Fair price for 515E?

What is a fair price for 515E drivers?

I know someone who has half a dozen that are generally in good condition. The only bad thing is that they have two opposite sides of the basket fronts cut down slightly to fit some weird cinema install that they were in. They are parallel cuts straight through the bolt hole so there is still enough basket to mount them well, I think.

I see them on ebay for $500 each, but this seems high. Does anyone really pay that? What would a fair (to both parties) offer be?

Thanks.

For E's that is very high. The E is considered less desirable than earlier or later ones. Personally I'd think $250 and less with cut frames.

The 16 inch frame has to be cut to fit in older 210's. Later 210's are widened.

e's in an 828 cab pound..i mean drive ya off the couch, type pound! so i bought another pair and loaded the garage pair of 210's. for what it's worth, the cut sides are strictly a cosmetic issue and wont effect sonics

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Originally Posted by Old Guy

For E's that is very high. The E is considered less desirable than earlier or later ones. Personally I'd think $250 and less with cut frames.

The 16 inch frame has to be cut to fit in older 210's. Later 210's are widened.

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Which of the 515s are best and why?

Here are one qualified person's opinions

altec

I never liked the E as well myself, if the unit will seal, the cut frame is mostly cosmetic. But it creates a weak point. And devices always fail at a weak point. I would pay less for cut frames.

There are at least two variations of 515E.

This type(some of us call them "flat magnet" style) pretty much sucks, in my next life i will try them loaded with 416 parts:

Attachment 1785

This type(rounded magnet) ain't so bad, IMO as good as 515G in the small horns like 828, 816, and 817:

Attachment 1786

I tell a similar tale about the 416C...........................

They are the rounded magnet type.

The tale is the same on the 416C, meaning rounded vs. flat magnets?

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Originally Posted by gortnipper

They are the rounded magnet type.

The tale is the same on the 416C, meaning rounded vs. flat magnets?

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Yes, round and flat mag versions. Apparently, there were also differences in some of the 416C moving parts during the Telex/EV years.

The various incarnations of 416 i'm not familiar with beyond the B, but i've heard the 515E's of both types in 828 cabinets. I thought the round magnet E sounded nearly identical to 515G. The flat magnet E had the least low extension, and the midrange was dull and lifeless compared to any other Altec woofer, it was bested by 99 dollar(at the time) Dayton 400watt pro cast frame woofers from Parts Express(actually pretty decent woofers).

May well be I only heard the flat version and never bothered investigating further. IMHO they just plain sounded bad.

Maybe you heard a bad example?

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Originally Posted by VolvoHeretic

Maybe you heard a bad example?

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Possibly, but after Bowtie's opinion they suck, I suspect that is indeed what I heard. Towards the last bankruptcy Altec was having QC issues. But something comes to mind about the 604's...were there not mags on later 604's that caused weak bass? The 604 was 515 based. So might be the same mags? I have very limited exposure to ferrite in both so asking, not offering an explanation.

mine are the rounded magnet woofers, not cut frames. they articulate the mid bass very fast, no lag, no mud. the 40- 80 hz range is solid and tight, no wompy sound. they did have more pound in the short horns, i.e. the 828, but still very formidable doubled up in a 210