Altec 806 8B Drivers RARE Version | eBay
Not seen these before.
Altec 806 8B Drivers RARE Version | eBay
Not seen these before.
Seller invented BS. I would have called it an 806-8G to really impress you. Those are pulls from 9849's, a shame really as 9849 is an excellent loudspeaker right out of the gate.
23746 is proprietary to middle aged range 9849's. AFAIK, it was never used in another model, it was never sold "off the shelf, it never had a foilcal or any other indications that it was a model "806-8B".
They are "similar" to an 806 in terms of throat length and magnet size. They have a cast return pot. AFAIK, ALL 806's are made of steel pipe and plate welded together.
Early versions have annular steel phase plugs(i listen to a pair daily) later ones had the Tangerine. There's another member here who has 9849's with at least one tangerine equipped 23746.
Not all vegetables make good leaders.
I've owned several 8A's with tangerines. I don't see any advantage over 8G's and wouldn't consider them any more rare ore valuable, although less common.
Your neighbors called. They like your music.
Thanks for the info. Always like an Altec oddity...
Mechanically how do they differ from the 802-8g/808-8B body, apart from the size?
If you look up the 806 the alnico slug is smaller. I never cared for it, it was an economy version, no other reason.
Your neighbors called. They like your music.
That's the exact same circular reasoning as saying 33785's are nothing more than an 802D's23746's are nothing more than 806-8A's..
23746 is no more an 806-8A than a 289 is a 351C.
Part number for 806-8A is 31132, there are multiple differences from a 23746.
With all due respect, show me an 806-8A with a 1 piece cast return pot/body.
In fact, show me any positively identified(that means it has a factory Altec label that says 806 on it) version of an 806 in a 1 piece cast return pot/body.
Not all vegetables make good leaders.
I gotta wonder if that model was an attempt to improve the units. Unfortunately the cobalt shortage caused alnico to go sky high right after. So short lived.
Your neighbors called. They like your music.
I think your thinking of this picture... I also think you maybe misunderstanding what I'm saying. The 23746 and the 806-8A are essentially the same WRT performance not in it's design characteristics..I still think the 23746 morphed into the 806-8A but as noted we probably will never know for sure one way or the other.I never cared much for them either.. The best you can hope to get out of them IMO is about 14Khz.You maybe right Bowtie cause I'm not 100% on this anyway...But using the same diaphragm in a 23746 and a 806-8A I would wager they will perform almost identically.
Those are the pics AB! Many thanks for posting. They're a good reminder that there's at least one exception to every Altec "rule".
I can surely understand, looking at those, why you would feel they were a predecessor to the 806-8A, it's just good old logic and i agree with it. But, then you have drivers made as late as '76/'77 bearing the 23746 part number which AFAIK, is at least a year or 2 after the 806-8A production stopped(apparently). 806-8A's appear in the '75 price lists.
But, and here's another Altec conundrum, and it's gonna make the OP grin from ear to ear, the '75 home literature both illustrates and describes the 806-8B(with 806-8B foilcal) in multiple places. I've never seen one in the flesh, or even a private individual's pic of one. But, that doesn't mean that a few don't exist.
Ever get the feeling that there's a few old fellas(or at least their spirits) sitting around a table somewhere being well entertained, perhaps hi-fiving each other while we pick at these nits?
FWIW, i have also realized there are at least 3 different types of 806-8A decals. There is a small, rectangular, metallic green version, a small trapezoid shaped black version, and a large rectangular black version that really only fits on the driver body not the cover. For whatever reason, i don't think the common marketplaces show us an accurate proportion of them, i think there are many more out there than we see evidence of, just my WAG tho.
Last edited by bowtie427ss; November 29th, 2013 at 09:48 AM.
Not all vegetables make good leaders.
Your Welcome !Those are the pics AB! Many thanks for posting. They're a good reminder that there's at least one exception to every Altec "rule".
I can surely understand, looking at those, why you would feel they were a predecessor to the 806-8A, it's just good old logic and i agree with it. But, then you have drivers made as late as '76/'77 bearing the 23746 part number which AFAIK, is at least a year or 2 after the 806-8A production stopped(apparently). 806-8A's appear in the '75 price lists.
But, and here's another Altec conundrum, and it's gonna make the OP grin from ear to ear, the '75 home literature both illustrates and describes the 806-8B(with 806-8B foilcal) in multiple places. I've never seen one in the flesh, or even a private individual's pic of one. But, that doesn't mean that a few don't exist.
Whenever you think you have seen it all WRT Altec ? Along comes something else that makes you want to scratch your head.As far as the 806-8B is concerned I have never seen one either anywhere.So you have to wonder if maybe it was just a typo.. I have to take a look at that '75 literature as I don't recall the 806-8B foilcal.
One other thing is that the 806-8A was made up until 79-80 I do believe.They had the one piece body and the tangerines then..They were made right up until Altec switched to the ferrite motors.From my recollection which seems to be getting foggy these days.
Addendum: OK from the looks of that catalog page it looks like the 806-8B did in fact come with the 878B-846B Santiago and Valencia.However I think that this configuration was very,very,short lived..AS I have never seen either one of those speakers come with that particular driver.I also see your timeframe conundrum as well.In this '75 catalog the body looks like the newer one peice and the newer foilcal back covers..
http://www.lansingheritage.org/image...ome/page03.jpg
http://www.lansingheritage.org/image...ome/page17.jpg
http://www.lansingheritage.org/image...nal/page14.jpg
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