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Altec 846b's Looking for the Perfect Mate

Adam Woodard

Adam Woodard

New Member
I love my Altec Valencia 846b's. They aren't shouty, or brassy, or midrangy; they sing if you ask me. I have had them since I was 14, so for me, it is what speakers should sound like. Led Zeppelin II on any other speakers sounds castrated.

But I am ready to up my amp game.

I have been lurking this and other audio forums for years now. I have read about Marantz and Sansui ad nauseum. I have pored over articles detailing the differences between tube watts and SS watts. I have surfed eBay and hovered my mouse over the Buy it Now on more than a few vintage beauties only to close the browser instead.

I'm overwhelmed and now I'm asking for more.

Here's the advice I seek:

1. What amp would pair well with my Altecs?

I like to listen loud, like loud Loud. I like 50s, 60s, and 70s rock 'n' roll, old jazz, old country, old stuff in general. I believe in clarity and I'm not interested in overly coloring the sound; I want to hear what the mastering engineer wanted me to hear. Aesthetically, I prefer the 70s stuff, but I'm not a slave to aesthetics or prestigious brands. I just want the best sound for the money. I'm not stuck on vintage. I'm not stuck on solid state. My budget is $1000, give or take a few hundred. I do not listen to FM or AM radio. I do, however, listen to a lot of vinyl and a lot of streaming sources. My listening room is medium to large. And lastly, I am not a technician.

2. If your recommendation is something vintage, where do you like to shop and what tips do you have around purchasing vintage gear online?

Thanks, I love the AK community and have enjoyed lurking all these years,

/a
 
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A Yamaha AS801 is what I'm listening with now and I like it quite a bit. However, I'm moving the AS801 into a smaller room for mixing for home recordings.

Music Hall MMF 2.2LE for the turntable with the stock arm and needle.
 
Adam Woodard said:
A Yamaha AS801 is what I'm listening with now and I like it quite a bit. However, I'm moving the AS801 into a smaller room for mixing for home recordings.

Music Hall MMF 2.2LE for the turntable with the stock arm and needle.
Click to expand...
Well heres what I'm thinking, for the best bump in sound quality I would look at cartridges. Preferably a MC, but I wanted to know if you had a MC stage/phono input.

If we go with something like a Acurus DIA 100 Mk II, or related family. Your looking at very nice SQ, Passive pre design built into a 100 watt integrated amp. They are not that old, they gave you bang for the buck when new and can be had for around $200-$250

This will leave money for stepping up your front end with a nice cartridge and staging. The Acurus above doesn't have a built in stage, but they also made a stand alone for a system match. So I personally would think about that, $350 for a good MC, and $350 or about for a nice phono stage.
 
That sounds like great advice! I wasn't aware of Acurus but I like what I've read thus far. It sounds like great quality for the money if you can find it.
 
Adam Woodard said:
That sounds like great advice! I wasn't aware of Acurus but I like what I've read thus far. It sounds like great quality for the money if you can find it.
Click to expand...
Yeah a lot of people don't know about that brand, I have the above Acurus DIA 100 Mk II and it's never given me a problem as other older vintage gear has. You said you don't work on gear, nor do I, and i'm trying to point you to affordable quality. You might want to look at some of their other 2ch pieces and separates also, but keep in mind the need for a stand alone phono stage.

But really to start getting better sound quality I would really start looking at upping your game with MC cartridges, Phono Staging for your record playing.
 
I would go for a nice tube amp, perhaps a SET. The Altecs are very efficient and don't need a lot of wattage to sing.
 
One of the best hi-fis I heard consisted of speakers like yours powered by Conrad Johnson vacuum tube preamp and amp. I don't recall the models but the amp was a medium powered unit, not a big hog. Probably around 50 wpc.

If the price of those is too dear I'd use a Jolida tube integrated amp, the EL84 Fusion 1102 should do the trick, 25 wpc. I used the previous EL84 Jolida, the JD102 with Altecs similar to yours (Model 19s and Heath AS-21s) and the sound was robust and dynamic with excellent clarity and expansive width and depth. Big tone and big sonic bubble.

My opinions and experiences here, not the word of God.
 
I love the Valencias. Your budget is $1,000 and you like your music LOUD, right? You were using a very nice amp already. That Yamaha A-S801. Was there something in the sound that you didn't like? Something that was missing?

The Yamaha A-S500 has a neutral and honest reproduction and I think the A-S801 is in the same ballpark. I have the AS500 and really like how it sounds, but perhaps you want a sound with a raised lower midrange (AKA warm). NAD C368 or Marantz 7005 may have that, but the price may be too high. Tough choice!
 
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