A5s with 1505Bs

Hi I have been on and off this good forum over several years, but always turn back :)
I have had 604-g8s in DIY 620 cabinets for the last 5years. I had som issues in the beginning but eventually got them to sing with german autoformer crossovers (Werner Jagusch) and augmented by JBL0075s in the top ( severly padded down by autoformer). In the course of these 5 years I have only heard (in 2013) one set of speakers that seriously challenged my 604s ...and I managed to exhange som electronics for them last week :)
So now I have Altec A5s to play with :D The set consists of battered 828 cabs, Hiraga inspired crossovers, 1505B multicells :D , Altec 299-8As and a choice between 416c or 515g woofers.
Im testing the 416c now.
Regarding amps, the 604s preferred my pp kt88 amps and Hypex Nc400, 300b got too big and loose in the bass. The A5s with 416c don't sound good with the class D amps, sound ok with the PP amps once I put in some 6L6 in stead of Kt88s, but really sing with my 300b LD91 amps.
My next steps will be to choose between the 416c and 515g woofers.
But alerady now they are awesome on all kinds of music, im a happy man :)

I was wondering if I should keep both the 515Gs and the 416Cs, use the 515 in the 828s and 416Cs in my now spare 620cabs for bass reinforcement.

Photo of my A5s
Attachment 3036

Crickets? Come on man.

This is the ultimate home application for Altec theater kit. There should be endless amounts of opinions and recommendations.

Having said that, it's been years since I've heard a variant of these speakers in a domestic application. But I'm going to give you my humble opinion of your components as i have been contemplating such a system for years now. if I can ever get my hands on a used A5 for cheapo, I'll be on my way.

The 1505 looks the best of the big multi-cells... especially w the A5 variants. Super cool in my book. But, the reason why I wouldn't choose it in my application is it's just overkill. The third row of cells isn't necessary and may result in problematic reflections in a domestic application. My choice would be a 1005 or 805. i will eventually try both but I have a feeling the 805 would have less side wall reflections.

With proper use of reflectors, sound absorption and the right room, the 1505 might work beautifully. Did I mention how cool they look?`

OK.. here's another not so experienced opinion for the 515 vs 416. From what I've read (yes take my opinion fwiw), the consensus seems to be that the 416 a little better in the mid range and the 515 better on the low end. So, my thought is... since I'm a fan of using subwoofers, the 416 might be better since i'll have help on the bottom. The source for this opinion is the Lynn Olson thread at DIY Audio. Most of that discussion is using flat baffles, so, i might be wrong with that assumption in the A5.

Thanks lokie for your comments.
I have not heard all the altec horns, but the main selling point for me where the 1505Bs. When I heard them the first time, they where unlike other horns I had heard, they dont beam and present the music as a big volume of sound. I had a feeling I would get them to work in my space.. and they do. I listen in a nearfield (2,5-3m) so I never have to play especially loud and have bookcases on the sidewalls as absorbents. Where I have work to do is in the bass, need to reinforce the cabs and try differen reflex openings. I tested the 416c earlier and changed to 515Gs yesterday. My initial impression is that the 416C go slightly deeper but the 515G resolve better in the upper end of their range, this may change when I have used them for some days. My initial feeling was that I liked the 416c more but that may also change with some milage :)
Regards
Kjartan

Awesome speakers keep the 1505's they are way better than the 805's or 1005's... I'm curious as to what electronics you traded to get those Awesome Speakers... My assumption is you got a smokin deal :cool2:

The 1505's look great! I would stick with those for sure. They are hard to find nowadays

I have been looking for some multi cells for a while with no luck. I'm thinking about buying a pair of the wood or ceramic versions from the guy on ebay in Europe. They are supposed to be accurate to the originals. There is no replacement for the real thing though.

Good luck with your tweaking. If it were me, I would use the 515 woofers in the A5 cabs

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Originally Posted by Altec Best

Awesome speakers keep the 1505's they are way better than the 805's or 1005's... I'm curious as to what electronics you traded to get those Awesome Speakers... My assumption is you got a smokin deal :cool2:

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Thanks Altec Best, I exchanged a Leben preamp I had had for awhile. I already love the 1505Bs :) The Leben can be bought again if I miss it, the 1505Bs are the only ones I have seen for sale in my part of Europe for at least the past 7 years.

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Originally Posted by Elitopus1

The 1505's look great! I would stick with those for sure. They are hard to find nowadays

I have been looking for some multi cells for a while with no luck. I'm thinking about buying a pair of the wood or ceramic versions from the guy on ebay in Europe. They are supposed to be accurate to the originals. There is no replacement for the real thing though.

Good luck with your tweaking. If it were me, I would use the 515 woofers in the A5 cabs

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Thanks Elitopus1 I have decided to stick with the 515s, my initial impression was probably because they are less forgiving than the 416s, and where somewhat boomy on some material. I reduced the amount of rockwool damping and that opened up the bass resolution. Im only in an early phase, initially I will stiffen the cabs and play with reflex opening. It took me several years and 4 crossovers to get my Altec 604-8Gs to really sing, I expect the A5 to be a little easier but still it will take time to get everything right (or more correctly - as I like it :) ).
Markus Klug at Klughoerner makes really beautiful wooden replicas.