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My vintage Altec Valencias - first problem in 43 years!

H

hleone

New Member
Hi from a noob, y'all,

I bought these great speakers brand new in 1970, I think, when I was in college. Been using them ever since.

Lately, I have encountered an issue, and I bet the first regular here who reads this will be able to guide me in the right direction.

Occasionally, at low volume, one speaker will either go out or begin to crackle a little and sound bad. If I pump up the volume a bit, the speaker will perform properly again, and I can then turn the volume back down.

At first, I thought I may have had a faulty speaker wire or connection, but that does not seem to be the case. This started happening about 6 months ago on just the right speaker, but now the left sometimes does the same thing.

These Valencias came with built-in high-frequency attenuators, and they now operate a little eradically, but if I turn them all the way in both directions a few times, that seems to temporarily solve the problem. I don't change the attenuation at all. Both speakers stay set on about 25% attenuation. Think the attenuators may need attention, since they have been at the same setting for so long.

Not being a speaker expert, I suspect the attenuators and/or the crossovers are the source of my problem. I have read that xo's will show signs of wear eventually. After 43 years of perfect performance, these babies ought to show some wear, if they are ever going to.

If I am correct, are there any simple tests, cleaning, etc I might do to try to correct the problem? Anything I could try with just the attenuator?

I am fairly technical, so I am not afraid of inspecting wiring or even replacing a resister or other component within the crossover network.

If this requires completely replacing the xo's, can I still get the same ones and replace them myself, or should I take the speakers to a respected repair shop?

And, if my problem might be something else altogether, any suggestions what I can try, to nail it down?

Thanks in advance for any help from you guys,

harold (louisiana)
 
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Try cleaning the attenuators with Deoxit or any reputable Electronics Spry Cleaner and that is all it could be! Fairly simple and cheap to do as a 1st try,also those Caps could be getting long in the Tooth as well:)
Please post in Introductions letting everyone know a little about yourself as it is usually customary when you begin posting and by the way,Welcome to AK:)
 
"Occasionally, at low volume, one speaker will either go out or begin to crackle a little and sound bad. If I pump up the volume a bit, the speaker will perform properly again, and I can then turn the volume back down."

This is almost always caused by a bad connection. I dealt with this a lot in sound reinforcement. Fixed it the same way. Since you checked on the outside, its most likely at the crossover. Speakers shake the crap out of the wire/component over 4 decades, then crack the solder joint.
This would also be a good time to recap.
 
Welcome to AK!!

How old is the rest of your gear? May not be the XO at all. I have a very similar problem going on right now that I have traced back to the selector switch on my receiver. The left speaker will sometimes pop and crackle in sync with the music at low volume, like yours. If I go lightly tap the selector switch or change volume, it will return to normal operation.

Before tearing into stuff, try to tap knobs and switches to see if that has an effect (if you haven't already). Just a thought. A little Deox-It will likely solve my problem - may fix yours as well.

If it is the XO's, I would be upset. What kind of crummy product did they produce that can't last at least 50 years! :D
 
The Valencias have a potted crossover.

If your attenuators are not part and parcel of the crossover, you can deoxit them back to good health, if that is the problem.
 
What's the amp being used? Is it the same age as the speakers? I ask in that it may not be the speakers at all. If your amp has a relay that delays connection of the amp to the speakers, this can also be a suspect.

You have this protection relay if you hear a single click a few seconds after the amp is turned on.

Let us know as this is a common problem on older amps.

Cheers,

David
 
BOUXY said:
Try cleaning the attenuators with Deoxit or any reputable Electronics Spry Cleaner and that is all it could be! Fairly simple and cheap to do as a 1st try,also those Caps could be getting long in the Tooth as well:)
Please post in Introductions letting everyone know a little about yourself as it is usually customary when you begin posting and by the way,Welcome to AK:)
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly.
 
I had the same issue. Changed the l-pads and cured. Mine are about the same age, and I am also the original owner.:D I also recapped them, but it made zero difference to me.
 
Wow! :bigok:

Thanks to all for the awesome guidance and suggestions. Gonna get some some deoxit and start there.

Can someone explain what I need to spray within the attenuators? Do I need to remove them to clean them properly?

dshoaf and reverb, only my speakers are true dinosaurs. Onkyo receiver (that I love) is circa 2006, I think. I suspected possible receiver problem. But determined that receiver is not the problem, after switching it out to be sure it was speakers.

big2bird, feel a true kinship with a fellow Valencian for life. Sorry to be ignorant, but did you try deoxit first? What l-pads did you get, and how tricky is it to change them out? Sounds like I might want to do that, so I can go another 43 years without concerns. :D

Great to find this place. Will enjoy the comradery with fellow audiophiles.
I will visit the intro section.

Thanks again to all, will report back soon. :thmbsp:

harold (louisiana)
 
sheltie dave said:
The Valencias have a potted crossover.

If your attenuators are not part and parcel of the crossover, you can deoxit them back to good health, if that is the problem.
Click to expand...
Agreed.

If the OP bought them new in 1971, they're 846A's with N-800F networks. These networks use a potentiometer instead of an L-pad.

OP will have to drill the rivets to open the can. With a little luck the tar/pitch has not made it's way onto the potentiometer and it will be exposed for cleaning at that point.
 
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