Help Me ID Speakers (Altec Lansing)

[65chevyII]

Hello

CAn I ask for help IDing these speakers. Or any helpfull feedback would be great. The Divider Network is an N-800-E and the 15" speakers are 803-A.
The horns are 802-D

Looks like the cabs were against a wall or togather for one side of each speaker is just the plywood like the back. I guess my main question is are these factory Altec cabinates?

Paid $200 at yard sale today. I hope I did good.

Thanks

[00Robin]

Oh God. I would kill for these. I couldn't tell you if they were factory cabinets or not. They are so similar to mine which were a kit popular in the late 50's and early 60's. I'm sure one of the experts will know. Trust me,you did REAL good. Too good. Have you played them yet? Mine are the same and they make me....well,just wait till the real guys tell you what they are. But you did way too good. Where are these from if you don't mind me asking. I can't quit looking at the photos.
So much for sleep tonight.

[65chevyII]

I found these in the Portland Oregon area. I will be selling these speakers so I am trying to figure out what I have. Yes I hooked them up and they sound great with just a simple old Sansui. I can't wait to get some power behind them. I need to find out the correct way to marry the horn to the speaker with the divider network befor I go any further.

Thanks you post made me feel good.

George

[Thom]

I'd draw you a picture but you already have one.

[65chevyII]

I'd draw you a picture but you already have one.

Thanks. As far as speakers and divider networks I really know nothing. But after looking at the Diagram it was not that hard. They sound great.

[Storm]

Nice score and welcome to the club. Hope you will stay longer than to just figure out what ya got!



Those look DIY to me, but still are very unique.

I would part them out -- easier to sell. Far east bidders will love you for that.

Sell the drivers, woofers, horns, and dividing networks separately.

Or, keep them.

WARNING: If you listen to them any longer, you will be forced to keep them. LOL.

-Storm.

[00Robin]

Just another mention and maybe I am correct or not. Many years ago I ran my VOTTS with a giant Luxman,you know,the big one with a million litttle buttons and meters and the whole works. Well, on three different occasions years apart,it was like the Lux blew out and i had to repair it three times(very expensive) and the repair guy said it was too much power for the speakers(??)and they were causing an impedance that blew out the LUX. Well,it seems to ME that the Lux would have blown out the speakers,but what do I know? Well,repair man put some "thing attachment" to my speakers to prevent it from ever happening again and the speakers sounded klike CRAP. So I made him take them off. What was with those things anyway? I was very not happy about that. Maybe it was just the Luxman. I don't see awhole lot of the big bruisers around anymore and I was surprised to see one on ebay last night. Maybe Lux's were repair heavy. I know mine was. The repairs paid for it about three times.

Some other guy a self proclaimed"speaker Larry" told me to use a lower wattage older Pioneer to avoid the problem. HE said the VOTTS wanted low watts to be run with,not high watts. OKAY.....
Well,to this day I use the old wood case 70's 60 pounder Pioneer and the speakers sound like heaven and I've never had another receiver blow out "impedance" problem again.
So what is the deal? Do the speakers need a lower wattage to run them or a higher wattage? I mean that Pioneer gives them so much power and sound,it would scare me to go above 3/4 of the volume. The sound is immense. I barely 1/4 the violume and its huge sound,beautiful too.

Sell them??? You have the speakers of a lifetime and they are in gorgeous cabinets and you want to sell them? I can barely look at them without wanting to fire up the Caddy and fly to your house and bring them home to mama.

[louped garouv]

they didn't really have many 400WPC amplifiers commonly available back then methinks....

you'll do well with pretty small amount of watts IMO

[00Robin]

Thanks louped garouv. I had a feeling it was true and I have followed that feeling for about 8 years now so it must be working alright. 65 ChevyII don't throw too much power into them. Throw the well made lower watt power maybe. I'm not the expert, but you have a set of beauties. I get all goosey just LOOKING at them. The exact same as mine....is there a date stamped on the rim of the big 15"??. Thats where the date is on mine.
I would LOVE to listen to them. Ah well,many miles. I always think there will always be another,but THESE are too pretty....I'm just going to have to sigh and look at the pictures. Unless someone is looking for a Hammond b3 w/matching Leslie and bench and pedalboard and original tone cabinet thats been re-built and is perfect?
whoops,JBL forum here.

[65chevyII]

00Robin

Do you have any photos of your speakers like mine? I would like to see what your talking about.

[00Robin]

65chevyII i feel like a fool. I have just purchased a digital camera and I havn't even put the DVD in for the set up yet. I took a couple shots of our new house(boring)but I havn't gotten to the meat of it. Its such a long instruction book. I'm sure its just pushing a button once you understand it. I wish someone would just show me.
Mine are 3'x3'x3'x3' walnut stained like a lighter colour than yours with that really cool old upholstery for speakers with those metallic threads running through them. They weigh about 55 pounds each.The 15" Altecs are the exact speakers only mine have july 1967 stamped on the edge of them like where they screw in to the wood. They have the little green boxes things inside there too. If I unscrew the backs of my cabinets it is like looking at exact replicas of yours. Only I don't have the horns. And lots of that yellow insulation. You people must think I'm an idiot to have these and not know a thing about them, but I do know how to wire them and change them out because 11 years ago I had a pair of the same green 15" Altecs and they were stamped March 1958. I blew out one of them and sold them with it blown to a man in Oklahoma who repairs them. Its been so long,I can't remember his name. He bought them blown for $800 even then. He didn't even care the one was blown. I know I have his name and address it on the paperwork of the 1967 set. I found them in a pawn shop in Sheridan,Wyoming and the owner had NO idea what they were and $100 later,I had them and a HUGE quilted velvet case on giant casters like for a giant stage Elvis show. So I took them out and re-wired them into my cabinets. Those came with ALL of the original paperwork and folders which I still have. I have ALWAYS wanted the green horns and have a real set but like I said,I'm no electrical person and none of my boyfriends were ever as into perfect sound as I am. Besides,I knew I needed to have the entire cabinets for them and they are like the size of small refridgerators. But Its a dream and yours are unbelievable to me. If I were you,I would NEVER sell them. Enjoy them.
My cabinets were part of the VOTTS kits that were popular in the 50's and men "built"them for their homes. I have no idea if they had any idea just how much sound was going to come out of them. Your cabinets look like the de-luxe version of the do-it-yourself like mine,only yours are the top of the line version.
Maybe I'll read the instructions and show you mine. Mine are just huge and boring compared to yours. Yours are like 60's works of art or something. You got a fantastic deal.

[00Robin]

65chevyII,there is a poster here called jblwolf old schooler and he's from Michigan. His photo avatar, the botttem cabinet looks EXACTLY like mine only I don't have all the stuff on top of it. Just the big square stained wooden bottem with the old time upholstery. Thats what they look like. Mine may be a little bigger but thats how they look.
If thats any help. Sometimes I re-read the stuff i write and i wonder if it even makes sense.

[65chevyII]

OO

For vintage stereo I have an Sansui TA-300 reciever and a Pioneer SA-7800 amp that pushes 65 watts. Tomorrow I will hook up the Pioneer amp and enjoy them.

I would keep these but there just to big for my place. My wife thinks there super ungly and will not listen to one world I say about them. My house is only 1000 S feet and they are just to big.

They will probably go on Ebay next week. I will put an reserve on them for what I could part them out for. If someone wants them like they are they can pay freight shipping. I would like to keep them as they are and not part them out.

No only if my wife was into these as much as you are I would be okay.

[Storm]

That's what we like to call: WAF....Wife Acceptance Factor.

If she was into mid century modern, then she would instantly enjoy them. I get that she does not like the way they look, rather than the sound. That is how women operate. Looks before function.



-Storm.

OO

For vintage stereo I have an Sansui TA-300 reciever and a Pioneer SA-7800 amp that pushes 65 watts. Tomorrow I will hook up the Pioneer amp and enjoy them.

I would keep these but there just to big for my place. My wife thinks there super ungly and will not listen to one world I say about them. My house is only 1000 S feet and they are just to big.

They will probably go on Ebay next week. I will put an reserve on them for what I could part them out for. If someone wants them like they are they can pay freight shipping. I would like to keep them as they are and not part them out.

No only if my wife was into these as much as you are I would be okay.

[hjames]

That's what I like to call: WAF....Wife Acceptance Factor.
...
That is how women operate. Looks before function.

Wow, stereotype much??
You really DO need to get out more ... find a more diverse community.

Lets see, which of us is technical and which is the dumb blonde out west ...

Go read my "L200s from Aberdeen" thread on how I was going to sell them and Emma (my Spouse) begged me not to sell them because she realized she liked the sound so much.
Since then I popped a pair of 2405s into them and the 3133 networks I built last summer, and then swapped the 2215s for 2235s - now they are so sweet. They are REAL CLOSE to L300 territory.

(I even plugged an iPod dock into the receiver so she can run her iPod through them like you do!)
http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/s...&postcount=102

Function over Looks, hmm?

'sides, an alternate term is SAF, Spouse Acceptance Factor - works great for those of us with unconventional families, as well as for the others - SAF works for everyone!