nineteen pics

[qarcade2]

these are the model nineteens i got for 200.00. so excited to get these all brand new again. any feedback is always appreciated. thanks

[spkrman57]

See Bill here for woofer recones to original condition!

http://www.greatplainsaudio.com

Ron

[qarcade2]

i'm gonna go through great plains audio. gotta get some extra money after the holidays......

[spkrman57]

Then see the Altec forum for crossover info to bring these to best use!

Ron

[qarcade2]

what do you think the first move i should make with these speakers. i do not know much about repairing. should i send them to gpa? would be a very hefty shipping bill. what are the steps i should take? thanks man.... someday i will be pro!

[Zilch]

Remove the woofers and verify the model number.

Get the cost to recone from GPA.

You'll ship the woofers to them when you can afford to have it done.

Do the horns play when you hook the speakers up?

[boputnam]

Do the horns play when you hook the speakers up?

Good question, but moot - if the woofs look like that, one should assume a total refurbishing is in-order. These poor things have clearly been severely abused...

[doclamb]

I refurbished a pair of M-19's 6 month ago. Here's a laundry list of the refurbishments.
1) Sent all drivers to GPA to return to spec's. (Bills a great guy)
GPA does great work!!!
2) Had Iconic build new crossovers. (Big improvement)
3) Dampened horns with Dynamat. (Not expensive but much needed)
4) Took cabinets apart for refinishing.
5) Installed foam weather striping between horn and cabinet
and between cabinet and MDF spacer as I reassembled cabinets.
6) Had Paul Darst make new foam surrounds at horns.
7) Move speaker post to the rear.

Took me 2 month's to complete improvements at a cost of $1000.00 give or take a few bucks, but very well worth the time.
Needless these speakers now will sing for another 20-30 years. I'm proud to own them and love listening to them. Good luck with yours.

[Mr. Widget]

Good question, but moot - if the woofs look like that, one should assume a total refurbishing is in-order. These poor things have clearly been severly abused...

I am afraid that I must agree with Bo... even if they sound OK up top, when you have a bit of extra cash you should get the HF drivers worked on too... based on the outward appearance of these systems I would suggest sending in the drivers to Great Plains and have them do a complete overhaul... it is likely you'll need more than just diaphragms in this pair... if you are not up on electronics make friends with a forum member near you or anyone else you can think of, because the networks will likely need tending to as well.... with a bit of TLC and an outlay of cash these can be brought back to a like new condition, but it will be many weekends of pleasure and pain. If you decide to tackle refurbishing the cabinets there are several members here that can give you useful tips.

I hope you decide to go for it and bring them back... I'll bet you find it rewarding.


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[Mr. Widget]

I refurbished a pair of M-19's 6 month ago. Here's a laundry list...

Not to put you two on the spot... but I can't help but mention just how close Vancouver WA is to Portand...

Perhaps you two could compare notes... I am sure there are additional details that you learned from going down this path that could be useful.


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[doclamb]

I'd be happy to give to pass on any information that may help you. Feel free to e-mail.

http://www.iconicspkrs.com/
http://www.greatplainsaudio.com/

[Gary L]

Here in NY I would gladly pay the $200 and toss in the Grand to get these completely refurbished in every way.
With some new veneer and fresh components you will have one of the nicest speakers around for $1200.
I can only hope and pray to find a similar deal here.

Gary

[qarcade2]

ok doclamb. you live in p-town. that's great. i will defenitely be contacting you in the near future.

ok so.

i know what the woofers are but what are the drivers and hf drivers? what are networks? what are crossovers?
these are all things i have heard of before but never asked anybody exactly what they we're. you guys are awesome. i plan on completely refurbishing these speakers.

[Gary L]

ok doclamb. you live in p-town. that's great. i will defenitely be contacting you in the near future.

ok so.

i know what the woofers are but what are the drivers and hf drivers? what are networks? what are crossovers?
these are all things i have heard of before but never asked anybody exactly what they we're. you guys are awesome. i plan on completely refurbishing these speakers.

Drivers are speakers! Either woofers for Low frequency sound or tweeters and horns for the higher frequencies. HF drivers are High frequency drivers and this is usually associated with horns that have compression driver motors attached to the rear of them. These have a magnet structure with a diaphragm voice coil attached to produce the highs.
Crossovers and networks are the same thing and this is the electronics that determine what frequency signal goes to which drivers. In your 19s these are the units behind the lower grill with the dials.

Don't be affraid to ask questions. Some may find them dumb but you will surely be the dummy for not asking if you don't know or understand.
Your 19s can be brought back from death with some TLC, rebuilding of the HF drivers and LF woofers and possibly new capacitors in the crossover networks. Cabinets can be refinished, grills and cloth replaced and you will have a set of very fine speakers if you follow some simple directions here.

My one suggestion will be that if you don't have the money to do it right, save up some more and do not do it half assed. I am very biased in my opinion and feel these should be left original and stock for the best sound and future value. Also, I feel your best bet is with Great Plains Audio for all your rebuilding needs. They take good care of us here and few if any ever report problems or poor service from them. If I see an Altec driver at auction and it says Rebuilt, reconed or recently serviced, anything other then GPA doing the work will not get a second look from me. I am sure there are other places that can do it right but I am very sure GPA always does it right.

Enjoy the journey! I sent you a PM- Private message in the top right corner.

Gary

[Mr. Widget]

i know what the woofers are but what are the drivers and hf drivers? what are networks? what are crossovers?

Don't be affraid to ask questions. Some may find them dumb but you will surely be the dummy for not asking if you don't know or understand.

Absolutely... after all there was a time when none of us knew a watt from a volt... I suspect some are still a bit hazy.

The point is we range from folks that design drivers to folks that are not yet sure what a driver is... and we all learn from each other.

I'm a visual person so here is a picture... the photo shows your crossover network, your high frequency compression driver (tweeter), your horn, and your woofer. The Model 19 is a very straight forward system... (the crossover is a bit more complicated than some) it has only the basics. Some systems also have passive radiators, additional drivers, and more complex multi part networks.


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