Altec 32343 Network Divider

**voice of the theater** · May 1st, 2011, 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by Corona Blue

Ron and VOTT:

Well, I tried to look into the throat of the driver, through the screen, and I even removed the horn to have a closer reference. But I swear, using the brightest flashlight I had, I could only make out a silver ring that seemed to have 3 notches that were positioned 120 degrees from each other (around the ring). At the center of this ring, there seemed to be a darker void, but I could not determine if I was seeing an orange hue or not. That bug screen really is a fine mesh and makes it tough.

Sounds like you have the Altec circumferential style phase plug--not the tangerine. There is significant controversy as to which is better. Both have been incorporated into some top notch Altec speaker systems. Some people swear by the tangerine, others consider the tangerine a cheaper product (it is made of molded plastic that's glued into place) and say that any audible improvement is from the h.f. (eq) compensation of the crossover networks/lighter diaphragms used with some of the tangerine phase plug drivers, not from the tangerines themselves..... Does this look like what you saw with the flashlight? (click on image to enlarge)

Originally Posted by Corona Blue

Ron and VOTT:

......I wish the L-pads were a little more precise. They seem very "notchy." I cleaned them thoroughly with deoxit and compressed air, but not much improvement in their response. I have seen this before with pro-audio PA monitors. It's just not a very precise kind of component.

Overall, a nice improvement. The Solens don't sound much different on the high end than the stock caps at least to my ears. I'm still not crazy about the JBL 123A-1's. I may keep an eye out for some 414's. Were these JBL's designed for a specific application??

Parts express has L-pads that would be suitable replacements for the ones in your crossovers. Old, worn, and oxidized L-Pads can degrade your signal. You may find that the combined improvement on the high end from replacing the capacitors with Solens and replacing the L-Pads is much more significant.

As far as the JBL's, a pair of used 414's (in excellent condition) or a new pair of 414's will blow them away IMHO. The 414's are amazing woofers. Not to mention that your crossover network is designed to work with the 414's. As I mentioned before, you can recoup a good chunk of the expense of purchasing 414's by selling the JBL's on ebay or Audiogon, craigslist, etc. JBL's are popular and they will sell if you price them realistically. Here are some recent ebay sales to give you a ballpark idea of what those woofers are worth--depending on their condition of course.

JBL Vintage 123A-1 12" Alnico Woofers Speakers L100 L88 | eBay $135 plus $30 shipping

JBL Vintage 123A-1 12" Alnico Woofers Speakers L100 L88 | eBay $195 plus $22 shipping....

http://cgi.ebay.com/JBL-Vintage-123A...item19c4a157e6 $150 plus $22.75 shipping

**Corona Blue** · May 1st, 2011, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by voice of the theater

Sounds like you have the Altec circumferential style phase plug--not the tangerine. Does this look like what you saw with the flashlight?

Hi VOTT- Yes, that DOES look like what I was seeing... to be honest, I could not make out the detail of the center area of the plug. But I could clearly see the bright, outer ring with the slots at 120 degrees apart. So I'm inclined to think these are indeed what I have.

Thanks for the info about the L-pads. I may go back at some point and replace them. Put that one on the loooooong list of "things I shoulda done..." Dang!!! I just keep gettin' smarter all the time!