Altec 19 Refurb project

hrtattckcity

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I walked into my favorite junking spot yesterday to see a giant stack of two altec 19’s, minus woofers.

Bringing home two washing machine sized speakers seemed slightly less dumb than letting two such highly revered speakers slip from my grasp.

They’ve got some nicks but a good wipe down and initial Mohawk epoxy patching has them looking promising.

I don’t think I have the budget for the Great Plains woofers. What are my next best options on a budget?

Based on my serial numbers, 16289, and 16387 what version of the woofers should I be looking for?

Is there a good way to test the tweeters in the meantime?

No risers. What are the tangerine plugs?

Other things I should be considering?
 

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Serial numbers. More pics.
 

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I walked into my favorite junking spot yesterday to see a giant stack of two altec 19’s, minus woofers.

Bringing home two washing machine sized speakers seemed slightly less dumb than letting two such highly revered speakers slip from my grasp.

They’ve got some nicks but a good wipe down and initial Mohawk epoxy patching has them looking promising.

I don’t think I have the budget for the Great Plains woofers. What are my next best options on a budget?

Based on my serial numbers, 16289, and 16387 what version of the woofers should I be looking for?

Is there a good way to test the tweeters in the meantime?

No risers. What are the tangerine plugs?

Other things I should be considering?
Sell something else to buy proper woofers or sell the 19's. Sorry, pretty blunt, but why put a slant 6 in a Road Runner?
 
Sell something else to buy proper woofers or sell the 19's. Sorry, pretty blunt, but why put a slant 6 in a Road Runner?

Thanks Uncle Bingo. I’m not a car guy, but I think I follow. I’ll take it under consideration.

While I don’t see myself easily freeing up 2500 for a pair of new GPA 416’s, I would love to hear them in as original condition as possible.

From other threads it seems like I should be looking for 416-8b’s? That the ferrite c’s don’t have the same appeal? If anyone can confirm that would be great.

If anyone has experience with straight vintage 416-b’s it would be great to know if it a worthwhile hunt. I know some people are having them re-magnetized “at considerable expense”.
 
I walked into my favorite junking spot yesterday to see a giant stack of two altec 19’s, minus woofers.

Bringing home two washing machine sized speakers seemed slightly less dumb than letting two such highly revered speakers slip from my grasp.

They’ve got some nicks but a good wipe down and initial Mohawk epoxy patching has them looking promising.

I don’t think I have the budget for the Great Plains woofers. What are my next best options on a budget?

Based on my serial numbers, 16289, and 16387 what version of the woofers should I be looking for?

Is there a good way to test the tweeters in the meantime?

No risers. What are the tangerine plugs?

Other things I should be considering?
Wow. That is a cool find. Should be able to have to up and running with used woofers without breaking the bank. Keep your eye out for singles on the list or the bay and before you know it - Altec bliss. Sometimes those who sell in pairs ask way too much.
 
UncleBingo, there used to be a guy back in my street racing days that would taunt the Mopar guys saying "Slant Six, 440, whats the difference?" But his Big block Chevy could back up his mouth. LOL

hrtattckcity, let me talk to your wife..........please.

I would look at ebay for some drivers. I do have a pair of 921 drivers with ferrite magnets that can be rebuilt as 416's I believe. One has a rubbing voice coil. GPA can do the rebuilding.



BillWojo
 
If you can't find 416-Bs in your budget, for the short term you might be able to find other 15" drivers to at least get you into using your 19s. Otherwise they are pretty large boat anchors.

There are more than a few vintage offerings that are reasonably priced (< $100/each) and can sort of handle the frequency response and system impedance, although they won't be able to handle more than 25 or 50 watts. Just a thought.

Also, the re-magnetizing may be needed, but can be a gimmick. In my life I have had dozens of speakers, and in all that time I have had only one driver that "might have" needed re-magnetizing.

While you can shock or overheat alnico magnets to make them lose field strength, or inappropriately expose them to other magnetic fields which can also compromise them, most speakers are just fine.

Some companies will concern you about magnetic strength to either sell you an extra service you might not need, or promise the add-on service at minimal extra cost to get you to use them. Free is always good so long as it is actually free.
 
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Wow. Most impressive. Ideally, you should get some 416-8Bs woofers. I’ve found them on Craigslist for a few hundred each. Also look up the ground wire mod on the crossovers.
 
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Based on the 902’s the original woofer was a 416-8C.
More likely than not.

But, the 902 was a product of innovation and design improvement, and well applied in the Nineteen with it's upward shifted frequency response. It's my understanding that the 902 found it's way into the Nineteen while 416-8B's either were still in production, or quantities of assembled units remained.

The early 416-8C's were more than anything else, a compromise forced by the Cobalt shortage of the time. There are multiple versions of the '8C, some of them were/are significantly off spec and produce audibly less LF extension in a Nineteen system.
 
Pulled the crossovers to start planning.

Also noticed the seams in the two halves of the horns have been caulked. Is that normal? It is a performance concern or someone’s ocd on too long a leash?
 

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