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Author Topic: picked up some big altec lansings (1204b VOTT)  (Read 2180 times)

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RexAeterna

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Re: picked up some big altec lansings (1204b VOTT)
« Reply #10 on: February 14, 2015, 01:49:19 AM »

Frog damping mod FTMFW!

What can I say, my g/f likes frogs for some reason. She even doesn't mind abd likes the looks of the big altecs.
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RexAeterna

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Re: picked up some big altec lansings (1204b VOTT)
« Reply #11 on: February 14, 2015, 11:47:19 AM »

ooooooh. Very nice. I need to get off my ass and put my Altec 511 horns / x-over together. I want to integrate the horns with OB woofers on the bottom end.


Yeah - don't shove crap like foam in the horns. The tar and rubber stuff is to prevent the metal horns from vibrating.


Also, can you look in the back and tell what compression drivers are used?

Just quoting again. Anyhoo, yea. Mine uses the 808-8b compression drivers that supposedly improved version of earlier 808's due to some caps and phase plugs added for much greater power handling and excursions. It's really up for debate though cause how lot of altec fans are. Some argue that the the 808-8b is not as nice in sound as original for hi-fi use even though the older 808's lack extension above 10khz while others say the newer symbotik (whatever it's called) 808-8b is just as nice with no difference but has much greater extension past 20khz. Some say it's more due to crossover limitations then driver limitations.  I don't know. I just know I really love and still surprise how ultra smooth the top end is on these things. I had little prejudice against horns cause experience with klipsch speakers in the past burnning my ears. The altecs has eliminated my phobia of horns.

My crossover I believe set kinda high for the 511c horns and 808-8b drivers since they use recapped 904-8A crossovers. The crossover point I believe is 1500hz instead of the recommended 500hz (from altec documents, ads, ect.) And 800hz (from altec fans). So far I think it works out great at it's current crossover point. Midrange sounds super clean and smooth.

The 921-8A woofers he put in supposedly were updated and improved version of the 421 woofers that was used for organs and pa use. The 921-8A was designed for the home version of the VOTT models (a7, a9, ect.) besides sound reinforcement and studio use.

I like them though and whatever my friend did to them made them sound great. I haven't done a side by side comparison with my technics sb7000a and the modified altec 1204b yet since I only had the altecs for bit less then a week and been kinda busy. Will try later on maybe out of curiosity and see how they compare.
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RexAeterna

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Re: picked up some big altec lansings (1204b VOTT)
« Reply #12 on: February 14, 2015, 07:18:27 PM »

I was listening to this earlier,

Asterisms - I'll never let you down
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ioOSPgiGa-U

and to my surprise g/f noticed something and pointed it out to me. She told me "it sounds different. Bit different to the technics."

I asked how. Also asked is It bad or good way. She said "the tone is differnt. Like sounds like actual voices and can hear more."

Then I decided to swap the altecs for the technics via quick speakon plugins on my crown ce2000.  To me they sound similar in response but as my g/f mentioned to me that the altecs sounded more clear and information coming out of them was more separated. Low end had bit deeper impact too.

I was actually surprised myself but to be bit fair the technics hasn't been recapped yet and altecs has. But overall me and my g/f thought they sounded very similar to each other but told me "I cant see how those big ugly horn thingies can sound more real and have more voices coming out" lol.
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''I'm a music lover. Not an audiophile.''

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''I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.''

''Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.''

Thad E Ginathom

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Re: picked up some big altec lansings (1204b VOTT)
« Reply #13 on: February 14, 2015, 08:38:34 PM »

As long as she couldn't hear that difference from the kitchen it's all good  :)p15 .

I don't  know about these big, old speakers, but I know a couple of people that do. People that fly around dead movie theatres like vultures. What I've heard at their houses has been absolutely amazing.
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RexAeterna

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Re: picked up some big altec lansings (1204b VOTT)
« Reply #14 on: February 16, 2015, 01:58:18 PM »

Even though they're capable filling out a nice size auditorium and have an amp capable filling out a pretty nice vanue I don't listen to my music very loud really. So no worries there.

Must be different where you're at cause Even for movie watching you'll be lucky to find good amount of people that still go to theaters at all. Most people rather wait till it comes on Netflix or something I know. I never even thought of asking old theaters for audio gear till my friend told me he picked up the large sought after JBL 4648's from a theater for dirt cheap. The large altecs I have came from a local band that my friend grabbed and worked on.

I might start asking theaters and churches but, im happy with the large altecs and my technics sb7000a speakers. I seriously don't need anymore crap cause I have no where to put it except dining area downstairs. I still have get rid of some big heavy guitar amps that I was given in the past by a friend. Might ask my brother to take them since he plays electric instruments (I only like acoustic instruments mostly. Lot of electric guitars sound terrible to me..im kinda picky[same way with lot of acoustic stuff too] ).

Anyhoo, yea I played with them some more last night compared to my technics sb7000a and still find them more similar than different too much. I just think the big altecs might have slight better upper air dispersion to the reason why they give off extra clarity. The bigger 1204b cab and 16" high sensitive/high power handling 921-8A woofers(101db@1w with max continues input of 200w) probably why they give a deeper rumble/vibration so give more then adequate low end extension for movies and games. My friend who worked on them thought they were bit bass light but I think limitations lied in the tube amp he used. Big stiff woofers like those needs ton of current reserves to push some air.

But, yea, I really enjoy these big heavy industrial looking speakers. Can see why  altec lansing had huge fellowing. I just thought it was just old people being....well...old.
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Re: picked up some big altec lansings (1204b VOTT)
« Reply #15 on: February 16, 2015, 08:11:43 PM »

The guys who I know who do the vintage stuff are not old. There are many  youngsters thinking that old gear has to be good, but the guys whose systems I saw are more mature than that. They just want good sound :)

It seems that you have had great adventures with audio kit ...and they are far from over: May you have many decades more, and much musical pleasure.  :money:

Quote (selected)
I really enjoy these big heavy industrial looking speakers

I think I might too, if I had the space. Some DIY get-up-and-go is very handy in this area too.

Yes, Cinema is still huge in this country. I've never been much of a cinema goer.
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RexAeterna

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Re: picked up some big altec lansings (1204b VOTT)
« Reply #16 on: February 16, 2015, 10:29:36 PM »

By old I meant like old people reminiscencing or something so due to their age their hearing went through a lot so I always took there praise of them neutral and was remaining agnostic and so forth. Lot of people that I know that know bout altec lansing are dudes in there late 50's to 60's. I know there is young people too but around here not much.

I owened lot of vintage stuff of course. Some good, some bad.
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''I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.''

''Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.''

DrForBin

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Re: picked up some big altec lansings (1204b VOTT)
« Reply #17 on: February 17, 2015, 12:46:48 AM »

By old I meant like old people reminiscencing or something so due to their age their hearing went through a lot so I always took there praise of them neutral and was remaining agnostic and so forth. Lot of people that I know that know bout altec lansing are dudes in there late 50's to 60's. I know there is young people too but around here not much.

hello,

being in that demographic, you are right.

and look how far they have fallen:

http://www.alteclansing.com/
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Thad E Ginathom

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Re: picked up some big altec lansings (1204b VOTT)
« Reply #18 on: February 17, 2015, 10:37:48 AM »

Indeed. I was only born in the 1950s, but still, having only got into hifi later in life, associated the name with that stuff, rather than the very serious speakers they used to make. I think the problem is in the "they..." It isn't "they" any longer, but just a trade mark that has been passed on and on?
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RexAeterna

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Re: picked up some big altec lansings (1204b VOTT)
« Reply #19 on: February 17, 2015, 01:42:23 PM »

I forgot when but, at some point the vice president engineer of altec lansing left and discovered jbl. Altec was still around but made a mess up in the design of 605 speakers for studios and by that time jbl flooded the consumer and professional market so altec lansing eventually went bankrupt and was bought out by some type of computer company.

Altec lansing at the time of there prime was known to primary cater in designing for studios and other professional applications and never designed much for home use. Yea valanicas, Santiagos, ect came out eventually but was over shadowed by by jbl and other companies.  The altec 17,19's, ect. Were basically pro speakers marketed for home use besides sound reinforcement but of course the name faded quickly.

I knew of the name cause my grandfather was electrician/radio specialist for the military so my dad told bout crazy stuff our grandfather use to play with. Only reason I knew of them and when started getting back into music I remembered that name but never found much and when I did they went for 1000's of dollars and still do. I just got lucky I guess knowing the right guy at the right time.

Altec lansing made really great power amps and mixers too. They might be designed for professional sound reinforcement but they can sound super clean and put to shame a lot of marketed  labeled audiophile amps. They're one of the few pro companies at time that provided data for their phase response, fr measurements,  output impedance, im measurement, tim measurement, ect.

Lot of amps don't do that. Only other company I know that did same at the time was crown and eventually overshadowed and dominated professional sound reinforcement/studio market. Altec lansing use make tons of very respectable equipment but eventually faded and became nothing but rememince. That's as far as I know....
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''I'm a music lover. Not an audiophile.''

''The World is Study.''

''I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.''

''Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.''
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