs. Its interesting.
I really like how the blue horn looks against the oak veneer. Its more noticable than the normal eggcrate or mantaray.
I'll get the other cab done tonight and test them.
Boy you can't beat $20! That's the deal of the century.. Hell, a lunch can cost more than that. Enjoy.
Yes, hell of a deal. They showed up on ebay as an auction. I contacted the seller and told him I was interested. I figured if no one else showed any interested I could scoop them up for cheap. Sure enough, no one else wanted them. I guess speaker cabs in upstate NY in late spring don't get much interest. Lol
He said he just needed to get rid of them. The 20 bucks was basically just gas money for the guy to drive to his warehouse where they were stored. It worked out that my Aunt and Uncle were going to Syracuse that night anyways and offered to pick them up for me. So I got them for 20 bucks delivered.
Yes I did buy my Uncle some beer for his troubles.
So they have been sitting in storage at my dad's house since then. I was only able to bring them back on this trip because of the trailer hitch platform. Man my van was dragging ass with the weight on the back. Those are over 100 lbs each empty.
I have the grills too but had to leave them until next year. I don't plan on using them anyways. Those grills are really impressive. The amount of time that goes into them is crazy I'm sure. Mine need the cloth replaced on them. Its in really good shape except where a mouse nibbled a hole in one
What a deal! Those cabinets are very attractive - and muscular!
Those level control cutouts at the bottom need some white VU meters installed. Why? Because they would look cool and would be a neat conversation piece. Ain't that a good enough reason?
GeeDeeEmm
Great Idea! VU meters.. Us old folks were steampunk before it became popular.Originally Posted by gdmoore28
Those level control cutouts at the bottom need some white VU meters installed. Why? Because they would look cool and would be a neat conversation piece. Ain't that a good enough reason?
GeeDeeEmm
VU meters would definitely be cool. I'll have to keep an eye out for something that would work.
Right now I just have some plywood screwed over the back of the holes. I had thought about getting the correct 604G xovers. Problem is they are expensive, and also the level control would be inop. I guess at that point they would be there for looks anyways.
I have been working on placement. I had the 612 cabs on top of my subwoofer cabs (24" up). Now the 620 cabs are directly on the ground. The idea is to use these without the subs (they are for my A7's anyways). I liked the level of the horns before when they were raised up. I like the extra bass of having the 620 cabs on the floor also. Guess I'll just have to play around with them until I get it right.
Its true that the 3cuft extra over the 612 cab does really help the bass. I can see why people say that a 9cuft cab is a good size for a 604. They aren't that big either! Compared to a 817 or 828 cab. Lol
Keep in mind the "guts" of a VU meter are extremely delicate. It's longevity will fair about as well as a good phono cartridge in the high vibration environment of a bass speaker enclosure.
I'd opt for the electronic version with no moving parts or mechanical assemblies.
Or, use the XO opening for a square "Urie" type ducted port and put a full spectrum display in the original rectangular port opening.
Not all vegetables make good leaders.
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