Altec model 19 woofers

[Animal 1954]

Hello, Can anyone clarify what woofers were used in model 19's.I have two pairs and both i know the individual that bought them new and they have not been altered. One has the 416-8B and the other pair has 416-8z woofers. Are there other woofers besides these they used. Has anyone ever put a 515 in the bottom end of a 19.Is the cabinet big enough? Thanks for the reply, Roger

[Old Guy]

The published spec sheet says 416B. I'm not sure there's any difference between the two except for cosmetics. The z is what's called an OEM version, supplied to manufacturers for use in enclosures. Typically these versions are not sold retail.

Kind of a "no frills" version.

[Carl Bill]

Earler models had the 416-8B. Later models had the 416-8C.

The B model has the Alnico magnet. The C model has the ceramic magnet.

Don't believe they used any other woofers in the Model 19.

[Animal 1954]

Hello, I asked the guy that i got the altecs that had the 416 z woofers if he ever changed or repaired the woofers . He bought them new and remembered it as being in the 80's and said he never changed anything. The woofers after i looked at them again have no magnet cover and are marked 416-8z. Could this be something near the end of the 19 run? I compared them to the 416 z woofers i have that are 16 ohms and they look very similar and share the same large frame. Any more thoughts would be appreciated. Roger

[boltupright]

I would be surprized if there were any difference between the 416-8z & the 416-8b as far as sound is concerned, the only difference is perhaps the magnet structure may be a bit different, I wouldn't be surprized if you removed the magnet cover on the 416-8b & it would look the same as the 416-8z, I've never took the cover off any of my 416-8b's so I wouldn't be able to varify that.

[GM]

Greets!

After some of the recent revelations WRT Altec's (lack of) QA in the '80s, I wouldn't dismiss them loading whatever was available to meet a shipment deadline, or more likely IMO, it could be yet another undocumented deviation from stock to save a buck.

Bottom line, an unpotted motor has a higher Qts than one with, which by the mid '80s is a good thing overall since by then almost all retail consumers were using SS amps, so the 'weaker' motored 416Z M-19's tonal balance would in theory be closer to a tube driven, 416B loaded M-19, saving both a costly redesign and a few bucks on components.

Anyway, since you have one of each, is the difference audible?

WRT the 515, it will work in the M-19, but it will be severely bass-shy without significant EQ, though you may like its superior mids enough to not care.

GM

[Old Guy]

I would be surprized if there were any difference between the 416-8z & the 416-8b as far as sound is concerned, the only difference is perhaps the magnet structure may be a bit different

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[Old Guy]

I would be surprized if there were any difference between the 416-8z & the 416-8b as far as sound is concerned, the only difference is perhaps the magnet structure may be a bit different

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Actually thats much harder to change than the cone- they are identical as I would expect. I firmly believe the rest of the speaker is also. It saves a little money not putting on the cover, which doesn't show inside a cab anyway.

[Animal 1954]

Hello, I am even further confused after looking through a lot of altec woofers i have accumulated as far as frames and magnets. I found a lone 416-8a that has the new large frame. Is that an odd duck as well? I have a lot of variations on magnets and frames on the 515's that i have as well. The real variation is the magnets on some of the twelve inchers i have. I have 414's that are 8 ohms and have a very large magnet and some that have a magnet and no cover like the 416-8z that i started this with. The magnet on the 12 " that is xtra large is bigger than the magnet on the 515 e's that i have . Any idea what it might be? Sorry for jumping subjects but my curiosity at looking for more 416 variations made me look closer at all i have hanging in the garage.Thanks for any info, Roger

[bfish]

Originally posted by boltupright:
I would be surprized if there were any difference between the 416-8z & the 416-8b as far as sound is concerned, the only difference is perhaps the magnet structure may be a bit different, I wouldn't be surprized if you removed the magnet cover on the 416-8b & it would look the same as the 416-8z, I've never took the cover off any of my 416-8b's so I wouldn't be able to varify that.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">FWIW, there are no magnet covers on the 416-8B, which has the stepped AlNiCo motor assy.

AFAIK, the 416-8Z is simply an unlabeled 416-8A, as they used the same cone/coil assy., and both were originally small-frames, and later became large-frames. 8As had magnet covers, 8Zs didn't.