Are Old But Good Speakers Really Worth Paying to Repair?

[al76slc]

We inherited some Altec Model 9 Series II speakers (circa ‘78). The woofers and midranges need to be refoamed, and the cones on all of the drivers are dried out (see pics). I will not be doing the work myself.

My question – assuming we have them restored – what will we wind up with?

In other words, assuming we pay $200 - 250 or so (I’m guessing) + shipping to restore them, will they sound as good as what we can buy today for $200- 250?

Or asked another way - what price point in current generation speakers will these speakers be equivalent to?

A positive for restoring them is that they have some sentimental value.

A major negative is they are large – 26” x 17” x 15” - and heavy - 56 lbs. All things being equal, I’d prefer something with a smaller profile.

Although I don’t remember these speakers when new, my memory of late 70’s speakers is that they tended to be bright and boomy, built to stick out on the audio stores' shelves – but not very natural sounding.

They will be used in a sub-audiophile listening setup – low to moderate volume jazz, classical and rock – and as the front speakers in a home theater

I'm guessing at the repair costs - please enlighten me.

I’m sure you must have answered this question before, but I didn’t know how to find the answer.

Thank you for your help. You have a great forum here.

 

[al76slc]

As I'm looking at the final pic, I'm not sure they are Series II.

Could be 1st gen.

 

[spartanmanor]

You could do the refoaming yourself and end up not spending that much. On a scale of 1-10 it falls in at about 3 for difficulty.

 

[240sx4u]

Well, if your feeling froggy you can probably re-foam them yourself for under 50 bucks for the whole shebang.

Evan

 

[al76slc]

You could do the refoaming yourself and end up not spending that much. On a scale of 1-10 it falls in at about 3 for difficulty.

The cones look like they're dried out as well, so I figured that would have to be done.


Do capacitors on the cross-overs need to get replaced as the speakers age?

 

[EddyR]

There is nothing wrong with the cones. Refoaming is very simple even for a beginner. There are many Many threads on refoaming. If you have lots of money buy new,$2000+. What amp are you going to use?
Ed

 

[ProAc_Fan]

Yes to the caps question. Those really do look tired and almost beyond a simple refoaming. I wonder how much finding replacement drivers might cost? I'm not sure I'd be paying somebody to refoam those drivers. Read the numerous threads on refoaming, only invest the $40-$50 it'd cost to DIY and then you'll know better how these sound. Spending close to $300 before listening to these seems foolhardy to me. You'd never recoup that kind of investment if you don't like em.

Mike

 

[HuskySpade]

The cones look like they're dried out as well, so I figured that would have to be done.


Do capacitors on the cross-overs need to get replaced as the speakers age?

If I were you, I would start with a re-foam, than hook them up and listen to them. Play with your Mids-Highs knobs on the speaker and see if they sound good.

If you've re-foamed etc, and try them and they just don't work, thats when you'll want to consider electronics like crossovers etc.

I have some circa 70s' speakers, and they sound great. They aren't Altecs but fortunately they've been well cared for since that time, so I havn't had to service any of them.

 

[al76slc]

I'm not ignoring all of your helpful suggestions about refoaming.

I'm still back to my original question...

My question – assuming we have them restored – what will we wind up with?

....
Or asked another way - what price point in current generation speakers will these speakers be equivalent to?

...
Although I don’t remember these speakers when new, my memory of late 70’s speakers is that they tended to be bright and boomy, built to stick out on the audio stores' shelves – but not very natural sounding.

They will be used in a sub-audiophile listening setup – low to moderate volume jazz, classical and rock – and as the front speakers in a home theater

I'm probably going to use some sort of HT receiver to drive them - maybe in the $400 - 500 range.

 

[ProAc_Fan]

Considering most of the junk you buy in the $250 range nowadays these will probably be nicer. IMHO However once you get into the $400-$500 neighbourhood many new speakers are better performers.

Mike

 

[outshined]

What is your attraction to these speaks? Have you heard this model before, and really liked 'em? Is it sentimental value?

You need to ponder the questions as to why you want to keep and restore them.

New speakers for $250 don't necessarily need to sound bad. Speakers have come a long way since the '70's, but that's not to say that there aren't some very fine speakers from that era.

 

[Arkay]

I got to listen to Kenwood "KABUKI" speakers today. Fully fixed up, in a consignment shop that normally carries very good/TOTL vintage stuff. Let's just say they were, uh, not the best things I've heard there. I wouldn't want to spare the space to store them, which is all I'd do with them if they were given to me. They weren't awful or anything; in fact, they were better than many speakers out there, but they just weren't really very good.

Altecs, on the other hand, sometimes sound pretty darn good! :thmbsp: If I were you, I'd definitely get at least one done (re-foamed and re-capped) and give it a listen.

If you could bring yourself to do this yourself, it would bring the cost down to where I'd say you'll find it worthwhile.

If you do have to have it done outside, you should find a local tech to avoid shipping cost.

I'll go out on a limb here, and suggest that maybe there is a local AKer near you who would help you out for less than a tech would charge, in exchange for some beer and an LP or two? AKers tend to be helpful and generous folk like that!

To answer your question in general terms, there is no universal answer to the question of what price point for fixing old speakers it becomes better to buy new. It depends entirely on WHICH vintage speakers are under discussion.

Just thinking of some of the speakers I have around here: it wouldn't take too much money to out-do the AR 4x speakers; probably a few to several thousand dollars to out-do the TimeWindows, ESS AMTs, or the Dahlquists... but methinks it would take thousands (many thousands!) to outperform the Infinity RS IIs or the Yamaha NS-1000Ms. I've heard more than one five-figure set of speakers I wouldn't even THINK of giving up either of those for, although a few in that price range could match or exceed them. If you found something along the lines of IRS Vs, it would be worth dumping ten or twenty thousand dollars into renovating them, because nothing under a hundred grand today could even come close.

So it really depends on WHICH speakers you are talking about.

For your Altecs? Sorry, I don't know; never heard that model. The only way to be sure is to fix 'em up and listen. If the cost of repair exceeds their market value, then you probably would want to sell them as-is, and let someone else with an "if it's me, its free" DIY mindset to tackle 'em. Otherwise, spend the money and if you don't like them, re-sell them to get the money back and try something else.

 

[Paratima]

You may be asking too much of this forum. We can't possibly know whether you'll like those Altecs after reconditioning. Personal preference is, well, personal. Altec is a highly respected brand. They made some excellent speakers. As far as I can tell, nobody is saying these are trash, just in need of TLC. Yes, modern speakers have improved design, but will cost quite a bit more for equivalent quality.

Two things need to happen: Re-foaming, which you can do yourself. There are dozens of excellent threads here with "How To's". Bonus: You'll learn something about speaker construction. And re-capping. You will almost certainly want to put new caps in the crossovers. If you can hold a soldering iron without endangering innocent bystanders, you can do this, too.

THEN, plug 'em in and listen to what you've got. You'll have invested less than a hundred bucks and you'll know if they're for you. If not, you should be able to put them up on that auction site and get most of your money back. If you like them, you're done!

 

[al76slc]

1) What is your attraction to these speaks? Have you heard this model before, and really liked 'em? Is it sentimental value?

You need to ponder the questions as to why you want to keep and restore them.

2) New speakers for $250 don't necessarily need to sound bad. Speakers have come a long way since the '70's, but that's not to say that there aren't some very fine speakers from that era.

1) My wife inherited them from her (deceased) brother. There's some sentimental attachment on her part.

2) I import electronics from Asia (small stuff - not consumer products). In my opinion, much of the 70's stuff has been improved on greatly at lower cost by the stuff manufactured now.

I'm not saying I'd toss these if I choose not to work on them now.

But comparing putting time and effort or $$$ into these, or getting speakers that would have a better (smaller) form factor and equivalent sound for $250-400, I'd probably go the second route.

I'd hold onto and look to restore these Altecs when I have a bit more time on my hands.

 

[dc270]

It has all breen pretty well said already. The final sound you can get from these probably will not equate to anything else out there today so comparisons are something of a moot/ subjective point point. Many of the people here simply do it for the love of the craft. Maybe we/I are all just frustrated violin makers- ha! I know for me I do it for the love of the craft, to bring back a vintage sound and look that actually can surpass a lot of what you see and hear today at least I think so.
It is difficult for me to quantify what you are asking. Had it been simplier said like "are these worth restoring?" I am sure we would most all agreee to say yes. You can end up with a great looking product and with some skill and work have a nice sounding vintage speaker set! Will you ever recoup your time and money investment- proably not, hence the love of the craft!
DC

 

[highfigh]

The cones look like they're dried out as well, so I figured that would have to be done.


Do capacitors on the cross-overs need to get replaced as the speakers age?

The cones don't dry out unless they have some kind of special treatment and even that usually lasts a long time. They're paper. I would be more concerned if they were, or had become, damp.

There's no reason to ship the whole cabinet. Remove the drivers, get some masonite and mount that to the cone side to protect the cone, put a jumper on the terminals (acts as a magnetic shunt and makes shipping damage less likely because it's harder to move the voice coil in the magnetic field), wrap cardboard around them followed by large bubble wrap and box them well. You'll probably cut the total cost in half.

 

[MarkAnderson]

If you aren't interested in the DIY route, maybe you could find someone local who'd be willing to fix them up for you. I mean, I'd do it if you were close to me. Just a thought...

 

[titanstats]

Nothing wrong with those speakers that $25 and a couple of hours won't fix. If you don't want to DIY the foam, a reputable shop should be able to refoam them for $50-$60 bucks a speaker. Will you find a speaker today for $200 odd dollars that will match them? Doubtful -- I can spend that much at the grocery store without much effort.

Good luck; I know doing the foam yourself may seem a bit dubious, but it really is easy, and takes not much more than a small paintbrush, some white glue, replacement foam, and a bit of patience. Besides, you'll be pretty pleased/proud of the result when you have them done.

 

[al76slc]

If you aren't interested in the DIY route, maybe you could find someone local who'd be willing to fix them up for you. I mean, I'd do it if you were close to me. Just a thought...

NY just off a highway, and I have plenty of beer....

I guess that's not close enough, huh?


**edited by Moderators**



BTW all of you guys are fantastic.

I know you may be thinking I'm a wuss for not jumping up and down to do this myself....

But I've learned to stop picking up projects for when I get a round tuit.

 

[tentoze]

Moderator Note:

Please keep any and all offers to buy/sell/trade/give-away ANYTHING out of the open forums.