Altec Manta-ray horns versus the legacy Altec multi-cell and sectorial horns

[Altec Best]

: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:

I would like to second the sentiments of Bowtie here.Altec Lansing has always been the # 1 loudspeaker company for me personally, and I will always find the time to learn more about that wonderful company that has always been top-notch.And I find this board the best for all things Altec or audio in general and my favorite hands down Thanks Todd.

Thank You to all the guys who worked for Altec to make it the best loudspeaker company in the world !! I've had the pleasure of being able to enjoy my music to the best possible reproduction available.My Ear's Kindly Thank You All !:2thumbsup:

Thank You Steve great Info much appreciated.....

[analog addict]

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...

My new mancave will be done in about 3 weeks. Let me ask your opinion on your choice for a room about 45' x 30', 10 ' ceilings. I am planning on finally setting up my larger speakers including a pair of Simplex W's each loaded with a pair of 515's. To start with I have the tar filled Simplex crossovers which can be wired to attenuate the HF levels, and can also be set up for multiple HF units. I have no idea where they are designed to attenuate, but would guess from the 500Hz cutoff on the multicell horn it's prolly somewhere between 500 and 800 Hz.









I also have an active crossover that Tom Brennan gave me when I visited him in Chicago.

Anyway, I have a choice between a number of large format horns, and am thinking about starting with either 1005 Tarfilleds or MR94B's. I think the W bins will wind up on the long wall about 40' apart, and the listening area will be centered about 25' perpendicular from the long wall. My choice of the drivers are (in large format) unrestored 288B's, 291-16B's converted/restored to 288-16G's by GPA, and what I think are 299's, unrestored. I could also go with the 1" to 1.4" adapter and go small format.

Power would be provided by anything from a 45 SET flea amp up to Dynaco MK VI's in glass and vacuum, and lots of possibilities for silicon.

Any suggestions on combinations, or even where to start?

And let me also chime in with thanks to all the combined wisdom and experience that makes this undoubtedly the best Altec resource on the planet....:2thumbsup:

[Panomaniac]

1005 tar filled, for sure! Just ask A.B.

[Old Guy]

I would do the multicells with 288G:2thumbsup:

[David Yost]

I respect the multicell advocates' opinions (and acknowledge that they are great midrange reproducers), but unless you use a tweeter, the Mantas will provide better control with no "lobing" right up to whatever HF your drivers are capable of. Maybe I am just hyper-sensitive to the imaging consequences of horizontal lobing after listening to multi-panel wide Acoustats for many years, but for me this would take the multicells out of contention for use as a mid/tweeter in anything other than a mono rig.

[Old Guy]

That argument was started by JBL, who had to compete with Altec multicells and was losing.

While it does happen, it is very exaggerated in most descriptions.

With the Simplex W's midrange is going to be very important.

Understand you were unhappy with multicells, but many are quite satisfied with them.

[Panomaniac]

Actually, I've never heard anything better. And I've listened to a LOT of high end speakers in that past 35 years.

Other technologies do very well and can be very, very good, but I've not heard better than the multi-cell. However... we all listen for different things. So it may come down to a matter of taste.

I'll stick with the multis.

[Old Guy]

So it may come down to a matter of taste.

I'll stick with the multis.

The endless debate...if something measures bad but sounds good, is it wrong?

Human ears are compensating devices working over a power range of perhaps a trillion to one...the plain and simple truth is nobody's ears are flat...

Bose makes a LOT of money sounding like overly compressed FM radio. Consumers are used to that sound. Just like we have gotten use to white bread, white sugar, instant mashed potatoes and bacon bits...

Not being much of a dancer, I don't move around a lot while listening to music. I set the system up for my listening position.

And while I can understand somebody wanting to move about the room, my question would be...are you listening to the gear or the music?

[analog addict]

The endless debate...if something measures bad but sounds good, is it wrong?

Heh, there's a fellow at AK/LH who's moniker stars with "Z" who I give good natured grief to about touting JBL over Altec with a certain predictability. Everyone has their preferences of course, and measurements are important without a doubt, but in the end I listen to my ears (to coin a phrase...)

Hell, given that crossover's capability, I could run both mantas and multicells at the same time. I've tried multihorn setups before as this picture suggests, but we did notice at the time the 45 SET amp I was using started to run out of gas.







However, this was an outdoors venue, so I'm not going to prejudice myself in any way shape or form with any preconceived notions....

[bowtie427ss]

Everyone has their preferences of course, and measurements are important without a doubt, but in the end I listen to my ears (to coin a phrase...)

This is why i try not to solicit opinions anymore, in the end game only mine matters. But, you already knew that.

Heh, there's a fellow at AK/LH who's moniker stars with "Z" who I give good natured grief to about touting JBL over Altec with a certain predictability.

A benevolent and generous fella really, i can't fault him for misplacing his brand loyalty for i once drove a Ford.:snickerpup: