Old guy-old horns

[Almostretired]

My step-father rescued a couple of old tar filled horns from a theatre back in the 60's. I can't find any model number on the horns. They are 15 cell horns with a manifold and two drivers. Each has a 288b driver. And the other driver looks identical but has an IPC mark on the top and Altec forged on the back. Was this a common configuration? If so- why the different drivers.
I figure you are the guys to ask. And I appreciate any help you can offer.
I can take some pictures if that would help. Then I'd have to figure out how to post them. I'm real proud of myself for getting this far.

[Mr. Widget]

Welcome to the forum.
Sounds like you have some excellent Altec gear, please do post photos.

Here are instructions:

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=817

Widget

[Russellc]

My step-father rescued a couple of old tar filled horns from a theatre back in the 60's. I can't find any model number on the horns. They are 15 cell horns with a manifold and two drivers. Each has a 288b driver. And the other driver looks identical but has an IPC mark on the top and Altec forged on the back. Was this a common configuration? If so- why the different drivers.
I figure you are the guys to ask. And I appreciate any help you can offer.
I can take some pictures if that would help. Then I'd have to figure out how to post them. I'm real proud of myself for getting this far.
sounds like they could very likely be 1505 horns, if so you hit a VERY nice find. Do you mean each individual horn has a manifold on the back that Attaches 2 drivers?

Russellc

[CONVERGENCE]

Almostretired


Each has a 288b driver. And the other driver looks identical but has an IPC mark on the top and Altec forged on the back. Was this a common configuration? If so- why the different drivers.



Yes it was common for large venues to use even 2 Multicell with double drivers.

Here is a picture that shows the way it was presented in those days.

[Almostretired]

Yep - That picture is pretty close to what I have. You guys know your stuff.
Yes, each horn has a manifold and two drivers, but I'm curious about the IPC driver on each one. It appears to be an Altec product. I've been reading some old posts on this forum and I've learned a lot. I guess the shoe-string gasket help to nail down the age. I will get a chance to post some pictures in a couple of days. I also have another pair of horns but they don't have any drivers. They also are 15 cell. But it looks as though one has been dropped on it's bottom lip.
Thanks for your help.

[Steve Schell]

Almostretired, it sounds as though you have either H-1505 or H-1503 horns. These are very fine horns, built with the sort of craftsmanship that hasn't been seen for a half century now. The dual throats, if original, should be cast in solid brass.

Altec supplied many speaker components to International Projector Corporation, makers of the Simplex projectors. IPC installed complete theatre systems, outsourcing the parts like speakers that they didn't make themselves from others like Altec and Jensen. Actually the Altec/IPC relationship was a carryover from the Lansing Manufacturing Company era that predated the formation of Altec Lansing in 1941. I have a pair of Lansing 285 field coil compression drivers from about 1937 that are branded IPC.

Most likely a service technician swapped in your IPC labeled drivers at some point, as Altec and IPC labeled components would not have been combined originally. There are many IPC branded 288s out there, and to the best of my knowledge they are all equivalent to either a 288 or 288B; these date from 1945 to the mid 1950s.

[Almostretired]

OK Maybe the third time is the charm. Each of the other times I've tried to post some picures, I get a screen that tells me I'm not logged on. Here we go. Again
I've got the serial numbers of the 288b drivers. 6661 and 3668
All four throats have the same forged number 30172

[Almostretired]

Well, the pictures are up. It seems I screwed up the thread by pushing the limits on the resolution. Sorry.
I've got more pictures if anybody is interested. The label on the plywood is barely legible, but it is the mounting instructions for the 1005, 1505 and 805 horn. Pretty cool.

[Storm]

Very nice.

Any plans for them?

If you don't have any use for them, why don't ya eBay em'?

They will fetch a pretty penny, that's for sure!

;)

-Storm.

[Steve Schell]

Man, those are beautiful; dual throat H-1505s in all their glory! The screen paint adds the last dash of authenticity. Just to think of all the thousands of theatre audiences that have enjoyed all those movie soundtracks through those horns.

[louped garouv]

neato!


your dad did a good thing way back when...


i personally hope you get to enjoy hearing them at least once...

:)

[RKLee]

Good find.

Are those horns heavy? I bet they weigh a ton. I believe one of the reasons that Altec stopped making tar-filled horns was to cut the cost of shipping.