New Heathkit AS101 owner - First post.

[voice of the theater]

VOTT: So I'm not crazy...excellent!

They only miss by about 3/8" with the insulation removed. I think I can get away with a 3/8" strip of wood around the perimeter. The back panel would protrude by that much, but no biggie, it's the back of the speaker anyway. A project for another day. I suppose I could route out a 3/8" deep depression in the existing back panel. That would be about 1/2 the total thickness.

Earl: Thanks for the tip. I'll ring up Bill and see what he has to input.

As far as the sound, they are a little harsh right now. They sound more metallic. The 806s were creamier, if less bright. Is there a break-in period for HF compression drivers like there is for LF drivers?

A 3/8" strip of wood around the perimeter would work as long as you can still achieve a (relatively) air tight seal. Otherwise, it will affect your cabinet tuning and it may actually be quicker and easier to make two new back panels with (covered) holes if you find there's a lot of monkeying around required to get a good seal with a wood strip around the perimeter. You may have to adjust your port size anyways as increasing the depth of your cabs by (at least) 3/8" by using wood strips around the perimeter will have a significant effect on their tuning. On the other hand, using new back panels with (covered) holes in them for the h.f. driver won't really affect your cabinet tuning because the hole will be filled with the end of the driver and the internal cabinet depth remains unchanged.....

As far as using loading caps on your 802-8G drivers, there is significant controversy about this option. Yes, they can be used instead of the rear cover for many Altec h.f. drivers and that saves you some space, but many Altec users (here and elsewhere) believe that the loading caps change the sound of the driver and that they are not good for hi fi use. They were mainly used by Altec IIRC for P.A. applications (and later on for cost cutting applications!) to protect the h.f. driver/diaphragm from over extension when exposed to high power levels during P.A. use. Of course, it doesn't hurt to buy and try them--they're not expensive and if you find it doesn't affect the sound to your ears, then it's a good solution.