Time for me to switch gears......

Kamakiri

The New Dynamic
The more I listen to my Altec A7s, the more I like them......but....

The problem with them is that you can't just crank them up when you want to listen to some loud music. They're designed to project so far that it doesn't become just loud......it's, hm. I know, this is the best way to describe it.....it's like being in the mood for a nice vigorous shower and instead using a fire hose! :eek: One day I'll come upstairs and my ears will be bleeding if I crank those puppies on 105 wpc. Cranked up loud from 5-6 feet away, they just don't sound right.

So, bought a pair of McIntosh ML-1Cs for $100 from a guy I work with. They need foam, but are in otherwise nice shape. I'm going to order the foam kits tomorrow. From what I've heard thus far, though, I'm really liking them! I've heard mixed emotions on them, but let me tell you, they sure sound sweet on my MC2105 amp. These I think may be keepers :cool:

If it turns out they work out as well as I hope, I may sideline the A7s for the time being.....or go and buy a pair of MC30 monoblocks and all the trimmings as I think they do open up a lot when used with tubes, but that's a big bill and not one I'm prepared to foot at the moment.

Pics to come......
 
Kam! you mad man! A7's 5-6 feet away with a monster solid state amp! Do that for long and you should probably forget about audio all together - get some good video gear, your hearing must be toast :) . Think I know what you mean, I listened to A7's in a large room at MAF, pushed around by the monstrous power of a 45 SET amp (maybe 2 watts?) and as much as I love Altecs, I don't think I could take that kind of sonic assault unless it was in a huge room. It really seemed you had to get FAR away from them for the sound to gel and do the Altec/SET magic thing.

That being said - you want to sell em? (he types from his 11 x 12 room :D ).

Billfort
 
Nice score there, Kam. I'd like to add a couple of notes if I could...

First, the 'Q' of those ML1C's is .5, so while the efficiency is an excellent 89db, the bass begins to decline rapidly from 200hz on down. To fix this, you need the MQ101 equalizer. It effectively 'rolls up' while the speakers' response is 'rolling down', with the result is that the response 'meets in the middle' which is theoretically flat down to 20hz.

The other thing is, in order to get down to 20hz, the woofer needs to be able to move 3/4 of an inch at it's maximun travel! Regular 1/2 inch surrounds won't work, in fact they'll restrict the woofer at the bottom end. To accomodate this 'long throw', the ML1C woofers need a special surround with a big 3/4 inch roll. Some guy on ebay sells these specific surrounds. Just look under "McIntosh speakers" or a similar search. For more complete info, click the link...

http://www.roger-russell.com/ml1cpg.htm

Good luck with them! :)
 
5-6 FEET!!!!!!! Geesh I have the listening position about 12 feet from the ol JBL's and with the horn cranked back to -2 they can still blister the paint off of the walls. I have returned back to tubes and with a Stereo 70 they seem more tame. Gotta love those horns. Congrats on the Mc's.
 
Jay,

THANKS for that info! If I'd have ordered the surrounds like I was going to last night, I'd have been out of luck!

Thankfully my hearing is just fine.....I've never even brought these A7s close to their "full potential" ;)
 
Billfort...the A-7s weren't powered by the 45 Korneff amp...in fact...they weren't powered by any tube amp at all. They were powered by a SS HT receiver.


Kam...listening to them in a larger room is a good idea...so just build an addition on the house ;) Have you tried any other amps or sources in the system? Hmmm...I would say throw the Rega on there...then hook up one of your tube amps...and possibly try a different horn (still using your current drivers). Of course...you'll still have the dynamics...but you may be able to get something better suited for your room and seating position.

later>>>>>>>>>>
 
Amp

You're using a SS amp on them now. Not to start anything but my understanding is that Altec's are very sensitive to amplification. I have a local buddy who knows Altecs very well and in listening to his Altec/JBL combo with a few amps I heard the same thing: Amp sensitive. I know another guy who pairs his A7's with a Moth 2a3 amp [3.5wpc] and loves it. Nearfield listening probably isn't doing them justice either.

MikE
 
Gonefishin, a SS HT receiver! ahhhhhh!!!! now THAT explains things. I saw the 45 on the table and knew it was being used earlier on the Tannoy's - I assumed thats what was driving the A7's. I remember being surprised by the aggressive, forward (uncomfortably so) nature of the sound and was surprised a 45SET/Altec system would sound like that.

OK Kam, now I REALLY want those A7's :) .
 
Re: Amp

Originally posted by MikE
You're using a SS amp on them now. Not to start anything but my understanding is that Altec's are very sensitive to amplification. I have a local buddy who knows Altecs very well and in listening to his Altec/JBL combo with a few amps I heard the same thing: Amp sensitive. I know another guy who pairs his A7's with a Moth 2a3 amp [3.5wpc] and loves it. Nearfield listening probably isn't doing them justice either.

MikE

The one interesting thing is that the horns blend soooo well when hooked up to the Mc amp. Tubes really do bring the highs to life, the Mc is more rolled off on the highs than I would prefer.

But I don't have any tube amps left :(
 
Lemme know if ya wanna get rid of them Altecs Kam, I love getting blasted form 5 or 6 feet away, I'll hook them up to my SAE amp at 175 wpc and see whats shaking ;) Those big Altecs could replace my little Altec Model 15's as the fornt speakers in my HT setup :D
 
If you did that, your head would pop like a zit :eek:

I will say though, there's nothing like using these speakers in a home theater......since they came from a real theater!
 
All I have to say is that if your room is that small then you would be better off using something else. Not so much because of the woofers but because of the compression driver/horn combo. Distance is a must even at low volumes.
 
Kam,
I'm with you all the way on the A7's, I love the Imax theatre sound!! I found that putting them in a basement and cranking three pairs up at a time is just right for high level listening in a basement. I loaded my A7's with 515B woofers, 511b horns, 802's with aluminum diaphragms, and EV T350 tweeters for the ultra high end. I use 1200hz, 800hz, and 500hz crossovers, they all sound great!! I might decide to part with a couple pairs of A7's some time soon, the wife says 6 pairs and a pair of model 18 and 19's is enough, what gives with that? The pictures are from a couple years ago, the TV is now a 46" Zenith with a Toshiba SD-5700 DVD, sorry Bose, there's no substitue for size when it comes to speakers!! :)

The front channels;
 
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The rear channels, Altec A7's with EV Interface D's, please ignore the crack in the solid basement walls;
 
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dgwojo,

Yikes! Are you deaf yet. :eek:

I agree with your one statement. You cannot beat large speakers. They just couple so much better to a given room.

Rob
 
WHAT, WHAT, WHAT, speak up I can't hear you!!! No, I don't crank on them all the time, and I never FELT the need for a subwoofer, the 515 woofers do fine on their own. I have to say that Top Gun sounds and feels live, even the sound man from Cedar Points Imax theater was impressed, so impressed I couldn't get him to leave. :)
 
Originally posted by Rob
dgwojo,

Yikes! Are you deaf yet. :eek:

I agree with your one statement. You cannot beat large speakers. They just couple so much better to a given room.

Rob
Rob, I bet if I crank up the A7's with my Soundcraftsman boat anchor amps you could hear it in Ontario from Michigan!!! :D
 
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