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Altec VOTT gym find

Those aren't the original speakers unfortunately, the originals woofers would likely be 416a, 416 8a, or 803. The compression drivers are original, as are presumably the crossovers. I believe the 808-8a drivers are the same as the 802 drivers but they have a symbiotic diaphragm. To really hear what they sound like as Altec VOTT you would want to put in some 416-8a speakers in there.

Good luck,

Jonas
 
jeb98 said:
To really hear what they sound like as Altec VOTT you would want to put in some 416-8a speakers in there.
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Why?

416 is a woofer.

Since the OP's 825 cabinets are a mid-bass horn, to hear the maximum of the cabinet's effect why not use a horn driver like an Altec 515?
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There are several woofers which outperform the 416 in a horn, both modern and vintage, d130 plays fabulously in an 825/828 cabinet.
 
Yes they are the Jensen CL 15s, thats what is in Both of them, I imagine its an early production run, but the updated woofers will be what Ill try and replace with...both woofers look to be in original shape and intact as do the horns, testing saturday...
 
bowtie427ss said:
Why?

416 is a woofer.

Since the OP's 825 cabinets are a mid-bass horn, to hear the maximum of the cabinet's effect why not use a horn driver like an Altec 515?

There are several woofers which outperform the 416 in a horn, both modern and vintage, d130 plays fabulously in an 825/828 cabinet.
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I too prefer the 515 but I wouldn't sell the old 416 short. The 416 makes excellent midrange, gives deeper bass than the 515 if you prefer that tradeoff and certainly makes for a full fledged VOT. I once had a single A7 VOT (416 woofer for those who don't know) I used for mono listening and for some reason the bass on Stax records sounded better on that speaker than any I'd had.
 
I don't really mean to sell the 416 short.

But, IMO&E the 416 has more to offer in a bass reflex alignment where it's usable bass extension is generally much better balanced than in the 825 or 828 box. Heck, i ran 416's in a very low tuning for subwoofers for a while. With the proper tuning they will play quite low with enough authority to re-arrange things on shelves and in cabinets.

I quite honestly prefer the 421 in a small VOT over the 416, and it's probably no wonder since the 421's relevant parameters are very similar to those of the 515.
 
I ran a 421 hybrid for a while in my 828 cabs. 421H frames with aftermarket 416 cones. With solid paper dust caps of course. Our friend Gordon reconed them.

Anyways, they sounded great.
 
Starting to rebuild these now, I opened both cabs and found one is the Jensen woofer and one is an Altec woofer, Ill get exact models and numbers quickly, Im missing one dividing network, Im willing to trade for another Altec woofer, Ive been told the Jensen is a low power 30/40 watts power handling,etc, the horns Ill probably send off the GPA and have redone, as soon as I get the correct parts well wheel and deal, Im going to strip these cabs and sand them down and put on a nice furniture quality finish, walnut or similar, remount the horns to the top of the cabs, these were mounted inside I would assume to help keep basketball damage etc to a minimum, I sold the LASCALA's and were going to keep the Altecs for a while...
 
Besides Great Plains are there any other Altec NOS parts depots, Im looking for the Crossover, Woofer, Decals, Grill Cloths, anyone with parts can contact me here..or send links...
 
Don Lanier said:
Just Pulled these down from a Gym where I installed a new sound system, in great shape and appearance other than 65 years of dirt and dust, they were installed in the 60s in the original gym. Going to clean them up and possibly resell down the road, I want to hear them and clean them up but will leave them as original as I can. This is the second pair I've owned, the last pair were in the early 70s and used in a rock band pumping out the jams...can't wait to hear them, not sure of the date of manufacture or model yet. Hoping the woofer is Original as is the Horn Driver. Ive got a Big room, But Ive got Lascalas in the front Stereo position, might have to make these the rear for a week or two and do some WHO Quadrophenia shows...
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Nice find. I knew a guy back in the 70's who had a pair of these in his very large family room. It was a big house that a band lived in, no wife acceptance factor here. They were powered by a pair of McIntosh 2100 amps. Easily one of the most impressive hi-fi systems that I can recall hearing, one that left a life long impression.
 
My Uncle had this system and I remember as a Teenager going to his house, the sound and warmth of the big old tube amps he had, VOT and he had a big chair in the middle of the room and huge picture window, he would sit there and listen to album after album of jazz and I loved it, he would let me change the albums and tell me about his sound system he had collected over the years, when he passed I wanted to aquire the system but it went to family, that mae an impression on my ability to listen and hear...it was beautiful...this was in the early 60s and the equipment was quality, I believe the amps were Altec but remember most the glowing large tubes, he would warm it up and switch it on and glory came pouring out of those huge VOT...
 
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