altec carmels

[corbu]

I've been looking for Model 19's for a while without success but have located a nice pair of Carmels ($900).

Anyone out there that has heard both? What are the tradeoffs?

The Carmel has 2 14" 414z woofers + 811 horn with 806 drivers. I'll be listening at low volumns in a smallish room (13' x 15') using 300b 8 watts amps and a mix of sources including LPs.

Mark

 

[Andyman]

I had a set and flipped them before I could really give them a good listen. Too big and all. I won't be making that mistake anytime soon again.

That being said, I really enjoyed them out in the garage/driveway. For $900 you certainly should be able to get your money back on a resale, so give them a try. FWIW though, my recent experiences with Valencias and the 806/811 combination left me looking for more on the top and wound up Econowaved .

 

[kelsa]

I had a pair of 19's in a room 15x20 and thought that they were too big for the room. Sounded like band PA speakers. Preferred the sound of Klipsch Cornwalls in that size room.

 

[Zilch]

Model 19 is about achieving VHF extension in a 2-way, the pinnacle of Altec design evolution, and no 806 HF-based system can get there.

Once we do get there with better compression drivers and HF compensation, it's apparent that while 511/811 can play VHF, they are beamy and power response is compromised in comparison to modern constant-directivity waveguides.

Dual 414s can make extended bass, but not the way Altec deployed them. See member Skywave-rider's video for how to accomplish that:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97CEcUEjJAE

Bottom line: from a contemporary performance perspective, there are more economical paths to acquiring pairs of 414 woofers.... :yes: