Altec Bolero 890a/b/c

[ivan100000]

Hi--

Are any of the three Bolero variants more "desirable" than the others? I know the earlier models had the Altec horn as opposed to the Heppner-equipped 890c, yet the 890c is said to have the most magical of the 406 offerings. I'm curious to learn the opinions of those who have heard all three...

 

[Winterfell1]

I have the 890c pair. Sound fantastic. I have not had the others but have heard that some prefer the Altec made horn on the earlier versions rather than the Japanese made horn of 890c. However, Japan was making great gear in the 60s and 70s.. some of the best, so it doesn't bother me. I run mine with a pair of McIntosh MC-30s and an old Adcom preamp. They sound great.

 

[Caryw]

I love my C’s . Just got them and cleaned the cabs. Haven’t done anything else yet.

 

[Tom Brennan]

I think the C is preferable because it uses a superior woofer that was painstakingly designed to mimic the sound of the larger woofers of the VOT series. I had two sets of the Cs over the years along with many large Altecs--VOTs, Model 19s, Duplexes and such--and the C hangs in well with the big guys.

 

[Tom Brennan]

I have the 890c pair. Sound fantastic. I have not had the others but have heard that some prefer the Altec made horn on the earlier versions rather than the Japanese made horn of 890c. However, Japan was making great gear in the 60s and 70s.. some of the best, so it doesn't bother me. I run mine with a pair of McIntosh MC-30s and an old Adcom preamp. They sound great.

I think the Heppner horn of the C was made in Illinois. Klipsch later bought the company.

 

[loudnoises]

The horn tweeter in the A is much rarer and the diaphragms more fragile. The b and c use the same happner horn iirc.