My DIY Altec Lansing A7 - Voice of the Theater
- Thread starter santhosh
- Start date
corElement
Well-Known Member
Wow they remind me of an upside down, mirror'ed Klipsch la scala
EDIT: Just noticed others also said the same thing.. haha
EDIT: Just noticed others also said the same thing.. haha
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reubensm
Well-Known Member
I was stalking this ad for some time but the seller had already committed to a buyer in Mumbai. He ultimatly sold these to the guy in Mumbai. Was quite sad that I missed out till Santhosh PM'd me about his Altec Lansing A7 build.
reubensm
Well-Known Member
Last weekend, we had our Annual Day Celebrations in a closed hall (a 1300 seater). There was this battery of JBL Horns used by the DJ. I must say, I felt as though my ribs were vibrating with the bass. Horn speakers are the favourite ingredients in cinema sound systems...does anyone remember sensurround and the movie, Earthquake from 1974?
Thanks Reuben. Knowing how you feel about Vintage audio, I wanted to let you know that things had progressed a bit since we last discussed (offline) about the A7s. All the best and keep looking for the La Scalas buddy. Never know how soon another pair will come up
.
srinisundar
Well-Known Member
Santhosh,
Any updates ??
Any updates ??
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Update Time Friends
After changing and listening to a few crossover components of different values, I have managed to somewhat finalise the attenuation on the HF at 8.5 dB. So, I have ordered some Russian NOS Paper in Oil capacitors to build a crossover with good components. Until now, the crossover has been a Jugaad one with components available in S.P.Road. Also, need to get an Inductor wound for the LF, currently it is running fullrange..anyways it is being crossedover at 1000Hz which is near its natural roll-off point.
I have also requested Stevieboy (and he kindly agreed ) to bring his Lyrita Set amp over so I can get an idea of how the A7s sound with tubes. Looking forward to it.
reubensm
Well-Known Member
Here's something interesting I found...your speakers were actually used by Howard Hughes....take a look!!
http://www.bugsweeps.com/info/howard_hughes.html
http://www.bugsweeps.com/info/howard_hughes.html
Howard Hughes seems to have been a bit of an all-rounder. The Altec mentioned here is the Valencia. It is one of the designs I had considered making but finally decided on the A7
.Checkout this video, they sound marvellous:
Altec Valencia 846B, MastersounD 300b compact, NAF Absolute part 2 - YouTube
One more:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V0mnTkOPAk
I was looking for videos of speakers using the Altec 805 horns (as I will be treading that path in the future....thanks to Rajiv) and found these:
Altec A5 with 6P1 tube amp - YouTube
Rajiv, like the way the 805's have been mounted - nice fixture. This one even has the Altec Mantaray MR 902-16HR SuperTweeters:
Mikhail Bondarev's audio setup.mp4 - YouTube
And one more:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eK38HA9TSo
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I finally received my Altec Labels from an eBay seller in HK.
I have temporarily stuck it with some 2-Way Sticker. Location is similar to how the Altec Magnificents had them except that I have not made a grille (very complex to do as they are cut out of wood)...someday.
I also got some heavy duty spikes[the hexagonal ones in the pic] from Mr.Murthy. I got the footers from a DIYer in Singapore. He regularly casts and sells them and he is quite popular on echoloft.com. Link: Hifi Accessories (too long to list at title)
Also got some cones and footers from Mr.Murthy. These are for the Audio rack and will be placed between the shelf and the wooden frame (this rack design has been inspired by Siva's rack). The spikes for the rack will be the same as the Hexagon ones that will be used for the speakers.
I have temporarily stuck it with some 2-Way Sticker. Location is similar to how the Altec Magnificents had them except that I have not made a grille (very complex to do as they are cut out of wood)...someday
.
I also got some heavy duty spikes[the hexagonal ones in the pic] from Mr.Murthy. I got the footers from a DIYer in Singapore. He regularly casts and sells them and he is quite popular on echoloft.com. Link: Hifi Accessories (too long to list at title)
Also got some cones and footers from Mr.Murthy. These are for the Audio rack and will be placed between the shelf and the wooden frame (this rack design has been inspired by Siva's rack
). The spikes for the rack will be the same as the Hexagon ones that will be used for the speakers.
I had requested Stevieboy earlier and last evening, he brought his Lyrita 2A3 Amplifier to test with the Altecs. We started by listening to the system along with my solidstate gear as it was connected anways and his response after listening to 3 to 4 tracks was "Your speakers are crying for tubes, you should be killed for this (blasphemic act) 
hyeah:".
I had heard the Lyrita 2A3s (with 45 tubes) at Rajiv's place with his Altecs and really loved the synergy which really wanted me to try it on my A7s. When we connected the Lyrita 2A3 (again with 45 tubes), the Altecs came into their own and were super happy just like Steven had judged. I was quite impressed that the tube magic could be felt across the frequency spectrum. There was more immediacy, more intimacy, more dynamics, fast decays, smoothness. I was smiling ear to ear - mostly because of the 2A3s and partly it was the joy that something I built was sounding so nice.
Steven mentioned that his version of the 2A3 is quite old and Viren has made several improvements to the amp now. He will be sending it to Viren soon for the upgrades and will receive it with his DHT pre. I look forward to hear that, few other tube amps before I finalise the amp.
@Stevieboy: Thanks a lot for getting your amp over buddy, really appreciate it.
Some pics:
hyeah:". I had heard the Lyrita 2A3s (with 45 tubes) at Rajiv's place with his Altecs and really loved the synergy which really wanted me to try it on my A7s. When we connected the Lyrita 2A3 (again with 45 tubes), the Altecs came into their own and were super happy just like Steven had judged. I was quite impressed that the tube magic could be felt across the frequency spectrum. There was more immediacy, more intimacy, more dynamics, fast decays, smoothness. I was smiling ear to ear - mostly because of the 2A3s and partly it was the joy that something I built was sounding so nice
. Steven mentioned that his version of the 2A3 is quite old and Viren has made several improvements to the amp now. He will be sending it to Viren soon for the upgrades and will receive it with his DHT pre. I look forward to hear that, few other tube amps before I finalise the amp.
@Stevieboy: Thanks a lot for getting your amp over buddy, really appreciate it.
Some pics:
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I've always wanted to hear a horn speaker preferably Altecs and thanks to Santhosh I finally got to hear one!
First off I must say I'm mighty impressed by Santhosh's DIY skills. Even though the cabinet is not yet veneered/polished it looks like a lovely period piece of furniture. Santhosh has merged the beading from the Magnificent cabinet and used it in the normally straight edges A7 cabinet to great effect. They're bloody huge! and he has the right space for them.
The first thing that hit me when I walked into the area before I even sat down was a relaxed effortless 'big scale' sound. No way a regular speaker's gonna be able to match that. Contrary to my urging his solid state amp really did not sound bad at all. My personal listening preference was at slightly lower volumes cos to my ears I think there was some cabinet/room sound going on at higher volumes. I think a lot of it is due to the fact that they're sitting on the floor itself and not on legs or the spikes he has planned for them. When I first got my speakers it was sort of the same sound which cleaned up when I put them on a slab and spikes. And when we pushed the rack back, there was quite a decay of sound hanging in the room.
My impressions are slightly skewed cos I'm so used to the coherent presentation of a single driver having lived with one for so long that everything with two drivers and more I can immediately 'see' the sound coming from two point sources. So I told Santhosh to ignore this part of my listening cos other than that, his speakers seemed quite crossed over right, neither treble or big driver seeming more or less than the other.
One major positive is that simply grand scale to the music. For me it showed up more in the voices and midrange, guitar. Very effortless and present with the solid state. Then with the SET amp, the same except the music became a bit more smoother and somehow more well that magic that tubes impart to the sound. We listened to the globe 45s, had no time for the 2A3 tubes. The speakers go quite loud though not harsh at all, though I think a bit of soft furnishing/padding/treatment in the room would do some good since right now, its marble flooring and hard walls mostly. I could kinda sense that in the sound. Santhosh, maybe a diffuser against the back wall would do some good?
The tweeter was a new startling experience for me since I could hear voices through it! It's got quite a range Santhosh was saying. The integration is waiting to be a bit more smoothened out with the inductor he has to put in.
Overall a fantastic project he's got going. I will be doing a second listening once the crossover is finalised with paper in oil caps and the spikes go under the speakers and the glass on the glass cabinet is taken care of. These should improve the sound and clean things up a bit.
I'm glad I went over to listen, though for me if I undertake an Altec project (given funds I'd love to!), it would probably be the duplex Altecs like the 605As which would present a more point source and closer to my beloved single driver presentation. Will have a listen to Rajiv's and Anilva's Altecs too to get a rounded impression next...
Way to go Santhosh! :clapping:
First off I must say I'm mighty impressed by Santhosh's DIY skills. Even though the cabinet is not yet veneered/polished it looks like a lovely period piece of furniture. Santhosh has merged the beading from the Magnificent cabinet and used it in the normally straight edges A7 cabinet to great effect. They're bloody huge! and he has the right space for them.
The first thing that hit me when I walked into the area before I even sat down was a relaxed effortless 'big scale' sound. No way a regular speaker's gonna be able to match that. Contrary to my urging his solid state amp really did not sound bad at all. My personal listening preference was at slightly lower volumes cos to my ears I think there was some cabinet/room sound going on at higher volumes. I think a lot of it is due to the fact that they're sitting on the floor itself and not on legs or the spikes he has planned for them. When I first got my speakers it was sort of the same sound which cleaned up when I put them on a slab and spikes. And when we pushed the rack back, there was quite a decay of sound hanging in the room.
My impressions are slightly skewed cos I'm so used to the coherent presentation of a single driver having lived with one for so long that everything with two drivers and more I can immediately 'see' the sound coming from two point sources. So I told Santhosh to ignore this part of my listening cos other than that, his speakers seemed quite crossed over right, neither treble or big driver seeming more or less than the other.
One major positive is that simply grand scale to the music. For me it showed up more in the voices and midrange, guitar. Very effortless and present with the solid state. Then with the SET amp, the same except the music became a bit more smoother and somehow more well that magic that tubes impart to the sound. We listened to the globe 45s, had no time for the 2A3 tubes. The speakers go quite loud though not harsh at all, though I think a bit of soft furnishing/padding/treatment in the room would do some good since right now, its marble flooring and hard walls mostly. I could kinda sense that in the sound. Santhosh, maybe a diffuser against the back wall would do some good?
The tweeter was a new startling experience for me since I could hear voices through it! It's got quite a range Santhosh was saying. The integration is waiting to be a bit more smoothened out with the inductor he has to put in.
Overall a fantastic project he's got going. I will be doing a second listening once the crossover is finalised with paper in oil caps and the spikes go under the speakers and the glass on the glass cabinet is taken care of. These should improve the sound and clean things up a bit.
I'm glad I went over to listen, though for me if I undertake an Altec project (given funds I'd love to!), it would probably be the duplex Altecs like the 605As which would present a more point source and closer to my beloved single driver presentation. Will have a listen to Rajiv's and Anilva's Altecs too to get a rounded impression next...
Way to go Santhosh! :clapping:
reubensm
Well-Known Member
Forgot to mention that the 45 tubes put out only 1.5Watts per channel and are well suited for the Altecs since these are over 104dB sensitive. At 9'o clock position, I was able to get the SPL that I normally listen at and at 11'o clock position, it was really loud but without any distortion being heard.
.
Thanks buddy, I had been wanting to buy them but somehow forgot about them, will buy them today
.Hi,
Santosh, how about taking this route on your Altec journey?
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7UTcmwIm3mw/T7KvXUB38tI/AAAAAAAACPs/hhhnOg0F9bA/s1600/P1040088.JPG
You have the Altec 515B woofers so you just need to build the Altec 210 cabinet.
Regards
Rajiv
Santosh, how about taking this route on your Altec journey?
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7UTcmwIm3mw/T7KvXUB38tI/AAAAAAAACPs/hhhnOg0F9bA/s1600/P1040088.JPG
You have the Altec 515B woofers so you just need to build the Altec 210 cabinet.
Regards
Rajiv
svenkateshsmart
Well-Known Member
Hi,
Santosh, how about taking this route on your Altec journey?
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7UTcmwIm3mw/T7KvXUB38tI/AAAAAAAACPs/hhhnOg0F9bA/s1600/P1040088.JPG
You have the Altec 515B woofers so you just need to build the Altec 210 cabinet.
Regards
Rajiv
The setup is really awesome, especially I liked the mid-portion of the room
licklips::licklipsHi Rajiv,Hi,
Santosh, how about taking this route on your Altec journey?
You have the Altec 515B woofers so you just need to build the Altec 210 cabinet.
Regards
Rajiv
Do you have more information or links on this particular build?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hi,
Santosh,the links are in post #917 by Stphane
links to webpages with pictures and descriptions of Audio Systems with hornspeakers - Page 92 - Audio Voice Acoustics
MELAUDIA :: Bretagne mai 2012
You can mail him for more information.He is very helpful.
The twin woofer loaded horn is an Altec 211 cabinet or a variation of it.
altec 211 cabinet
Regards
Rajiv
Santosh,the links are in post #917 by Stphane
links to webpages with pictures and descriptions of Audio Systems with hornspeakers - Page 92 - Audio Voice Acoustics
MELAUDIA :: Bretagne mai 2012
You can mail him for more information.He is very helpful.
The twin woofer loaded horn is an Altec 211 cabinet or a variation of it.
altec 211 cabinet
Regards
Rajiv
reubensm
Well-Known Member
Rajiv, you can't be serious, my wife would have thrown me out if I attempted to build that centre speaker hyeah:
hyeah:Update:
Received Russian PIO (Paper In Oil) military surplus Capacitors that I had ordered. These have a reputation for sounding good in audio applications.
Can't stop admiring the military packing and painting on the caps
KBG Russian Military Surplus Capacitors:
Those 4 large capacitors (3 x 6 MFD + 1 x 2 MFD) when connected in parallel = One 20 MFD capacitor. Imagine the size of the crossover once completed
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Received Russian PIO (Paper In Oil) military surplus Capacitors that I had ordered. These have a reputation for sounding good in audio applications.
Can't stop admiring the military packing and painting on the caps
KBG Russian Military Surplus Capacitors:
Those 4 large capacitors (3 x 6 MFD + 1 x 2 MFD) when connected in parallel = One 20 MFD capacitor. Imagine the size of the crossover once completed
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Purchase the Audiolab 6000A Integrated Amplifier at a special offer price.
