Originally Posted by
voice of the theater
Thanks for the link GM--excellent thread! I'm not an AK member so I couldn't access any of the AK links or the "quote" feature, but I read the entire thread and there was a lot of interesting info there--and some familiar names as well--Bowtie, Analog Addict, Zilch, etc.....
It seems most people who've heard or own the Model 14's love them:
quoting Bowtie (page 1 of thread):
"Probably the next best sounding speaker to the model 19 where the late model home series is concerned, they will even impress non-Altec fans."
quoting Richard C. (page 2 of thread) "My Altec 19's are downstairs, but my model 14's are my main living room speakers - cause they fit better! The sound is similar, and most people are impressed by my 14's sound."
quoting daWoofer (page 2 of thread) "I would be pumped also. I remember well 25 years ago when I heard my first pair. Wish I had still bought them then, and wish I could get a deal on some today. Have fun."
And there are some people later on in the thread trying to figure out how the crossovers work and they're not sure they approve of the design. But I've heard the same type of conjecture about the Model 19 crossover design and I really believe that Altec "got it right" when they designed the Model 14's (and 19's) so I'd like to duplicate the original crossover by replacing the old caps with new ones of equal value. I think if you heard these things (psychoacoustics), you'd agree. I really like the h.f. compensation in both crossovers (compared to the older Altec crossovers I've owned), combined with the 802G and 902-8A driver and the tangerine phase plug, tuning of the cabs etc,--a "magic" combination IMHO for both the 14's and 19's.
Now that being said, obviously nothing is absolutely perfect. In fact, a wise man once said,
After owning these Model 14's for a while, I can see the truth in your quotes. I consider Model 14's and 19's to be an apple and oranges comparison--not necessarily cut and dry better or worse. I'd say the high end in the 14's is easily equal to the Model 19's--the 902-8A h.f. drivers sound amazing combined with the Mantaray horn. And I have to admit, I've owned mainly 811B and 511B horns and was skeptical about the Mantaray--that is, until I heard it. It's sound quality in conjunction with the 902-8A is on par with the Model 19's, but it's dispersion characteristics are much better for my living room (where I have them located). I have a long couch and a love seat in that room--and you can sit ANYWHERE on the couch or love seat and the high end sounds amazing--there is a much wider sweet spot compared to the 811B or 511B Altec horns. Hopefully this doesn't sound like sacrilege to anyone--I'm not saying the 14's have a better high frequency response/sound compared to the 19's, just better dispersion characteristics (which is only beneficial in certain applications--like my living room since it's not a particularly huge room, for example).
As far as bass response, with all other things equal (acoustics, EQ settings on your amp/equalizer, etc.) IMHO, the 19's win. However, I've found that by adding a little extra EQ in the 30-40hz range, the 14's rival the 19's as far as low end sound quality at the volume levels that I listen to them at. I'm sure that if I were to crank them up to an extremely loud level, the 19's, having 15" woofers, would win over the 14's (with 13.5" frame woofers) at any EQ setting. I do crank them up to what I consider to be very loud on occasion, and even at those levels with a little extra bass EQ at the 30-40 hz range, they rival the 19's in bass "sound"/response. The "interplay" between the woofer, cabinet tuning, and crossover is that good.
GM, here's where your two quotes come into play. As far as midrange, I have to give the Model 14's a slight edge (at least until I recap the 19's, then I'll have to compare again--although I plan on recapping the 14's as well!). I've got to think that it's because of what you said--which I roughly interpreted as meaning you're pushing the ("accurate/clean") upper frequency limits of most 15" woofers when your crossover point is 1200 hz. Yes, the 19's sound amazing, but there is a certain (subtle) clarity and presence that the 14's have over them in the midrange that is really only noticeable to me in certain recordings (it's a very slight/subtle difference as far as I can tell listening to mainly rock music--may be more or less noticeable with different genres of course). I've got to think it's due to the fact that the smaller woofer is more suited to reproducing the upper midrange frequencies (the Model 14's have a 1500 hz crossover point). In fact, in the AK thread that you linked me to people rave about the midrange "sound" from these speakers.
Quote from Moorden2004 (who started the thread when he had a line on some 14's, and then found the woofers needed refoaming) Page 7 of thread... "
My cross-over pots were fine - no scratching nor intermittents. The new surround kits were dead easy to install (who knew?). And, like you, I'm amazed at the quality of the sound field. Solo guitars seem to be so close you can touch them. The bass is so clean and controlled I've shut down my Yamaha sub-woofer. Not needed. But it's the mid and high range from those horns that captivate you -- clearly a well designed driver/horn combo."
Richard C "I especially like how guitar sounds on my 14's. Blues - Gov't Mule, Joe Bonnamassa, Clapton, Robin Trower, Dave Mason, etc. it cuts thru nice!"
Moordon 2004 "In my very limited experience with these 14's I can concur that guitar and solo voice are startling! You can almost reach out and grab them -- or so it seems. Placement is interesting too. In my room they do like the no-wall-coupling position. Mine are 10" from the wall behind them and a few feet from the side walls. This seems to be ideal. My senses can't tell the difference with and without my powered sub (Yamaha) on, so that alone tells me plenty."
Paul
Anyways, you get the idea. The people who listen to these speakers love them--hence my desire to not make any changes to the crossovers or drivers (other than "fresh" caps). Personally, if I were on a desert island (that had electricity!) and had to pick ONE pair of speakers, I'd pick the Model 19's over the Model 14's. They have an edge IMHO (and are big enough to be more easily converted into a life boat), but depending on the application I still think it can be an apple and oranges comparison. The highs are comparable (but the 14's have better dispersion characteristics), the mids in the 14's have a slight edge (probably the smaller woofer), but the 19's have a slight edge as far as low end unless you "tweak" your EQ for the 14's. I can honestly say, I prefer the 14's in my living room where h.f. dispersion is key due to the layout--the mids and bass sound great in that room as well. Downstairs, I love the 19's in my rec. room and in the recording studio. It will be interesting to see what new caps do to the h.f. response of the 14's (if I can get some help/schematic--HINT HINT!), and the h.f./mid response of the 19's (pretty much ready to go with their upgrade).......
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