I've seen a broken 808....they are a high density foam.
I think it was done due to WW II and immediately after aluminum was hard to get.
I used to have some of those - they're not plastic or bakelite - they're some kind of composite, like the ad says. Overpriced, I'd say.
Todd W. White, Owner & Webmaster
Altec Lansing's (unofficial) Homepage
I've seen a broken 808....they are a high density foam.
I think it was done due to WW II and immediately after aluminum was hard to get.
Your neighbors called. They like your music.
Wow, as relatively noob, to Altec equipment, I didn't know that. I do know that Altec discontinued the practice of filling the multi-cells with tar to save shipping cost. If they really wanted to save weight they should've just used this foam. But I think it was just temporary, and they switch back to aluminum after the war.Originally Posted by Old Guy
Apparently due to the fragile nature of those 808 horns, and the fact that AFAIK they were the only true multicell for 1 inch drivers, they are quite rare and that price is common for a good pair. Not to mention the 802Bs are quite valuable too.
The progression in 800Hz. horns is pretty much like this: 1)H-808 tar filled eight cell, 800Hz. horn, introduced with the Lansing Iconic in late 1937; 2) the foamed urethane version of the H-808 (as in the auction pair), two piece glued construction (identical upper and lower halves), used in the Model 800 VOTT of 1947 ; 3) two piece glued aluminum version (most rare!) apparently using the same casting molds as the urethane version; 4) two piece aluminum H-808 using flanges and fasteners at throat and mouth to hold upper and lower halves together; 5)one piece H-811 in 1953, followed soon after by two piece welded 811A and later 811B radial horns.
Somewhere I have a service bulletin from 1947 stating that either a plastic or aluminum H-808 might be furnished with a Model 800 system. The urethane horns were replaced with the aluminum ASAP as they often fractured with the slightest rough handling or overtightening of the driver nuts.
Todd if your horn is a urethane H-808 it is probably worth $600 to $1,000 if it is in good shape. Their sound is very close to the tar filled H-808, with the later aluminum horns sounding progressively more ringy.
The move from the tar filled H-808 to the urethane version accompanied the change from the three stud to the two stud driver mounting. With the two identical halves of the cast horns and the flying buttresses supporting the driver mounting flange, it was no longer practical to use the three stud arrangement. Early Lansing 801 and 901 drivers used three studs, but almost all 802 drivers used the two stud mount. I have seen 802 drivers with three studs as well as tar filled H-808 horns with the larger two hole flange, so there were variants produced during the transition.
Great info Steve, thanks!
I think the Mantas are much smoother sounding and image better as you move around in front of them. In other words, they don't "lobe" at all within their coverage pattern. Both designs can be EQed to sound great, but the Mantas get my vote for home hi-fi use. As a fringe benefit, they are usually much cheaper than the multi-cells, too.
:2thumbsup:
I've been an AUB member since '06. To this day i am still awed by the amount of information that's freely dispensed here.
Many of us owe a debt of gratitude to all of those Altec veterans who have maintained and willingly open their memory banks to us on a regular basis.
I might just say: :thankU::thankU::thankU::thankU::thankU:
Not all vegetables make good leaders.
The midrange from a multicell is amazing...IMHO that is where they excel...
The Mantaray gets the nod for control over the entire bandwidth...
Were I going very low on the xover I would certainly go multicell....
They are slightly different, with their individual pluses and minuses...
Best often depends on usage...
Your neighbors called. They like your music.
When I first got my A5's, they came with Manta's and 299's..... I loved the way the Mantra's imaged.
About a year later I acquired a pair of 803B's , not only are it's Mids superb.....as previously stated,.... they also have a real coolness factor.
Manta vs. Multicells .... You weight those two .........Multicells are heavier!
P.S. I really wish I could have kept the 802D/ H-808 horn setup I bought as a package deal with my A5's. But for what I sold the H-808 setup for paid for my A5's and a couple cases of beer!
Have fun!
Willie
"And the beat goes on"<br /> Willie
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