Opening the Heath AS-101

**cbb** · September 21st, 2009, 04:34 PM

Just got a pair as they sounded realistic and clean. I have removed all of the screws on the backs but it seems like they are glued in, not budging. (I see no evidence of old glue though) I was curious to look at the drivers and hoping to see caps on the xover to be non-leaky, but I can't get in to see.

Is there a trick or did the original builder decide to 'button it up good' somehow.

Or should I just enjoy them and not worry about a cap taking anything out?

I cannot get in via the front door as the cloth is not removeable.

Thank you with any help.

**Leland** · September 21st, 2009, 06:34 PM

Probably some gasket material or something to seal the seam.

Put a couple screws back in....just part way and use those to pull the back off.

Or a slightly bigger screw part way and pull.

**cbb** · September 22nd, 2009, 09:05 PM

That seemed to help but my wife decided to use a putty knife along the whole seam and this did the trick with no damage. Thank you for the quick reply Leland!

I have read that I can place a freezer bag of sand on top of the horn to reduce ringing. Is this an effective non-permanent solution? Maybe tying a piece of string around the horn to prevent shifting/falling off while being moved?

Next question. Am I pushing my luck??

The caps do not appear to match too well, suppose I should just totally recap? Needs to equal 21 nf for the woofer and 8 for the horn. Do the voltage capabilities of the caps have to be at least 50 volts? Is a higher volt cap going to adversly effect the sound or just be overkill and cost more?

More on caps:

I am more of a old school type and would probably wish to replace with the original to retain the original sound. As this part is not exactly available toll free from Heathkit, where do I look and what brand/model should I be looking for?

Thank you for any help. You guys really know your stuff here.

**bowtie427ss** · September 22nd, 2009, 10:21 PM

Those look a little newer than mine were, my caps were all electrolytics and were replaced with Solens, i also replaced the cheesy double pot arrangement with 30 watt Violet Lpads. They were my first real Altecs, they catapulted me into several more pairs. I don't currently have a pair of the "Iconic" vintage 15 inch 2-ways, but a close and sweet deal on AS-101's would change that in a heartbeat. They have all the "soul" of the valencia or flamenco, but IMO, in a much more attractive enclosure. I would not hesitate to go the Solen and quality L-pad route again with another pair if i ever get them.

I really like the sound of Solens(doesn't mean that everybody does) as the series cap in the HF section of the network. You can save a few bucks by using Dayton/Bennic for the shunt caps across the woofer section, but in either case neither manufacturer makes a 21uF, so you'll have to parallel two to get the proper value. Solen doesn't make an 8uf even either, i think it's 8.2, but that difference is negligible and well within the 10% or more tolerance of the originals.

Just my .02................................

**cbb** · September 24th, 2009, 07:24 AM

Thank you for the cap info! I am going to rotate the woofers 180 degrees and swap the caps. I am not very familiar with the original caps and what type they are, the manual just says "tubular".

Anyone want to comment on the damping thing on the horns? Not interested in anything that is non reverseable, the drivers are just too pretty.

What about speaker placement? I have a 20 x 13 x 8 and have successfully used the Cardas rules to set up speakers. Suppose it should be no different with the horns? Are stands a no go with these? I have not seen them off the floor but thought about raising the fronts up enough so the horns are pointing at my head and not lower down. Do they like to be toed-in?

I like to experiment but it is good to hear what others have done successfully that have been playing with them for possibly decades. Thanks.

**bowtie427ss** · September 24th, 2009, 07:57 AM

In my opinion, far too much ado is made over damping 811's and 511's. Once they're firmly mounted with a good cork or rubber gasket around the front flange using all 6 bolts to positively secure the horn to the baffle, the only portion of the horn left to resonate are the "bell" sections ahead of the mounting flange, and yes they do ring a little if you strike them with a solid object.

It's my understanding, gleaned from posts made here in the past, that the Altec engineers did nothing to damp these horns simply because the small format drivers do not produce enough acoustic energy to "ring" them once they're properly mounted.

I have noticed audible ring from unmounted 511's in a rare and extreme circumstance where i pulled a plug from a power strip causing a significant "pop" to be picked up by the HF amplifier when no other signal was present. The decay on the backside of the pop was heavily colored with the timbre of the 511's resonance, it's the only time i've detected any audible ringing where the driver was the source.

Everyone's mileage seems to vary on this issue, so please take my post with a grain of salt.

But, at the end of the day, don't be afraid to reach your own conclusions. Ultimately, until resale time, you are the only one who need be satisfied by your speakers.

just my .02 y'all understand.......................

**cbb** · February 17th, 2011, 10:55 PM

Really could not get these to sing in the dedicated 2 channel set up using all types of amps and preamps. So I decided to try them as a two channel TV set up, sort of a mini home theater. This is working pretty darn well using an Adcom 565 preamp and an Adcom 535 as the amp. The amp is a bit too bright and forward.

I am looking for advice on a warmer/smoother SS amp. I leave the amp on all of the time as the TV gets a lot of use. Want a low powered unit with some mid bass punch and some sweetness in the upper mids. Thought the Altec guys would be the ones to know!! Have any thoughts?

**westend9** · February 18th, 2011, 03:27 AM

Sansui integrated's from the AU series kind of fits that description. Maybe I missed it but which HF driver is in the Heath?

**Captgonzo** · February 18th, 2011, 08:56 AM

Those caps almost look like the old Chicago wax paper type. Hang on to them for comparison. I also like the solens and use them extensively in my tube amps. But I like "paper in oil" or Sprague Vitamin Q types the best where they fit. Modern "motor run" caps are an excellent substitute. Sometimes a parallel combination of paper in oil cap and a solen will give a wonderful result and will help you get to an exact value that's not commonly available.

They're beautiful, enjoy them!

**cbb** · February 18th, 2011, 10:07 AM

I rebuilt the crossovers, kept stock values, using Clarity Caps and a WE NOS oil with the 806 compression driver. I have saved all of the original parts. I realize the speakers are a bit strong in the upper mids but the amp is on the brights side of life too. Really looking for a power amp but I suppose I should consider integrateds. Had a B&K ST-202 but it was not a good match and had way more power than the Heathkits need, speakers are rated at 50 watts max. I think a 20 - 40 watt amp would be fine but I want to leave it on all of the time thus why tubes are not being considered.

The Adcom GFA-535 is not too bad just too forward and bright and could use some low end grunt. Was thinking about an NAD's but really wanted to consider something higher end. The dynamics and control in the mid bass on up is nice in this configuration. Dialogue is very clear and clean.

Hoping to hear of some complimentary marriages between a low powered SS amp and 'Valencia's'.
Thanks!