I bought all the travel packages and Axpona tickets last year. But it got cancelled. This year I could not go since I had something to take care of. I have yet to assemble Scaena 3.2 that I had bought used 2 years ago. But I am getting addicted to Altec A7 with active bi amping right now. It is fun to tune it. It would have been nice if I could go there this year. I am also intrigued by this video. My Scaena has mother pearl color but with 18 inches woofers. I may try crazy idea of mating Scaena tower with Altec A7 woofer
Although I have never heard them in person, that would be my appraisal also. Probably as close to a compact A7 as you can find in a modern compact home speaker. The Razz (above) appears to be a particularly excellent value for the dollar, starting at $5,900. As specially when compared with Heritage Klipsch speakers. The Rivel (below) is likely to be closer to the sound signature of an A7 but for a bit more money, $14,00 and up, than the Razz. I think that Klipsch has gotten stupid with the pricing of their Heritage speaker line. The prices no longer reflect the sound quality of their speakers and their fit and finish leaves something to be desired for speakers in their price range. The Volti appears to be a better quality and a better, more Altec like engineered speaker. If I were to be in the speaker market today and I was looking for a home audio speaker that would be in the same league sound signature wise as the A7's, I would buy the Volti myself.
Some how the aesthetic of these JBL loudspeakers complement the look of my tube amp and turntable. Function and purpose before form. What they do and what they are is determinative of what you see. And what you hear is the all the proof you need. There isn't anything here that doesn't contribute to the sound. In fact they were never intended to be on display.
I deliberately did not build a cabinet around the Altec 511B horn, like I did on my original A7's fifty years ago. I wanted to keep their classic vintage commercial look. Having vinyl and an all tube system for them further enhances the aspect of vintage audio.
Volti speakers are interesting. The founder is a cabinet builder and so all of their speakers are beautifully built. The sound is quite good too. I have not compared the sound to the Klipsch speakers they sort of model their speakers after, but I generally don’t think they are quite as dynamic as the very best systems using good vintage drivers (or clones of such drivers), but then again, they are much cheaper than such systems.
Obviously not. But these old and reproductions are very expensive. I really don't think they are modeling their speakers after Klipsch, despite their similar appearances. I get the impression that they are more like a compact Altec. Klipsch has never used high quality horns and drivers. The finishing on their very expensive Heritage speaker line leaves much to be desired, considering their prices. The Razz is rated at 97-dB. and the Rival is rated at 100-dB. This is a speaker that could be nicely driven by a 2-8 Watt SET amp. That is very impressive.
The Klipsch Cornwall is considerably cheaper than most of the Volti line, although I do agree that it is not finished anywhere close to Volti's superb work, and it does sound reasonably good when coupled with the right electronics. The problem for Klipsch is that most perspective buyers don't regard it as high end and don't try them with the kind of electronics they deserve (principally high end tube electronics). I like the Volti Rival--it delivers the goods one expects of a horn system, but, the bass is a bit disconnected from the rest of the range. Also, if I am nit picking, it doesn't quite deliver the "dense," weighty, and harmonically rich sound of the very best horn/vintage systems. Still, for the money it is a contender. If I were shopping in that price range, I would be comparing the Rival to something like the Charney Audio Companion speaker whose sound is very dynamic, integrated and natural, but, it would lose to the Rival in terms of deep bass impact, and probably high volume performance (I don't know from experience because I've heard neither at ear bleed level, but the Charney being a single driver, I assume it cannot go way up in volume). One advantage of the Volti speakers over the Klipsch line, at least to my preference, is that they sound good well away from the back wall; that kind of placement gives the stereo image a greater sense of depth. I don't know how well the Rival or the Razz would sound very close to the back wall, if decorating needs dictated such placement, but I would guess that they would sound decent in such a location. Another perhaps minor consideration, I've met the founder of Volti at audio shows, and he is a really nice guy.
I am still in the process of tuniing Altec A7 with active biamping. It is not quite perfect yet, but I enjoy the sound. The nice thing is that I can adjust the volume of treble horn through remote control. Thus I can adjust overall tone very easily. If it sounds bright, then I turn it down. If too bass heavy, I turn it up.
I discovered something interesting today. I went to apply the semi-annual dose of Howard Feed and Wax to my eight month old Heresy IV's and discovered some pretty profound fading. The top of one was faded under where I had placed an antique Graphophone and the other was faded where it was being blocked from the sun by a credenza. Perhaps "faded" is the wrong word. Where the sun had been hitting the speakers, they seem to have deepened in color compared to a more faded appearance where the sun was blocked. The crazy thing is, I really like the deeper, reddish tone they're taking on where the sun is hitting them. It's more like the oiled walnut on my beautiful old Heresy I's. It's not the end of the world (total first world problem). I just found it interesting how quickly and profoundly the color changed where the sun had been hitting them. I removed the items from the tops of them with the hope that the color change will eventually even out. Maybe if I invest in one of those large automatic pig rotisseries, I can leave them out sun this summer to even things out.
In setting the 511B horn attenuation with ALK crossovers, you adjust jumper wires on the autoformer. ALK provides a reference sheet showing where to set the jumpers for each step. I spent a few weeks myself, dialing things in. I used albums that I owned in the 60's and 70's that I was familiar with. I compared the sound that I remembered from my A7’s back then and also from friends stereos and live concerts. I reached the point where one setting was a tiny bit bright and the next setting was just a bit dull. I thought that right between them would be perfect. I happened to be looking at the sheet containing the jumper settings and saw that there was sort of a pattern. From that, I was guessing that if I set the jumpers a certain way, I could get right between the two published settings. I tried this setting and it was spot on. Still, I realized that source material is not all the same and there are some intrinsic differences. I was planning to place the crossovers in vented Lucite boxes to keep the dust out. I was thinking that I could buy a couple of four gang selector switches and custom make a wiring harness for the selector that would allow adjustments one or two steps from the perfect center position. I was speaking to Al form ALK and he told me that he never had anyone mention something like this to him before. Most speakers do not allow for crossover adjustments. Those that do, use an "L" pad. The problem with "L" pads is that they change the sound characters and not only the level of attenuation itself. Someone who has not used high sensitivity has horn speakers and has not done what you and I have gone through, will not have any appreciation as to what is actually involved in perfectly dialing them in, being used in a home environment. Neither speakers or our ears have flat listening response through the different SPL's. So, there really isn't one perfect setting for every level. Though, with the Altec’s, you can get very close to a perfect setting.
The darker wood will always be darker from this point forward. The easiest way to fix it is sand the whole area. I would use some 600 or 800 grit sandpaper as you only have to take off a super thin layer. It’s easier than it sounds. Then reapply your wax and a UV inhibitor. Howard makes a wax for wood outdoor furniture with UV inhibitor as well.
Might I suggest, that once you get this sorted out, that you have some glass cut for the tops of your La Scala's. That would cut down the light and block out UV. This is what I did with my custom pair of La Scala's. In addition, it provides physical protection to the speakers. On the bottom bass cabinet, the speaker grills on the right and left side are also removable. These are not residential La Scala's. They are commercial black plywood cabinets which are better reinforced and have less cabinet resonance than the home versions. For now, other than the custom Baltic Birch outside cabinet's, they are entirely stock.
I think you’re wildly overestimating the availability and popularity of the larger multicells—especially the 15-cell horns. (Coincidence that the 1505B photo you posted above is of the exact pair I own?) Having sourced 203Bs, 805Bs, 803Bs, 1003Bs, 1505Bs, and 1803Bs, “plenty” is not a word I’d associate with the search. Likewise, I’ve been dying to run into even a small clique of real-life users. Virtually nonexistent in my experience, though. Out there at any given time is just a handful of sellers ready to give up and cut losses. In the end, I know of only one horn system within 100 miles that includes a large multicell. You must run in different circles—introduce us! The best horn system I know (which is also the best audio system I know) includes 210 midbass horns in a regular-sized living room. Curious how/why you claim they “don’t work well in homes”?
OK, maybe "plenty" is not the best word to describe their availability. But there are still a fair amount of them out there. I comment that I have only had personal experience with the 511B and the 811B horns. Still I have been able to purchase the larger ones if I had wanted to. Obviously, you have bought them. They don't typically come from some secret underground source. There were hugh numbers of A4 systems that have been removed from older movie theaters. More of the 10-cell horns have survived than the 210 bass bins. There are reproductions of the 15-cell horns available. Most commercial Altec speakers are available, due to the numbers that were manufactured. Keeping in mind that availability and popularity are two entirely different things. Not every home is equipped with A7's. I happen to have a half dozen of them. For obvious reasons... Most older movie houses, from the later 50' and 60's had Altec speakers. The problem was that they were large cabinet Altecs, like A4's, which don't work well in homes. The A4 bass cabinets themselves are 7' tall, in addition, they are deep. The reasons that they don't work well in homes are due to their size. Not some mumbo-jumbo that they can't be used within a home environment. I have almost bought a pair on two separate occasions. The reason that I did not was their sheer size. If I had a room that was 20'-30' wide by 30'-40' long, I would own a pair myself. I think it is safe to say, that there are a magnitude more homes that have the large multicell horns in them than 210-bass bins. The most I have had was four A7's running in one room at the same time. Which, I assure you is plenty of sound. Before he relocated back down south, a friend of mine had a large house in upstate N.Y. and he had his home theater set up with five A7's. You are talking to someone who has been a lifelong fanboy of large horn speakers. I have no issues whatsoever with running multiple large speakers in a single room. Still, in my former audio room, running the A7's in 4-way, with the sub and the other large tower speakers could get you to 99% of the way there. I had no problems creating any audio reproduction environment for both stereo and HT and at whatever SPL I desired. I think I needed an additional 18" sub to get that extra 1%. It takes an 18" sub to really get the most out of Godzilla stomping around and earthquakes where the ground splits open. The 15" UCS sub can sustain 133-dB. and can get most of the way there.
A much smaller but better sounding Altec horn can be found in the model 32B bent horn, modeled after the Western Electric bent horn. Takes the small format drivers and they are very compact in size. I have listened to both large format Altecs and the small format Altecs. My friend has the 10 cell large format and I have a set of the large format MantaRay horns that were used in the Stanley Screamers. Love the sound of the large format horns and drivers, they produce great sound with no effort. There is something seductive about them that draws you in. BillWojo BillWojo
+1 on the Altec 32B, the plastic version of the 32. To my ears, the 32B has no horn “shout” or ringing colorations, quite unlike the 511 and 811 which, again to my ears, have serious problems with ringing and shouting. I have never heard the 10-cell Altecs.
Pap C1 crossover at 500 hz. PAP-C1, Custom Active Analog Crossover for Open Baffle - PureAudioProject LM 508 500hz up Rogue Cronus Magnum II 500hz down If you want biamping, you had better use active croosvoer. I enjoy unlimeted dynamics out of Altec A7 and two 18 inch Scaena subwoofer added on 56 hz down.
I like the western Electric 32 horn for its relatively uncolored sound and extremely compact and practical configuration. Put a 713a ,713b, or 713c driver on it and you have a world-class midrange horn. Systems that are reasonably-sized can be made with this horn.
@SandAndGlass, The Altec 32 horns are close. Check out what they do with them over at HiFi Haven in the High Efficiency forum. The JELabs 2 way build is a great thread. Those 32 horns were popular in monitor speakers for the band on stage. They were clear and loud, they could be miked well. When I was actively looking I would check out some musicians sites for gear. Old speaker cabinets.........., even met a guy that was dealing in the pro sound business big time. Found some parts cheap through him. BillWojo
For anyone interested in background on the 32—and specifically, how the WECO 32A became the Altec 32A, B, and C—here’s the story: ElectraVolt: The Tale of Three Horns... Variations of the Western Electric 32A Horn I’ve used both the Altec 32A (aluminum) and 32C (plastic with ribs) with various 1” compression drivers in the JE Labs 2-way. Likewise, as an upper-midrange horn above 300 Hz horns like the Altec 329A and various multicells ending in “3.” Pictured is the 32C (with TAD TD-2001) on top of an 8o3B multicell (with Yamaha JA6681B). Tweeter is the Yamaha JA4281B. (Too much complexity to wrestle with long-term, but allowed experimentation with the two-octave rule: 75-300, 300-1200, 1200-4800, 4800-19,200 IIRC).
