Altec Loudspeaker SystemsRevised 3/31/22: Minor corrections. Addition to Overview.
Audio Digest The latest Herb Reichert Gramophone Dreams column in Stereophile (here) features a system that appeals greatly to this horn and SET fancier. It is an Altec based system of his friend (right pic, from Stereophile). It is certainly an interesting read, as the system also features a 32” Fostex super woofer (I have only heard similar vintage Hartley - to good effect, and I have always wanted one) and Japanese Asano design based amps, which I have always wanted to hear but I think I have not. Incidentally, I think the speaker wires used are Belden 9497, which this blog has long championed.
I note that the 1505 horn is driven by two 288 Drivers (look at the left horn), using surely a bifid adaptor. This is a bona fide setup practice but in "real" home audio setups not necessarily desirable (but this room is large) and one often sees just one used (another factor is the cost of the expensive 288). The addition of a tweeter/super tweeter is common practice, ribbon or not.
Given that I have heard more than my share of vintage Altec horn systems (see Overview below), most interesting for me was the use of 12” 414 woofers, whereas all the others I have heard have been 15" 515 or 416. Although 2 x 12" woofers add up to more surface area than a single 15", my experience tells me that it will not have the authority of the latter. There are many reasons for this, but I think 2 units of anything in parallel will have timing differences (just as monoblocks) that shave off performance, no spec and tolerance being perfect. Also, the 414 does not reach as low as the 15", though it is likely a little more agile. But, in this case, if done right it is moot, as the host has the mighty 32" super woofer (though single I have no doubt its authority, and I, being practical, have not been an advocate of duo sub).
This system is also interesting to me also because the woofers are replicas (or re-issue) by Great Plains Audio, employing Alnico magnets. ALL the Altecs, from stunningly good to appallingly bad, that I have heard before used vintage drivers, so I am very curious how this modern iteration compares (there is no way materials will be the same, no matter the claim). We should also note that the all-important crossover was provided by the same company (for more, see Overview below).
Mini Overview
First, I stress, I am far from an Altec specialist, though I am certainly an Altec Enthusiast. My YL horns in NYC employ 416 woofers, and that is all the Altec loudspeaker components that I have. For those interested in technical aspects, I offer none and there is an encyclopedic amount of info on the net. But I have had the good fortune to have heard a lot of genuine Altec loudspeakers, both in HK and in the US, and here offer my thoughts on some classics. Keep in mind many opinions on the internet come from people who have not heard much of other people's systems.
Alnico vs Ferrite Just to say most of what I heard were Alnico, favored by horn afficionados. When it comes particularly to woofers, on spec's some may prefer Ferrite.
Altec A5 I have heard many of this in Hong Kong and NYC. Original Voice of the Theater cabinets with 515 woofers and 288 driver(s) and 1505 (or, 1005 or 805) horns. Although A5 has long been the Holy Grail of SETdom, few of the ones I heard sound entirely normal in a home setting. With the original crossover, with low powered SET, the Treble, with a fast leading edge and somewhat dry (almost uniquely Altec traits), would seize the stage, whereas the bass would typically need a lot of work so as not to be a wooly mess. With higher powered amps, the bass would improve a little, but still not enough. "Updated" crossovers culled from advices everywhere imho prove to be equally unreliable. IMHO, the 515 in original cabinet is for a very large space and not usually suitable for home. I also have my doubts about the 515 woofer. In the Tri-State area, I was lucky to have heard 3 pretty good A5 setups. The one I am most familiar with is Andy's "casual listening" horn system (as he insists horns are not for classicals, which I disagree with), which uses the 515 (in an "A7" cabinet, same as A5) and, first, JBL components (here) which was later changed to Altec 288 (here; so an "A5" without a metal Altec horn). Good as it may be for jazz and pop, I have always thought the quality of the bass could be improved, particularly when it comes to orchestral music. In his not-so-big living room, I think this is at least partly due to corner placement (more below). In NJ, I heard Leo's A5 with the 805 horn (here). The space was much larger and, although it was a tad sharp, orchestral music was rendered quite well. The best is likely our friend R's A5 (bought from Paul; details here), which we spent a lot of time fine tuning, and it plays classicals pretty well. Even better was the A5 of Ivan in HK, in a large space (right pic; details here).
Altec A7 I have heard quite a few of this too, both in HK and NYC, usually to good effect, with less problem than A5. Our friend Kevin's sounds good (left pic; details here). In this article, I wrote a lot on my thoughts on Altec that are only briefly touched upon in this mini overview. Long ago in HK, I have also heard the A7-500, but most of us horn afficionados would prefer the horn to be outside of the cabinet (not just clearer but the image would be taller).
A5 vs A7 For my money I believe the question to ask is not which is better but which is better for you. A well implemented A5, in a large space, will be the better in absolute terms, but keep in mind that most setups do not get even close, and many sound simply terrible. On the other hand, most A7's sound reasonably good even from the start. From my experience with the Altec's of my NYC friends, it's all about implementation, and Kevin's A7 sounds just as good (when in-room) as the others' A5's. The other question to ask is if you are a tinkerer or if you think you are persistent and a problem solver: if so, A5 will provide plenty of opportunity; if not, better stay with A7. So, let's examine what makes the difference. High Frequency Driver There is little question the 288 is more legendary (and costly) than the A7's 807, but do not forget the former was designed to work with the 515 and multi-cell horns whereas the latter was designed for use with the 416 and sectional horn (811). Horns If you have the room and dough, I do think the larger the horn, the more the cell, the more "live" the sound. Hence, when well done, a 1505 is better than a 1005/805. Incidentally, I usually prefer a metal horn to wood. Woofer and Crossover If you look at the spec's the 416 goes higher than the 515 (1,600 vs 1,000 Hz) and should have a higher crossover point. To me, given that the A5 and A7 have the same enclosure, to my ears the 416 simply sounds better, and it's not just a question of a fuller mid-bass. To me, this is the reason why the A7 usually sounds more balanced. Even then, the sound of the A7 is still lean in the bass. Cabinet Iconic as it may be, I don't think the A5/A7 cabinet is good. The same 416 in my YL horns is fuller, more dynamic and goes much deeper than in Altec (here).
Altec 604 I am very familiar with this iconic loudspeaker (produced from 1943-1998, only rivalled by Klipsch). Long before the inception of this blog, I have heard several pairs in HK, with variable success. My good friend Hoi used to tweak his alnico 604s (and later 605s) all the time. Although a duplex, it has all the familiar Altec traits: superb presence (could be dry) but difficult to tame, even wooly, bass. That is with SET amps. More wattage gets better bass. He tried all sorts of things, like bi- and tri-amping and even electronic crossover, and drove himself (and us) crazy. But the best 604 I've heard was at Vincent's (right pic, details here). In NYC, Kevin also got one (here and here).
Altec 755 Earlier alnico ones are generally equated with Western Electric. These legendary fullranges are fairly commonly encountered. The cabinet is utterly important in how they sound. A coming article is on the WE 755 and will offer more details.
Altec Model 19 This employs the 416 woofer. I have only heard this one briefly in a HK shop. Driven by a PP tube amp, it sounds full and authoritative. It is less efficient than the horns mentioned so far and thus not first choice for SET fanciers.
Electronic Crossover Most attempts at using an active crossover have some excellent hifi attributes, but at the expense of some other parameters. Few are completely successful, to say the least. That said, the best A5 I have heard remains that from decades ago, in a Brooklyn house. The host used different amps for each driver, including massive Parallel PP 6550 for the 515! But I discourage this approach in general.
Super Tweeter and Subwoofer Almost all horn users add a super tweeter - that gives more air (and likely improves the bass), but we're not going to go into that topic now. Fewer people add a subwoofer, but I believe that is essential for Altec A5 and A7 and 604, to counter the leanness of the bass (mind you, HR's friend has a 32" woofer and that does it). Regular readers will know I am a sub man, especially for bookshelves, and these Altec's often don't sound like they have more bass than bookshelves. Grant you, I am not even a seismic bass man - I am not a metal rock thrasher, but classicals need proper bass support too.
Placement The horn cabinets being big, it is a reflex to push them into the corner, but I believe that is a big mistake. From the A5, A7 and 604 examples I cited above (start from here and click other links), if you read all the links, you will discover that all the best sounding ones are in-room. With Altec's, corner, or against the wall, placement not only does not augment the bass, but smears up the bass - much better to be in-room.
I am no theorist - in fact, in audio most of the under-achievers are long in theory and short in listening skills. There, my capsules on how to approach some of the greatest loudspeakers around. YMMV. Be warned, Altec is exciting stuff, but treacherous territory. Even the seasoned get roughed up.
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