I've found some speakers. Now I'm selling all of my Altecs

[voice of the theater]

......better than most stuff before during and after their time (including Valencias). I would meet you halfway and call them "70s classics." Sorry, I'm a bit of a snob sometimes.

OK, I can live with that assessment. I think we can probably agree that one man's 70's classic ("better than most stuff before during and after their time) is another man's "masterpiece of audio engineering".

Never tried the small Mantaray yself, only heard them in passing, hence I have no firm opinion. I do think it should be better than 811s though!

I've been on the 1" experiments for about 6-8 months. I want to do a smallish 12" + horn monitor in the spirit of the WE 757A or maybe the M15/9849. Digging the 32B horn a lot. It is very low key and has a presentation with a lot of character. I'm split on the metal vs plastic question, leaning metal, but still keeping my options open till I hear the final configuration............I don't think I have experienced the best I can get out of an 802 yet. This is my project for the coming year.,,,,,,,,,,

The 9849 is a great speaker. If you've never owned the small Mantaray, you should check out the 9842-8A. "Better" crossover, Mantaray horn. The small Mantaray really shines with the 902-8A on these speakers. For someone who's currently experimenting with 1" Altec drivers on different horns, dipping into the Mantaray pool with this speaker could be a revelation.....
http://altecpro.com/pdfs/vintage/Spe...r%20System.pdf

[voice of the theater]

Joe? Hmmmm, Exemplars.....editor.....hmmmmm......bug screens.......chinch bugs.

You are the reason my Altecs sound as good as they do. I think I have most of the old SP mags.

BTW, as Bowtie knows, I have a pair of 9849's....I guess I better fire them up!

Ron

It was Joe's suggestion to remove your bug screens? I thought that was your idea. I'm still considering removing the screens from my Model 14's/902-8A (after your suggestion months ago) since that is a reversible procedure but can't bring myself to cut the screens out of my 802-8G's with a utility knife in case I don't like the results.

I was the second poster, and I invented the internet........ok, those are both fibs.......

The Valencia is a bass reflex with a horn.
The M19 is a bass reflex with a horn.
It is a bigger reflex, has a better hf driver and a better crossover. With an M19 xover, and the 902-8A or 802-8G hf driver, the Valencia would be darn close. Later versions were equipped with the -8B woof.
No one ever sems to mention the similarities.

That said, I thank the OP for making more Altecs available to those who want them, and for starting what has become a very enlightening thread!

Ron

Agree 100% here. Valencias and Model 19's are similar in ingredients, however they are very different in how they sound/have a whole different timbre as well as different bandwidth range. I have mentioned multiple times here that when I owned two pair of Valencias (well, technically, one pair were AS 101's), I seriously considered implementing Zilch's recommended mods for Valencias (he owned a pair of Valencias himself). For those who don't remember, he recommended swapping out the 806 driver for an 802-8G because (in his words) the 806 doesn't have the "prerequisite chops" as far as upper bandwidth response. He also recommended swapping out the Valencia crossover with his Z 19 crossover which according to him, had the h.f. compensation like the stock 19 crossover, the main difference was that his design (supposedly) allowed the two eq "pots" to operate more independently of each other (i.e. rotating the mid eq pot supposedly has less effect on the highs than it does with the stock 19 crossover). He also recommended adjusting the tuning of the port to further mimic the Model 19's sound/enhance low end response. In the end, I decided to sell my Valencias and buy two pair of 19's rather than put all that time and energy (and money) into creating "pseudo 19's".......

[Todd W. White]

The BEST sounding and performing horn for the 802-902, in my opinion, was the Jerry Hubbard-designed Altec MR994A.

[RonSSS]

I have a pair of those too....I like them. Sitting on top of my A7/416-8A bins with M19 xovers.

I read about the bug screens in SP mag.

Chinch bugs was from Caddy shack.

Ron

[Audio_by_Goodwill]

Geekstar are you on the Magnavox Friends list on Yahoo? There was a guy on there the other day saying things about the 511 horns, simialr to what I've read you saying here....... or maybe he's read your thoughts online before.

[Geekstar]

There was a guy on there the other day saying things about the 511 horns, similar to what I've read you saying here....... or maybe he's read your thoughts online before.

Not me, but I am glad my wild-eyed propaganda messages are getting around!!

I went through a massive battle on DiyA on this topic a few months ago. I guess it was my turn to be the entertainment for the week, so I rose to the task.

I consider it a pro-Altec thing to do because, love em or hate em, the 811/511 is but a small grimy suburb in the wonderful world of ALTEC! Not the be all and end all at all. For many, these cast horns are all there is to ALTEC.

If you like those sectorals, keep on going because there is a lot of, I think, better sounds to be had and the best of ALTEC is up there with the best of almost anything.

-------------

MR994As, huh? I will keep that in mind and definitely snatch a pair when they float by. Thanks for the tip!

In general, I've found exponentials to sound more natural than CD horns but this might be just what I am used to. I expect some moderate HF directivity and since I don't move around much while listening, it doesn't cause any problems. As always, a case by case basis is the best approach and I wouldn't rule anything out because it is CD.

Mantarays are definitely a gap in my ALTEC education.

-------------

Bug screens...yeah they sure sound better without, but I bought a 32 horn with an OEM 808 from a guy last summer and, you guessed it, it had a large crunchy dead bug stuck right on the screen! I took this as a warning...consequently, I have not pulled the screens on my 802 collection yet.

I'm more afraid of metal shavings than bugs.

One guy told me he replaced the metal screen with a piece of stretched nylon stocking glued in place under the cardboard gasket and that sounded as open as no screen. If so, that might be the sensible setup.

[bowtie427ss]

Yeah, I'm that off-the-chain dude who goes around hatin' on 511s!

Not me, but I am glad my wild-eyed propaganda messages are getting around!!

[Panomaniac]

I'm a little late to the party, please excuse me.
While it's nice to have found a pair of speakers you really like and at a price you are happy with, I have to say that if you had spent 1/2 that amount on better crossovers and maybe some cabinet improvements for the Valencias, you'd have a pair of speakers you'd keep for the rest of your life.

No, I'm not a fan of stock Altec crossovers. Not a big fan of the cabinet builds, either, tho they do vary. The designs and the drivers are top notch, IMO. With some time, effort and money spent, very little can rival them. That's been my road to sonic happiness.

As I said, a bit late now.

[Geekstar]

Yo Bowtie, low blow, man...I was thinking more like this:

[cradeldorf]

I bet copper multicells would sound nice.