I really wanted to build a capable and awesome sounding studio monitor rig, for just that reason, as I have a studio and I need good monitors! I also need crappy ones too as a dose of reality every now and then. But, I looked into a pair of skinned up 604 hpln Altec duplex speakers, both taken from the PA system of none other than Frank sinatra! Yes, these 604 babies otherwise known as Stanley Screamers, we're probably the high point of HiFi Sound in a PA system. But I wanted them in a more personal setting. And I tried rebuilding these things three different times! Each time I got a little bit closer, until I just got disgusted with the whole thing and dissected a pair of Bi-Flex 420a speakers that I had in mint condition, and carefully place them in the frames of the 604s, along with some 40s era driver diaphragms. And these are the ones that I dreamed of!
The song in the video is the first one i mixed with these, a song I recorded with my late wife, some years ago. And for some reason, both of us forgot ever existed! Discovered this recently and decided it was time to finish it. Can't believe we forgot this even existed!
I also didn't use that patch of felt that everyone has on theirs. I don't think that's really necessary unless you live in a rock quarry. The biggest problem I ran into though, in the previous three builds, was the complete and inexcusable lack of kits to recone these famous speakers! The kids I got from the one or two places that we have here in this country, were pathetic!
For some reason, all these voice coils that they're selling now are made out of clunky pieces of plastic and put together by monkeys! They sounded just awful! And I imagine a lot of people wouldn't even know the difference if they hadn't been able to hear the difference at any point, but they just stank. For one thing, they fit poorly. About one out of every two or three just wouldn't fit. Too skinny or too wide, sometimes too thick! And Kapton is only good for subwoofers, or maybe Cerwin Vega dorm rattlers...
I really wish there was a supplier in the states that could actually supply some reasonable nomex or kraft pater voice coils, some decent cones that are compliant and maybe
Could be the slightest bit more understanding and respectful of these great speakers and their original design. Anyway, until such time I'm going to hire people in China to build me things to my own specs, and I guess if anyone needs anything special let me know.
Anyway, here's a little bit of the last build here. I was able to slowly dissolve the glue that held the spider and the cone on, in both speakers and Transplant them with a new cloth surround on the cones, which I planned to already, as the Bi-Flex speakers were notorious for having too much goop on the surrounds and throwing the speakers off balance. And these were no exception! Pristine examples of Bi-Flex speakers with no use, that rubbed out of the box!
Don't get me wrong, I think they're some of the best speakers ever made. The execution in this case was poor, as well as even TRYING to pass them off as full range! But I think we know that. And the crossover on these worked out wonderfully well. I did put an audio sample on there, but that's a complete joke, as nothing compares to an actual speaker in your face. Like many other things in your face. There is no substitute.
Further reading from original posts in diy speaker groups. The Bi-Flex is a great speaker, and just possibly, the perfect speaker for a 604! I don't know why the big patch of felt got used so much in the early days and well, presently as well, a little tiny patch or screen over the Gap should suffice plenty unless you live in a rock quarry, right?
604 HPLN Studio monitor build.
This is my now 4th attempt to turn these awesome 40 lb frames into the studio monitors that I know they can be. The problem I've been having is that the kits they sell for these Altecs are the worst kind of junk, and in no way resemble the originals in materials, precision, or voicing.
So, I had to finally do the craziest thing... and that's carefully take apart a pair of 70s era 420 biflex 15's and transfer the whole cone and voice coil assemblies over to the 604's.
I have a pair of late 40s original horn driver diaphragms, and made up a perfect pair of custom adjustable crossovers, and also rebuilt the altec utility cabs and voiced everything carefully. It's been 3 days now and this is the progress in both a video and the still pictures from earlier today. I can already tell this is the build that's going to do it! There is so much more detail already, not to mention infinitely more compliance. Finally, this is what they should have sounded like all along.
≈====//////////////======================
And now a week later, these sound like they finally should sound!
The slot style ports dropped the resonant frequency Down to a solid 40hz, the late 40s era diaphragms, awesome, and the fact that Altec was making drivers that were 50 years ahead of the curve was never more evident than in those horn drivers.
Now to put them up in the control and celebrate with a little vinyl. And of course a video is kind of a joke, in terms of relating the religious experience that these are, especially with the windows behind them rattling like crazy! I leaned onto the rattling window when I was demonstrating the L-PADs, but you can hear the windows rattling, as the bass is YYUGE. YES! They're big... and fat... and HEAVY... and that's how they sound!
The song in the video is the first one i mixed with these, a song I recorded with my late wife, some years ago. And for some reason, both of us forgot ever existed! Discovered this recently and decided it was time to finish it. Can't believe we forgot this even existed!
I also didn't use that patch of felt that everyone has on theirs. I don't think that's really necessary unless you live in a rock quarry. The biggest problem I ran into though, in the previous three builds, was the complete and inexcusable lack of kits to recone these famous speakers! The kids I got from the one or two places that we have here in this country, were pathetic!
For some reason, all these voice coils that they're selling now are made out of clunky pieces of plastic and put together by monkeys! They sounded just awful! And I imagine a lot of people wouldn't even know the difference if they hadn't been able to hear the difference at any point, but they just stank. For one thing, they fit poorly. About one out of every two or three just wouldn't fit. Too skinny or too wide, sometimes too thick! And Kapton is only good for subwoofers, or maybe Cerwin Vega dorm rattlers...
I really wish there was a supplier in the states that could actually supply some reasonable nomex or kraft pater voice coils, some decent cones that are compliant and maybe
Could be the slightest bit more understanding and respectful of these great speakers and their original design. Anyway, until such time I'm going to hire people in China to build me things to my own specs, and I guess if anyone needs anything special let me know.
Anyway, here's a little bit of the last build here. I was able to slowly dissolve the glue that held the spider and the cone on, in both speakers and Transplant them with a new cloth surround on the cones, which I planned to already, as the Bi-Flex speakers were notorious for having too much goop on the surrounds and throwing the speakers off balance. And these were no exception! Pristine examples of Bi-Flex speakers with no use, that rubbed out of the box!
Don't get me wrong, I think they're some of the best speakers ever made. The execution in this case was poor, as well as even TRYING to pass them off as full range! But I think we know that. And the crossover on these worked out wonderfully well. I did put an audio sample on there, but that's a complete joke, as nothing compares to an actual speaker in your face. Like many other things in your face. There is no substitute.
Further reading from original posts in diy speaker groups. The Bi-Flex is a great speaker, and just possibly, the perfect speaker for a 604! I don't know why the big patch of felt got used so much in the early days and well, presently as well, a little tiny patch or screen over the Gap should suffice plenty unless you live in a rock quarry, right?
604 HPLN Studio monitor build.
This is my now 4th attempt to turn these awesome 40 lb frames into the studio monitors that I know they can be. The problem I've been having is that the kits they sell for these Altecs are the worst kind of junk, and in no way resemble the originals in materials, precision, or voicing.
So, I had to finally do the craziest thing... and that's carefully take apart a pair of 70s era 420 biflex 15's and transfer the whole cone and voice coil assemblies over to the 604's.
I have a pair of late 40s original horn driver diaphragms, and made up a perfect pair of custom adjustable crossovers, and also rebuilt the altec utility cabs and voiced everything carefully. It's been 3 days now and this is the progress in both a video and the still pictures from earlier today. I can already tell this is the build that's going to do it! There is so much more detail already, not to mention infinitely more compliance. Finally, this is what they should have sounded like all along.
≈====//////////////======================
And now a week later, these sound like they finally should sound!
The slot style ports dropped the resonant frequency Down to a solid 40hz, the late 40s era diaphragms, awesome, and the fact that Altec was making drivers that were 50 years ahead of the curve was never more evident than in those horn drivers.
Now to put them up in the control and celebrate with a little vinyl. And of course a video is kind of a joke, in terms of relating the religious experience that these are, especially with the windows behind them rattling like crazy! I leaned onto the rattling window when I was demonstrating the L-PADs, but you can hear the windows rattling, as the bass is YYUGE. YES! They're big... and fat... and HEAVY... and that's how they sound!
