I'm a newbie with a question....

[Balderdash1]

Hello all,

First let me say how much I love JBL!

Though I've been lucky enough to collect some pretty cool recording gear through the years, I haven't made much headway in the home audio side of things..

I've read through the forums here pretty extensively and have not only learned a lot but have been amused and entertained as well!

My first official question for you: a pair of fair condition Altec A7's have recently caught my eye...What is the general consensus on the sound of
these guy's, and what are they going for money wise these day's?

Thanks,

Balderdash1

[Rusnzha]

They are very efficient and dynamic, but lacking in bass. I never tried it with mine (many years ago) but they might really be cool if you got a good subwoofer to use with them. Maybe something like a JBL 2241 or 2242. Sorry I can't tell you much about the going rate on these. Welcome to LHS, there's a lot of good knowledge here.

[Zilch]

http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/s...0471#post10471

[timc]

Welcome to the forum!

[Balderdash1]

Thanks for the welcome and the link!

[Thom]

If you could match them properly to a subwoofer and have a large room they would probably be impressive. They are impressive anyway but have little bass and can be hard to listen to.

[Zilch]

Bass is not the only problem, Thom. The HF needs "Fixing," too....

[Titanium Dome]

They are very efficient and dynamic, but lacking in bass. I never tried it with mine (many years ago) but they might really be cool if you got a good subwoofer to use with them. Maybe something like a JBL 2241 or 2242. Sorry I can't tell you much about the going rate on these. Welcome to LHS, there's a lot of good knowledge here.

If you could match them properly to a subwoofer and have a large room they would probably be impressive. They are impressive anyway but have little bass and can be hard to listen to.

Bass is not the only problem, Thom. The HF needs "Fixing," too....

So, the consensus is that if you fix the bass and the highs and have a large enough space, they should be listenable. At least that's what I gather.

[Zilch]

Well, there ARE some issues with the midrange/horns as well....

[Robh3606]

I must be missing something. This is a Heritage site right???

What ever happened to appreciating these designs for what they are warts and all. They are snapshots in time and were voiced for a specific purpose and application in mind.

A7's are not livingroom speakers. Why not just cut to the chase and suggest a similar 2 way that has been set-up to be used as livingroom speakers.

Rob

[JBL 4645]

I must be missing something. This is a Heritage site right???

What ever happened to appreciating these designs for what they are warts and all. They are snapshots in time and were voiced for a specific purpose and application in mind.

A7's are not livingroom speakers. Why not just cut to the chase and suggest a similar 2 way that has been set-up to be used as livingroom speakers.

Rob

Where the Altec A-7designed for cinema application please tell me I’m right.

[Rusnzha]

Originally posted by robh3606

A7's are not livingroom speakers. Why not just cut to the chase and suggest a similar 2 way that has been set-up to be used as livingroom speakers.

This sums it up better than any of the previous comments. Storm and a few other people can offer the best insight in this area.

They also call the A7s "Voice of the Theater" -- that's what they made them for.

[alskinner]

In their stock form most people will be disappointed. As Don M has stated they had a over pronounced midrange designed for theater use. I never could get the 511 horn and 800 series drivers to sound right in a domestic setting. On the other hand the midbass cab has a great sound when modified. First the cab needs reinforcing around the horn area to elimate the resonance common to these speakers. Also most would agree the port tuning was not optimal either. Although about 50hz is all your going to get out of it, to me with the 416 woofer it has one of the best midbass punches that I have found with excellent voicing. Once I threw away the altec crossover and used a modified N333 crossover design, the cabs came into their own. I did not even miss the lower bass. Of course using a horn like the 2360 presented it's own problems at first with side reflections. After working on the room to help eliminate most of them I found the 2360 to be very smooth. Added a couple of 2405s and came up with a very listenable speaker. To modify an existing design takes a lot of patience along with trial and error. I would not recommend it to someone starting out, unless a lot of reading, studying and prepartion is done beforehand. I agree the midbass horn needs some room to work properly, but depending on the room dimensions can be used successfully in a home environment. The JBL 4344/4345 weren't originally designed for living rooms either but a lot of people (myself included) enjoy them in less than ideal spaces. One thing working with the A7s taught me is that it is better to do 50HZ to 16K well than 20HZ to 20KHZ poorly.

Just my 2 cents
AL

[Balderdash1]

Well that pretty much say's it all for me......

I don't live in a big house and probably couldn't give these speakers the love they most certainly will need....

If I only had the resources to get that drive-in picture place off the ground.....