203B Horns

**Mike Edwards** · December 31st, 2002, 07:43 PM

First, thanks for your replies to my earlier questions, good to know there are others out there who appreciate this niche. Question, is a 203B Horn useful for music reproduction?

-Mike Edwards

**AL-TEC** · January 1st, 2003, 12:03 AM

Hi Mike. I have used the Altec 203B's for "long-throw" coverages to audiences in stage concert Altec systems. Drivers were the 291 series high power "symbiotic" aluminum diaphrams. We had these inside arenas for the "long-throw" far audience coverage, and outdoors in the open for the same applications. Performers were Huey Lewis and The News band, and Tanya Tucker at the time, amoung others.

I, myself would not be real happy using just the "two big cell" 203B's in my opinion for music reproduction.
These multi-cells would sound OK for music playback using the big format drivers in a BIG PLACE. These 203's were utilyzed much more often in "engineered" large cluster arangements in arenas suspended from the ceilings, and other "long-throw" PA voice applications to achieve the required audience coverages. This I'm sad to say is now not the way the new guys do their BIG SOUND SYSTEMS anymore. It's too hard, and costly...(To be done right this way! ) Coverage is now almost universally done in a simplified multi-multi, BUNCH of suspended stage type loudspeaker systems.???

I would much rather opt for using the 805B, 1003B, or 1005B multi-cell horns with 288 drivers with all-aluminum music diaphrams to do music playback. Or better yet, in my opinion the best music large horn for using the large format 288 series music drivers even in large home super theater systems would be not a multi-cell, but the BEST radial horn ever made for 288's/music.........that is the 311-90 Radial horn. forums

Thanks, AL-TEC forums

**Steve Burger** · January 1st, 2003, 07:16 AM

You got that right, brother AL.

**Steve Burger** · January 3rd, 2003, 01:00 AM

I personally was not commenting on the 203's use in the home as I have no experience trying that application with the model of horn mentioned. I was applauding the mention of the older products and how they worked compared to what many sound contractors are doing today.

**Mike Edwards** · January 3rd, 2003, 01:25 AM

Hello Folks,

You've been very helpful to someone who has a limited experience with Altec horns, 811' and 511's exclusively up to now. As you have already guessed I have some 803b multicells and some 203b's to boot. When I first saw the 203b's I was unable to read the serial tag because the horns had been painted, a little lighting experiments and voila. Then I discovered that whoever painted them let quite a bit of the liquid coagulate inside the horn convergence area near the driver coupling flange, I've cleaned this up and while smoothing the venturi I came upon a thought. These may not sound to bad after all for the reason that the driver mounts very close to the convergence zone for the two horns, perhaps driver loading is enhanced. What do you think? I'll be using 288-16Hs with aluminum.

-Michael Edwards

**John Stover** · January 3rd, 2003, 04:31 AM

I don't think I agree with the other posters re. the suitability of the 203B for home use.

I'm using 203's as part of an A5 system in my home right now. I've got a long, narrow listening room (~15' x 32'), and the 203's sound much better (clearer, more focused) than the 1505's I also own. I usually sit about 15' away from the speakers, and listen at moderate to low levels. Used that way, the 203's sound great.

I'm guessing that multicell's like the 1505 would be better in a squarer room where the speakers could be placed further apart and away from the side walls. Maybe some day...

P.S. there are some favorable references to the 203 in a couple of issues of Sound Practices magazine. I'm not sure which issues, but it's worth checking out.