looking for some information on these altec lansing speakers

[Mneten]

Hello there. First things first, this is a new field for me so pardon my ignorance. These speakers were dropped in my lap this morning by a friend.

some pictures:


http://imgur.com/a/Nt0fB

2 of each, 416-16z and 806a's.
I can't seem to find any cabinets that look like that for the 416-16z. anyone recognize this? or is it a custom build?

Can anyone give me a little info on these speakers? I'm not even certain what I should do with them. I don't have a decent listening area at home, let alone an amp for these. recommendations?

Thanks in advance for letting me tap into your knowledge!

[BMWCCA]

These speakers were dropped in my lap this morning by a friend.

Wow! I'll bet that hurt! ;)






Welcome. I'm sure someone with the knowledge you seek will reply shortly.

[grumpy]

Looks like parts and a box someone experimented with.

[hsosdrum]

The woofer enclosure looks like a home-brew that's loosely based on the JBL 4530 (http://www.lansingheritage.org/images/jbl/catalogs/1976-pro/page08.jpg, lower left-hand photo), but as you can see, there are lots of differences. (It looks to me like they were trying to horn-load the port.) The HF horn looks like an Altec 511B.

Nice score! (If your friend is looking for more laps upon which to drop things, mine is available ;).

[Horn Fanatic]

Hello there. First things first, this is a new field for me so pardon my ignorance. These speakers were dropped in my lap this morning by a friend.

some pictures:


http://imgur.com/a/Nt0fB

2 of each, 416-16z and 806a's.
I can't seem to find any cabinets that look like that for the 416-16z. anyone recognize this? or is it a custom build?

Can anyone give me a little info on these speakers? I'm not even certain what I should do with them. I don't have a decent listening area at home, let alone an amp for these. recommendations?

Thanks in advance for letting me tap into your knowledge!

A) Definitely a home brew cabinet, but not shabbily constructed. It is not a knockoff of a JBL 4530. It's obvious the chamber was designed to accommodate an ALNICO ALTEC woofer. I have doubts that anyone who knows about horn design would have been involved in the design process.

B) A rear loaded horn is the last thing you want to load with a 416. It sounds awful, unless mushy, inarticulate bass is your goal. The 416 by no means is a horn loader.

The 416 may have been removed from a Valencia cabinet. 416-16Z was the designation for that model loaded in the 846.

The boxes, putting aside their external appearance, may be salvageable. If you have access to a JBL 2220 woofer, load it into the box. It's the only model speaker that will operate well in that type of enclosure other than the 130A, and 150-4C. Not knowing the intimate details of the cabinet design, there is a very good chance it will sound much better than the 416. On that note, the 416 operates much better in a bass reflex design. 4.5 cubic feet being the minimal. The Valencia 846 or 934 as examples. Or 9 cubic feet being optimal, which would be the 620 enclosure, AKA Model 17 and Model 18.

If the cabinet is a horn loaded port design, the math behind that is a whole different dynamic which is not applicable or similar to a horn flare.

As hsosdrum noted, if the H.F. horns are as the same width as the enclosure, indeed they are the 511 model.

H.F.