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Altec 811b horn driver ID help

James Cox

James Cox

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
Hey guys, I scored a beautiful set of altec 19s in near mint condition for song (don't want to say an exact number to avoid being moved to D&S but let's just say waaay below market value) a few days ago! I love their sound and honestly have never heard anything that even comes close to these. I decided to open them up today and verify which drivers I have a take a note of the crossover components for a possible recap in the future after I have some the.to get used to their sound. The woofers are 416-8bs but I'm unsure what compression drivers are connected to the horns. There's no altec logo and just a few sets of number on the driver itself but none that I recognize as altec drivers. The original owner did say one diaphragms had to be replaced back in the 90s but he's was in his 90s himself and may have misremembered and replaced both drivers. Here's some pics, hopefully someone can help me figure it out.

PXL_20211123_213625445.jpg PXL_20211123_213632908.jpg PXL_20211123_213641823.jpg PXL_20211123_213647726.jpg PXL_20211123_213703866.jpg
 
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While I can't identify them by the #'s, like some experts can, They look like the later 802 drivers
that i had in my Model 14's and 19's. seeing as you have them out already, you can remove the covers
and the loading caps under them to visually check the diaphragms.
Congrats on a nice score!
 
Yup, look like 802 drivers, good stuff. Congrats!
It's funny, a lot of folks look down their noses at the older Altec stuff.........until they hear just how good they really sound.

BillWojo
 
I actually only pulled them out long enough to take some.pics and verify that the tangerine phase plugs were there but never opened the driver. I've heard horror stories about the magnet pulling people's screwdrivers through and tear the diaphragm so I decided not to mess with it until I get a nonmagnetic screwdriver. They sound so good it was almost unbearable to switch to my pioneers for an hr while I verified the components haha. I'm still in the honey moon phase and will probably enjoy them as is for awhile before doing any upgrades. The crossover is all original so I plan on recapping and possibly changing the resistors eventually (unless someone has a good reason I shouldn't).
When I do that I'm going to go ahead and do the ground mod and replace the missing diffraction foam from the horns. Are there any other suggestions for updates I should do to make these sound their best? I notice one horn is very slightly louder than the other and that makes me think maybe the original owner only changed one diaphragm instead of doing both to make them match. It could also just be room acoustics too because I didn't notice it when I auditioned them at the sellers house. I can get them balanced pretty easily by adjusting the knobs on the front.
 
I have them set up at my record shop/work bench for now. The room is much larger than my usual listening room so I may leave them there for awhile and try to come up with a way to convince my wife they will look good in her living room haha
 
When I get in tomorrow I'll post some.pics for you guys! They really are beautiful with almost mint condition walnut cabinets. Can't believe my luck!
 
Alright so thanks to your help I was able to find some pics of 802 drivers to compare to and looks like they are 802-8g drivers. Are they supposed to have the altec plate on the back or did early ones not have that?
Here's a pic I found online showing both (one with the label plate and one without). I also found a pic of an 802-8g driver with almost identical numbers to mine so pretty confident thats what I've got.
 
They are the correct 802-8G's that your 19's were born with.

Some may have included foilcals, most however were OEM'd with a simple ink stamp, and later on a typewritten paper label.
 
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