theebadone
Super Member
Altecs
It looks like the 411-8A was the only 15" woofer that Altec used the foam surrounds on.
It looks like the 411-8A was the only 15" woofer that Altec used the foam surrounds on.
Help identifying which Heath Speaker this is...
- Thread starter babeba67
- Start date
bowtie427ss
Lunatic Member
Here are a couple pics of 411-8A, there were a few 16 ohm examples found in the 9848 monitors, but they are very rare.
In the proper enclosure it will play effortlessly to below 20hz.
It's unlike any other Altec woofer in almost every respect. 4 inch voice coil, ferrite magnet with oversized rear vent, heavy ribbed cone, foam surround, high compliance suspension, even the frame is unique and shared by only one other speaker the 950 ceiling duplex(the one with the clover leaf horn).
AFAIK, everything Altec OEM'd to Heath was Heath badged with Heath's model/control numbers, and painted in the traditional Heath color. If "411" appears on a Heath sticker or badge, it is a Heath born number and shouldn't be confused with Altec model numbers.
I would wager heavily that Altec 411's were never OEM'd to Heath for AS-101's.
But, where Altec is concerned from the 70's on, there's always a chance for the unlikely.
In the proper enclosure it will play effortlessly to below 20hz.
It's unlike any other Altec woofer in almost every respect. 4 inch voice coil, ferrite magnet with oversized rear vent, heavy ribbed cone, foam surround, high compliance suspension, even the frame is unique and shared by only one other speaker the 950 ceiling duplex(the one with the clover leaf horn).
AFAIK, everything Altec OEM'd to Heath was Heath badged with Heath's model/control numbers, and painted in the traditional Heath color. If "411" appears on a Heath sticker or badge, it is a Heath born number and shouldn't be confused with Altec model numbers.
I would wager heavily that Altec 411's were never OEM'd to Heath for AS-101's.
But, where Altec is concerned from the 70's on, there's always a chance for the unlikely.
Last edited:
bowtie427ss
Lunatic Member
There's a bit of a discrepancy here, your pic is of a 413.
While Altec would have had you believe it's "the same" as the 411, it is in fact very different in both terms of construction and performance. 3 inch voice coil, 421 type cone, extra thick aluminum dust cap to add mass, built on the traditional "small" rear mount only frame. This is actually the woofer that is most likely responsible for the bad press the 411 often receives. Eventually, the 411 replaced it in the Santiago and Grenada.
theebadone
Super Member
Would the back of the woofer be marked 413 or 411
bowtie427ss
Lunatic Member
It "should" be a bare(unpainted) magnet back plate, 1 inch vent hole, and may or may not have 413-8A ink stamped across it. That's the only way i've seen them marked, i have never seen a 413 foilcal or other decal of any kind. It was referred to in some catalog listings as a "411 type" woofer. Also, just like the tangerine equipped 806's, you won't find a catalog listing for 413's as separate components.
The two dead giveaways to identify it as a 413 are a) the black anodized aluminum dust cap(approx 3 inch) that you can't dent, and b) it's mounted to the rear of the baffle.
The two dead giveaways to identify it as a 413 are a) the black anodized aluminum dust cap(approx 3 inch) that you can't dent, and b) it's mounted to the rear of the baffle.
theebadone
Super Member
Altecs
Damn, Bowtie yer good. The woofer is marked, 413 8 here's a few pics. One more question. Now that we have established that i have the cheesy woofers, lol heres a pic of the EQ/ATT 30904 was the equalizer only used with the 413s, or was it used with the 411s too? Altec doesnt even mention the 413 when they introduced the santiagos in their specs. sneaky,sneaky
Damn, Bowtie yer good. The woofer is marked, 413 8 here's a few pics. One more question. Now that we have established that i have the cheesy woofers, lol heres a pic of the EQ/ATT 30904 was the equalizer only used with the 413s, or was it used with the 411s too? Altec doesnt even mention the 413 when they introduced the santiagos in their specs. sneaky,sneaky
Last edited:
bowtie427ss
Lunatic Member
I suspect the 413 and 411 have about the same sensitivity so the 30904 is appropriate for both, my 9846's have them.
I've never had more than a few fleeting minutes to hear 413's, so really can't base any judgment on how they actually sound. My guess would be that they're truly optimized for the Santiago cabinet and it's when the DIYers and experimenters start trying to do other things with them that trouble really begins. Factory info on this one just doesn't exist AFAIK.
If you wanted to know my total guess on the 413, it is this. I think the 411 was too expensive(for altec) to make. They had to re-tool or re-contract for every part as they don't share common parts with anything else they made. Going way out on a limb, my guess is the 413 is the result of them trying to come as close as they could to the 411 using "off the shelf" parts already in their inventory. The magnet is probably an unpainted 421, the frame in production for nearly 2 decades, many 3 inch voice coils in inventory to choose from as well as a production shop already set up to wind 3 inch coils, etc... this is just my guesswork though.
I've never had more than a few fleeting minutes to hear 413's, so really can't base any judgment on how they actually sound. My guess would be that they're truly optimized for the Santiago cabinet and it's when the DIYers and experimenters start trying to do other things with them that trouble really begins. Factory info on this one just doesn't exist AFAIK.
If you wanted to know my total guess on the 413, it is this. I think the 411 was too expensive(for altec) to make. They had to re-tool or re-contract for every part as they don't share common parts with anything else they made. Going way out on a limb, my guess is the 413 is the result of them trying to come as close as they could to the 411 using "off the shelf" parts already in their inventory. The magnet is probably an unpainted 421, the frame in production for nearly 2 decades, many 3 inch voice coils in inventory to choose from as well as a production shop already set up to wind 3 inch coils, etc... this is just my guesswork though.
Last edited:
theebadone
Super Member
Thanks for the info. now im gonna diggg for info on the 413 and see what i can find.
theebadone
Super Member
Here are the results of my research on the 413-8A. From what i can find, the 413 woofer was only used in the Santiagos, and only the very first santiagos made. The santiagos were introduced in 1971, the 411-8A, replaced the 413-8A, in the (same year), 1971. So now to find exactly how many were produced. The 413, was capable of 26 hz. in the santiago cabinet, cool stuff, if you like Altecs.
