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JBL's sold! Let the Altec Model 19 Project Begin!

marantzfan said:
Fair enough. I have to admit that I have not heard a completely recapped original crossover so any comparisons I make are a stock crossover versus a Z19. In my opinion, the difference between the two was not subtle. I still have the original crossovers in my 19's they just aren't connected. Maybe one of these days I will give them a proper rebuild and A/B them. :scratch2:
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Depending on the exact birth date of your 19's, they could be early versions that used the crossover's aluminum chassis and it's riveted joints as part of the negative/ground side of the circuit.

The "ground mod" is a necessity on these early versions as the riveted joints have been known to corrode adding resistance and intermittent performance. After a certain date 19's came thru with the ground side of the circuit hardwired eliminating those potential issues.

I've seen more than one fella realize a day and night difference in sound after doing the ground mod. I've also seen them report no noticeable effects as well so YMMV.

If a fella isn't happy with the sound of his 19's, they're his to modify as he pleases, and i try hard to remember to respect that. That said, i have never personally known an owner of proper working stock 19's to want to do anything to modify their sound, and i've known a few model 19 owners over the years.
 
bowtie427ss said:
Depending on the exact birth date of your 19's, they could be early versions that used the crossover's aluminum chassis and it's riveted joints as part of the negative/ground side of the circuit.

The "ground mod" is a necessity on these early versions as the riveted joints have been known to corrode adding resistance and intermittent performance. After a certain date 19's came thru with the ground side of the circuit hardwired eliminating those potential issues.

I've seen more than one fella realize a day and night difference in sound after doing the ground mod. I've also seen them report no noticeable effects as well so YMMV.

If a fella isn't happy with the sound of his 19's, they're his to modify as he pleases, and i try hard to remember to respect that. That said, i have never personally known an owner of proper working stock 19's to want to do anything to modify their sound, and i've known a few model 19 owners over the years.
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Mine are very early; 1976. My serial numbers are in the low 400's I want to say.
 
It looks like about $400.00-$450.00 to build the Zilch crossovers and the cabinets. You can put me down for one set!:banana:
 
Why not install both both the original and z19 crossovers and use toggle switches to choose between them like leesonic did with his L100s and their custom crossover?
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Cost and availability.

The clear and distinct advantage of the Z-19 is that the parts to build them are always available at a click of the mouse.

Unless you're extremely lucky, or already have a set on hand model 19 crossovers will set you back. Used ones from ebay also come with the gamble of broken, overpowered, out of spec components. New ones from GPA will set you back nearly 5 bills, and don't give you original/reproduction cosmetics.

If you want to scratch build excellent speakers in the likeness and spirit of model 19's, building Z-19's is a no-brainer. They're sonically quite similar to the stock networks, the exact degree of similarity will depend on the components you choose to build with.

If you want to build accurate model 19 reproductions that are faithful to the details in both sound and cosmetics, then there is only one crossover solution for that goal.
 
The price for the cabs is just the raw build. It doesn't include the veneer. Matt is one of the nicest guys I've ever met. He's in this hobby for the sound and he likes others to enjoy it too.:yes: He likes nice stuff, but he wants you to have nice stuff too. An amazing guy I ran into one day.:yes:
 
Sounds like you will have some beautiful speakers when you get done. Whether you use the origanal, Z19, or active crossover, with the components you have, they will sounds great!!! All the rest is just tweak to taste.
 
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