908 0r 902?

[badtoby]

Can anyone ID these drivers?


PAIR ALTEC LANSING MODEL 14 MANTARAY HIGH FREQUENCY HORNS AND DRIVERS | eBay

[Altec Best]

They are OEM 902's with just a loading cap no rear covers.

[voice of the theater]

I agree. I own Model 14's and these look identical to the stock drivers in mine which are 902-8A with no rear covers so these are most likely the same drivers. Badtoby, if you're considering these for your Model 19's, I would recommend 802-8G's instead. I consider the 902-8A to be just as "great" of a h.f. driver as the 802-8G (I have 802-8G's in my 19's)-- both have phenomenal extended h.f. response and are very clean reproducers with excellent sonic characteristics/crystal clear sound but they do have a different timbre/sound/personality from each other. The crossover in your Model 19's was tailored/optimized to the 802-8G's characteristics (h.f. compensation, etc.) and there will be a substantial difference if you install 902-8A's into your 19's compared to the stock 802-8G drivers which were an integral part of their award winning design IMHO.....

[RonSSS]

So in simple terms, Altec threw away the award winning design when they switched to the ferrite drivers.
They made no change to the cabs or crossovers when they switched.
Pretty interesting huh?
That alone ought to slash the prices for the ferrite 19's.

Personally, I prefer the 902-8A HF drivers. They share the same lighweight diaphragm. I sold my -8G's.

Although these in this ad are the 902-8A, they aren't "good" unless you add the rear covers with felt lining and toss the loading caps.
You can find the rear covers from time to time. GPA will probably sell you some.

Ron

[voice of the theater]

So in simple terms, Altec threw away the award winning design when they switched to the ferrite drivers.
They made no change to the cabs or crossovers when they switched.
Pretty interesting huh?
That alone ought to slash the prices for the ferrite 19's.

I'm not sure but I think you're being sarcastic? (hopefully I'm wrong) It's no secret that Altec was trying to save money towards the end, and the switch to ferrite drivers (as well as some of the other changes in the last few years prior to 1984) were cost cutting measures--not performance improving measures. Do you think the 416-8C was an improvement over the 416-8B or a less expensive woofer that still "worked" in the 19's?

Personally, I prefer the 902-8A HF drivers. They share the same lighweight diaphragm. I sold my -8G's.

Preferences are of course subjective--there is no right or wrong answer. However, to set the record straight here, in the interest of trying to keep this forum as factually accurate as possible, only the VERY early 902-8A's had the light diaphragms. The majority of 902-8A's that were manufactured did not. I have commented here before that I think the 902-8A/mantaray combination on my Model 14's is a "magical" combination that rivals the high end of my Model 19's. I really like the 902's as well. In the interest of being open minded I have no qualms admitting that I've never heard 902-8A's used with the 811 horns and the Model 19 crossovers. Maybe I'd really like them too--might be worth a try Badtoby. However, when I think of Model 19's, I think of the "classic" original award winning design. I own two pair of 19's and I wouldn't even consider changing a thing on them they sound that amazing now that I've replaced the original "worn out" caps. But that's just my opinion......

Although these in this ad are the 902-8A, they aren't "good" unless you add the rear covers with felt lining and toss the loading caps.
You can find the rear covers from time to time. GPA will probably sell you some.
Ron

O.K. This is why I joined this forum. I am not a "techie" by any means. I am finally learning some of this stuff from the good folks here. I have owned many different pair of classic Altecs starting in high school because they sounded better to me than other speakers I auditioned-never really understanding why. I guess being a musician, I've always had a musician's approach to my speakers. Like when I go to the guitar store and play 20 guitars or 10 keyboards listening closely to tone and taking into account playability/practicality--walking away with the one that sounds the best to me without really understanding why it sounds the best. That's how I ended up selling/upgrading various pairs of vintage Altecs through the years and ending up with Model 14's and Model 19's--they sound the best to me. If I understand this quote correctly, you're saying that I can get my 14's to sound noticeably better if I toss the loading caps and add rear covers with felt lining? If this is true, I'm going to have to try it. Ron, thank you. I've read here about removing loading caps and putting felt on rear covers but never understood that it applies to my 902's. Can anyone else confirm that this would be a suggested upgrade for "stock" Model 14's with 902's like the one's in the Ebay ad in this thread (mine look exactly like those)? Here's some pics of my 14's.....

[RonSSS]

I was actually being serious. As I stated in another post, the -8C is a different woofer and has different T/S parameters. Therefore the box is no longer correct for it. The 19 was not voiced with the -8C.
With the exception of the diafragm and the phase plug, the 902 and 802 are different annimals. I have heard both on the 811 horn and I prefer the 902. I believe it is excellent. Not as sexy though, can't say alnico.
Was Altec being cheap? Not real sure. Alnico became non existant at the time, so I believe it was out of necessity. Someone can correct me if i'm wrong.
I for sure would have preferred alnico 19's, but I found mine local, just a few blocks away. Beggers can't be choosers. I do really like them, but the LF isn't what I think it could be.


I have 2 pairs of 902-8A and both have the lightweight frams. Also have a pair of little known 806 drivers with tangerine plugs and the same lightweight frams. As Jim Dickenson (Yes, the Jim Dickenson) told me back in the 80's, don't blow them up. They are no longer available!

Nice speaks! I have never heard those.
Actual testing has been done, and a lot of ears here prefer the drivers you have with the end caps and felt. I'll let others comment.
Loading caps originally were used to limit fram travel in high power applications. I suspect Altec did cheap out in this instance trying to keep costs down.

So VOTT, didn't catch your name?

Tried to do the quote thing like you did, I'm too f'n stupid to figure it out I guess. [/QUOTE]