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Have altec VOTT, but girlfriend says no

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If you've got to ask then you already know the answer. Put em in storage somewhere safe till the day comes (and it will) when you can enjoy them. If you sell them you'll be kicking yourself forever. As far as the suggestions of getting rid of the girlfriend over a pair of speakers:thumbsdn:
 
Unfortunately, you choice of speakers probably has the least WAF of any speaker out there. Jeff Markwart and John Tucker described the A7 decor aspects as "Early industrial Strength" or "West Coast Monolithic" in their Exempler project paper. They were not to far off. Not a description most women consider appropriate for their home. My buddy's Lascalas have been sitting in the corner of his office for 15 years now sense he got married. They were the first thing to go when she moved in and had her say. Your far from being alone with this issue. There are other Altec horn speakers that are not as big, and would use some of the components you already have, and were designed for in the home, like model 19s, Valencias and others. I guess the real question is how big can you get away with if they were in better looking cabinets. Tough dilemma, but I don't think I would let any speakers system come between me the right woman. Like other have said, maybe in the future you will have the right situation were you can use them. Storing them until then will be a real pain. Good Luck.
 
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" Unfortunately, you choice of speaker probably has the least WAF of anything that you could fit in your house."


There is no such thing as sneaking in an Altec A5, or 210 (A1-A4) or WE 12a & 13a pair. Those are bigger.:yes:
 
Schurkey said:
If she's making decisions for you that you don't like...dump her now before she gets expensive.

You let her have this decision, she'll just want more control of your life, and the precedent has already been set.

You have seen the future; and NOW is the time to change it.
Click to expand...

Just bite the bullet, sell off those big monkey coffins,
and get some nice little Bose Lifestyle speakers -
those cute little cubes just disappear into a room ...

:banana:
 
wweigle said:
Unfortunately, you choice of speakers probably has the least WAF of anything that you could fit in your house. There are other Altec horn speakers that are not as big, and would use some of the components you already have, and were designed for in the home, like model 19s, Valencias and others. I guess the real question is how big can you get away with if they were in better looking cabinets. Tough dilemma, but I don't think I would let any speakers system git in the way being with the right woman. Good Luck.
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I picked up a pair of these at a yard sale for $300.

Have never seen any wimmen FS @ any yard sales.....

& I agree that they were not great home speakers...
 
I'd measure the cabinets and create or look for plans to build the cabinets later on.

Then pull the drivers & crossovers and store them in boxes to put them back together if the time presents itself.
 
You guys are great. Thank you for all the replies.

Maybe Bose lifestyle cubes are the answer, or maybe just some computer monitors.... :nono:

Regarding those who say, let your girlfriend try them out, and that maybe she'll respect that audio is your passion, etc....nope. I had them in my apartment and she was not happy with them, and likely not enough of an audiophile to appreciate they're finer points, and she heard with her eyes for sure.... as in these things are big and ugly. Also, she's a bit strict, but it would be nice if she were the accepting type. But I take it as a compromise, she's letting me bring my records, and audio stuff, just not the huge speakers.

My thoughts are to sell them and maybe try and somehow find an affordable pair of Altec 604 speakers, but they require a big cabinet as well.

I updated my location, I am in New Haven, CT.

I know I would regret selling these. But I guess sometimes you have to let things go.

I'll let you all know what I do. I appreciate any comments and insight here.

Best,


Jonas Baker
 
Speaking of suitability, note that the A7's do not go much below 50 Hz. IIRC, some of the Altecs designed for home use - like the Valencias - do better in the bass department. The VOTTs were more suitable to use with a sub. I have A7's myself (uh, in my mancave garage shop, haha) and they are no slouches, but if you like bass extension, you might be happier with a different model. Best of both worlds.
 
Well, it sounds like a dilemma, I've stored stuff over teh years for similar reasons,,, However, GFs come and go, but I still have the speakers I built in high school, now the OP may not have the same allegiance to his that I do!!
By the way,, they never went into storage!!!!
 
How much bigger are A7 than Valencia? My Vals don't really seem that big anymore. Would she accept nice furniture cabs?
 
I think she would accept something the size of a valencia, being that the horn is nicely tucked inside the cabinet, and it has a furniture look to it. She's okay with my Large advents that have ugly vinyl veneer. I would almost feel bad storing them. I want someone to enjoy them. If it's not me than I would hope someone else would.
 
This is the dreaded intersection between real estate and relationships... tread carefully, brother.

When I met the lady who would become my wife I entered the relationship with a large LP collection, a red Volkswagen and a lot of other crap that she really didn't care for. She entered the relationship with a huge amount of crafting supplies and hair products that I didn't really care for. We each understood that this 'stuff' is part of what makes us who we are.... LPs make me happy, crafting makes her happy. I like it when she's happy so crafting junk is ok... she likes it when I am happy, so LPs are cool with her. When we were choosing a home together we knew we had to choose a place that would accommodate both of us, and our things.

You have big-assed speakers that are important to you. They make you happy. It is unfair for her to ask you to get rid of something that brings you joy. They do not bring her joy, it is unfair of you to expect her to accept them into her (or your shared) home without having any issues...

My suggestion is that you find a place that will accommodate both of you and both of your things. This would mean a separate room for your stereo (could be an office, basement, workshop etc) where she doesn't need to look at them.
 
Schurkey said:
If she's making decisions for you that you don't like...dump her now before she gets expensive.

You let her have this decision, she'll just want more control of your life, and the precedent has already been set.

You have seen the future; and NOW is the time to change it.
Click to expand...


WHat I was gonna say too... If someone can't accept you and what you own, then maybe she's going to be too picky down the line.. Been there twice before, and saw the writing on the wall, and still did it anyway... I had to sell a motorcycle because wife #2 didn't like them... Her nor that bike is in my life any more... She also got rid of my cat one day when I was at work because she didn't like my cat..

I'm on my third wife, and my last.. She allowed me to have A7's in the living room, AND, even took a picture of me sitting on top of them... I also had three motorcycles with #3.. and she picked out two of them and asked me to buy them... :yes: I sold one of those.. I still got two....

Just giving you some serious stuff to think about before you make any unwise moves... This is about a whole lot more than speakers.. #2 cost me a TON of money to get away from...
 
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Zonker92 said:
I'm not convinced the A7 is a great choice for home use anyway; I understand that the bass is really rolled off. I would sell them and buy JBL 240Tis. You'll get better bass, great sonics and they're probably, maybe just barely small enough to appease your girlfriend.

Or Altec Model 14s if you want horns.
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toxcrusadr said:
Speaking of suitability, note that the A7's do not go much below 50 Hz. IIRC, some of the Altecs designed for home use - like the Valencias - do better in the bass department. The VOTTs were more suitable to use with a sub. I have A7's myself (uh, in my mancave garage shop, haha) and they are no slouches, but if you like bass extension, you might be happier with a different model. Best of both worlds.
Click to expand...

It's possible to modify the 800-series cabinets (the A7 is more of a designation of the driver load) for better bass extension. I've been doing some research on cabinet tweaking after a pair of 828 cabinets dropped into my lap.

Altec 19s are probably the best compromise out there between "VOTT sound" and "approved furniture" - except for the rare Magnificents, which are A7-500 VOTTs wrapped in pretty veneer.

g..v said:
" Unfortunately, you choice of speaker probably has the least WAF of anything that you could fit in your house."


There is no such thing as sneaking in an Altec A5, or 210 (A1-A4) or WE 12a & 13a pair. Those are bigger.:yes:
Click to expand...

None of those would physically fit into my house. My 828s would.

jeb98 said:
I think she would accept something the size of a valencia, being that the horn is nicely tucked inside the cabinet, and it has a furniture look to it. She's okay with my Large advents that have ugly vinyl veneer. I would almost feel bad storing them. I want someone to enjoy them. If it's not me than I would hope someone else would.
Click to expand...

It's possible to internally mount the horn on an 800-series VOTT. It was done in both portable PA applications and the Magnificent.
 
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