Altec Voice of Theater v. Altec 14

amante

amante

Active Member
A quick question to owners: How do the older Voice Of Theater models compare to Altec 14s? I newly own the 14s but may have an opportunity to scoop up a pair of VOTTs. I like the 14s and did learn they are highly picky about what you feed them. Mine did not like any of my Pioneer SX models but preferred my Sansui 2000x. Not a ton of bass but amazing Mantaray headroom/midrange.

I guess I'm hoping someone will talk me out of another pair of speakers this incredibly large! -Joseph

p.s. N809-8A
 
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I vote to get the VOTT's too!:banana:

I have not spent alot of time with model 14's but I love my A7's. There is just something about going full horn loaded. Its makes the killer Altec midbass/midrange even better.

What driver complement is in the VOTT's you are looking at?

BTW, my VOTT's are not my biggest pair of speakers:biggrin:
 
The 511 horn (fitted to the A7 vott) is superior to the MR horn in the 14s. But you've not yet scratched the surface of what your 14s are capable of via vintage receivers. I say put the money you'd use for the low WAF votts and put that towards a high end preamp and amp.

IMHO, a set of properly set up 14s, performing to spec, with excellent electronics is a far more suitable setup in a domestic setting.
 
depends on what vott your speaking of. if it's the typical a7, it comes down to what drivers that come with it and if they're original diaphragms. the sectoral horns are good horns i think and one few i like but, are beamy at the top air end response so positioning is more picky on their part and requires special attention to room treatments and room placement. most likely though overall the m14 will have superior hf extension response and will be ultra smooth due to mantray 902-8b combo.

i have recapped m14 and a pair of 511b horns strapped on top of jbl 4648 bass bins using a jbl 3160 crossover boxes. i love them a lot and don't mind the air response roll off of the 808-8b drivers(which are used in typical a7's most times) at all and in most cases preferable for my tastes on the 511b/808-8b combo. i have swapped out the 35480 diaphragm from my 902-8b's to my 808 bodies as experiment to turn it basically into an 802-8g and i really liked the sound as well but, the extended air response got to me on some recordings and movies using the 511b horns(lot modern movies like to burst out 18-20khz random sine waves for some odd reason...can get annoying with my sensitive ears)....

the model 14's i have i think are ultra smooth from top to bottom i personally think and mantaray does shine with it's given 902-8b drivers very well and dispersion of the mataray air end is wider and more forgiving allowing better adjust ability in room. my whole time i never found the m14 lacking bass personally but, still used subs for 35hz and below of course..

i say it's a complete different experience with both and hard to choose personally but, in most situations the m14 will outpace the larger sectoral brothers in most cases in my opinion. the m14 is no pushover and is very well engineered. the bigger sectoral brothers are awesome as well but, they do have their limitations i found personally but, are very enjoyable and in my opinion puts out some unbelievable sound with the right driver and right electronics.

if you can have both i say go for it. if not the m14 is amazing little speaker set and i would get them recapped and better amp and source behind it if possible. i had nothing but. 440wpc or 650wpc crowns behind them and they performed very well. i tried them on rebuilt tube gear and they sounded wonderful on them too. the sansui is great receiver(i use to own 5000x and one few receivers i liked) but, a good power amp will do even better for them. the m14's has great punch/bass. it just needs little extra push(power). also recapping and redoing internal stuffing inside the box will improve good amount too.
 
Amante, you haven't seen big until you've seen the A5 in my avatar....... and the A2 and A1 would be wider, although probably a bit shorter.
elitopus said:
Altec 817 cabs with JBL 2360 horns on top. Those are 70" tall. The A7 cabs with 511 horns are only a measly 58" tall. :dunno::rflmao:
Click to expand...

Oh, that's just a big HF horn giving you the height........ that's cheating :D
 
Amante, I had a pair of 828s (A7 cabinet) in my livingroom for awhile. I never got the right components to make them right. They were pretty big for a small livingroom. I eventually re-sold them, deciding they were a bit bigger than what I wanted to deal with in this house. If they had been complete, I probably would have kept them, Though.

Depending on the price for the set you're looking at, it might be fun to buy, play with them for awhile, and re-sell at a profit.
 
Goodwill_HiFi said:
Amante, you haven't seen big until you've seen the A5 in my avatar....... and the A2 and A1 would be wider, although probably a bit shorter.


Oh, that's just a big HF horn giving you the height........ that's cheating :D
Click to expand...

Big horns count too:biggrin:

I passed on a free pair of 210 cabs about 6 months ago. Those things are seriously too big! I would need a small warehouse (or theatre Lol) to make them sound good

To the OP, I agree with GW HiFi, if you can grab the A7's for a decent price to play with, do it!
I didn't buy mine as a complete set. I started out with just the cabs and added on from there.
They are cool speakers to play around with. You can changes woofers, horn drivers, crossovers, and even horns just to get a different sound. I really enjoy the DIY aspect of horns.
 
Thanks everyone for this great advice! I'll try to grab them and post pics. I'll also try some more power in the M14s...didn't know it would help.
 
At 94dB @ 4 feet, the Model 14 requires very little power for substantial sound pressure. The auto power limiter built into the crossover limits input to 65 watts maximum regardless of input beyond that point. A 30 watt amplifier should be plenty for all the loudness you (and your neighbors) can stand.

It's been a little under a year since I purchased and refinished the pair of 14s and I could not be more pleased. I've have excellent results with both tube and solid state amplification.

Subwoofer recommended as LF response begins rolling off below ~ 50Hz, IME.
 
I agree, get both and tell us how the M14's and the A7's compare. I think that both need subs and super tweeters (aka a 4 way speaker) and both would sound great in a small room or large. :)
 
Were those the VOTT's on the local craigs a while ago I'm wondering? If they are I heard them in the seller's living room and I thought they were much too big and overpowering for that room. Unless you have a huge listening room I'm thinking stick with the 14's and give them some electronics to make them sing.
 
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14 is a plug n play hifi speaker.

To achieve similar smooth extended bandwidth with VOT's you will minimally need tweeters, subwoofers, and room treatment.
 
Well, a M14 is almost 10 times less efficient than an A-7/500. The bass will reach a few cycles lower. The split crossover makes for a smoother response. The Mantaray horn doesn't ring like the older sectorials of the A-7. The projection of the A-7 is much greater, The dispersion of an A-7 is better controlled and matches at the crossover, where the M-14 doesn't. The A-7 -is designed for spaces up to 75 ft deep and I wouldn't sit any closer than 16 ft . You need a large space for an A-7 to come into its own. The M-14 is designed for smaller spaces in the home. Its kinda like comparing a 1 ton pick up to an 18 wheeler. A friend of Mine had A-7s but found he much preferred Belles and finally Cornwalls for his home by Klipsch. I'd look for model 19's and call it quits, unless you want to jump over to JBL. You'll have a lot more choices to choose from. I'd look for L300's as starters and maybe finishing with 4435's. If you want to try a 3 way system there are tons of choices. If size. floor space is an issue, look else where. Maybe a 10" or 12" coaxial Tannoy or a Altec 604 G in a custom, tall, ported 9 cu ft box. See Great Plains Audio.
 
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