I have my choice

[djnagle]

if I have my choice of 811, 511, or 311 as well as any horn driver made by altec. Also my choice of 400 series or 500 series woofer. Which should I go with

[Altec19]

Hi Igor,

It's all about projection/size of the room and crossover frequency. Keep in mind what the original purpose was for the various horns. I have 811s in the living room and 511s in the family room. You really need to back away from the 511s and give them some distance to work properly. The 811s are meant for a smaller environment and are probably more appropriate for most home situations. Crossover frequency has to be considered as well. 800 Hz vs. 500 Hz in the case of the 811 and 511. Also, what series of compression driver do you have/want/prefer? Large format (three bolts) or small format (two bolts). I won't comment on the 311 since I don't have a pair to refer to at the moment.

As for woofers, 400 series generally has better bass extension, 500 series has smoother midrange. Certain woofers are better for horn loading, others for bass reflex applications. 400 series are usually a little less money than 500s.

Probably a good place to start would be to consider how Altec mixed and matched components and cabinets, especially those models that are highly regarded yet today. Isn't it wonderful to have choices?

Later . . .

[Charles Chance]

If you haven't done so yet, you might want to read the essay on VOTTS written by Jim Dickenson. It's located at the link included.Sound Practices