421-8H Series II in an A7/VOT cabinet + 511B / 807-8A — real-world experience wanted

[loudnoises]

Seems a fair amount of effort has been put out over the years to find ways to make this massive horn work in rooms it has no business being in. And it can be done. There's just something about it that really appeals to me too. It's not rational, there will be compromises. These were designed in what, the 40s? By western electric? Feels like a big group but really this is a pretty small club

We're trying to make ww2 jeeps into modern Ferraris. And succeeding by some measures!

 

[28Hz]

Thanks Tom — that's really helpful.

The comparison between the 802s and the JBL 2420s on the same 511 horns is particularly interesting. It really highlights how much the driver/horn combination matters, rather than looking at the horn or crossover frequency in isolation.

And your current 2425/2370 to D-130 setup at 630 Hz with 48 dB/octave FIR filtering gives me another very useful reference point for our own experiments.

I'm using active Lake DSP with a 421-8H Series II / 807-8A / 511B combination, so I'll definitely be experimenting around that area with different crossover points and slopes.

Really appreciate you sharing your experience. That's exactly the kind of real-world information I was hoping to get from this thread.

28Hz

 

[28Hz]

Thanks Loudnoises — really enjoyed this perspective.

The WWII Jeep → modern Ferrari analogy made me laugh, but I think there's a lot of truth in it.

I'm working on an A7/VOT system myself, with a 421-8H Series II, 511B/807-8A and active DSP. The goal isn't to turn it into a modern studio monitor, but to find out how far we can remove the compromises while keeping the character that makes these things special.

I'd be very interested to hear what you've found works best in practice.
In particular, have you found any changes that genuinely improved the A7 in-room without taking away that "something" that makes you want to keep listening to it?

28Hz

 

[Tom Brennan]

The goal isn't to turn it into a modern studio monitor, but to find out how far we can remove the compromises while keeping the character that makes these things special.

Well said.