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    Inactive Member Bill F777's Avatar
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    Altec 815a bass horns

    Just gort a pair of 815a bass horns, what type of applicaion were these horns designed for? Thanks!

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    Senior Hostboard Member Audio_by_Goodwill's Avatar
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    Re: Altec 815a bass horns

    Quote Originally Posted by Bill F777 View Post
    Just gort a pair of 815a bass horns, what type of applicaion were these horns designed for? Thanks!
    I don't think 815's were used very often. I've never seen a pair in any forums or on Ebay. Do you have pictures?

    I've suspected the 815 may have been what hung from the ceiling in the sanctuary at church, when I was a kid. Whatever it was, it wasn't as wide as a 211, but not square like a 217.
    Audio_by_Goodwill
    Michigan, USA

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    Senior Hostboard Member bowtie427ss's Avatar
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    Re: Altec 815a bass horns

    Once upon a time.......................

    Some fellas i know built a back-breaking live sound rig.

    Four 815A's built to Altec prints, loaded with JBL 2225J.

    Eight "Bertha" W bass horns loaded with JBL2241.

    Could have used 16-24 more Bertha's, and HF boxes to keep up with the quantity of mid-bass the 815's are capable of. For anything but speech, they need a substantial woofer. On their own 815 is good down to 100ish hz.

    815s1

    815s2
    Not all vegetables make good leaders.

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    Senior Hostboard Member bowtie427ss's Avatar
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    Re: Altec 815a bass horns

    I've suspected the 815 may have been what hung from the ceiling in the sanctuary at church, when I was a kid.
    was it painted brown?

    One i remember seeing on ebay was claimed to have come from exactly such an installation and was painted brown.

    ............ and you're right, they're seldom seen in the usual places. They're not doorway friendly, they weigh a ton, and they don't drop low enough to stand on their own for musical SR. But, if you want to hear a drum kit with dynamics that will involuntarily blink your eyes, or a gritty lead that will work your fillings loose, 815's would be a good choice.
    Not all vegetables make good leaders.

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    Senior Hostboard Member Audio_by_Goodwill's Avatar
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    Re: Altec 815a bass horns

    Quote Originally Posted by bowtie427ss View Post
    was it painted brown?

    One i remember seeing on ebay was claimed to have come from exactly such an installation and was painted brown.
    I don't recall what color it was. It was too long ago, and I only saw it up close once...... and that was probably 25 years ago. It also had a large format multicell installed with it, but I suspect it was either trashed or one of the people that installed the new system took it, as I never saw it on the ground.
    Audio_by_Goodwill
    Michigan, USA

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    Altec 815a bass horns


    Old Guy's Avatar
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    Re: Altec 815a bass horns

    I don't have the sheet handy...bit if I recall...Altec stated it was a "truncated" version of the horn portion of a 210. Very nice LOUD mid-bass box.

    They were used primarily in PA apps, the local minor league park had a stack of them...

    A quick check over at unofficial...

    http://www.voiceofthetheatre.com/images/815A.1.jpg

    http://www.voiceofthetheatre.com/images/815A.2.jpg

    Apparently later in life, Altec quit saying it was a "truncated" 210....that is a much newer sheet than I had....what I had was for the 815 I think....815a is wider for the 16" frames.
    Your neighbors called. They like your music.

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    Inactive Member whitebroncoii's Avatar
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    Re: Altec 815a bass horns

    Quote Originally Posted by Bill F777 View Post
    Just gort a pair of 815a bass horns, what type of applicaion were these horns designed for? Thanks!
    I have two versions of 815A data sheets in my files. They say this bass-horn was for a pair of 515B or 421A woofers. It was rated to operated from 100 to 1000 Hz. However, the frequency response chart on the older data sheet shows this cab could go out to 2000 Hz.
    Experience is Knowledge

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