Horny!

[amandarae]

Finally, after a long wait and lots of experimentations.....









Azura horn XO at 500 hz 2nd order using Altec 802D(thanks NullSpace!) and 416B/612C.

Ever since I heard the 612C cabs in my room(with a 604 before), I always felt that it was the right bass bin in it. Lift it up about 4" above the carpet and the result was amazing. As for the horn, I tried Altec 811 and 511 and a JBL (whose model number escapes me at the moment) and you can see on the third pic that they are out of commissioned (probably to the classifieds here, Ebay or Craiglist bound).

More than 4 months in the making and still not done with the final horn mounting assembly. But that can wait...



regards,

Abe

[nullspace]

That's a nice looking setup you have there, Abe. Glad I could help out with the drivers.

Regards,
John

[BugC]

Hi Abe,

Great looking set up! Would love to hear them sing. ;-) ... BTW what drivers are attached to the 511 horns in the pic?

BugC

[amandarae]

BugC,

Thanks!

Ahh...I think you are referring to the JBL 1234 horns not the Altec 511. The JBL drivers are 2470's and currently with the original phenolic diaphragm. I just received the replacement aluminum (orig) diaphragms to convert them into a 2420 (same pots according to my reading) but have not installed it yet.

The green 811 horns have an Altec 802-8D on them.


Abe

[VolvoHeretic]

I can't help but notice the 3 or 4 turn tables in your set up.

[amandarae]

I can't help but notice the 3 or 4 turn tables in your set up.

Ahh yes, currently 4 on commission(Garrad 301, Thorens MKI and MKII, and the Classic Teres 255). Different flavor for each depending on the genre of music playing. Soon you will see me posting about "downsizing TT playback", but not yet

regards,

Abe

[BugC]

Hi Abe,
How did the JBL's compare to the Altecs in your system? ... In a scale of 1 to 10 how far up is the new setup (azura horns) compared to the previous two? ... Am still searching for the right system for me. ;-)
BugC

[amandarae]

Hi Abe,
How did the JBL's compare to the Altecs in your system? ... In a scale of 1 to 10 how far up is the new setup (azura horns) compared to the previous two? ... Am still searching for the right system for me. ;-)
BugC

The JBL only goes up to ~9kHz. So tweeter performance plays a major key when using them, but the midrange is clear(a little warm than Altec though).

I will be lying to you if I will not say that the set up with the Azura horns sounds wonderful. Much better than the Altec 511/811 sound in my room for sure. But it takes a lot of fiddling around with crossovers and up to now, I am still trying different configs. When taking a break from experimenting, and just want to listen and relax, I just use a 1st order XO which to me when done right, is more than what I needed to enjoy the system. but of course, there's always the "what if.....?"

If I did not venture with the Azura horns, I will eventually go back to OB with my 604's. The Altec 511/811 with bass bin using 802D/806 are ok, even my Altec 19 clone with Zilch XO/Altec 1201 XO/Altec N500 XO again with the 511/811 was fine, but in the end I would say that it is not better than the OB in terms of clarity. Also when you stand up assuming that the 511/811 is at ear level when sitting down from the listening position, there is a noticeable decrease in fidelity, Bass of course is better compared to OB but IMO, only in terms of amplitude but not quality.

The biggest problem with the Le Cleach horn that I can see....I want to get a bigger one, probably on the 200-300 Hz range(on order!).

regards,

Abe

[John48]

Very nice indeed. This is a direction I have been thinking about going for some time as I own a 416. In regards the Azura horn, do you feel you need to dampen it? Please keep us posted on your crossover design.

[amandarae]

Very nice indeed. This is a direction I have been thinking about going for some time as I own a 416. In regards the Azura horn, do you feel you need to dampen it? Please keep us posted on your crossover design.

Hello John,

No, I do not think I need to dampen the horns(fiberglass). If you have the horns in front of you, it is thick and very well made and the mounting flange is made of hard resin, not metallic. Martin Seddon(Azura horns) sent me a simple alignment tool to line up the mouth of the horn to the driver, even when using an adaptor plate for 1" to 1.4" and using the tool made it's a breeze to install to obtain smooth driver to horn mouth transition.

When I first mounted the horn, I was using the Altec 1201 XO so I will have a control of the mid/top end amplitude adjustment to blend with the woofer, it sounds nice. I then tried the 500 Hz Altec second order XO, nice too but a little too much on the midbass(prominent). I then tried a simple XO at 850 Hz(23.4 uF for the HF PIO with Fostex L pad and 1.5 mH for the woofer straight, Foil type) as I read more about it based on Dr. Bruce Edgar's post plus my mentors suggestion (Joseph E. of JE Labs)and indeed, after further evaluation, was much better sounding in my application. Aligned the drivers for the HF and LH magnet or VC plane and becomes much better still. That is why I am going to try a bigger (350 Hz, on order) horn as I am curious if it will give some more improvement to what I am hearing.

I had been using the Altec 811/511 horns since I joined this forum and they are good. To me however, the Le Cleach horn (at least from my experience in my system) sound much much better than the 511/811 horns that I had been experimenting for a while as you will find from my past posts here irregardless of the XO normally use for the set up (500, 800, 1200, and 1600 Hz)and I will bet my money on that using my set up because I have experienced it with my own ears. To me, there is no turning back, I hope. Soon, I will be experimenting with BMS/Altec 288/PAD/Radian once I can afford them and see if it is a worthwhile improvement compared to the 800 series Altec drivers I have. Also, try to find a contrast between the 400Hz and 300 Hz Le Cleach and choose one that is right for me in the long run.

Best regards,

Abe