19 HF drivers?

[gamalot]

I'm helping out a new found friend with a pair of model 19s he just got and is refinishing and freshening up.

Something I found odd about them has me a bit puzzled, thats getting easier these days!

His 802-8Gs have the round back rear caps.
They do have the tangerines and are the right size bodies but all the 19s I have ever been inside of all had the newer style flat rear caps.

The guy he got them from claims to be the original owner and never touched them.

I think these are 1977 vintage so could it be some 19s came with the older style 802s?

There is no label at all and no stenciled numbers like what was on mine, 033952! The diaphragms are 23744s and in great shape.

The XO caps have some OOZE on them so I think he would do well to just replace them.

There is also no evidence of them ever having bases attached to the bottoms but they appear to be all original otherwise.

Any ideas here?

Thanks

Gary

[GM]

By 'round rear caps' do you mean black phenolic loading caps? Regardless, Tangerine phase plugs means they can't be earlier 802s. No indication of having had bases implies these were ordered as studio monitors.

GM

[gamalot]

Thanks GM.

All the ones I have seen had covers like this.



His 19s have the older style round backs with Altec embossed on them and won't sit flat on the table. No loading caps in them and probably never opened until we checked the frams.

Gary

[gamalot]

Very interesting! I bought mine in early 1977 around april and the driver on the left with 033952 stenciled on the cover is from them.

I have a pair of 808-8Bs from around the same year vintage and they have the round rear covers and had the loading caps that I removed and like them much better without them.

I guess back then Altec used what they had at the moment and the rear cover style makes no difference at all AFAIK!

Gary

[bfish]

It may or may not be related, but didn't the diaphragm terminals change from screw to spade along with the rear cover change? Nowadays, it's not unusual to find an old style cover with new style flag terminals though, having been converted sometime during 'fram replacement. I think factory conversions got new style covers, but they sold conversion kits (2 wires and a gasket) for field use.

If the wire and cover changes were concurrent, it stands to reason the cover chosen would be the one to fit the 'fram in each driver, at least as they were coming down the line.

It could also be as simple as having some old covers to use up. Vintage appeal probably wasn't a big concern in '77.

[Russnohio]

His 802-8Gs have the round back rear caps.
They do have the tangerines and are the right size bodies but all the 19s I have ever been inside of all had the newer style flat rear caps.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">While I have no answers to that one I do find it puzzling. It is common for companies to use up old stock parts but you'd think these older round-back end-caps would be found on early production model 19's (1975 year).....rather than 1977.

Then again, who knows. Maybe ALL 1975/1976 models came with such endcaps and carried over to a few sets in '77. Unless someone here with 19's produced in '75/'76 states otherwise...that may be the case.

Interesting info though as I myself thought ALL 19's had flat end-caps.

Russ

[GM]

Originally posted by gamalot:
Thanks GM.

All the ones I have seen had covers like this.

His 19s have the older style round backs with Altec embossed on them and won't sit flat on the table. No loading caps in them and probably never opened until we checked the frams.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You're welcome!

Interesting..... my memory is kind of dim WRT consumer products by '75, though I do remember the first M19s I auditioned at the distributor around that time for sure didn't have Tangerine phase plugs, but no clue what rear cover it had.

In looking at the LHS catalogs though, the flat cover began with the 802-8E, which is what I assume was in the M19, but you're right in that all Tangerine 802s I have knowledge of had them along with the diaphragm spade connectors. This does seem strange at such a late date though unless someone in the parts procurement chain screwed up and Altec wound up with a bunch of 'obsolete' covers or maybe they had an excess from the 807/808-8A prosound driver line since they weren't selling well by then, at least around here. Then again, Altec wasn't selling much of anything around here by then according to my sources. Indeed, by then, consumer Altecs were being hawked out in the open among Advents, etc. at CMC Stereo rather than at any of the HIFI Emporiums that I was aware of.

GM

[[email protected]]

Mine have the rounded backs on them also and were made in 1977. They appear to be all original....

[gamalot]

I have to toss another log into this fire.

Keep in mind now that I doubt there is an exact answer here.

My late 1976/early 1977 19s came from the factory with 802-8Gs, tangerines and flat rear covers. The diaphragms were the 23744s and had the screw down terminals. I still have a couple of the original frams with screw terminals and also the newer style with spades but can say for certain the rear cover does not dictate the type of connecting terminals.

It is very possible as the drivers rolled down the assembly line and received it's diaphragm, the type of terminal on it might have dictated which cover it got. Round back covers almost always had the screw down wires and I can envision an assembly line worker with boxes of covers along side of them to pick from according to what diaphragm style lugs were in the 802.

It sure would be great if we had a few members here who once worked at the plant and could shed some light on these discussions.

My wife did 15 years working for Bausch & Loam in the Ray Ban frame center as a QC inspector.
She can tell many stories about how screw ups with parts being supplied to the lines caused major losses in production when the finished sunglasses got to final inspection and all were rejected because of some dumb mistake no one caught.

Gary

[Przemek]

Hi my name is Przemek,
I have a question about my Altec 19th In these columns, sitting drivers 808 - 8B. If I replace them nr.34647 aluminum membrane is symbiotic and get 802 8G driver?
Please help! thank you