Altec 846a Valencia

[Gang-Twanger]

I admit it; I love low bass. Even my L250 (Ti guts) don't go low enough for me so I added a sub.

Yeah, I kinda' figured you had a go with a bunch of "18hz-flat" speakers. I can see how that would grow on you.

I need a flat-18hz speaker that's also as engaging and musical as the type of speakers I have now (I also need a night alone with Kaley Cuoco from "Big Bang Theory", but I don't think that's gonna' happen anytime soon... I sure would enjoy it though).

 

[Zonker92]

Wish I had a nice B380 or B460, but nooooo .... It's a Velodyne FSR-12 with custom veneer.

 

[seacliffe301]

The Valencias are in wonderful condition with just some minor veneer issues. The grills are very nice which is kinda' rare to find. Who else is running big Altecs? Any hints or suggestions to get the most out of them? Here's a couple pics. Thanks

Congrats on your new find. I’ve had my Flamenco’s (same components) since ’76, and will never replace them. I’ve used them with everything from a Dynakit Stereo 70, McIntosh 2505, 2125, 2205, & 2155. Oh yes, I even had them hooked up to my Mac 1700. They are very efficient. You shouldn’t have any problem finding an amp that suits your taste. Lets us know how they sound with the Fisher.

 

[jackgiff]

... The grills are very nice which is kinda' rare to find. Who else is running big Altecs? Any hints or suggestions to get the most out of them? Here's a couple pics. Thanks

I have some 846A Valencia's. One pair was purchased at the factory in Anaheim in 1967. The other pairs were both restored by me. I had new fretwork grilles cut for the restored pairs. The wood grilles in the factory bought pair is original.

Two pairs have BMS compression drivers instead of the 806A's. The third has an Eminence super tweeter installed in the horn to augment the 806A. I never needed any bass augmentation, but the lack of FR on the top end was frustrating. No more.

I am sure that you will love your Valencia's. They are GOOD STUFF.

 

[DanO55]

Mouth dropped open!

 

[macyjrm]

I'm listening to my 846a's right now driven by a full up restored ST70. Rescued them out of an old radio station undergoing demolition. Grills were shot, cabinets abused (cigarette burns and other atrocities). I cleaned them up as best I could and put them into service with naked fronts. That was over two years ago. I have since added an inexpensive 12" sub from Parts Express. The combo turned out quit nice. I'm always on the lookout for a sexier pair but my homely ones are really nice with your eyes closed.

 

[GoRNR]

Jenkster-

With the help of dgwojo I put together a pair of 846B's. I bought empty cabinets. I installed a pair of JBL woofers that Dave new to be a good match-- and like so many things anymore I can't recall the model number of the JBL woofers. I attached 902 ferrite magnet drivers to the 811B horns. So I guess you could call them hybrids. During my various listening trials I found the Fisher KX-100 amp to make magic with the 846B's. Just very live and musical sounding. Wonderful midrange. Unfortunately the KX-100 decided to go on vacation until recapping and testing are completed at some future date. Enjoy your Fisher and Altec combo. I bet it sounds fantastic.

 

[Jenkster]

Wow Jack, that is impressive. A veritable Valencia surround sound. The Fisher/Altec combo' sounds really good to me. A friend of mine and fellow AK'er thinks so as well. He made the last minute trip to Davis, CA with me to pick them up. Kinda a good story, they belonged to the sellers brother who, sadly, passed away. He was into cars and audio using a Pioneer SX-1250 with the Altecs. The seller said he just couldn't make them work in his house. I actually think his wife said they wouldn't work in "his" house. Who hasn't been there? I feel very fortunate to have them.:yes:

 

[seacliffe301]

I actually think his wife said they wouldn't work in "his" house. Who hasn't been there? I feel very fortunate to have them.:yes:

My wife would sell my Flamenco’s in a heartbeat. Fortunately, they reside in a room that she does not have complete control of. :thmbsp:

 

[Brad Muller]

Women.....they're different than people are.:yes:

 

[ekmanning5]

I use Valencias in my everyday system as well. They replaced a set of Cornwall's. in the past I've used them With an Eico hf 81, a set of Bogen mono blocks and now with the Mac gear in my signature. They have really grown on me. A question; without opening them up how do you tell the difference between the A and B versions?

 

[Zonker92]

The A models have curved risers along the baffle, an oversized beveled top planel, beveled side panels, an angled plinth, a lattice grill and rectangular ports beside the horn mouth. The B models have straight front edges and round ports. They had foam grills that are typically replaced by cloth of some sort.

A:

B:

 

[Jenkster]

I use Valencias in my everyday system as well. They replaced a set of Cornwall's. in the past I've used them With an Eico hf 81, a set of Bogen mono blocks and now with the Mac gear in my signature. They have really grown on me. A question; without opening them up how do you tell the difference between the A and B versions?

To the best of my knowledge, one of the physical differences is the grill. The A had a lattice style grill and the B did not. I also think the B had two round ports on the front baffle where the A had openings flanking the horn.

I am going to open thim up this morning. Anyway to accurately date them? I will take pics.

 

[Jenkster]

Took a look inside and everything is great. Checked the DCR on the compression drivers and woofers. Woofers read 11.3 and 11.4 ohms, drivers 8.0 and 8.8 ohms. One woofer had some surround drip and the other didn't.:scratch2: I forget what they call that stuff, lansalloy or something like that? The crossovers are sealed with a metal plate riveted to the top. Really didn't want to go there. Here's some pics of the woofers FWIW.

 

[Jenkster]

Any advantage/dis-advantage running them on the 16 ohm tap vs the 8 ohm?

 

[Zonker92]

Cool. The 416 "Z"s are basically 416 "A"s without a cosmetic magnet cover, as I recall.

 

[Altec Best]

Typically the difference between 8 ohm and 16 ohm drivers is the 8 ohm will need less power to achieve the same SPL as the 16 ohm drivers.. But your drivers have 16 ohm Voice Coils.. So the crossover from 16 to 8 ohm is done inside the crossover...FWIW though crossovers aren't my forte... If your crossovers have 8 ohm taps I would use them.

 

[bowtie427ss]

They're late for 846A's, one woofer is date coded the 7th week of '71, and the other is 49th week of '72.

 

[Altec Best]

I damped it and the resonance simply vanished. That convinced me that damping was a good idea, but your mileage may vary.

Here is some of the Damplifier I added; I wound up covering the inner body (top, bottom and sides), too.

Yes you should damp the whole horn up to the throat or an inch or two from the throat..

 

[jackgiff]

Driver colors?

The pair of these that were bought from the factory in 1967 had green colored horns and drivers. They had stickers on the back that identified them as 846A Valencia's. The two pairs that were restored had black colored horns and drivers, with stickers on the back of one of them that identified them as "Iconic" speakers.

Which color would indicate an earlier model? And when did Altec switch between wood and plastic as material for the grilles?