Is there anything that compares with the old 515b sound?

[oldaudio]

I know this is a "loaded" (no pun intended) question, but...
Is there anything being made today that compares with the old 515B sound? I know GPA currently makes a 515, but I think it is a much later model with heavy cone & VC. Has anyone had any luck with any brand of speaker that even comes close to the older 515's. I have some empty 210 cabs that are begging for replacement speakers...
Thanks, Mike

[Old Guy]

Do you mean 515A? GPA can do 515B's I think. The A has the light cone. I think they also have a new kit for the A, check with them about that maybe they can custom build...

[oldaudio]

Well... mine were 515B with a date of "Aug 53" ink stamped on the magnet structure. On the rear of the magnet "Hollywood" was stamped into the metal. They had gold labels & gray wrinkle paint. The surround gasket was held in with screws and a metal ring.

The GPA 515, as I understand it, is a more modern high power VC & cone with a ceramic magnet... I wouldn't think it would "sound" anything like the older 515. But, I could be wrong... that's why I posed the question. I spoke with Bill and I believe he said that he only had the "newer" parts.

I had to have two of them re-coned due to cracked surrounds and sent them to David Halford @ Halford Loudspeakers in Memphis. He delicately removed the cones from the voice coils and left the old phenolic spiders in place. He ordered new cones and they looked like the old ones. Don't know about the materials used. Bill also said that Altec always contracted the manufacture of the cones ( possibly voice coils ) out to companies that specialized in that type of work.

[Altec Best]

Do you have any cone numbers from the speakers you sent to Halford Loudspeaker ?

[LowOhms]

Well... mine were 515B with a date of "Aug 53" ink stamped on the magnet structure. On the rear of the magnet "Hollywood" was stamped into the metal. They had gold labels & gray wrinkle paint. The surround gasket was held in with screws and a metal ring.

The GPA 515, as I understand it, is a more modern high power VC & cone with a ceramic magnet... I wouldn't think it would "sound" anything like the older 515. But, I could be wrong... that's why I posed the question. I spoke with Bill and I believe he said that he only had the "newer" parts.

I had to have two of them re-coned due to cracked surrounds and sent them to David Halford @ Halford Loudspeakers in Memphis. He delicately removed the cones from the voice coils and left the old phenolic spiders in place. He ordered new cones and they looked like the old ones. Don't know about the materials used. Bill also said that Altec always contracted the manufacture of the cones ( possibly voice coils ) out to companies that specialized in that type of work.

Hello all,


In 2014, we are fortunate to have three different woofers that would be very nice to live with.

One, would be the old ALTEC 515B, which has a lovely midrange clarity, and is alnico, of course.

In recent years, there has been much progress made in ferrite drivers, by GPA ( Bill ) and by JBL. Both companies have the technology and design smarts to have made improvements in ferrite designs. They have learned how to shape the ferrite magnet structures very precisely, ( an advantage over alnico !) so that the voice coils operate in a linear magnetic manner, sort of like a focussed gap.

As a result, Bill's newest duplex GPA 604 is far superior in efficiency and performance to the preceding vintage 604s. Bill's best ( non-duplex ) woofer is also quite "the" engineering feat, and it is very HIGH in efficiency.

JBL has also come out with an ultra high efficiency woofer with their new ferrite magnet technology, another woofer comparable to Bill's and the old 515B.

So, its 2014, and we have three great choices, with two being very available.

I own two 515Bs, and after cleaning the outer surround ( somewhat-like as Per Hasling does ), it has bowled me over in listening to it, hooked up full-range driven -direct ( NO friggin' inductors what so ever on it ). Wow. I love it playing that way, once I surround-cleaned it.

I'll let others "look up" the two specific GPA and JBL model numbers. Is the JBL a 17 incher ? Nice to know there are three great ones now, and not just one.

BTW, this is just my best audio friend in Montana's current opinion, who is uber- experienced in this stuff. Written and offered not offend anyone with different ALTEC woofers: YMMV, yada yada yada. Cheers.

Jeff Medwin

[Old Guy]

The GPA 515, as I understand it, is a more modern high power VC & cone with a ceramic magnet... I wouldn't think it would "sound" anything like the older 515. But, I could be wrong... that's why I posed the question. I spoke with Bill and I believe he said that he only had the "newer" parts.

I had to have two of them re-coned due to cracked surrounds and sent them to David Halford @ Halford Loudspeakers in Memphis. He delicately removed the cones from the voice coils and left the old phenolic spiders in place. He ordered new cones and they looked like the old ones. Don't know about the materials used. Bill also said that Altec always contracted the manufacture of the cones ( possibly voice coils ) out to companies that specialized in that type of work.

AFAIK Altec did not fabricate paper. Coils was a different story as they OWNED one of the best coil winding companies.

So while it is true, I have to point out looks in a cone can be VERY deceiving. As AB said pics and cone numbers would be nice. New cones are likely not US origin. And it is possible somewhere in the country NOS, either Altec or aftermarket, cones may be laying around.

New reproductions are on eBay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CONE-PAPER-R...p2047675.l2557

http://www.ebay.com/itm/15-Paper-Con...-/360790982632

Quality? No clue.

I need to add one point - as you did not buy that 515 NEW you can not assume that it was original. At some point in the last 60 years it could have been reconed. Craftsmen were more common then, a good recone looked factory.