Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 33

Thread: inductor value in Altec Valencia 846B

  1. #1
    Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    england
    Posts
    60

    inductor value in Altec Valencia 846B

    Hi

    I need to get the inductor values in Altec Valencia 846b's.

    Does anybody have the definate values, or the source of where to get them from?

    Thankyou
    Chris

  2. #2
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    North Texas
    Posts
    45
    Bump...

    Does anyone know the values of these inductors? I'd be curious to know, too!

  3. #3
    Member zipplok's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Nevada
    Posts
    65

    Altec Inductor values

    Try Bill at Great Plains Audio. (405)-789-0221.

  4. #4
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    North Texas
    Posts
    45
    Thanks zipplok...I was just looking up their number! wow...lol

  5. #5
    Senior Member Storm's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Phoenix, Arizona
    Posts
    1,259
    Are you keeping the Valencias?

    Let us know what Bill says.

    Can you ask him his opinion on the 846 Valencias and about upgrading the crossovers?

    Thanks.

    -Storm.

  6. #6
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    North Texas
    Posts
    45
    Funny...I just talked to Bill for a little bit. He's fun to talk to. I asked his thoughts on changing (upgrading) crossovers and wiring in the Valencia's and his response was, "I don't really buy into all that audiophile stuff so that's a personal choice." I thought that was cool. I also asked him about their (the 846B's) upper end response which I thought mine was lacking in. I told him that they seemed to roll off pretty much after 15kHz but the manual says they are good to 20kHz. His reply was that that is pretty much all they can do and they don't "audibly" make it to 20kHz. Interesting.

    I also asked him what he liked listening to and his response was (get this), "a cloth dome tweeter of some kind...I'm not big into horns". lol.

    Not sure if I'm keeping them or not but they are definitely not going to be used much. For my listening room, they are too big (or the room is too small for the speakers...lol) which doesn't make them enjoyable. I'd rather listen to my Polk's than these. Bill agreed. I asked if a tube amp would sound better. He said that in all his years, he's not used tube amps on ALtecs or most any other horn speaker. Hmmm...

  7. #7
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    3
    A capacitance/inductance meter will get you in the ballpark. Compare with the one in the other channel and see how close they are (or aren't! ).

    A better way is to work your way backwards by determining the values of all the other components and (doing some calculations) you can see what the appropriate value should be for your inductor. I know that Altec used pretty basic network topologies without much attenuation, so it should be a standard butterworth (for example). You could probably get away with using a freeware program like the one at the Lalena site for crossover calculations.

    I will offer this advise- don't change the inductors. Since inductance rarely shifts much, they are probably fine and the network "works" because of them. Replace that iron core with an air core and you will need to start from scratch. Changing the caps is probably a better performance yield as the values are probably off by now. AND- there are a lot of great caps on the market to choose from to suit your style. I find the jupiter caps (available at Soniccraft) are wonderful for some of the earlier metal horns. They are made of paper in beeswax and offer a sweet and laid back sound- kinda on the smooth side. A great match but a bit pricey.

  8. #8
    Senior Member Storm's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Phoenix, Arizona
    Posts
    1,259
    Thanks for the update.

    This confirms and answers my persisten thoughts that I have had for a while.

    I will not go to tube amps.

    I will not change the crossovers.

    Glad to get an honest opinion from a professional. Glad I have not made any modifications to them.

    If we can find a way to get those speakers to AZ, I am definately interested in purchasing them.

    Thanks!

    -Storm.

  9. #9
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    3
    Quote Originally Posted by Storm View Post
    I will not go to tube amps.
    I will not change the crossovers.
    Glad to get an honest opinion from a professional. -Storm.

    Tube amps and crossovers (especially vintage ones) are very prone to shift. 'Changing' them? NO, I agree with you on that one- usually not a good thing. Replacing certain parts so they work properly? Definately YES. With regard to upgrading- it's highly subjective. Don't assume that anyone suggesting a caps upgrade is dishonest until you've tried some nice boutique ones yourself. Yet again- THAT is subjective too. Some people simply can't hear a difference because their hearing isn't sensitive enough to detect such subtle changes to a system. Perhaps some people don't have the associated audio components to highlight the changes. I assure you, though. Caps change the sound drastically, and can make or break a network.

    Try this company for your shipping needs:

    PHX
    Name:FORWARD AIR, INCAddress: 2465 SOUTH 19TH AVENUE
    BUILDING D-1
    PHOENIX , AZ 85009
    Phone: 602-252-7866Fax: 602-252-8211

  10. #10
    Senior Member Storm's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Phoenix, Arizona
    Posts
    1,259
    But like they alway say:

    "If it ain't broken, don't fix it."

    Until my speakers refuse to play, then I will fix them.

    Nothing wrong will happen to them, especially if I dont abuse them.

    -Storm.

  11. #11
    Senior Member louped garouv's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    formerly "the city where imagination takes precedence over fact"
    Posts
    2,152
    perhaps just because they "play" does not mean they are playing to their full, original performance levels....

  12. #12
    Senior Member Storm's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Phoenix, Arizona
    Posts
    1,259
    And how on earth would I know that?

    Jump into a time machine and listen to a pair at the factory, then hop back into the time machine and figure out what is wrong?

    From listening to them as we speak, I cannot tell if there is anything wrong with them.

    I push them to their limits all the time and they seem to be working great.

    -Storm.

  13. #13
    Senior Member louped garouv's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    formerly "the city where imagination takes precedence over fact"
    Posts
    2,152
    maybe you could build some new, equilvalent networks and see how they perform

    or you could take the networks to a tech if you don't have the time/tools/experience

  14. #14
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    North Texas
    Posts
    45
    I agree, Storm. I'll probably go ahead and change the caps and the L-pads since the L-pads were making the highs cut in and out when moved...even after cleaning. I can see how they would alter it. I'm going to take tis_true's advice and leave the inductors as they are and do the caps. I may even leave the original solid core wire, but, I do have enough around here to change the sire too for sh@t's and giggles. (lol).

    Maybe we can figure a way to get them to AZ. Keep on the look out for a pair of SDA's out there and we might be able to work out a meeting point halfway.

    Ciao....

  15. #15
    Senior Member Storm's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Phoenix, Arizona
    Posts
    1,259
    Thats a possibility.

    What speakers are you on the lookout for?

    Thanks.

    -Storm.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Altec 846B
    By DAbbott in forum Lansing Product Technical Help
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 08-06-2013, 06:02 AM
  2. Plantronics to Acquire Altec Lansing
    By watchman in forum Lansing Product General Information
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: 08-31-2006, 09:04 AM
  3. Altec Valencia Help Needed
    By DanTana in forum Lansing Product Technical Help
    Replies: 18
    Last Post: 07-05-2005, 04:54 AM
  4. Altec 846B Value?
    By wgk in forum Lansing Product General Information
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 09-13-2003, 03:56 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •