Zero Distortion: Altec Assault and the Magic of Misho (Audio Antiquary)

[LL21]

That is very easy when you have a closed box. Which to me is also sonically the issue. Plus their disparate drivers, complex crossovers, and lack of coherence that I hear, and I don't like their tone, style of bass, lack of ease.

Fair enough...I have not heard the GIP/Silbatones. Again, how big are the ones in that photo...i tried to look them up.

 

[Folsom]

Also cost of components in any of these horns will be far higher than what goes into the speakers you are talking about, as is the decades long expertise that has gone into each driver and design

Hm, what?

Lots of plywood and some drivers vs all the hokus-pokus in new speakers using huge amounts of metal and weird stuff?

 

[bonzo75]

Fair enough...I have not heard the GIP/Silbatones. Again, how big are the ones in that photo...i tried to look them up.

To give you an example, Silvercore's dual woofer bass cabinet was 2.5 times the depth of a focal stella utopia, and 3 times the width. He then reduced it to twice the width. It was 5 feet high.

 

[bonzo75]

Hm, what?

Lots of plywood and some drivers vs all the hokus-pokus in new speakers using huge amounts of metal and weird stuff?

You wouldn't know.

 

[Folsom]

Know what? About plywood? Have you even used a tablesaw before? I use to make high end kitchens... I know.

What I will say though is I couldn't care less if they charge a lot. Everyone has a reason for their price and if you hate it don't buy it, DIY it.

 

[LL21]

To give you an example, Silvercore's dual woofer bass cabinet was 2.5 times the depth of a focal stella utopia, and 3 times the width. He then reduced it to twice the width. It was 5 feet high.

Thanks...yeesh...the Stella spec sheet says it is 83cm deep...that would make this speaker's bass cabinet pretty massive: 1.1m (3.6 feet) wide x 2.0m (6.5 feet) deep and 1.5m (5 feet) tall.

 

[bonzo75]

Know what? About plywood? Have you even used a tablesaw before? I use to make high end kitchens... I know.

What I will say though is I couldn't care less if they charge a lot. Everyone has a reason for their price and if you hate it don't buy it, DIY it.

Like I said, you are clueless. The cabinet itself won't cost much.

 

[bonzo75]

Thanks...yeesh...the Stella spec sheet says it is 83cm deep...that would make this speaker's bass cabinet pretty massive: 1.1m (3.6 feet) wide x 2.0m (6.5 feet) deep and 1.5m (5 feet) tall.

It was 1.3m wide, he then reduced it to 90cm, thought it did result in a sound change, and 5 feet tall. It was just over 1m deep, so I got that calculation wrong. It gave me the midbass in the vertical plane like Henk's Grands did.

 

[LL21]

It was 1.3m wide, he then reduced it to 90cm, thought it did result in a sound change, and 5 feet tall. It was just over 1m deep

Ah...ok...so big but much more manageable. Can you place this close to the front wall or do you have set it out away from the front wall?

 

[Folsom]

You're just being obtuse. The drivers aren't extensively expensive either. No driver ever made has been exceedingly expensive. The problem has always been volume after their time has passed for wide use production. This is like buying Lamm ML3's, you're partly paying for expertise that leads to a specific sound - and that expertise sometime lends itself to manufacturing processes. There's nothing wrong with that, it just doesn't jive with your claim.

 

[bonzo75]

Ah...ok...so big but much more manageable. Can you place this close to the front wall or do you have set it out away from the front wall?

You can, but it is better if you pull it out. There are different strategies to either close the back, leave it open, or have a perforated membrane, in the latter two cases there is a dipole action that will require space behind

 

[jeff1225]

Rey is closed box. As such I have no interest.

Rey speakers are ported, they have two ports per TAD 1601 driver.

 

[bonzo75]

You're just being obtuse. The drivers aren't extensively expensive either. No driver ever made has been exceedingly expensive. The problem has always been volume after their time has passed for wide use production. This is like buying Lamm ML3's, you're partly paying for expertise that leads to a specific sound - and that expertise sometime lends itself to manufacturing processes. There's nothing wrong with that, it just doesn't jive with your claim.

I said components are 'more' expensive. The Cessaros made today use the TAD 4001, for example. The TAD 4003s one up to them, though they aren't made anymore, making them more expensive. You can use tweeters here that are used in Gamma and Vox Olympian. The Diesis at 150k uses a BMS.

A private equity co. took over GPA and tripled the driver prices. An Altec 604 with a 515b in a box will cost you 5k in the used market. They added another 515b in MTM, nice wood, and listed it at 150k. You can see the driver cost.

 

[bonzo75]

Rey speakers are ported, they have two ports per TAD 1601 driver.

Yes I meant closed baffled, not sealed. So for me both ported and sealed are closed, as opposed to horn loaded like in that GIP picture above

 

[LL21]

An article and some photos, one of which is here. https://6moons.com/industryfeatures/roadtourburen2/3.html

 

[jeff1225]

Killer write up Ked. It looks like there are several impressive looking turntables in that system as well, are they all idlers?

 

[LL21]

You can, but it is better if you pull it out. There are different strategies to either close the back, leave it open, or have a perforated membrane, in the latter two cases there is a dipole action that will require space behind

Thanks.

 

[jeff1225]

Yes I meant closed baffled, not sealed. So for me both ported and sealed are closed, as opposed to horn loaded like in that GIP picture above

Gotcha! Can you post a link to the FLH horn design you're going to have made? Will you use a multi-cell horn?

 

[Folsom]

I said components are 'more' expensive. The Cessaros made today use the TAD 4001, for example. The TAD 4003s one up to them, though they aren't made anymore, making them more expensive. You can use tweeters here that are used in Gamma and Vox Olympian. The Diesis at 150k uses a BMS.

A private equity co. took over GPA and tripled the driver prices. An Altec 604 with a 515b in a box will cost you 5k in the used market. They added another 515b in MTM, nice wood, and listed it at 150k. You can see the driver cost.

Ok Ked. Ignore that Ron has been talking about dynamic and planars etc. I mean, I don't even really care, I just think it's silly to try to give the impression the money into it is the result of the quality in sound. If that were the case I doubt you'd be gaga over the little Tannoy speakers. Shame they aren't making them still the way they were....

 

[LL21]

is there some similarity in design to the Vox Olympians? sorry...technically very ignorant, so just asking based on looking at the upper half here vs the GIP photo above...