Re-cone a 515 for vented cab?

[robertbartsch]

I assume most of the old 515 woofers were made to play in a large horn bass cab.

I was wondering if these could be re-coned into something that could perform well in a smaller vented/ported cab? I thought GPA has something like this and I think it has a front vented dust cap like a 416.

...just wondering

Thx..

[Audio_by_Goodwill]

I assume most of the old 515 woofers were made to play in a large horn bass cab.

I was wondering if these could be re-coned into something that could perform well in a smaller vented/ported cab? I thought GPA has something like this and I think it has a front vented dust cap like a 416.

...just wondering

Why would you want to change a 515 into something else less valuable?

[robertbartsch]

Unfortunately, if you are married, your wife will likely conclude that big bass cabs in the house are a bad idea.

I thougth the vintage "H" version of the 515 could play well in a vented cab.

Anyway, as far as creating or destroying value, I suppose value is not a primary factory for most in this hobbie.

[Mustang Marvin]

It has been my understanding the 515 was the premier theater LF driver. Great midrange. BUT, for home HiFi use the 416 was a better choice for the benefit of going lower.
I believe this is why Altec chose it for the 846's, model 19's, and the later A7's.

The 515 is a great LF driver, But will not go as low as the 416. At least this is what I have been told...

[GM]

I assume most of the old 515 woofers were made to play in a large horn bass cab.

I was wondering if these could be re-coned into something that could perform well in a smaller vented/ported cab? I thought GPA has something like this and I think it has a front vented dust cap like a 416.

True.........

All 416, 515 series have vented DCs.

'H' series 515?! 'G' is as high as they go........

Anyway, None of either of these series is going to go low with any authority in a small cab since it takes a low Vas (stiff suspension) to do so. Of the bunch, the 515C in ~6 ft^3 with tuning to best blend to the room is probably about the best one can do if GPA's published specs are reasonably accurate.

GM

[GM]

It has been my understanding the 515 was the premier theater LF driver. Great midrange. BUT, for home HiFi use the 416 was a better choice for the benefit of going lower.
I believe this is why Altec chose it for the 846's, model 19's, and the later A7's.

The 515 is a great LF driver, But will not go as low as the 416. At least this is what I have been told...

True.......

Not really, a little series resistance levels the 'playing field', so to speak.

I'm pretty confident it was more about the 416 series being cheaper to build.

WRT Fs, ergo ultimate lower usable BW, it depends. My 515Bs have a measured ~20 Hz Fs which is as low or lower than any 416 I've seen specs of, though as a rule, the 416s typically have only a little lower Fs than most 515s with the notable exception of the 'G', so not enough to matter in the scheme of things.

Anyway, I imagine GPA has consolidated the various driver components to the point where there's little sonic difference between the two models now, so short of needing a mid-bass horn driver there's probably no performance reason to pay extra for the 515 in a HIFI/HT app and why originals in good condition will continue to have good resale value.

GM

[RonSSS]

Jim Dickenson posted a list of the 515 variants. There were ones who lended themselves to BR enclosures vs Horn loaded enclosures. The list has to be availabe somewhere. As far as a small cabinet, well, no. Unless you want to EQ it.

ron