Altec 803B Multicell Horn in home use??

**Panomaniac** · November 17th, 2009, 07:14 PM

Welcome to the forum - and congratulations on your rig. You're starting out right!

I am listening to the 803B horns right now at about 3m distance and they are fine. The 803 is a very directional horn, very tight - so it does not splash off the wall much. The 1505 that Hiraga uses is much wider - and I think a bit flatter at the top end. The 803B will play lower, but drops off at the top end. so the crossover for the 1505 is not ideal for the 803, although it is a good place to start.

Anyhow, the 803 is a great start and is often much cheaper than the 1005 or the 1505.

just FYI - I'm the guy who helped Mr. Hiraga rebuild those A5s. See my avatar. Of course that was a few years before you were born! =)

**Altec Best** · November 18th, 2009, 03:10 AM

Welcome Jonas there are alot of knowledgeable guys here that will help you at the Altec site.Your starting off with a very nice project good luck with it and have fun.

**Jonas@Psychedelic** · November 18th, 2009, 08:26 AM

Hello,

thank you for your answers.
Do you may have a solution for the crossover?
I heared somewhere that there is the possibility to raise the treble of the speaker.
Or should I better look for a tweeter?
Which tweeter is recommended for Altec use?

**Panomaniac** · November 18th, 2009, 09:56 AM

Hi Jonas,
Hiraga used JBL tweeters. The bullet or the slot type. Seemed to work well.
With the 300Hz horn you won't get a lot of high end, that's why the 500Hz horns are more popular. The 1005 seems the most popular for home use.
The published Hiraga A5 crossover has a high freq. boost for the horn.

Nothing wrong with adding a tweeter. Look for the JBL 2402, 2404 or 2405.
I'm sure the guys here can give Altec suggestions.

**Jonas@Psychedelic** · November 18th, 2009, 03:13 PM

Originally Posted by Panomaniac

With the 300Hz horn you won't get a lot of high end, that's why the 500Hz horns are more popular

What does that mean?
Does it mean it doesn't sound good or it is not popular in home use?

**Panomaniac** · November 18th, 2009, 04:07 PM

The 300Hz horns do not have as much treble as the 500Hz horns. Mostly because they are longer hrons. So you need to use a lower crossover point with your tweeter to get enough treble. On the 500Hz horns you can almost get away with no tweeter. I often did for live gigs.

The 300Hz horns sound great, no problem. But as you have found, they are BIG. (Imagine the 1803) So they are not as popular for home use. I think that the 1005 is very sought after because it is a "good size" for home use. Not too giant, but big enough to sound great.

The 803B is a great place to start - I love mine. But you WILL need a tweeter, that's all.
You should measure your 288/803 to see at what frequency you need to bring in the tweeter. It should be somewhere in the region of 5K-8K.

So I say start with the 803. Keep your eyes open for a good deal on a 1005, or even the 1505, if you have room for it. Who knows, you may be so happy with the 803 that you will forget any other horn.

**aeyb701** · November 19th, 2009, 07:52 PM

Once I get a pair of throats from ePay last week I may try 803B horns suspended pointing downward at an angle a foot or so from the ceiling. The 825/515's will be directly below them on the floor. My reason for this is the 803's are deeper than the cabs and if voice coils are to be aligned the horn would stick out over the front of the bass horn. I could also use the real estate atop the 825's for other things.
Anyone else tried horns hung rather than the usual way?
Jon A.