cabinet designs for ALtec 418-8H Series II

[louped garouv]

I got the woofers 418-8H II a year or so ago, not been using them...

wondering if they would perform well in a "typical," open back, guitar double 15" cabinet (with a tweeter or MF compression driver for above 7000Hz or so, if necessary

(i don't know. I don't play -- but have a friend that plays blues and some rock lately. I was planning on gifting them as soon as I build a good cabinet for the woofs)

They came to me in a pair of 816A boxes that are currently housing a pair of 515Bs

looking to house them in something more manageable....

[moldyoldy]

Electric guitar fundamentals top out ~1kHz, and (desireable) harmonics peter out around 4kHz, so 418s are fine by themselves. In a tuned, vented box they want 5-6 ft/3 each (i.e. 612 utility box). Open backs can be smaller, but give up a little low end to do it, which shouldn't be a problem for a picker. Might consider 2 smaller stackable boxes over 1 large cab for portability sake. Even though you can front mount a series II, I'd rear mount it to simplify grillwork in an MI app (slightly recess T-nuts on front to flush the grill cloth). Protective (stacking) corners, caster sockets, and recessed handles a plus. Plenty of that as well as tolex on eBay.

Your buddy's a lucky guy! Just hope he's not so thrilled he forgets how to play the blues!

[louped garouv]

great, that's along the lines of what I have gathered online, but I hate to rely solely on online info, when there are much better resources available.

Thank you very much for the pointers.

I hope he enjoys them.

[moldyoldy]

but I was trying to shuffle the pile to gain a little extra space this AM, and ended up with a 418(B) and an empty utility box on top of the pile. Before burying them again, I thought I'd see how well a 418 did in a much smaller than optimally predicted box. A quick run through WinISD said the optimum tuning for a 418-8H in the 3.5 ft/3 box was 68Hz, achieved with a small port. The box was setup sealed, and I wasn't too excited about making new holes, but it had a cutout for an n501 network in the back panel (4"x5"). Changed the simulated port shape to rectangular, and whatta you know, 4"x5"x3/4" was right on the money.

I installed the 418 and closed up the box, and played 30 minutes through a couple of different heads. I'm gonna leave it just like it is and take the items off the "waiting for an application" list. I was real happy with the results, and there was no leanness to the bass as I'd expected. I could run a plot for you, but it ain't HIFI, and my musical friends think I get carried away anyway.

Anyway, thought it might be of interest that smaller-than-normal boxes could suit your needs.

[louped garouv]

very interesting indeed....

maybe I'll scrounge some prototype boxes and see what I like....

THANKS!