Greetings all, I just acquired my first large Altec speakers and I can definitely sense a lot of potential but there is some work to be done. After many years in this hobby I have learned to "measure twice, cut once" so bear with me as I ask some very basic questions before diving in. These speakers seem to have Valencia type drivers and crossovers (Altec N801-8a) in a very high quality large custom cabinet. The PO was moving and we had to demo these with one of those desk top radios with remote speakers. All drivers seemed to work fine and the attenuators on the crossovers were very stiff but seemed to adjust the high frequency adequately. Upon getting the home and hooked up to my McIntosh 2205 it became apparent that one speaker was in fine voice, but the other had slightly distorted sound coming from the HF driver. I spun the dial on the crossover a couple times to loosen it up and maybe clean the pot, but it seemed to disintegrate as I turned it. It would seem some crossover work will be required, no biggie since I was thinking of recapping or replacing the XOs anyway. Is the N801-8a worth rebuilding or is there a recommended upgrade out there? (I seem to recall Zilch's Z-19 upgrade being well regarded). Anticipating the need to identify the drivers, I removed the six screws on the front of the horn but it would not pull out. It was very loose, but was definitely being held from inside the cabinet. I guess I will have to remove the back if possible. The back panel and screws seem to be finished over and not accessible. As I said, these cabinets were done by a professional carpenter and I anticipate some work to gain access. Pics will follow, I just ran out of time this weekend. I guess my L100t3's will rule the roost for several more weeks/months! Any tips would be welcome, I have no experience replacing capacitors or other components. Is the rebuilding of the XOs a job best left for experienced techs? TIA!
For now, here is the cell phone picture from the PO's house.