Audio Asylum Thread Printer

Get a view of an entire thread on one page

FAQ / News / Events

High Efficiency Speaker Asylum

RE: What does one need to look at when buying a pair of these (nt)?

15.252.48.166

Steve Jones

In Reply to: RE: What does one need to look at when buying a pair of these (nt)? posted by xcortes on May 24, 2007 at 11:42:06

Patience.

I've seen them on Ebay for a couple of years in many degrees of condition. I found these on my local Craig's list.

Local pickup was important for me. As well as being able to see the speakers first hand.

Now for things to consider.

Look over the general condition of the speakers. Do they look like they are a match? If in original condition, do they look like 30 year old speakers with a patina that shows pride of ownership, or do they appear beat to s**t like they were used in the assault against Manuel Noriega?

Make sure the drivers are original or have been reconed with genuine ALTEC or GPA cone. Look for the ALTEC dust cap vent and goopy accordian surround. Beware of solid dust caps and/or rubber or foam surrounds.

Ask if the crossover has been modified (monkeyed with). Unless you are familiar with these, I'd shy away.

One note on drivers... early 19s had ALTEC 416-8B alnico woofers. Later ones had 416-8C ferrite woofers. Supposedly the 19s BR box was sized for the 416-8B, and is too large for the 416-8C. In the coming weeks I'll get mine tested (with the GPA cones) and calculate out what size box "my" woofers need. If I need a smaller box volume, I'll try blocking off the upper section, and try to retune the port without doing anything irreversible.

Ask to hook them up and listen for balance and a central image between the pair. Listen for warts, they should sound GOOD.

I'm sure there are alot more points that other may pitch in with.

In my case I lucked out (big time), as the pair I bought were 100% restored to at least as good as new condition. Poor guy got married and his wife put her foot down to get rid of them.

So look and look some more, and be sure and grab a pair if you run across the right ones for you.

-Steve

Follow Ups:

RE: What does one need to look at when buying a pair of these (nt)? - GM 15:09:11 05/24/07 (3)
Greets!

Note that if losing ~2 dB of efficiency is OK, then you can add 1 ohm series resistance to get the -8C to 'fill' the cab, then reduce the vent area to ~18.1"^2 to flatten it out and shelve the HF horn to match it.

If you're a DIYer, building your own cabs and buying new components except for the 811 horn is the most cost efficient in the long run IMO and it allows you to shape the cab for better performance without adding on stands or taller bases and making them one piece rather than the leaky, bass degrading three tier assembly of the original.

Or if you're not into woodworking, a dude on the Altec forum is getting ready to offer some repro cabs as well as complete speakers:

GM
Loud is Beautiful if it's Clean!
- M19 repro (Open in New Window)
- RE: What does one need to look at when buying a pair of these (nt)? - Steve Jones 15:27:03 05/24/07 (2)
  Hi GM,
  
  Thanks for the info. I'll try that 1 ohm series resistor. Is it OK to simply wire it in series at the binding posts, or do I have to go in to the crossover and wire it in series with the woofer circuit?
  
  New boxes and clones. Of course there are more modern ways to skin the Altec cat. The Model 19 is not magic, but simply a damn good turn-key speaker.
  
  Finding a pair in this shape after lusting for them for 30 years, is like running into your high school homecomimg queen at a reunion. And finding out she's an aerobic instructor, recently divorced, and just had a boob job.
  
  Too much for me to pass up. ;-)
  
  Cheers,
  -Steve
  - RE: What does one need to look at when buying a pair of these (nt)? - GM 15:43:34 05/24/07 (1)
    Greets!
    
    You're welcome! Yes, no need to do it at the XO. Understood, though the M19s never impressed me, I just added the other info for any interested folks.
    
    GM
    Loud is Beautiful if it's Clean!
    - RE: What does one need to look at when buying a pair of these (nt)? - Steve Jones 07:59:21 05/25/07 (0)
      Hi GM,
      
      Makes sense, as when I auditioned the 19s the owner was using a tubed MacIntosh amp with high output impedance and I'm using solid state chipamp with low output impedance.
      
      I'll try a tube amp with variable NFB to dial in speaker dampening.
      
      Thanks,
      -Steve

Post a Followup:

FAQ

Post a Message!

Forgot Password?

Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
	Remember my Moniker & Password (What's this?) Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:

Message:	(Posts are subject to Content Rules)

Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:	Automagically notify you when someone responds.

To view your new posting or follow-up, click on the RELOAD or REFRESH button on your browser.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

The Cable Cooker