I bought the GPA crossover. It is the exact design, however they use inexpensive caps (I swapped them out for Solen), and the input & woofer leads are way too thin (16AWG), I swapped them out for 12AWG. Now it sounds right.
Altec Model 19 recap or GPA crossover
- Thread starter LPCOLLECT
- Start date
bond.70
Active Member
Hello, I recently bought a pair of 19, I would like to rebuilt the crossover and change leads as well...there is a guy selling on ebay a complete capacitor kit for two speakers for only 30 USD! https://www.ebay.com/itm/126787687019?_trkparms=amclksrc=ITM&aid=777008&algo=PERSONAL.TOPIC&ao=1&asc=20240723115851&meid=2c789b8f807b4d1ba3f3e9764fafaf25&pid=101952&rk=1&rkt=1&mehot=none&itm=126787687019&pmt=1&noa=1&pg=4375194&algv=WatchlistVariantWithMLR_BP&_trksid=p4375194.c101952.m162921&_trkparms=parentrq:9f53e5471950a8cdf7cc6a11ffffdf2a|pageci:d0bea3ca-0271-11f0-9ed9-426931d81971|iid:1|vlpname:vlp_homepage
What do you think about?
More, the horns on my Altec seem different to the original, I mean, the shape and the size seem the same, but mine are not seamed, they are one piece cast aluminium and there is not stamped any number or model on!
What do you think about?
More, the horns on my Altec seem different to the original, I mean, the shape and the size seem the same, but mine are not seamed, they are one piece cast aluminium and there is not stamped any number or model on!
Last edited:
bowtie427ss
Lunatic Member
Can you post a pic, particularly of the driver flange area?
bowtie427ss
Lunatic Member
Indeed, those seem to be, by all appearances early(circa 1953, 54, 55) sand cast 811's. Nice!
bond.70
Active Member
I suspected they are an early model as you say, but I don't know why they are there, someone says this version is better sounding compared to the welded seam normally found on the 19, and this is the driver
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bowtie427ss
Lunatic Member
033952 is the Altec in house part number for 802-8G.
Perhaps one of the original die cast and welded 811's was damaged since the cabinets have been without grills for a time, or maybe a previous owner had access to the early sand cast versions and having read on the interwebs that they sound better, opted for them.
I would opine that it would take the most golden of ears to ever hear an audible difference between the two horn versions.
But, like most things bearing the Lansing name scarcity drives value. Given the option of choosing between the two, i would certainly gravitate toward the sand cast versions for that reason alone.
Perhaps one of the original die cast and welded 811's was damaged since the cabinets have been without grills for a time, or maybe a previous owner had access to the early sand cast versions and having read on the interwebs that they sound better, opted for them.
I would opine that it would take the most golden of ears to ever hear an audible difference between the two horn versions.
But, like most things bearing the Lansing name scarcity drives value. Given the option of choosing between the two, i would certainly gravitate toward the sand cast versions for that reason alone.
bond.70
Active Member
Who knows maybe as you say the previous owner swapped them, I think I'll take them on also if they are not "original"!
I bought a bundle and so I couldn't complain too much! The rest of the purchase were a pair of McIntosh mono block!
I bought a bundle and so I couldn't complain too much! The rest of the purchase were a pair of McIntosh mono block!
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malden
Lunatic Member
I'm curious, who said that?
MTP caps are lowest common denominator parts. They will work, but... If you're going to do the job, bit the bullet and buy quality caps worthy of the product.
Quality caps won't come cheap, but the results will make it all worth while.
At the very least, look at Solen.
I built a set of Voice of the Theater for my HiFi restoration work shop. I cheeped out and bought a crossover from Great Plains Audio, it used MTP caps. I was not impressed. At all.
Just swapping out to Solen made a huge improvement.
At some point I'll swap them out for something better, but for my purposes, they are ok for now.
bond.70
Active Member
Pair of early 1950's Altec sand-cast 811 horns and 802-C drivers
These horns were removed from a pair of early 1950's Altec cabinets. These horns are the early scarce one-piece sand-cast aluminum small format 811's, not to be confused with the later seam welded 811-B horns. These are better dampened, heavier, and with a thicker wall than the 811-B's, and are...
www.canuckaudiomart.com
bond.70
Active Member
Pair of early 1950's Altec sand-cast 811 horns and 802-C drivers
These horns were removed from a pair of early 1950's Altec cabinets. These horns are the early scarce one-piece sand-cast aluminum small format 811's, not to be confused with the later seam welded 811-B horns. These are better dampened, heavier, and with a thicker wall than the 811-B's, and are...
www.canuckaudiomart.com
bowtie427ss
Lunatic Member
At the $2500 asking price, a highly luminous description should be expected.
If it's properly mounted to a baffle, the damping characteristics are rather moot since a small format driver doesn't produce enough acoustic energy to excite resonance(ringing) in either style horn.
If it's properly mounted to a baffle, the damping characteristics are rather moot since a small format driver doesn't produce enough acoustic energy to excite resonance(ringing) in either style horn.
The proof is in the pudding.
In every instance I have had these (MPT) in an audio circuit, I have realized a noticeable improvement when replacing MPT with almost any other brand.
That said, capacitors in an audio circuit are certainly a matter of preference.
Guitar players insist on Orange Drop for their guitar amps, some folks say only oil-and-paper is the only cap to use: $$$.
You can spend hundreds on one cap. So it comes down to what pleases your ears, within your budget.
I do like Jantzen, Solen, Audio-Cap... At the price point, there are a lot of brands to choose from, but MPT, not.
Even a budget cap like Dayton Audio is an improvement over MPT. I.M.H.O.
malden
Lunatic Member
the horns are made of metal, not pudding
bond.70
Active Member
I paied 5000 for the complete set, 19s+Mc30, it's seems a good deal then!