Re-tuning the Big Red studio monitor boxes...anyone done it?

[kilohertz]

Merry Christmas all!

Slowly getting back into audio, after a long summer/fall season of finding work and doing other things.

I finally landed my set of A7-500s from central Canada (I'm in BC) and found them to be too large for the current living room, (adding an addition hopefully next year) and wanted to remove the Valencias as they have been in a year and it's time to rotate the Altec musical chairs.

So I dug out the Big Reds and put them back in service and noted a big change in sound, more balanced and a better sound stage and focus, also better bottom end (to my ears). I decided to do some research and found an excellent music magazine site with complete magazines back to the 40's, studio, musician, and broadcast engineering types (once I find it again I'll post it). Anyway, I found out that the Big Reds were designed to be hung in the soffits of studios, and got their bass response from that placement. Got me thinking that maybe the ports could be re-tuned for better bass response while most of us have them sitting on the floor in our listening rooms.

I haven't dragged out mic and stand and run the analysis software yet but I thought I would at least get the ball rolling here...has anyone played with box tuning on the Big Reds? Mine are bone stock having been purchased new in about 1976 by the radio station I worked at, and were being pushed into a dumpster when I rescued them 10 years ago. They aren't pretty, having been used on remotes for years and have heavy castors and equipment handles on them, so the first thing I might do is get them up on some bricks and off the wheels.

Cheers

Paul

[Alien_Shore]

I decided to do some research and found an excellent music magazine site with complete magazines back to the 40's, studio, musician, and broadcast engineering types (once I find it again I'll post it).

Please do - would very much like to see that.
As far as your big reds, I've not played with them, but if you have measuring equipment you can do the board a great service by documenting what you do! It's always great to see a revamp job along with some modern quantitative analysis of these old gems.

[kilohertz]

Here's the link, just before I get out the highway in the snow....give you lots to read while the turkey is cooking..

And yes I'll keep you posted on the progress of my tuning and such, even post some graphs and things from my software, which I can't remember what it is but it does a lot.

Merry Christmas!

Paul


AmericanRadioHistory.Com - Documenting the History of Radio TV and FM broadcasting

[Altec Best]

Please do - would very much like to see that.
As far as your big reds, I've not played with them, but if you have measuring equipment you can do the board a great service by documenting what you do! It's always great to see a revamp job along with some modern quantitative analysis of these old gems.

I agree I would like to see the measurements as well..