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Altec Bolero 890C crossovers driver recharge

L

Les Lammers

Well-Known Member
I picked up a nice pair of these yesterday the drivers, 406-8Y and Heppner horn, are in excellent condition. They sound 'tired'...I know the xover needs new caps and resistors. I was ordering the parts and saw that Dayton has prebuilt 2 way crossovers and was wondering if replacing them with these would be a good idea?

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=260-140


This would remove the high frequency control switch from the circuit. Could
something better than the switch be added? Is it necessary?

Also, has anyone ever had alnico drivers recharged? Is there a better horn to use?

What do you think? :scratch2:
 
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Altec Bolero 890C Crossover

Hello - 4 years later and I have the same exact situation and questions - was surprised you got no replies. Anyway, can you share your experience with these speakers as I just picked up mine last week (and have yet to hook them up.) Much appreciated! Bobo
 
IME&O one of the best small speakers ever made. The unusual and very high quality woofer gives the big "technicolor" sound of the large VOT and studio monitor based Altecs in a small package. Tonal balance is natural and robust.

The highs are nothing special, not bad or obnoxious, but lacking somewhat on the very top.
 
Usually, replace a specifically calculated crossover with a stock (generic) crossover is not a good idea.

I'd replace the capacitors you find in your cabinets, same uF values (you can go higher in voltage) , resistors if you want newer, non inductive ones, clean any pot or attenuator, refresh solders, change wires if you want. Seal cabinets if they are sealed type.
I can't tell about the alnico magnets.
 
Alnico speaker can and do lose their charge- Great Plains audio can refresh them for a nominal fee/ Temperature extremes from voice coil heat pushes an Alnico over time. As for the networks, leave Altec alone in their original design and freshen them up with same value components for caps and inductors.
DC
 
dc270 said:
Alnico speaker can and do lose their charge- Great Plains audio can refresh them for a nominal fee/ Temperature extremes from voice coil heat pushes an Alnico over time.
Click to expand...

While it's generally conceded that Alnico magnets can, under certain conditions, lose charge I'm aware of no consensus that it's inevitable or even common, especially in home use. I wouldn't want a fella to think he <needs> to go to the bother and expense of recharging his drivers to get good sound.
 
I have yet to have an Altec driver with a bad Alnico driver, which speaks pretty well for them- I have had 3 older AR drivers with poorly or completely discharged magnets. Is it common, probably not- but it is always something you look out for in these older magnet designs from my experience.
DC
 
Does anyone have any experience, here, on how to remove the drivers from the cabinet on a 890c? Mine are screwed and glued into a beveled cutout. One of my tweeters needs to be replaced. I found two Jensen horns from the era, hoping that they do the trick.
 
Thanks for resonses on the 890C issues

moebuster said:
well no but...
try pulling the tweeter and then pushing the woofer out from within.
Click to expand...

Just wanted to gratefully acknowledge the recent responses as regards the Altec Bolero 890C.

If anyone is interested... and for the sake of discussion - I've had them hooked for a couple days now in an office about 11' x 11' lying horizontally on shelves six feet apart (center of speakers) with tweeters about 43" from the floor - driven with a 14wpc Heathkit AA-151 ultra linear overhauled by Sam's Audio Lab (back in '07). The sources used have been ripped CDs (lossless) played from laptop through a Behringer UCA202 DAC. (Plenty of power!)

Impressions:

First, for a bookshelf speaker I think it's excellent on account of its accurate, near-full range sound. (I do wish the speakers were mirror imaged though - imaging is a little loosy-goosy - I was considering switching the woofers in one of them but, now, having learned they're glued and screwed... I'm hesitant.) Also, wondering if a crossover refresh would be worth it?

At any rate, overall, I'm pleased. There is plenty of bass and it's pretty darn good. (I can follow bass notes - not one note bass - fairly deep too and not flubby. Not as good as my Bozak Centurys... but those boxes are more than twice as large... and sealed! I have the high frequency at the minus db setting and it doesn't hurt my ears (in a very live room). Yes, I do notice the lack of a very high frequency sparkle - but, it sounds good still. The high end is definitely more pleasant than the Bozaks. (To get the natural sound of cymbals with the Bozaks, I need to increase the treble - but then voices can become a little tough on the ear.) Back to the Altecs: it is interesting - sometimes I think the midrange sounds a little "thick"... then I hear detail I've not heard before in a song (like some guitar in a Gordon Lightfoot piece). Still, the midrange isn't as crisp as my Bozaks. (Maybe the differency is the aluminum midrange drivers in the latter.)

Well, not to go on too much - they have, overall, a very pleasant, powerful and articulate sound with a seemingly stable (flat) frequency response in my little room. (Yes, certain low bass notes "resonate" - as I would expect expect given the room size and bookshelf placement.) I want hear what they sound like hooked up to my solid state amp in a larger room. Again, for bookshelf speakers, they're pretty awesome - full sounding. Not the last word in detail... but I've also gotten used to some Janzen mid/tweeters... so everthing kinda pales in comparison (for me with the limited amount of equipment I've been exposed to - Kef 104/2, Magnepan Smga, Dynaudio 42, Klipsch Corwall - many years ago.)

Best Regards!
Bobo
 
I just recently purchased a pair of 890c bolero's for 29.00, They will be replacing my JBL 4312's! Driving them with a Fisher X100-3 equipped with 7189 tubes. I replace the caps in one of the crossovers with Dayton 1 percent audio caps but could not hear a difference. Could be they had little use? I will post pics and a schematic for the crossover when I do the other cabinet. Would be interesting to hear of anyone trying different horns for these.
 
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