902 driver ?

[Hillman]

I hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday. I am putting some 902-8 drivers in my M-19's. Both have loading caps and neither + or - are marked. How do you tell positive from negative?

[Skywave-Rider]

Hi!
I have a picture of it here:
http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/s...9&postcount=41

Remove the loading cap and you'll see + and - on the diaphragm ring. I replaced my loading caps with larger stock caps, as shown in this pic.
Let us know how it sounds.

[Hillman]

Thanks for the answer. This is what mine look like and it seems the diaphragm and loading cap are a unit. I did not try to pry them apart because it looks like where the connectors come through the cap they are glued. I hooked them up and put the positive side towards the black paint dot reference on the the driver. Sounds good anyways.

[Skywave-Rider]

Well, I'm not at my speakers now, but I think there might have been a red dot denoting +.

Can you see the + on the diaphragm ring in my picture?

You can pry the diaphragm apart from the loading cap easily. The terminals stay with the diaphragm. Mine came off without a hitch. Careful with the screwdriver around the diaphragm, though.

And how's it sound?

[Gary L]

I'll be interested in your opinion if the 902s sound better then the stock 802-8Gs.

Provided all systems are working up to spec I would seriously doubt any benefit will be realized by this switch.

I have to suggest once again Tom that you try the BMS 4552N as Zilch's findings have shown favorable results with this pairing.

I have never found a pleasing sound in home Hi Fi with Altec HF drivers and loading caps but we all do seek a different sound so have at it.

Gary

[Hillman]

There isn't much difference in the sound at all and the 902's do seem to sound a little better to my ears. The 802-8G drivers were re-magnified last year at GPA. The 902 drivers don't sound to be out of phase the way I hooked them up. I am in the lot of guys from AK for the group buy of BMS 4552 drivers and since I had Gary's xovers to try on my M19's, I decided to try the 902's. The 902's came out of some M14's and were attached to Mantaray Horns I got a deal on last year or the year before. I still plan to build an Altec center channel speaker using the mantaray horn this summer so my surround system will be all Altec.

[Hillman]

[spkrman57]

I'll be interested in your opinion if the 902s sound better then the stock 802-8Gs.

I have the opportunity to compare 802(?) w/tangerine phase plug - aluminum diaphram. The drivers were remagged/shimmed/cleaned by Bill @ Great Plains.

I found the 902's with "Pascalite" hardened aluminum diaphrams to be just slightly more forward in the lower treble region, while the 802 was smoother and more laid back.

I have never found a pleasing sound in home Hi Fi with Altec HF drivers and loading caps but we all do seek a different sound so have at it.

I prefer to use the "loading-caps" with mine as it provides better protection to the diaphram through a more limited compression chamber back.
Gary

As usual, I consider this a personal choice according to your system and the music you like to listen to!

Regards, Ron

[Skywave-Rider]

Hey Hillman, I did not realize that was you. I'm in the BMS group buy too. I won't be selling my 902s, even if I prefer the BMS; that's the original driver in my speaker. You'll find the 902 goes up to 20 kHz strongly. I don't think the 802s get near, but they apparently sound good. Both 802s and 902s have that roller coaster HF response -- the BMS doesn't. Well, you probably know all that already. Nice to listen to but I am excited to compare to the 4552NDs.

For the center channel will the Mantaray horn be original from the M14? Zilch recently pointed out to me that GPA has new Asymmetrical Mantarays; good for low speakers, like center channels maybe....? In either case, sounds like a cool HT!

There isn't much difference in the sound at all and the 902's do seem to sound a little better to my ears. The 802-8G drivers were re-magnified last year at GPA. The 902 drivers don't sound to be out of phase the way I hooked them up. I am in the lot of guys from AK for the group buy of BMS 4552 drivers and since I had Gary's xovers to try on my M19's, I decided to try the 902's. The 902's came out of some M14's and were attached to Mantaray Horns I got a deal on last year or the year before. I still plan to build an Altec center channel speaker using the mantaray horn this summer so my surround system will be all Altec.

[Hillman]

After listening to the 902's for a few days, the M-19's sound much better than with the 802-8G's. I think my HT system sounds awesome now with an Acoustic Research Hi-Res center speaker. With M19's up front and 9849's at the back the center must also be Altec even if it will be home made. I plan on using a 414-8C, 902-8 and a mantaray horn. I have an older Sony DB930 HT receiver and on my budget it is hard to justify a replacement. I also have a Sansui G-9000 for 2 channel hooked up with a Niles SAS-1 so I can use the M19's old school.

[Gary L]

As long as you're not trying to sell it for the Vintage value, I can't think of good reason to not make a home made and better built cabinet for great Altec drivers.

The 414-8C is a premium driver with excellent mid frequency capabilities and we need not go in to how great the manta ray horn can sound.

Sounds to me like you will have the "Voice of the theater" right there in your living room.

Gary

[Skywave-Rider]

Man, that is great. What horns are in the 9849s?
Glad you're loving the 902s.

[Gary L]

9849s have the #32 bent horns but not sure if Hillmans are the metal or composite versions like in the model 15s.

These are the 9849-8Ds and I think the D stands for Deluxe or veneered home version. They also made them in a less expensive grey cabinet for commercial use.



Gary

[Skywave-Rider]

Ahh, thanks for the image, things of beauty for sure.

[Russellc]

There isn't much difference in the sound at all and the 902's do seem to sound a little better to my ears. The 802-8G drivers were re-magnified last year at GPA. The 902 drivers don't sound to be out of phase the way I hooked them up. I am in the lot of guys from AK for the group buy of BMS 4552 drivers and since I had Gary's xovers to try on my M19's, I decided to try the 902's. The 902's came out of some M14's and were attached to Mantaray Horns I got a deal on last year or the year before. I still plan to build an Altec center channel speaker using the mantaray horn this summer so my surround system will be all Altec.

Agreed there isnt much difference. I spent some time when I got my first A7s
trying to decide. I originally had 902 8B, which I removed the loading cap, (already had the "good" diapraghms) added the short screws and felts and I thought they sounded great. Then I got some 808 8B bodies, added a GPA aluminum diapraghm, short screws and felts (converting it to 802 8G) and switched back and forth numerous times before I decided (and this will be a person taste thing)I liked the 802 8G better, and sold the 902 8Bs.

I also was switching in and out a pair of 802 8D drivers as well, which I thought sounded excellent also, but sold them first deciding I liked the 902 8B and the 802 8G better....but there wasnt a whole load of difference there either, but more than the difference between the 902 and 802 8G.

You just have to try them, or get what you can and be happy. While I love the altec sound, there is a lot to what Zilch says about the BMS drivers solving lots of problems. This is what has led me to sell off my "extra" altec altec compression drivers and start buying JBL. There seems to be a lot more "exacting" information on the JBL than the altec, thats for sure. It is nice to see them getting a little of the testing out by Zilch and others, I have never seen as much info on altec as these guys have shown here lately, Thank you for that!

russellc