Altec 19 ??? injection of reality.

[Romy the Cat]

I have no idea why I decided to do it. Probably because to make somebody else?s life miserable is a natural objective for us - the felines, however I think that for sake objectivism and contra-balance of the unnecessary drooling that is going on around here, it should be said, and who would the best person to say it beside the always-hissing, meowing creature? I understand that for the people who find identify and interest in audio by association with a specific manufacture it might sound like heresy but it is what it is.

I do not know why people at this board sing hymn to the Altec 19. Perhaps it is what people should do within the communities where the manufacture?s label has more value then the beneficial applied value of the product. However, if for a second to forget that Altec 19 is a part of the ?attachable? gang and to look at the 19s performance objectively then quiet different view might immerge: the Altec 19 were as problematic as the rest of the Altec speakers and those unfortunately-two-ways 19s deliver quite mediocre not to say pitiable performance.

Let leave alone the 19?s midrange driver, this is a big topic and it will not necessary would be ?handleable? within the scope of Altec forum. The 19?s midrange horn is very poor and those metal rectangular horns are the primary reason why horn loading eared with some people its bad reputation. The 19?s funny-ported bass is funny and ported. No mater how ?interesting? the 416-516 drivers might be but the woofers result in the 19s severely screwed buy injection into the listening space the acoustic dirt coming from the port. The 19?s overbuilt crossover is quite compromised as well: while those resonators ?fix? the problems with the drivers (actually the do not fix anything but just cure the symptoms) they kill transient response (that is problematic with Altec drivers to begin with) and they screw few other quite valuable things.

Yes, the 19 is a nice ?cute? package the might be more ?interesting? than the honorable garbage that is being manufactured by the contemporary audio industry by even somebody?s nostalgia attack should not mask out the fact that the 19s are not particularly properly perfuming acoustic system.

Rgs,
Romy the Cat

[boltupright]

I guess that not all of us that like the sound of the model 19 have the acute hearing that you do!

[Altec19]

Apparently, cats don't hear things in the same way that humans do!

[cclark65]

Beauty (and audio quality) is in the eyes (and ears) of the beholder

[Romy the Cat]

Boys, there is nothing subjective about hearing. If you spent a little bit more time to think and teach yourself about the OBJECTIVE LISTENING EVALUATIONS and little bit less to those endlessly collaborating about the Altec?s SKUs and how to get ?faster bass? out of 515B then you might become more evolved and demanding critics of what you hear (that is not really important) and HOW you hear (this is VERY important).

Rgs,
Romy the caT

<font color="#FFFFFF" size="1">[ July 26, 2004 12:02 PM: Message edited by: Todd W. White ]</font>

[Hornluvr]

Thanks for the physics lesson, Romy, but I think
speaker design is an art rather than a science,
or else every schoolkid with a laptop and a CAD
programme could build the perfect speaker.
I have had my model 19 for 4 months, and it beats
every speaker I have owned before, among them
Infinity Beta, B&W 801, and SonusFaber Amati.
So please keep your technobabble to yourself, you
won?t talk anyone here into throwing their Altecs
in the landfill. Regards, Martin

[acre]

Hi Romy,

There are a million different speakers on the market out there. Just out of curiosity, what is your favorite and why?

[Romy the Cat]

Originally posted by Hornluvr:
Thanks for the physics lesson, Romy, but I think
speaker design is an art rather than a science,
or else every schoolkid with a laptop and a CAD
programme could build the perfect speaker.
I have had my model 19 for 4 months, and it beats
every speaker I have owned before, among them
Infinity Beta, B&W 801, and SonusFaber Amati.
So please keep your technobabble to yourself, you
won?t talk anyone here into throwing their Altecs
in the landfill. Regards, Martin

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">?and what is fanny in this ?hobby? that any schoolkid with a laptop and own head stuffed with those Infinity, B&W and SonusFaber loves to pontificate about the loudspeakers as about a mysterious divine art. Acoustic system, as well the entire audio, very much might be built as the highly artful, almost mysterious, manner but something suggests me that you had never experiences that level of audio. At least you should not mention it in context of Model 19, that is just a schoolkid?s parody on sound reproduction. You see, to re-phrase somebody else?s fashionable colloquialisms it is not where the real creatively derives form? I feel that for you to graduate an audio elementary school it would be mandatory in order to blame me in technobabbling, whatever it might means to you. Talking about the schoolkid: as I explained to my students: before crossing the La Manche you should be able do not sink in a bathe tap.

Anyhow, the Model 19 is not the speaker where any serious technical or exoteric conversations should even start. The Model 19 is an ordinary highly compromised consumer pop-speaker, worth today ~$1500 and it dose performs exactly at this price level (perhaps even better).

However, as the stand-alone speaker, without any reference to others, the Model 19 is very poor acoustic system and it does not really deserve any serous consideration in context of any more or less demanding music reproduction, particularly serious music.

I do not question the sensibility of you intimate relation with your new Model 19 (and particularly after your B&W?s ride) but we are not talking about the depth of your feeling but about the very specific, tangible property of the specific Altec model.

In the end, Martin, I have no idea why instead of learning you put yourself in defense position, but apparently it is how you behave. Relax: I have no interest of intention to argue with you or to prove you anything? Enjoy your new Model 19 and disregard this thread for a time being. When you realize a value in it (if you do) then the thread still will be here. This is why I initiated it.

Rgs,
Romy the Cat

<font color="#FFFFFF" size="1">[ July 26, 2004 12:06 PM: Message edited by: Todd W. White ]</font>

[cclark65]

You make many statements and arguements as to why they sound bad, but give nothing about what might sound good.
Are you one of those people that are never satisfied with anything!?
I have a friend like that, and I told him once that it must be terrible to never be happy with anything!

[Romy the Cat]

*** You make many statements and arguements as to why they sound bad, but give nothing about what might sound good.

And this is quite appropriate way to carry a message out. I informed about the specific limitations of the Model 19 that no one in here so far was able to intelligently argue. I do not build a hierarchy what it better or worth and rarely suggest anything: I have my reasons why. I know the unfortunately-feeble soul of the audio zombies and I understand that they are searching for a solution that comes on a brawn truck with a label ?guaranteed?. I do not offer this type of service: I juts have no interest in it.

*** Are you one of those people that are never satisfied with anything!? I have a friend like that, and I told him once that it must be terrible to never be happy with anything!

Charles, in your prediction you?re strangling with your fear of your expectations but not with my factual diagnoses. As I undusted, the subject of this thread is (was!!!) ?Altec Model 19? but not the immeasurable craziness and countless personal limitations of ?Romy the Cat?. In your reply (similar to the reply of the rest people) I did not see anything that relates or benefits the subject. I offer you to stick to Model 19 as your comments about the Cat sound too clich? and too banal.

Rgs,
Romy the caT

PS: BTW, if you carefully read my runt in ?Some sensible Horns antipropaganda?? then you would get satisfaction regarding your speakers queasily and your frustration with your friend.