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Altec 9846b or Altec 846b Valencia

lakegville

lakegville

Active Member
Hi....i know there are lot's of members with big love for Altec....after reading has made me want to stick a toe in the Altec pool. There are a pair of 846b's ($600} real close to me for sale and a pair of the 9846b within striking distance for double the money. I really don't know much about which one would deliver better. i noticed the 9846 has it's own bass/treble amplifier which is really new to me. The cabs on the 9846 have been painted black....846b is original. I have lot's of SS gear options to drive them with no tubes. Any comments would be welcomed for there is not a lot of info floating around on these.
 
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If the 9846's were the passive version, they'd be the hands down choice. However, if they're equipped with the model 771 bi-amplifiers, i'd walk away at almost any price.

The 846B's are a bargain at the asking price albeit a less capable speaker overall. You could easily and quickly turn them over if you didn't like them.
 
lakegville said:
...... i noticed the 9846 has it's own bass/treble amplifier which is really new to me.
Click to expand...

If those are the amps I've read about, they're not the best. I do not recall the details on why, but it seem like it was a durability problem.

Edit: I see Bowtie posted before I could finish....... but I'm cooking eggs too :-P
 
You should grab those Valencias. That is a quarter of what you would pay for some model 19's. I think the valencias are a very good WAF size.
Like bowtie said, if you dont like them you could resell and probably make some money on the deal;)
 
I know nothing about the amped Altecs, all I can say about the Valencia is that after 35 years of owning and listening to them (846A, 16 Ohm), I could never part with them. Crystal clear, adequate if not overwhelming bass, which is fine for me, and all around just a wonderful sound. I've had other speakers come and go, but nothing tops them, IMO. I have a friend with 846B 8 Ohm, and they sound great as well.
 
bowtie427ss said:
If the 9846's were the passive version, they'd be the hands down choice. However, if they're equipped with the model 771 bi-amplifiers, i'd walk away at almost any price.
Click to expand...

Seems like those 511Bs and 802s would have some value, bad internal amps or no.
 
Sam Cogley said:
Seems like those 511Bs and 802s would have some value, bad internal amps or no.
Click to expand...
Certainly, to you, and i, and other Altec enthusiasts. ( i'd be more interested in the 411 woofers and putting those to work myself.)

But, not so much to a fella looking for a complete, plug n play speaker system. That was the angle from which my statement came.
 
Thank you guys for the info...very valued. I have a rather fluid situation going on. I try to do as much legwork up front on these things as i can cause i am not able to travel so i have to make decisions without getting to listen. I talked with the guy who has the 9846b. I did inquire about the 771 amp system and he told me that had been removed many years ago. Now it get's thicker he tells me he also has Santiago's that need 411 woofers re foamed for sale for about half the price of the 9846b's he has....jeeez now i am really corn fused! Of course he claims either will mop the floor of 846b because of drivers and non-ported design. Any thoughts on the Santiago's? he does not have pics of his up but i googled them and they have a nice look to them. Thanks in advance for coaching me up.
 
The first thing you have to note is the sensitivity difference between the 846B and the dynamic force woofer models. That 6db step is very significant.

The non-bi-amplified 9846's offer the widest frequency response. They use the 802 HF driver which offers more sensitivity which in turn allows for some equalization within the speaker system to give a true wide range presentation compared to other Altecs. Later Santiago will come pretty close, they use the 411 on the bottom but a less sensitive 806 HF driver on a smaller horn with higher crossover frequency that has a bit less HF extension, even with the 30904 in place. Earlier Santiagos had a different woofer with a somewhat less powerful motor, they're still pretty good in proper order. I find these models to be mildly less midrange forward, and a bit more neutral than the iconic, bass reflex, 2-way Altecs. But, not unlike most Altecs, they will be both dependent on, and revealing of everything upstream from them.

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Putting your cart way out in front of your horse.......................... there isn't enough room to squeeze an 802 in the Santiago cabinet.

But, there is room for a 902. And while i seldom recommend running 902 below 1200hz, the Santiago may well be one exception where the benefits easily outweigh potential caveats.
 
Really old post. But after getting back into audio, and of course Altecs, I've decided to complete the restoration of my 9846-8A's.
They are completely disassembled.
So doing some research here and Lo and Behold, Bowtie427ss has a photo of the 30904 network that I found after the fact many moons ago. The equalizer networks were missing from mine. I didn't get the plate that shows the wiring. Too cool.
Sadly, my 411's have no cones. They were trashed. Never got around to having GPA recone them. Sigh


Ron
 
The amp modules weren't that great from day one and really didn't hold up that well over time either. The passive versions were much preferred as I remember.
 
That's an interesting question, "how do Santiago's stack up against any of the 846 variants?"
I have never heard that they were preferred over the 846's. Does anyone have a different take on them?
 
RonSSNova said:
Really old post. But after getting back into audio, and of course Altecs, I've decided to complete the restoration of my 9846-8A's.
They are completely disassembled.
So doing some research here and Lo and Behold, Bowtie427ss has a photo of the 30904 network that I found after the fact many moons ago. The equalizer networks were missing from mine. I didn't get the plate that shows the wiring. Too cool.
Sadly, my 411's have no cones. They were trashed. Never got around to having GPA recone them. Sigh


Ron
Click to expand...
I have a nice pair of 9846-8A. I freshened the crossover and EQs a few years ago. I just wish I had a place for them!!
 
The powered Advents were close behind right? I think they came out in ‘77

Edit. I see an ad for the biamp 9846 from 1971

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