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Lady Luck smiled - Altec 846B Valencia

Thumpy

Thumpy

Well-Known Member
Lately I haven't had the time to go thriftin' much, but I had to run an errand and I stopped in at one of my favorite haunts along the way. Nestled among the furniture was a pair of Altec 846B Valencia speakers! The grills are gone, but the cabs are pretty good and the drivers look perfect. I paid the steep (for a thrift) price of $100 + tax. One of the staff helped me load 'em in my truck. OMG, they're big and heavy. They have a low WAF, so I have to get the little lady used to the idea that I want to get them before she finds out that I already have them and they're in my truck! I've had them for two days now and I'm dying to hear them. I lke the other Altec speakers I have (Seville and Bolero). The Valencia seems to be highly regarded. I'll let you know what I think of their sound and perhaps post some photos, too!
 
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Oh yeah.

Thumpy,
Great score.I've got their older brother the Valencia 846A.They'll sound good with anything.They do however sound better and better as you improve the components which preceed them.
I other words if you wanted a speaker which you could use to build your ultimate system :yes: ,they are good enough to not be the limiting factor until you are well past the region of $100,000 on source,amps etc.
I use very high quality vintage solid state.They are supposed to show their best with tubes.They need quality more-so than tubes vs solid state.Absolutely stunning when you feed them quality.They have a great ability to tell you whether the gear you are using is so-so or spot on.I've got a tube preamp which is raved about on the 'net which these speakers show to be competent but uninspiring.However just hook up something great and they just go"outta my way"and like the sleeping giants they are,they come alive and bowl you over with awe inspiring sound.
I DIY activated mine and I'm in love. :music: I've been chasing a dream for 30 years with audio and these speakers gave me the delivery system for delicious sound.
Whatever you do don't sell them. :no:
 
Nice score Thumpy! :thmbsp:

Hope you get to hear them very soon! :yes:

While you're listening to them, don't forget...

:worthless

Scott :D
 
We would love to see those pics! We don't care if they are in the truck! They might be there for some time. Perhaps you may be sleeping next to them soon? Hell, it's worth it! Nice score! Brad :yes:
 
VERY nice find Thumpy.

Fantastic speakers that really shine if you feed them right - for me that would mean tubes.
 
Well, she saw 'em and she didn't freak out - score one for me, right? BUT, she pointed out that we have some other projects around the house, so she suggested I put them in the storage unit for now! Blast it all! Of course she's right about the projects, so I couldn't argue much. The Valencias are now in the storage unit, the location of which shall remain secret to all of you. You should have seen the look on her face when I said I wanted to take some pics of them. I might as well have told her I was going to photograph a turd! Anyway, I'm inspired to bust ass on the honey-do work so I can get the Valencias back home for an audition. In the meantime, I'll make sure my Eico ST40 (it's the only tube amp I have) is ready to rock and/or roll. :yes:
 
Tom Brennan said:
Such a deal. The Valencias are IMO one of the finest speakers ever. You did well.
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Tom, I agree with you, the dumbest thing I ever did was sell my 846B's, the bass was so much better than my 846A's, I needed the cash so I sold the four 846A's, and pair of 846B's, for laughs I threw a pair of 8 ohm 515B's in the 846B's, although heavy, they would walk across the floor. Re-capping the 846B crossovers is very simple and the high frequency sound improvement was amazing. I wish I could have compared the 846B and Model 19 side by side, great score, Dave. :yes:

Pictures - 846B
 
I never heard the alnico magnet 846B side-by-side with a 19 either but sure would love to hear that comparison - I bet the Valencia would hold it's own quite nicely.
 
Nice score! Definitely a speaker that I would like to personally evaluate on an extended basis. :yes: :thmbsp:
 
Is the earlier 846A Valencia the one with the 416A woofer? If yes, I had a set of Altec Flamenco's which were the stablemate of it along with another model. They differed in appearance only and had identical internal parts.

The Flamenco just didn't do it for me though. It did not seem to matter whether it was solid-state or tube amplification driving them either. I sold them to a builder who ripped the woofers out & built Onken bass cabinets.
 
Some sorry pics

I took these at dusk in an unlit storage unit, so I couldn't see the speakers in the viewfinder. I just pointed in their direction and snapped away. I notice now that the insulation is visible through the bass ports and that it's a different color for each box. I wonder what's up with that? The only thing I've done to these speakers so far is to gently push the cones to see if the vc rubbed (they didn't).
 

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Congratulations Thumpy! We need to hear those at our next Denver get together and no excuses!!! You will suffer severe consequences I assure you.

Cubdog the enforcer, AKA, cubdog the Terrible
 
Thumpy said:
I took these at dusk in an unlit storage unit,
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The drivers & horns in my Flamencos were Altec metallic green.

These look much later in appearance & I'd bet are far more sorted in terms of sound quality.
 
Congrats on getting some great speakers. But you have already made 1 mistake. You put them in storage? :nono:

You march yourself over there right now young man and bring those babies home!! :banana:
 
soundmotor said:
The drivers & horns in my Flamencos were Altec metallic green.

These look much later in appearance & I'd bet are far more sorted in terms of sound quality.
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You should write for Stereopile. :D
 
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