I've been using a JBL Olympus cabinet with an Altec 604-8G as the center speaker in my surround system for quite awhile. It sounds good and is a surprisingly good match but there's no grille and it's quite ugly. It was also tying up the other half of the speakers and cabinets.
I found a single Altec Capistrano cabinet in great condition and decided to replace it as the center speaker using some orphaned components to put together a 3 way similar to what I have in a stereo system. However, the stereo has 8.33 cu ft Altec 620A cabinets with the horn, tweeter and crossover sitting on top and I wanted to put everything inside the 6.16 cu ft cabinet.
It's a little tight and after it was done I could have front mounted the speaker and made it all fit neater but before I spent $15.00 on plywood for a new baffle I decide to finish it and try it first just in case it didn't work at all.
I works very well and has most of the characteristics of it's big brother, which after two years still excites me. It enhances the front line much better than the 604-8G, which you think would be a better match for the Altec 604Es that are in the fronts. There's a singularity in the sound source while maintaining the separation of the instruments in the surround mixes. That's the best that I can put it. Maybe it's just because it's new but I didn't expect it and I'm excited about it. It turns the system from a collection of speakers that I don't want to sell into a system that I don't want to break up. It also further screws me up if I have to downsize and move. Life is so complicated........
I had to gut the cabinet and didn't replace any of the supports but I haven't heard any rattle or ringing and I've cranked up some DTS music discs and watched some rumbling movies. I may cut a new baffle some day and add some bracing but it's behind a grille and unless the stuff on top starts rattling it's just fine.
Reply With Quote
