Not speakers, but Altec nonetheless

[Greg Nal]

Finally got my 345a and 445a restored and paired up, playing through JBL L20T's at the moment. Awaiting the arrival of a pair of 9872 8A's (closest I can get to 19's so far) and this will be full Altec goodness. Thought y'all may appreciate the picture.

 

[bowtie427ss]

Awaiting the arrival of a pair of 9872 8A's (closest I can get to 19's so far) and this will be full Altec goodness.

Not trying to burst your bubble, but you'll probably enjoy a faster path to audio bliss if you know what you are dealing with. They could be made excellent, but will likely need some massaging to get there.
Above the crossover point they have a better horn and more HF extension than 19 . Below the crossover point they're Electro-voice. You will need a subwoofer with them as they are well out of the race below 100hz.

The woofer is an ER-12S, basically an EV 12 inch instrument speaker with an Altec label pasted on it. If you want the real Altec midrange magic, you'll need a genuine Altec woofer.

A lot of not so favorable things went on during the years Altec was owned by EV's parent corporation and they were working hard to destroy the Altec name(competition).

 

[Greg Nal]

I am aware of the limitations, but it gives me a starting point to e-wave an Altec-worthy speaker in the 9872's box. Something better on the low end and a rebuilt/new crossover to start the ball rolling...

 

[bowtie427ss]

It's a real good start with lots of potential, dynamics and sensitivity in spades. The small Mantaray with 902 is about as good as Altec small format got.

The ER isn't a bad driver at all, it just trades extension for sensitivity. For their size, the 9872 has to be one of the most sensitive small Altecs. They'll put the microscope on the noise floor of your rebuilds.

 

[alteclipsch]

I had no idea EV's folks owned Altec at one time. What years would that have been?

I do like that stack of stuff!

 

[bowtie427ss]

What years would that have been?

Gulton Industries sold Altec to Mark IV Industries(parent to EV) in 1986.

In 1997 Mark IV Audio including Altec Lansing was sold to a New York investment fund and renamed EVI.

In 1998 EVI is merged with Telex Communications, the Oklahoma City Altec facility is closed down with remaining manufacturing consolidated to EV's Buchanan MI facility.

In 2000 Altec Professional was closed down and remaining trade rights sold to Altec Lansing Technologies(ALT) Milford, PA

In 2002 ALT re-launched Altec Lansing Professional and would begin having original Altec component designs made in China.

Compare an Altec 9444 amplifier to an EV AP2600, inside and out.

 

[alteclipsch]

Gulton Industries sold Altec to Mark IV Industries(parent to EV) in 1986.

In 1997 Mark IV Audio including Altec Lansing was sold to a New York investment fund and renamed EVI.

In 1998 EVI is merged with Telex Communications, the Oklahoma City Altec facility is closed down with remaining manufacturing consolidated to EV's Buchanan MI facility.

In 2000 Altec Professional was closed down and remaining trade rights sold to Altec Lansing Technologies(ALT) Milford, PA

In 2002 ALT re-launched Altec Lansing Professional and would begin having original Altec component designs made in China.

Compare an Altec 9444 amplifier to an EV AP2600, inside and out.

Interesting bit of history. And a sad story.

 

[Marine0811]

I hate seeing a great company who made a superior product be sold off or acquired by a company who could give a **** less what the quality of the product is as long as it makes money

 

[Greg Nal]

Okay you Altec maniacs, help me dream a little. If I wanted to optimize the sound coming out of these boxes, share your thoughts on what YOU would do. Which woofers, crossovers and other mods might you consider? These cost me $290 plus shipping so far, so figure $1200 budget of either new or vintage materials.

 

[bowtie427ss]

Get them home and into your listening space and system. They need to be judged by your own acuity and preferences.

I'm not sure how open you are to the idea. But, you might find that with the addition of a good quality powered subwoofer the speakers don't really need anything else at all. They're going to give you dynamic impact and overall sensitivity in spades for their size.

Their design goal was as side and extension fills for large theater systems. Speech intelligibility and clarity would have been the main objective. That may or may not have included some voicing which might make them slightly forward across the vocal range.

Every room and system is different, and nobody will be a better judge than you.