Altec Madrids, were they decent,,??

**Derry** · August 3rd, 2010, 04:14 PM

see a pair of Madrids on my local craigs list and they are in very good condition,,

curious on what they may sound like compared to my A7s before I call,,

anyone know the price range,,??

thanks

Derry

**analog addict** · August 3rd, 2010, 05:29 PM

Those are 872A's, and their worth is essentially determined by the going rate of the Biflex woofer.

In general, anything less than $150 is a real good price, and up to $300 would be the going market rate.

As for sound, well they're not going to sound like A-7's, but they still have much of the Altec midrange magic. They also are a good candidate for some tweeter mods.

I just got a pair of GPA MR-931's in the mail today, and with some 902's on the backside of them, they may sound right much like your A-7's....:2thumbsup:

**Derry** · August 3rd, 2010, 11:18 PM

thanks for the reply, want to be clear on your message,,

are you indicating that for the PAIR (cabinets and speakers) $150 to $300 is the going rate,,??

Derry

**bowtie427ss** · August 4th, 2010, 10:40 AM

are you indicating that for the PAIR (cabinets and speakers) $150 to $300 is the going rate,,??

I believe he is, with the emphasis being that the bulk of the value is in the 420 bi-flex drivers.

Some of us DIYers will sometimes pick up Madrids and Santanas on the cheap as they provide a well made cabinet with a removable baffle offering many project possibilities.

The 420's are more easily shippable than the complete system, and resell for enough to recoup the initial cost plus a good bit toward new/other components.

**Fangio** · August 10th, 2010, 07:14 AM

Originally Posted by bowtie427ss

... Some of us DIYers will sometimes pick up Madrids and Santanas on the cheap as they provide a well made cabinet with a removable baffle offering many project possibilities.

Indeed.

Here is an example, not Madrids but Santana I.

**bowtie427ss** · August 10th, 2010, 08:16 AM

Very nice Fangio!

I think we can call them "Santana 030's".

**mah** · August 15th, 2010, 04:19 AM

Hi, Fangio,

Do you know if that tweeter is a JBL 077 or did Altec have something similar?

Regards, Marshall.

**Fangio** · August 15th, 2010, 12:15 PM

Hi Marshall

they are 075's. I think legendary is appropriate. Well known as "lemon squeezer" over here, in the english speaking world bullet tweeter is the nickname. Not sure if Altec had anything comparable. 077 would be the slot tweeter.

How good this ring radiator is for HiFi has been subject of countless debates. I can safely say they are MUCH better than what they replaced in this cabinet - a rather generic dome tweeter. Together with the 6db xovers this is pure live sound.