Altec 1233 requesting help diagnosing problems

[Michael MCS]

Hello anyone:

just picked up a pair of Model 1233's from a church last week. on one speaker the horn isn't working. horn is 811B with I believe an 808-8B driver on it. how can I test/check if the driver is no good?

The other speaker cabinet the speaker (421-8LF) has about a slight 1" tear in the cone right near the pleated edge. Do I have to re-cone this speaker or is there a way to fix it?

Where can I find parts or repair services for these speakers? I'm afraid of putting more money into the cabinets than they are worth.

to the best of my investigation I'm guessing thses were manufactured 1977-1979.

thanks,

Michael

[MikeBrewster77]

how can I test/check if the driver is no good?

Quick and dirty way is to apply amp power direct (very low level and not bass-heavy source material) to the driver. If you get sound, the crossover's likely the weak link. No sound = bad driver. There's far more scientific ways that will give you additional data, but if you're just trying to do a quick troubleshoot, this always has worked for me.

The other speaker cabinet the speaker (421-8LF) has about a slight 1" tear in the cone right near the pleated edge. Do I have to re-cone this speaker or is there a way to fix it?

I'd recone but I'll defer to others on the forum with far more experience than I to answer this one.

Where can I find parts or repair services for these speakers? I'm afraid of putting more money into the cabinets than they are worth.

For repairs, there are some stellar folks on this very forum who do work. I've heard Edgewound's work is exceptionally good based on his reputation here. Not sure what his workload might be, though, and what your timeframe for having the speakers up and running is. Also, you may want to check out this link: http://www.altecpro.com/products/vintage/index.htm.

Best,
- Mike

[Michael MCS]

thanks mike. how often do crossovers fail? what causes a compression driver to fail? just trying to learn as I go along.

[MikeBrewster77]

More than welcome - I like to help where I can (which isn't as often as most of the more knowledgeable people here.) Unfortunately, in 30 year old speakers, virtually anything is prone to failure. Not sure what the specific failure rate for crossovers vs. drivers is, honestly (I'm far from the expert on this forum - there are folks here that make me look like a complete audio-imbecile) but I've seen enough to know that it happens more than we'd like it to.

Compression drivers (like standard drivers) have voice coils that can fail. They also have diaphragms which can be destroyed (much like the cone of a standard speaker.)

Best of luck to you!
- Mike

thanks mike. how often do crossovers fail? what causes a compression driver to fail? just trying to learn as I go along.

[Goodwill_HiFi]

Where can I find parts or repair services for these speakers?

http://www.greatplainsaudio.com/ .....it's better to call, rather than email them.

I'm afraid of putting more money into the cabinets than they are worth.

Well you didn't say how much you paid, but unless you paid several hundred you're probably pretty safe to spend some money to get them into shape.

[Michael MCS]

thanks goodwill. I got the cabinets for $68 bucks for both. just trying to figure out how much they'd be worth fixed up. Don't know if I'll keep them cuz they're so freakin' heavy. Just don't want to have $500 in $300 worth of cabinets

[Goodwill_HiFi]

thanks goodwill. I got the cabinets for $68 bucks for both. just trying to figure out how much they'd be worth fixed up. Don't know if I'll keep them cuz they're so freakin' heavy. Just don't want to have $500 in $300 worth of cabinets

$68!! That's a steal!

[JBL Dog]

The other speaker cabinet the speaker (421-8LF) has about a slight 1" tear in the cone right near the pleated edge. Do I have to re-cone this speaker or is there a way to fix it?


Michael

I'd go out and buy the cheapest clear nail polish you can find and try to patch it. Trust me, it works!

If you have to recone it, factory kits run about $165, aftermarket kits are about $115.

Good luck!