Check this out:
Munich High-End Go Pro Audio Show
Silbatone had quite the Altec setup!
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Check this out:
Munich High-End Go Pro Audio Show
Silbatone had quite the Altec setup!
Here are a few more pictures. I would have loved to walk that floor, too bad it was a half a world away.
VinylSavor: Munich High End Fair 2013
Yo, that is not ALTEC. Western Electric Mirrophonic, the grandmammy of ALTEC.
As much as I love the large format ALTEC, this is another world. All field coil drivers. 2 x 18" woofers per side in open back W cabs.
The 26A horn is made of two layers of sheet metal with bitumenized felt in between. Crazy labor intensive. Sounds insane.
We didn't get a great room for that system, which was specifed for 3000 seat theaters... but we rocked on.
Incidentally, I didn't hear anybody else playing "Smoke on the Water" besides us!
Here's a pic of me leading the charge
http://www.hifiwigwam.com/wp-content...8372171385.jpg
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Here's a vid that gives a decent portrayal of how the Munich Mirrophonic sounded
http://www.hifiwigwam.com/wp-content...8372171385.jpg
Those WE Mirrophonics are older than dirt ! And I bet they still will rival or better anything that can be produced today.. Wouldn't you say Joe ? Please tell me how they sound ? I would have enjoyed playing with that system. :biggrin2::cool2:
Joe both links are the same.Can you post the video ?
I wonder what is in those "mini A7s" in the OP link?
OOPS...how did that happen? Video is on this page, scroll down a bit:
Highend 2013: Audi??es (live sound videos) - parte 3 - de M a Y | Highend 2013 - Munique | Eventos | Artigos | HifiClube
This reporter didn't really like the system. He complained about the sound of Led Zeppelin being distorted. Well, it was not distorted at all but it was really freaking loud!! Guess he is used to nose flute music on 6" plastic cones!:biggrin2:
Here's his Led Zep vid, halfway down:
Highend 2013 - Munique: excentricidades | Highend 2013 - Munique | Eventos | Artigos | HifiClube
Michael Lavorgna and many other recognized that it sounded like the real thing. An actual rock concert over a huge PA.
The little speakers are GIP field coil 8" with a GIP reproduction of the WE 597 tweeter. All in a mini 828 flavored box. Cute....but it was very hard to switch from the big rig to anything smaller. A7s would sound like a computer speaker next to this monster.
The Mirrophonic dates from 1936-37. Only made for two years before WE was forced out of movie sound.
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Here's another vid with some godawful Asian "jazz" but some good gear porn.
Last year, I hid that CD after the second day. Couldn't take it no more!!
http://youtu.be/Y1ErIVOaIZ0
They sound good through my crappy Altec laptop speakers... I think the clarity of those is what makes them shine... To really get an idea of how a speaker really sounds you need to start with a high quality recording..A lot of Led Zep recordings could have been mastered a little better IMHO..But it was 1969. Whole lotta Love has built in distortion by design, especially the part where Jimmy Page uses the Theremin with his guitar.
It's rock...of course it has distortion in it!
But it has a lot of cool trippy ping pong effects and whatnot. Not a bad recording overall and, in certain parts, very impressive.
Anyway, it beats a lot of the audiophile garbage on 180g vinyl for enjoyment factor and it keeps the old German hippies happy. Keep in mind that the overwhelming majority of the attendees at the average audio show in Europe or USA are in the 50+ age group.
Thanks for the "guided tour" Joe! That's some amazing stuff - would love to go to one of those shows one day and hear that kind of high-end gear.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Geekstar
Yup You'll all just some old time Rock & Roll Hippies from the 60's !! :biggrin2:
http://www.hostboard.com/forums/hbmc...1.gif~original
Joe what would something like that be worth or cost to purchase today ? I also want to Thank You for posting that Awesome system !
Bigger problem than cost is finding the stuff to put together a complete system. It is really difficult to get top results with cobbled together parts. You really have to have the whole factory WE setup including those magic crossovers that are essential to getting it right.
Also a lot of this gear has been beat into the ground and reconed/rediaphragmed in the past. It is all rare but primo specimens are extra rare. The best specimens probably don't get sold on and there are a lot of folks trying to flip polished up lemons. It takes experience and knowledge to know which is which.
I know a few dealers in Korea who work hard at this and they charge BIG for restored turnkey 2 channel setups. I'm only guessing but I'd say $250k and up in Korean Won. But if you can afford $250k, you can probably afford $400 k...and the dealers are not afraid to ask a premium if they have something in an exceptional state. It is well worth it for the smart buyer to buy the best from a top dealer because a long and potentially fruitless struggle awaits those who buy partial or reject systems. It can take years to find a throat for a WE horn.
By the standards of the high end show, this is CHEAP!:p You can easily blow a couple hundred thousand on a plastic cone tower speaker with a fine corinthian leather cabinet and ceramic tweeters.
We didn't get anywhere near perfect results in that small and lousy showroom with one day to set up, but I hear a well-done Mirrophonic 2 in Korea a couple times a year and it is one of the best speakers I know.
One interesting technical aspect of the 594A driver is that WE very tightly controlled the mass rolloff of the HF ( =/- 0.1dB) so that if a 6dB peak in included in the amp, the motor system is flat with minimal phase delay out to 13k without a tweeter. Some of the best highs I ever heard. Bells and jingly things sound scary real.
The other thing that sets this system apart is that the bass baffles are open back--no energy storage. The LF turns off and on super fast with zero hangover. This is what you need if you want to blast "Smoke on the Water" at hippie party levels!