604 is 515/802 based.Originally Posted by atilsley
605 is 416/806 based
to the best of the info I have.
604 is 515/802 based.
605 is 416/806 based
to the best of the info I have.
Your neighbors called. They like your music.
Thanks...I listened to a new set of GPA 416's in both Oben Baffles and a large ported Stonehenge V cabinet...excellent. I really love that co-ax configuration.
Yes the 416 is the best Altec woofer for HiFi/HT IMHO ! It is by far for me the best sounding, with the 416-8B my Favorite.... It goes lower and extends higher than a 515.The 515 will play louder but not necessarily sound better to my ears,that is where the 416 comes in for me...
Best of Luck with your project !
AFA lower, it depends on the build date as to whether the 416 goes lower and WRT higher, all 515s I've dealt with go higher than any OEM 416, i.e. has greater 'snap'. For instance, my 515Bs have a ~20 Hz Fs [avg. 4], lower than any 416 and sufficient HF output run wide open to XO to an 802 super tweeter at 5 kHz/2nd order. Doesn't suit my listening preferences, but some have found it acceptable in certain apps.
That said, I don't know how limited a woofer design 'palette' GPA has available, so the differences may be much less than originally, but with them often just relabeling old Altec data shts. rather than publishing current spec measurements there's no way to know for sure until someone pipes up like Pano was forced to do awhile back.
His and one other person's problems I'm aware of WRT restoring old AlNiCo drivers has convinced me to only recommend buying new from GPA and even then the only measured specs I've seen are a number of 515-8G that spec'd at least as good as published and some a little better, so for the rest, Caveat Emptor applies.
GM
Loud is Beautiful if it's Clean! As always though, the usual disclaimers apply to this post's contents.
Weren't most of the 515's designed for horn loading? I remember reading one of Jim Dickenson's papers that stated that. It had to do with the cone shape. One was better for bass reflex use.
He also stated tat the 416 variations on the other hand were best suited to bass reflex use. Of course Altec used them in combo enclosures.
Sound to me like it's going to be a buy it, listen to it, then decide.
What was the pissing match at the start of this thread about? I saw nothing wrong with the original questions. Some history between members?
Ron
Enjoying Altec Speakers since 1972
Yes, and no, only the original 515 and 8G are true horn mid-bass woofers. The rest are various compromises spec wise to make them perform acceptably as the needs of cinema LF BW and the increasingly more powerful amps with increasingly lower output impedance changed over the decades. They really needed to design complete new systems with each major change for new installs, but a quick look at their history explains why they didn't.
IIRC, JD listed the E as best for reflex, but with specs closer to later Bs, this doesn't make a lot of sense to me unless he just based it on their specs being close to the 416B, 8B.
No prior history I can recall unless I posted on any early thread[s?] of his before finding out they were going to be for profit.
Speaking of JD, last I remember, he'd had a major leg? injury, but unfortunately that's all I remember, so anyone know how that turned out and what he's up to these days? If he posts, I don't recognize the moniker.
GM
Loud is Beautiful if it's Clean! As always though, the usual disclaimers apply to this post's contents.
Thanks AB, GM...nice to be back in the fold...
For my project, I think I may be trying too hard with the one driver to cover my needs.
A friend suggested that if my primary goal was to have fast bass....then I should concentrate on the 80Hz+ horn...and worry about the sub later. (I've just finished building a massive bass horn sub from Bill Fitzmaurice designs...the Tuba. This sub is overkill for my two channel listeing, but house-wreckingly good for my dedicated HT room. The first track on Pink Flloyd's Dark Side of the Moon has that heart beat in it. It almost broke my windows. )
So, I'm leaning this way...make the large front-loaded horn and NOT have a vented back chamber.
Therefore, would this make the decision more towards the 515 vs 416...?
If I was going to build the large vented back chamber, I would have gone with the 416.
The reason why I'm agonising over this choice, is that I've recently built for myself a nice pair of "Klipsch" Cornscala two-way horns, using the Bob Crites design, with Faital Pro 1.4 comp driver and 15-inch modded Eminence woofer in large 200 Liter cabinet. I like the horn sound for sure....but I want to experience a completely different type of bass sound...hence the focus on a large front-loaded bass design.
Again, thanks for your input...very much appreciated.
Kind regards.
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