Your Opinions, Please!

Hi folks,

I'm wondering what kind of market there might be for custom-built cabinets for Altec speakers to be used in the home.

These would be furniture-grade quality, available in a variety of veneers, and hand finished to the customer's specifications. Manufacturing would be held to strict tolerances, and hand-assembled on order.

I'm thinking Stonehenge V-type enclosures for 604's, plus a special version of the same enclosure that will accommodate the parts from a Model 19.

Another possibility might be a 6-cubic foot version of the SHV.

I've talked with Bill about it - he said he gets inquiries about enclosures a lot.

What are your thoughts on the market for them, price points, types of wood, etc.?

My youngest son works in a cabinet shop and is looking to supplement his income so as to help support his young family (their first child is four months old), hence my interest.

It sounds like a great idea, but I don't think I'd count on too many orders coming from this board. Most of us seem to be Do-it-yourselfers, or Do-with-outers. That's not to say money can't be made taking on such a project.

As far as types of wood...... lots of people get into all those African woods, like Zebra. I like good ole Walnut myself.

Yeah, I know most here are DIYer's - but I respect their insight.

I really like the 1/4-sawn oak or red oak myself.

Cherry is pretty too, if you do it right.

Bill's offered to let me set up a link to a website I'd build for my son - that may prove to be very helpful.

THANKS!

Todd..i really do believe that professional cabinet builders could get much better results in the waf catagory. also, there are some really beautiful designs out there. i really like the horn enclosures in the thread concering 414's and 811's.

Well, I've actually been able to sell SH V's because the wife thought they were nice looking...if that's what you mean by WAF...

He is a professional cabinet maker - and he does nice work.

His dad is a pretty good amateur with many years experience in speaker cabinet design and construction, so he's not too averse to having help from his old man...

Personally, I don't see much of a market beyond Bill's queries, so unless he's willing to direct customers to your son.........

That said, 846B, M19, Onken and Magnificent style cabs are perrenial faves and a flat pack kit with maybe any horn sections preassembled made from whatever wood a customer prefers (priced accordingly) may be viable products as well as a few finished ones if shipping costs don't make them deal breakers.

HT is where it's at these days though, so compact as practical monitors designed to mate to 80 Hz XO'd sub systems may be viable flat pack and finsished products., not to mention matching sub systems.

GM

I've thought about precut kits for some of these cabinets myself, as well - not a bad idea for someone who has the ability but not the time or inkling to buy the materials, cut them correctly, etc., - all they'd have to do is assemble and go.

Still think nothing sounds as good a a big speaker (of the correct type) in a big enclosure (of the correct type and tuning) - beats the heck out of the best little speakers in my ears hands down.

Yes, with Bill's referral's, it might be a good idea...

Wow, I'm still having trouble accepting that either of those 2 polite young men I met at the GPAFest awhile back could be old enough to be family men now... how could they have gotten older? I haven't...;)

I think the biggest obstacle might be shipping, or more specifically, the $ it adds to the total price. Parts Express offers a selection of cabs, but they seem to top out at less than 1 cu ft. Don't know if that's because that's what sells, or because no one will pony up for shipping anything bigger.

Whatever the result, I wish him the best!

(add another vote for red oak) :)

Yeah, the older one is married, too. It's the one with the flat-top that's married with a baby now. He turns 20 tomorrow!

I haven't gotten any older, either - not sure how this all happened: seems like only yesterday I was a freshman at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville...

After mulling a bit, a potentially good thought struck me.

Perhaps a model to start with that would be more on the compact, currently-marketed lines, and easier on the shipping fees. I'm thinking of something tailored specifically for Bill's new 212s. Could be for stereo or HT mains. Another semi-compact box for a 3154 could fill in sub duty.

Added:
No need to stop there though. A 212 CC and surrounds.

As for shipping knocked-down "kits", something that would only require a screw gun or driver to assemble might be very appealing. With cabinetry-grade cabs, there are roll and strip adhesives that could eliminate the glue mess, and some matching screw plugs or stick-on trim to hide the screws.

Added later:
Just trying to think like a consumer (and that ain't easy fo' me!)

I think there are some really big problems with this idea;
People today are very busy with games, phones, mp3 and that kind of rubbish, and the few people who love audio/hifi a very little they like small aluminum/plastic speakers more.
The real audio lovers today, which don't have a separate listening room, they have to handle the modern house wives, because this kind of wives wanted to be modern consumers, and in "there" living rooms is no place for big Altec stuff.


[ siting in my own basement/bar, listening to Pink Floyd "Brain Damage" and drinks a glass of beer ]

Well, a knocked-down kit that could be assembled from the inside might just be the ticket - one that wouldn't show any screws or nails. The kicker would be that it'd probably need to be stained and finished by the end user, as they could apply any filler needed, do final light sanding, then stain and finish. What do ya'll think?

As for the wife thing - the key is to marry someone only AFTER you're sure she understands and appreciates that big ALTEC sound: if not, dump her and go find someone who does! ;)

Enclosures for the popular altec horns is a thought. Maybe even some wooden horns that look classy. Lots of DIYers shy away from any joint that is not square.

Might be a good idea for all the 604 variants. Lots of 604's floating around out there in the market place & in collections minus cabinets.

The model 19 cabinet (if copied exactly) is too complicated to be economical, but the M19's unique cabinet is a part of it's appeal......a simple box would do fine sound-wise....but it'd no longer be a model 19.

I like the idea but I think it ought to cater to 604 variants.

just my 2-cents.
Russ

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mah

Enclosures for the popular altec horns is a thought. Maybe even some wooden horns that look classy. Lots of DIYers shy away from any joint that is not square.

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Don't know if it'd be good sound-wise....but Westlake style horns in the model 19 would look awesome!

Russ

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Todd W. White

I've thought about precut kits........

Still think nothing sounds as good a a big speaker.........

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FWIW, on every DIY forum I've browsed where this discussion arises, ready to finish flat packs are what the majority claim to want and while they all never back it up with purchases, there's usually enough sales to justify the effort, especially if the driver, etc. is part of the package, though typically these have to be passed on at ~ the same price as the end user can get them for, so no extra profit margin unless they can be bought cheaper in bulk.

Agreed, but unfortunately many folks don't want the bulk plus a HIFI/HT monitor with a ~ 80 Hz usable BW is preferable if a separate sub system is used.

GM

I agree about the 604 and it's variants - in fact, that's what I had in mind, except for the version of the SH V for the Model 19 components.

Hi Todd,
congrats on the one on the way! just my opinion but if someone was to market a cab that would fit around a stock A7 with furniture grade wood and a nicely done grille I would be interested in two almost immediately, depending on price of course! seems like there is always a lot of talk about WAF and I am including myself in that! the gray utility A7s in the HT room are not the most beloved of my speaker sets. I have actually talked to a cab building firm locally, but the best they had to offer was some kind of engineered looking plywood that wasn't very nice looking. I am a capable carpenter but getting funiture grade corners on large sheet goods is beyond my tool compliment. I also like the idea of a knock down M19. again, it seems like the edges and corners are where most people need the help.
just my .02
scott in nc

Hi Todd,
correction! congrats on the newest addition! wasn't paying attention to what I was reading. even as I speak my grandson [6 yesterday] is playing guitar hero on the altec A7 home theater system in the other room! amazing how good those speakers can sound!haha!
again, congrats.
scott in nc

A7's (or any horn flare, for that matter) aren't easy to build - took my old cabinet man (now has fibromyalgia) several tries to get it right.

That said, are you talking about a retrofit, glue-on veneer set for the battleship grey A7's, or new, furniture grade cabinets (Magnificent's)?

Oh, and thanks for the congratulations - I'm not officially a grandpaw...

Hi Todd,
I was talking about a knockdown sleeve if you will. the guys I talked to were talking about a set of panels made out of 3/4 inch material that would fit snuggly around the gray cabs. would be funiture grade, ie prettier and also reinforce the cabinets by adding mass to the whole cab. a large one piece grille with stretch frame grille cloth would cover both the internal horn and the woofer horn area with one large grille as opposed to the factory originals that only covered half of that area. I have also entertained sheet veneer, but have run into snags at the local level in finding someone who would have it available or order it. its also not very inexpensive. I think it was going to run about three or four hundred in just the veneer, not including any kind of grille. anyway, thats where I stalled and we now listen to the usual battleship gray cabs. they sound great but leave alittle to be desired cosmetically! I think an actual build of a cab like a magnificent would get costly and shipping would be very high.
thanks,
scott in nc

I'd be up for a 'knocked down flat panel' kit. I have 825 cabs now but also have the prospect of 'downsized' retirement home in the near future. In addition my system would be downsized to a Stonehenge 604/605/704 type system. I don't own the proper equipment to make all the precise cuts required (may also be the case with some/most?) other DIYer's but am capable of assembly and finishing the cabinet. I would envision a knockdown kit designed/ported for a series of drivers as above. The only thing in the kit (aside from a proven design) would be those precision cut panels. Optional packages/items might include bracing, screws, t-nuts, gaskets, grill cloth, etc. all the things that DIYer?s might have on hand or obtain easily don?t need to be provided to keep purchasing and shipping costs down. Essentially the kit would provide the items that may not be easy to get (13 ply high density plywood or whatever is used), require special equipment and/or skill (precision cuts, mounting holes, biscuit joining, etc), and of course a proven design with porting requirements for suitable drivers with end result a DIY cabinet that doesn?t look DIY.