Model 14's College Thesis

**voice of the theater** · February 11th, 2013, 11:45 AM

Overpriced but in great condition and quite a write up on these. I wonder if he copied the text from somewhere?

ALTEC Lansing Model Fourteen 14 Vintage Audiophile Hi-Fi Speakers!!

"Sound absolutely phenomenal with the amazing Mantaray horn!! Great condition!

Altec roots go all the way back to the advent of sound reproduction, being a direct descendent of the earliest motion picture speaker developer, Western Electric.

Throughout the 1920s Western Electric developed speakers for Hollywood's emerging sound movies. Early on, this industry had extraordinary potential, although as the great depression set-in the last thing people had money for was entertainment. This led Western Electric to close their motion picture department diverting their interest to less perilous goals. Seeing an opportunity in a very inopportune time was a group of very ambitious ex-WE engineers. George Carrington Sr., E.L Conrow, and Alvis Ward purchased the existing assets of WE motion picture audio department and formed the Altec (for "all technical")corporation. Establishing an entertainment related business at the height of the depression, where the largest company in the US failed was, in the opinion of many, a recipe for disaster. All predictions indicated that this company would fail right out of the gate. However, the assets the critics failed to consider was the optimism and resolve of the 3 company founders and the heart and talent of 295 of the best trained and most experienced staff in the audio industry. In just a few short years Altec became the #1 manufacturer of professional and consumer audio equipment in the world

No other speaker system in the history of the world has had such an impact on audio as the Altec Voice of the Theater system. Originally introduced in the 40s with a production run until the 90s, yet brought back by Altec a couple of years ago due to high demand ( with a new selling price of $11,600.00 for the pair). While Altecs Voice of the Theater speakers were originally intended for professional use they were finding their way into the homes of audiophiles and music lovers world wide. Altec was quick to notice this growing trend and began packaging the same VOT drivers and components into more consumer friendly cabinets.

In 1976 the popularity of the Voice of the Theater system was in full swing. Altec released a new series of speakers for the audiophile based upon the long established fundamentals of this iconic system. These systems blended traditional Altec style with modern design and the results were remarkable. The Altec Model 14 was introduced a few years later in1979. It was a 2nd generation adaptation to this popular new series. It was said to be the last truly great Altec system, as their following consumer speaker designs were geared more towards the mainstream, mid-fi market.

The Altec Model 14 replaced the Model 15. It was similar to the 15 in the respect that it was a compact version of the professional Voice of the Theater system, yet it had distinct improvements and bared a closer resemblance, sonically and visually to the Model 19. The Model 14 had an enclosure virtually identical to the Model 19 only on a smaller scale. For this reason the Model 14 is often viewed as the little brother of the Model 19, which it is, although in the minds of some this designation seems to suggest the 14 is somewhat inferior to the 19, which it isn't. The Model 14 is a later development and contains improved technology that set it on a whole new level.

Perhaps the biggest difference you will hear between the Model 14 and all its siblings is its ability to portray a solid three-dimensional sound stage that envelopes a large listening area. The Model 14 depicts delicate sonic details with grace and precision, an attribute that is very uncommon with horn based systems. The secret of its success lies in the Mantaray constant directivity horn. The Mantaray was at that time a recent development and first employed in the Model 14. It is a remarkable design, specifically engineered with the correct dispersion angles to continuously disperse musical energy of all frequency ranges in a uniform manner. It eliminates reflective sound, which causes unnatural sonic coloration. The potential of the Mantaray is fully exploited with a high quality HF/MF compression driver utilizing the Tangerine radial phase plug. In a nut shell this unique phase plug disperses energy through radial slots as opposed to the conventional method of circular slots. The Tangerine method has proven to allow a freer flow of high frequency energy, thus resulting in a truer and smoother frequency response to beyond 20kHz. Furthermore, a built in 2-band mid/high frequency equalizer gives you additional control of the horn/driver combination, allowing you to attenuate or brighten different frequency ranges to best match your equipment or listening room characteristics.

A specially built 12? woofer handles the lower regions of the frequency range, blending perfectly with the horn/driver combo. Bass is deep, yet as with the mid & high frequencies, refined, bringing a level of detail and grace to this often murky region.

The system as a whole is extraordinary. It maintains the sonic pedigree that is distinct to Altec, yet portrays a higher level of detail and fidelity that came with the modern refinements. The Model 14 is a tamer yet more sophisticated version of the VOTT that transformed the world of audio. Like its predecessors its dynamic response is unrestrained and fully alive. It vibrantly displays the highs and lows of musical passages with all the immediacy, power and emotion we come to expect from Altec systems. The Model 14 has the rare ability to draw the life and passion out of music, a quality even the most expensive direct radiator speaker system cannot convey. Altec engineers captured the magic of the VOTT system in an enclosure significantly smaller than its predecessors, this is an accomplishment that won Altec the Design and Engineering Excellence Award from Electronics Industry Association in 1979."

Speaker Components Low Frequency: 12? Bass Driver
High/Mid Frequency: Radial Phase Plug Compression driver mounted to Mantaray constant directivity horn
Nominal Impedance 8 Ohms
Crossover Frequency 1500 Hz
Enclosure Type Vented
Sensitivity 95dB SPL
Measured at 4 feet, 1 watt input, using pink noise which has been limited to a bandwidth of 500Hz to 3kHz
Frequency Response 35Hz to 20kHz
Dynamic Range 44 dB minimum crest factor above 70 dB SPL at 4 feet
Dispersion 90? at -6dB Horizontal
40? at -6 dB Vertical, tilted to 30? up, 10? down
Measured with pink noise limited to a bandwidth of 800Hz to 8kHz at a distance of 4 ft.
Long Term Broad Band Maximum Power 75 watts unprotected
200 watts with Automatic Power Control
Measured with a source of pink noise limited to the frequency response bandwidth of the system, over an extended time period
Operational Power Range 10 watts to 350 watts
Recommended for use with amplifiers between these levels
Long Term Maximum Acoustic Output 114 dB SPL
Measured at 4 feet, with a source of pink noise limited to the frequency response bandwidth of the system
Finish Hand-rubbed, oiled walnut
Grille Acoustically-transparent black knit fabric mounted to removable frames
Dimensions Height: 30 1/8?
Width: 21?
Depth: 16 ?
(with grille)
Weight 70.5 lbs each