These look interesting for a nice project!

[gamalot]

http://cgi.ebay.com/12-Altec-617-8A-...QQcmdZViewItem

Anyone have any info or insight about this driver.
Looks like they could make a nice compact system minus the metal enclosures but I have never heard a word about these drivers.

Gary

[mah]

There is currently a pair of these drivers listed on Austalian Ebay. The 'buy it now' price is $AU2000(close enough to $US}. The seller states that the original new price was $AU7500 for the pair. That seems like a lot of money, even for OZ.

[bfish]

Originally posted by mah:
...Australian Ebay.,,

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The last pair on US didn't get the $99 starting bid.

[GM]

FWIW I have a specs pdf/measured specs and designed a cab for someone, but he never got back to me...........

Anyway, IIRC he swapped in some 802 diaphragms and was enjoying them on OBs at the time, EQing them with a Rane or similar, can't quickly find the emails, so as always YMMV.

GM

[gamalot]

Thanks to all. They do look kind of cool and almost like a mini 604 from what I am able to see.

Always thinking about making new projects just so I don't have to finish the old ones!

Sad to hear GM that you provided another with your gifted talents and he didn't have the time to provide you with the results!

Gary

[whitebroncoii]

The 617-8A is a 12" ceiling speaker for very high ceilings. The 617-8A is not a HI-Fi speaker. It's compression driver uses a Phenolic HF diaphragm and produces a wide HF bump (10dB) from 1kHz to 10kHz. I have seen the 617-8A successfully used as a floor monitor because it can "cut" through high stage volume.

[gamalot]

Originally posted by GM:
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by gamalot:

Sad to hear GM that you provided another with your gifted talents and he didn't have the time to provide you with the results!

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Thanks for the thought, but yeah, I'm pretty burned out on doing requested designs that nothing comes of them AFAIK for whatever reason.

GM

You helped me with the design and particularly the interior bracing of these.





They sound fantastic! Too bad the DJ friend I built them for forgot to mention he needed them to weigh around 60 pounds each!

He ended up buying some plastic boxed PVs I think and they can't even come close in sound quality but he can lift them.

Gary

<font color="#FFFFFF"><font size="1">[ July 08, 2008 12:34 AM: Message edited by: GM ]</font></font></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">

[magnarc]

That Australian seller is dreaming at that price, or been out in the WA sun too long. I would think that as he has approx 20, that the 7500 was the price for the lot new back whenever.

617's were quite common in several cinemas built in the late 70's and early 80's as surrounds, when the Goodmans and Vitavox stuff dried up. Following these, the 12" Etone with a wizzer cone was most common.

They make a lovely surround unit.

[GM]

Originally posted by gamalot:

Sad to hear GM that you provided another with your gifted talents and he didn't have the time to provide you with the results!

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Thanks for the thought, but yeah, I'm pretty burned out on doing requested designs that nothing comes of them AFAIK for whatever reason.

GM

<font color="#FFFFFF" size="1">[ July 08, 2008 12:34 AM: Message edited by: GM ]</font>

[Old Guy]

Hi guys- just stopped by to say hi-figured I would weigh in here.

We used those successfully in stage wedges way back- I'm thinking early 90's. They did OK in that.

As mentioned , they tend to be very upper mid oriented.

However- if I recall- wasn't the high end in that thing based on the University T-50? I looked at Great Plains, they don't list a replacement HF diaphragm- but I don't think it's physically possible to put the 802 diaphragm in there. On the other hand, I've been very wrong more than once in my life...just ask the redhead.

The Altec catalog doesn't say, they just say it's a tweeter horn.

I'll be in and out, hopefully back soon.