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View Full Version : ALTEC LANSING 9846-8A advice



tromprof
04-17-2010, 10:36 AM
I am new to this forum and new to Altec Lansing products. I have been a Klipsch owner for many years and own a pair of Klipschorns as well a pair of the Fortes. There is a pair of Altec Lansing 9846-8A monitors for sale in my area. I have done a fair amount of reading about them but would appreciate any advice regarding what to look out for in Lansing speakers of this age, i.e. what goes bad over time.
Thanks

Earl K
04-17-2010, 11:01 AM
- What to look for ( apart from the obvious, such as superficial things like cabinet condition ) ?

- First, give them a listen to see if you like them & actually desire them ( use your music ) & as many of your own components as possible ( ie; CD player or TT , amp or tuner ) .

- Second , I'd be wanting to know if the woofers are 413-8a(s) or 411-8a(s) . I'd want the 411(s) purely out of curiousity . The 413s aren't ( apparently ) very well regarded by most anyone . If in doubt, ask for one to be pulled from the cabinet.

- If they have 411-8a(s) the foam surrounds will most likely need replacing ( if they are all original ) . I can't answer the question whether or not the foam re-surround kits are available . If not ( & the woofers need servicing ) , a full recone is necessary ( available through GPA ).

- RonSSS ( also RonSS ) over at Todds' Altec Forum says his GPA sourced recone kits were somewhat different than the originals / but still sounded fine ( fwiw ) .

Altec User's Board (http://www.hostboard.com/forums/altec-users-board/)

- Make sure both HF drivers work . If not, new replacement diaphragms are available from GPA ( at @ 110.00 each , I think ).

GPA (http://www.greatplainsaudio.com/) = Great Plains Audio .

:)

cosmos
04-17-2010, 12:39 PM
Like most any vintage speaker of this age, there are some things that need to be done:

1. They should have 411-8A woofers if they are correct. As stated above, these woofers need at least new surrounds.

2. Any electrolytic capacitor of that age are is certainly at best suspect... Many people re-cap entire crossovers and see merit in doing so.

3. Hopefully, they have the correct compression drivers and diaphragms.

Other than that, the most significant difference of these speakers when compared to other vintage Altecs are their significantly lower efficiency. The woofers go lower than any other vintage Altec woofer I am aware of, but in the process, efficiency is sacrificed. If you're expecting them to sound like 19s, they won't. Personally I prefer them over 19s or any other vintage Altec, but there are sacrifices to get bass response...

In terms of value, I had a pair that I could not sell for $450 for over a year. I finally gave up and parted mine out. Gave away the cabinets as test boxes and sold the drivers and crossovers. In original condition (not updated) I would not pay very much for them. It's going to cost you at least a $100 plus to get them updated.

It's a shame, but they seem to be the best performing, red headed step child of the vintage Altec family. FWIW, YMMV.

tromprof
04-17-2010, 03:28 PM
Sounds like if I get them I am looking at a probable rebuild of the 411-8a woofer. Do any of you know what a place like Great Plains will charge to do this? There are places in Cincinnati to get woofers refoamed, is Great Plains that much better?
Thanks for the advice so far.

cosmos
04-17-2010, 04:33 PM
Sounds like if I get them I am looking at a probable rebuild of the 411-8a woofer. Do any of you know what a place like Great Plains will charge to do this? There are places in Cincinnati to get woofers refoamed, is Great Plains that much better?
Thanks for the advice so far.

There are hundreds or thousands of shops/people capable of applying new surrounds around the country successfully if they have the correct surround. I believe the recommendation of using GPA was primarily centered around a complete re-cone if a suitable new surround is not available or if there is more required than just a surround. GPA may be the only source of the correct re-cone kit. Off the top of my head, I would guess full re-cone to cost about $300 to $400. New surrounds, if available, would cost around $80 to $100. Just applying new surrounds is not as good a solution though.

In any case, just be aware that these may require a fair amount to work, effort and expense to return them to good condition.

jimd
04-18-2010, 01:07 PM
Refoaming the 411 is no big deal. You have to cut out the dust cap and shim the voice coil to get it centered right, remove, then apply the new surround and after that remove the shims and install a new dust cap. Any good reconer can do it. I do not think the foam is anything special, however, if you like you can get the absolute right one from GPA. Simply the current cost of freight makes the cost of anything less than a recone, too expensive.

The 9846 is a great speaker, a studio version of the Barcellona. I would also damp the exterior of the 511 horn. Enjoy.

If anyone wants a freshly reconed set of 411-8As, I have them.

Jim

Art J.
04-20-2010, 05:51 AM
[quote=tromprof;285886]Sounds like if I get them................

Let us know if you get them or not.............................





:)

cosmos
04-20-2010, 06:18 PM
The EBay auction was ended and re-listed with an astounding $1500 required opening bid.. Good luck with that.

No affiliation, btw.

snafu
04-26-2010, 01:57 AM
That's too bad. There are actually two pair of them listed on eBay currently. I've owned 14s, 19s, and the 9846-8As . . . I still own the 9846-8As and won't be selling them any time soon.

Presently, they are powered by a single McIntosh MC2300. I find that the transformer coupled output section really works well with these speakers. One has to be careful to properly balance the horn with the woofer with the rear mounted L-pad - as cosmos states, these are about 10dB less efficient than a pair of 19s but have a MUCH larger horn. Back when I liked music LOUD, I ran a pair of MC2300s strapped to 'em - probably used them that way for 5 years or so.

I've had a BUNCH of speakers. I personally have never head another speaker that I felt I just had to own to replace these. They're ugly. They're boxy. They're big. But, from Jennifer Warnes to Transformers, I simply do not know of a speaker that suits my taste better. They never fail to impress me.

Keep an eye out for them. You won't be sorry. And FWIW, my good friend David Miller at Speakerworks in Tulsa, OK has always reconed Altec woofers that I have sent him with absolutely original parts.

Good luck and enjoy!

arawak1969
10-11-2010, 11:14 AM
Great speakers.
The crossovers will need to be rebuilt at this age.
Best results intact found have been when they are biamped with 771 or 1224a units.
These units had one if the best response curves and sound great.
My dad built a pair of them from a kit altec offered in 1975. The sound stuck with me till I saw a pair on eBay in 2005. I bought the pair and rebuilt them.
I tried the inboard crossover but it had limitations and sounded garbled. I have read elsewhere of some interference between the drivers being the issue.
My move to the biamp brought clarity and volume that pasted a grin on my face.
Good luck. If you do them right you will enjoy them.