Altec Model 5s with wrong woofers...

[TenYearsGone]

Hi everyone!

I recently snagged a pair of Altec Model 5s, only to realize later that the woofers had been swapped. The cones are blue, dustcaps are tan, and the following numbers are stamped onto the bottom: "841-1019-100" and "137 7409" (see photos). From what I can tell, the impostors appear to be from a set of Marantz Imperial 7s.

The surrounds are shot, so my question is: are these worth refoaming and using or will these speakers sound terrible with the Marantz drivers? I haven't been able to find any information on the specs for the Marantz or Altec woofers, so I can't do a comparison.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Ghonk]

137 is a CTS speaker code.
Yeah the blue cone screams Marantz.

 

[TenYearsGone]

Yeah, the codes and appearance certainly point at Marantz. If the drivers are in fact from Imperial 7s, at least the cabinet volume looks to be about the same as the Model 5s.

 

[bowtie427ss]

Same woofer used in model 5, model 7, 891V, and 891W.

Altec part number 31063.

Be aware there were alnico and ferrite versions.

It's an interesting beast, kind of a 10 or 11 inch woofer in a 12 inch frame.

It appears the Altec woofer used a smaller motor than the Marantz, it likely goes lower at the cost of some sensitivity all else being the same.

 

[TenYearsGone]

Thanks for the additional info. I finally got a chance to give them a listen, and they sound pretty good! As it turns out, the surrounds aren't trashed; they're cloth and probably just need to be redoped. I also need to seal the woofers to the cabinet, but then they should be all set.

Now to decide if they'll take the place of my Realistic Optimus-50s...