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Altec 32 horn driver alternatives?

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Thanks for the reply. If the Altec diaphragms go again I wanted an alternative. The ones in the horns now are the fragile lite ones. Both bad now.
 
Katalyst said:
Thanks for the reply. If the Altec diaphragms go again I wanted an alternative. The ones in the horns now are the fragile lite ones. Both bad now.
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I have no experience with the 23744 but they are supposed to have the most extended high frequency. However GPA diaphragms sound good too. I don't hear a difference between a GPA 34852 and an original Altec 34852.

I've been using Altecs for over 20 years and never had a failure. But then I use flea powered DIY SET amps.
 
I heard a pair in a friends place he used a radian 475 it was very lively,I lent him some altec 808 and emilar ea175 and we both preferred them to the radian,they crossed over better with his 414 driver ,the radian had better hf above 14 k
As with lots of altec horns the loading is critical and the driver exit length is crucial as it gives about 2 inches longer exit loading from the diaphragm,while the radian exit is right at throat opening.
The radian sounded better on my tatrix horn so we ended up swapping, but in the end went back to altec or emilar drivers.
The altec diaphragm from gpa and emilar diaphragm from radian are very good.
 
Source Emilar 175's(EA, EC, EK or ECK) non-working and install new Radian diaphragms in them. GPA can remag EA(alnico) drivers. Without relying on luck, it's about as far as you can stretch small format driver investment dollars.
 
How about Radian diaphragms in the Altec drivers? There is a replacement listed for these made by Radian. Mylar surround with aluminum dome about 2 hundred for both. Anyone know what the GPA diaphragms are going for? Sent an email about sourcing woofers and have not received any response.
 
I haven't heard Radian phragms in an Altec driver yet. With the recent price hike at GPA (about 30% on diaphragms making them 130+ shipping each) i suspect i'll eventually have an opportunity
 
The drivers used on the 32 Altec horn have a 3 inch throat before mounting to the horn flange. The extra length loads the driver correct? This is what causes me pause on the non-Altec drivers.
 
Not sure on the exact throat length, a bit less than 3 tho. The acoustic load is provided by the horn itself. But, i get what you are driving at, and you are probably correct that an alnico small format Altec driver or the Emilar EA would have the best matching flare rate in the throat to mate with the 32B, i have little doubt of that.
 
Radian 1228-8 diaphragms installed. Sounds fine to me. Crossover work will be needed to match the horns output to the woofers.
 
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