Choice of 515 in a 210 center cabinet

[analog addict]

A recent thread revived this thought in my mind. I'm using a 210 as part of my center channel speaker, and it's currently loaded with paper surround 515s.
As I was reviewing the literature for the 515 16G, I saw that the bass response of two of these drivers extends father down than I thought, maybe to 35-40 Hz.



Would switching these drivers into the 210 give me a better sounding set up than the current 515s, or would I be losing something from the midrange? I do have a pair of JBL 4685 subs for low end reinforcement.

[Altec Best]

The 515-G's were built exclusively for Horn enclosures.. They are great woofers IMHO ! They aren't good for vented or sealed boxes however.

[bowtie427ss]

Would switching these drivers into the 210 give me a better sounding set up than the current 515s, or would I be losing something from the midrange?

They'd give you more LF extension at the cost of a tad of midrange sweetness.

But, you're not going to do it without irreversible mods................ either cutting the woofer frames, or chiseling away at the insides of the cabinet until there's only about a 1/4 inch or less of plywood left between the woofer cavity and the outside world.

[Altec Best]

But, you're not going to do it without irreversible mods................ either cutting the woofer frames, or chiseling away at the insides of the cabinet until there's only about a 1/4 inch or less of plywood left between the woofer cavity and the outside world.

And this is a reason I wouldn't go that route. With only a 1/4" panel by the woofers edge it will resonate a lot... Unless you could some how add another sheet of ply to the outside walls with no voids..

[Phil-G]

They'd give you more LF extension at the cost of a tad of midrange sweetness.

But, you're not going to do it without irreversible mods................ either cutting the woofer frames, or chiseling away at the insides of the cabinet until there's only about a 1/4 inch or less of plywood left between the woofer cavity and the outside world.

or buy that slightly scratched one the guy was selling on ebay.
Altec Lansing 515 16g LF Woofer Speaker Cut Side 15A | eBay

[Altec Best]

I would never buy molested woofers like that.There are enough unmolested woofers out there.

[Phil-G]

not even for that special price of 500$

[bowtie427ss]

I would never buy molested woofers like that.There are enough unmolested woofers out there.

Yes you would, if the price was right and particular motor worth the venture.

I can hook you up with this clever fella that has new frames and proper cones to make them as new again.

[Altec Best]

Yes you would, if the price was right and particular motor worth the venture.

I can hook you up with this clever fella that has new frames and proper cones to make them as new again.

NO I WOULDN'T !! If I had to go through all that effort i would just buy new ones from GPA...By the time your done with all the shipping charges how much would I be saving ?

[GM]

As I was reviewing the literature for the 515 16G, I saw that the bass response of two of these drivers extends father down than I thought, maybe to 35-40 Hz.

Would switching these drivers into the 210 give me a better sounding set up than the current 515s, or would I be losing something from the midrange? I do have a pair of JBL 4685 subs for low end reinforcement.

What do yours measure? In theory there should be virtually no audible difference down low until the original begins distorting, which will happen at much lower power than the Gs, so as to whether to 'upgrade', I guess it boils down to how loud down around/at the cab's ~35 Hz tuning you need them to go and even then I recommend using 15" frames.

Excluding the 'G', which I've no 'hands on' experience with and is supposed to be a modern day version of the original 515 AlNiCo WRT horn cab loading, mids/HF extension, the rest of the 515s trade some mids/HF 'snap' for LF extension. Back when I could hear pretty good, the difference was subjectively about the same as between the 416A, B and the mid '50s 515B series I compared them all to [~20 Hz Fs, 20 ft^3 Vas, 0.2 Qts].

Also, the electronics can make a significant difference, i.e. system impedance and whether or not tubes.

GM