"Discussions on Building or Modifying Custom Systems Using JBL and Altec Components"


Hmmm..... New category. All right............ I'll start. Picked up some 15 cell Altec horns & 288B drivers. Thought about stuffing some new diaphragms in them and adding a pair of 2405 slots on top. I'm aware of the "cell lobing" problems that are inherent in multi-cell horns, and obviously the age of the technology we're talking about, but many "audiophiles" still consider the Altec 288 to be a decent driver in today's world.

To my ear, large format JBL comp. drivers sound a little better.

Crisper........cleaner........... etc... But sometimes what you hear is the opposite of what you find on a graph. Many individuals on this board seem to like 2440 JBL drivers. Personally, I don't have any experience w/ them. Just found some old graphs. Bolted up to the same Altec 329 horn, an Altec 288 appears to have a wider frequency response than a JBL 2440 and doesn't fall away as fast at some of the higher frequencies. It appears like it should be the better driver. But that's only on paper, not in the real world. Anyone have experience with these two drivers?

For what some of this stuff has been going for on Ebay, I might sell the Altec's and buy some JBL's. Or........... TAD comp. drivers with Beryllium diaphragms. The tar-filled Altec's are vintage and cool, but massive and very, VERY heavy. With four Altec 210 VOTT cabinets underneath them, they give me a full blown Altec A2 system.

I had four of the ten cell 1005B horns years ago. And 11 or 12 Altec 288's. So I know what they sound like. Tried aluminum and Titanium diaphragms. Was a little bummed out at the amount of power the 288's could handle.

So keep 'em or sell 'em ??? I do like JBL's 2360, 2365, and 2366 horns. Maybe some 2445 drivers ? Or 2440's ? Or suck it up and spend some $$ on the TAD's ? In the long run, I think that's probably the best way to go. Don't have much experience with them, but from what I hear they are in a league of their own.

Suggestions ? Comments ? You guys have a lot more experience with this stuff than I do. What do you think?

Thanx.