Thanks for the offer AB I downloaded the plains off Jeff's page. I need info on the grills as I haven't seen a pair of 19's for 30 yrs. Are they cloth or that foam stuff they used on their bookshelf speakers? Also don't the horns have some kind of foam around them?
True and surprised you didn't list it, so I did to put it out there again just on the off chance you'd forgotten about it.Originally Posted by Altec Best
GM
Loud is Beautiful if it's Clean! As always though, the usual disclaimers apply to this post's contents.
Can anyone tell me where to buy the horn foam surrounds and what they cost? Also my 416 A's have the newer 16" frames, whats the difference between them and a 416 B.
The last I heard, the only place to buy the horn foam surrounds for Model 19's are from Paul and Debbie Darst who are still manufacturing replacement foams today. They have sold Model 19 foam surrounds to several members here. I own two pair of Model 19's, and one of those pair (that I bought in New Jersey) came with replacement foam surrounds that the seller had purchased from the Darsts. Installing them does result in a noticeable improvement in sound quality by the way--the engineers at Altec knew what they were doing when they included the foams in their design. They not only reduce the ringing of the 811B horn, they also absorb/eliminate (mainly h/f) sound echoing off of the upper part of the wood cabinet that extends past the front of the 811 horns..... I can hear a noticeable difference (improvement) between having the foams installed and not. The last I heard they are about $50 a set--which is a real bargain IMHO considering the time/labor and materials involved. I'm thinking of buying a pair from them to have as spares since I would be hard pressed to make as authentic of a replica of the originals myself if they ever stopped manufacturing them...... Here is their email address
[email protected]
BTW, did you get the cabs home OK? Any surprises, or are they pretty much as photographed in the photo album you posted earlier in this thread? Have you decided what you'll use for veneer? Any other mods/repairs in mind?
As far as your 416A's, it is VERY fortunate that you have the newer ones with the 16" frames--they are the right size for the Model 19 cabs. As I'm sure you know, the older 416's had the 15" frames (I used to own a pair in some 846A Valencias) and you'd have to be "creative" to mount them in your new cabs. They are great sounding woofers, by the way, I really enjoyed listening to them in my Valencias. There are some differences between the 416A and the 416-8B that was "stock" in most Model 19's. For one, the 416A's are 16 ohm compared to 8 ohm 416-8B's, but there is a method that others here can coach you on (I think they use a resistor) to make them 8 ohm "compatible". Once you do that, I'm not sure how much of a difference you'll hear from a 416A compared to a 416 8B when installed in those cabs with those crossovers. I know Altec used 416-8C's in some of the 19's which are also a little different from 416-8B's, but they worked great anyways in those cabs with that crossover, so I think you'll most likely be fine with your 416A's (if made 8 ohm "compatible"). Besides, GM stated earlier in this thread that they would work well in those cabs and he would know. He, and others here, know a lot more about this than me. Much of what I know about Altecs is stuff I've learned here. Plus, I've learned a lot over the years owning several pair. After owning (and selling/upgrading) AS-101's, Valencias, A7's, Model 9's, etc. etc., I've learned I like the sound of the Model 19's the best!
Being of "Sound" Mind
Thanks vott for email address. Would you believe that a set of used repo's sold for $94 yesterday on ebay. The cabs look better than the photo's would have you think so if its possible I may be able to splice and refinish. I called bill at GPA as I was driving to Nebraska and he told me they were as we spoke making more 802's. On one of the other web sites there are people who suggest the z19 XO and BMS HF drivers anyone have any experience with these? I'am more inclined to go with altec if I can find.
I would definitely go with the GPA 802-8G drivers (or used Altec 802-8G) and not the BMS. Model 19's and their crossovers were designed for 802-8G drivers---if you use BMS you'll have a real mutant on your hands and who knows what that will do to your frequency response. At the very least, you'd need to do some mods on your crossover as it has very specific EQ/hi frequency compensation built into it which was designed for the 802-8G. The 802-8G has a usable frequency response to 20,000 hz--and has an amazing clarity and "sizzle" to it. Keep in mind GPA 802-8G drivers ARE for all intensive purposes Altec Drivers. Bill (he and his "crew" are former Altec employees) bought the Altec tooling, designs, etc. from Altec and builds them to original Altec spec with Alnico magnets etc. As far as crossovers, I've never used or heard Zilch's Z-19 crossovers. Zilch was a member here until he passed away last year. From what I understand, he designed them to have the same (or very similar) high frequency compensation/EQ as the Altec model 19 crossovers--he designed them to be used with the 802-8G (or 902) drivers. He claimed that the difference between his Z 19 crossover design and the original Model 19 crossovers was in the two "tone" controls on the crossovers. His claim was that his design kept the two tone controls more independent of each other--moving the midrange control on the Z 19's supposedly has less effect on treble than moving the midrange control on the original Model 19 crossovers does. Personally, I like the way the originals work--they really "snap the Model 19's into focus" (a quote from someone else on this board) with just a little experimentation on where to set the treble control and the mid control. Unless you can find used Model 19 crossovers, you'll have to build them--the schematic is readily available online. You'll also have to build Z 19 crossovers--schematics are also available online. If I were building a crossover, I'd go with the tried and true Altec originals. However, I have an open mind and also have a lot of respect for Zilch's work. If I had unlimited time (they don't cost much to build--time is more of an issue for me), I guess I'd build both crossovers and compare!!
Being of "Sound" Mind
Anyone here have a pair of spare 19 crossovers that you don't need? some 811's?
811s - seeTom Drum's post in the User's Board Marketplace.
Opinion is only as valid as its verifiable supporting evidence.
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