902-8A or 902-8T for VOTT project..??

[atilsley]

Hi community...this is my first post....

I've built a number of back loaded horns for Lowther, Tannoy, Carfrae etc...but am now very interested in the Altec front-loaded horns....especially the A7 VOTT. There's something about that bass cabinet just yells, 'build me.'

I've set myself some simple parameters -

1. 'simple' two way system
2. Wooden HF horn...similar to Oris style...looking at wood turning my own...similar to Eleven Horns.

Some questions -

Is the 416-8b the best woofer to go with?

Is the 902-8A the best driver to go with?

Are there some links of DIY projects for this speaker?

Kind regards.

Andrew.
Sydney.

[theebadone]

Hello, the 416 is a nice driver, if you look in the library you will find the most widely used were the 515, 803, and 416 all will do very nicely, just like the 902. I think it depends on how much you wanna spend. you might be able to get a nice deal on components right here, in the for sale section. Are you intending to use all new G.P.A. parts or are you going vintage.

[GM]

Is the 416-8b the best woofer to go with?

Is the 902-8A the best driver to go with?

Greets!

Depends on how much bass you want out of it, but the 825/828 cab is optimized for the 803/416 series, so the 'safe' answer is yes.

Depends on the XO point/slope and/or how big the horn is, but since you'll be building them the answer is yes if you want use Altec/GPA.

The project I wanted to show you is one where I converted the mid-bass horn's dims to round, so ??? could turn his own and he uses a pair of LAB horns for 'subs', though seems to me he's replaced them with tapped horns. Now if I can just remember who ??? is...........

Anyway, most of he pics of others projects I have don't have links anymore, so Till's is the only one with a round horn I have that still works: http://web.archive.org/web/20050418162912/home.tu-clausthal.de/~tpa/VotT/index.html

GM

[mah]

This website is worth a look. The enclosure is a blend of A7 models.

Vintage Altec

Be sure to check out the .pdf plans.

Marshall.

P.S. I am not the Marshall mentioned in the website.

[mah]

All dressed up.

Altec - Voice of the Theater

[atilsley]

Thanks guys for your speedy replies...very appreciated. Those web links are great.

As this is a new project, I'm yet to decide on components....but I like the idea of new gear. I have got pricing from GPA on the parts I need. However, if good drivers come along privately, then I'll grab them.

Having enjoyed the bigger Tannoys (GRF Corner Horn) etc, I'm very drawn to the larger A7model vs the 825?.

Can someone comment on the degree of difficluty in buiding the curved front pieces of the bass horn....?

Thanks.

Andrew

[GM]

You're welcome!

??? The A7 series speaker is an 825 or 828 series cab with separate HF 500 Hz (A7-500) or 800 Hz horn (A7-8), so what do you mean by 'larger'? To me it means the huge dual driver horn cabs, so which are you interested in?

They're a PITA by my standards and why I recommend making the flares out of thin 'bendy' wood (I used hardboard the second time around) and laminate/brace them liberally with either scrap wood and/or several layers of epoxy saturated fiberglass mat.

GM

[atilsley]

GM, sorry for the confusion.

I was refreeing to the single driver cabinet.

I thought I saw in an earlier post the 825 showing the driver on the bottom of the cabinet -

This is why I said, the larger cabinet....!

So, it's the 828....

Andrew

[GM]

The 825 and 828 cab have the same critical design dimensions with just some detail changes and both can be used with the horns located in its vent opening, so I guess you mean 'larger' as in when the HF horn is mounted on top.

GM

[atilsley]

Thanks GM...yes, that is what I meant.

Are there strong feelings out there about the better bass cabinet for general home two-channel use....?