604e cabinet and crossover

[eisbär]

Dear Altec community, this ist my first post; I?m new to this board. I own a pair of 604e?s and - what a surprise - want to build a loudspeaker with them.

How I got the idea? A long time ago I listened to the 604?s (not mine) and was amazed. They sounded really great! 2 or three years ago I bougt the 604?s but up to now I didn?t manage to build the loudspeaker. Well, in the meantime I listened to another pair of 604?s (again not mine) and was really shocked. Nothing audible of the sound I appreciated so much at the first performance. No bass and sharp mids and heights.

That?s my story so far and in consequense I searched in the web for informations about the speaker before building them. But to be honest: I?m still a little bit confused. The more I searched the more opinions I?ve read. And the results of WinISD almost drove me crazy.

So I would like to ask you some questions and hope you can provide me with some information.

- On the lansing heritage I found plans for the 612 and 620 cabinets. Which one is best for the 604e? While the 612 seems to be the classic (studio) solution on th other hand 9cu^2 are recommended as optimum - exactly the 620. What is your experience? I?ve got enough space for both.

- Are there any new cabinet solutions existing or are the 612/620 still the optimum although the?re pre-T/S? I found Bill?s corner cab?s on the web and like them very much. Did anybody already combine them with the 604e? (By the way: My own results with WinISD gave some 60 litres - confusing ...)

- How to do the dampening? Shall I cover the baffle too?

- I found Jeff Markwart?s plans for the crossovers and he seems to recommend his 604-8H schematic as best solution for all the 604 (and even 605) drivers. Did I understand right?

Puh, these are a lot of questions and you had a lot to read. I hope you can give me some advice. And at last: I?m not a carpenter but surely can build a good cabinet. But I?m a looser when it comes to electrical problems.
Thanks and best regards
Eisb?r

[selmerdave]

Hi Eisbar,

620's seem to be the consensus of the way to go. If I'm thinking of the right "Bill's corner cabinets", I believe they are the same size and tuning as 620's but shaped differently.

Dave

[LICORNE]

Hi Eisbar,

As far a XO the Iconic Super Xo is a must. The older Xo have obsolete caps and inductors.
If 620 cabinet is your choice inquire if Iconics 603 super XO upgrade is perfect match.

http://www.iconicspkrs.com/downloads/dn604e_16su.pdf

.........................................

[klausesser]

Hey Eisb?r!
I own the same speakers and had the same problems . .
Found two cabinets of wich i think, they?re 620 or 820 . . there?s a bit confusion. Nevertheless they?re VERY big . . . 55x65x102cm and have a port of about 12x45cm.

i use an active xo at the moment - EV XEQ2, which was designed by Altec as i learned and matches perfectly - or the original NE1500, which sounds not really well . . . ;-) .

The Iconic XO i?d like to learn more about - but for one year now, there?s just a "preliminar datasheet" without real information and now way to learn the price of it. Too bad - maybe a very fine device!?

if you like, send me a mail or pm - i?m located in Duesseldorf.

best, Klaus

btw.: i had a very interesting conversation with Bill Fortier (Bill?s Corner Cabs, as Dave mentioned) and Jeff Markwart - nice guys! And very helpful!

[klausesser]

Eisb?r - here?s a picture:

[Todd W. White]

The Iconic crossover for the 604E, designed by Jerry Hubbard (former Head of Acoustic Research at Altec Lansing, 1982-92) works incredibly well when you put the 604E in the 9 cubic foot enclosure.

The 620 cabinet works well, but is bulky.

The Stonehenge V cabinet, below, is a better choice, as it is sleeker, yet maintains the same internal volume, AND it places the on-axis point of the 604 *it works well with all 604's - not just hte "E") even with the ear height of a seated listener.

[klausesser]

Hello Todd!

That?s fine to know - what about the xo-price? I asked that some time ago . . . ;-)

best, klaus

btw: the Stonehenge?s port is not for a 604E, isn?t it?

I also thought about an Onken cab . .

[Todd W. White]

Hi Klaus!

You would have to get with Jim Dickinson about the crossover price.

The tuning port shown is for the "G", but it is virtually identical for the "E", "H", and early "K".

[magnarc]

Todd, what are the dimensions of the Stonehenge V?

[eisbär]

Dear Folks,
thanks for all your replies and your helpful comments. I will think about the iconic XO. But to be honest I intend to use an active crossover in the long run as Klaus does. However I will contact iconic.

I?m also grateful for the comments on the Cabinets. I already downloaded an exact drawing of the stonehenge. It actually does look taller than the 620 - I really do appreciate this.

But I also did a few more reading and found the french magazine l'audiophile. In no. 43 there is a picture of a 604 in an onken cabinet. Well they also added a big horn on the top but I think it will work without too. My scanner needs to be reinstalled then I will post a picture immediately.

So let me ask a similar question as Klaus did: Did anybody already put a 604 in an Onken Cabinet? Is there any experienc with this kind of enclosure for our speaker?

Have a fine day
eisb?r