Guest atilsley Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Tax I like it (the layout, not the sound)...that's what I had in mind with my idea to replace the sub boxes with new 15 open baffle 'boxes.' I think the look of the large 15 at the bottom looks very smart. I recently drew up some designs for Altec components similar... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tax Posted November 19, 2012 Author Share Posted November 19, 2012 Tax, whilst the system looks great, I don't understand the point of posting the YouTube clips?? Not having a go, I'm just curious! For the past year since since I coordinated the Fane group buy, I have been thinking of tweaking the bass bandwidth I am getting. It has been a neglected but ongoing process. These latest clips are posted for some members who have heard my system and helping me decide on certain drivers, mounting and implementation potential and whether the sound is better or worse. Last week I was able to incorporate these new Altec 15 inch drivers into the system. We are now evaluating them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tax Posted November 19, 2012 Author Share Posted November 19, 2012 Tax I like it (the layout, not the sound)...that's what I had in mind with my idea to replace the sub boxes with new 15 open baffle 'boxes.' I think the look of the large 15 at the bottom looks very smart. I recently drew up some designs for Altec components similar... Thanks AT! That first drawing looks promising. Any possibility of a short visit this or next weekend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuyen Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Hi Tax, Personally I would look at front horn loading some 15" with a 50-80hz horn (depending how big your room is). The active avantgarde bass can cover the remaining lower frequencies. http://www.6moons.com/industryfeatures/grandecastine/2.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tax Posted November 20, 2012 Author Share Posted November 20, 2012 Thanks Tuyen, That ceiling must be at least 10 feet plus. It is an old cognac distillery. I don't have that kind of space in surbabia. Every time I talk about a bigger listening room SWMBO advises me that she would rather downsize. Any thoughts on what I would be getting with the horn loaded 15 incher that I cannot get in open baffle vs a box? Last night I played the system with my active subs turned off. I used the inaccurate JL software on my iPad and it was still showing 30 Hz response albeit a bit soft in that last bit of depth. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaspert Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 (edited) Hi Tax, Personally I would look at front horn loading some 15" with a 50-80hz horn (depending how big your room is). The active avantgarde bass can cover the remaining lower frequencies. http://www.6moons.com/industryfeatures/grandecastine/2.html Agree with Tuyen. If I have your room size to play with, that's what I would explore. Or your original plan with the Fane Studio 8M with 100Hz horn ( plus 2 servo subwoofer for the bottom octave may be). Ps- just saw your reply after I posted my message... Edited November 20, 2012 by jaspert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuyen Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 horn loading the driver will increase efficiency, require less cone movement to get the same amount of sound pressure. Thus reducing distortion, which in-turn allows for higher level of clarity and detail. bass notes have better sense of size and scale to better match with the mid horn. the 'effortless' sound would carry through from mid horn to bass. that's from my experience.. ymmv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazikid Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 id have to agree.. those drivers where never meant to be in open baffle. horn loading would be ideal, however the room size need to be factored in and how dedicated you are to speaker size and layout. they do have an amazing natural open sound to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sentient Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 Last night I played the system with my active subs turned off. I used the inaccurate JL software on my iPad and it was still showing 30 Hz response albeit a bit soft in that last bit of depth. The open baffle arrangement is never intended to deliver sub-bass, so it depends what your goals are, and what you're looking to boost. Putting them in a ported box or backloaded horn, will give you extra extension/volume, but it changes the sound. That particular open baffle arrangement is done for transparency, and is targeted mainly for mid-bass duties IMV. Hey AT, it would be interesting to compare those Great Plains 515G's to the original Altecs. They could be a good option? Of course the 515c's were made with heavy Alnico magnets, which are expensive. I note the G's use ferrite magnets. Could sound similar, but they're not the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest atilsley Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 The open baffle arrangement is never intended to deliver sub-bass, so it depends what your goals are, and what you're looking to boost. Putting them in a ported box or backloaded horn, will give you extra extension/volume, but it changes the sound. That particular open baffle arrangement is done for transparency, and is targeted mainly for mid-bass duties IMV. Hey AT, it would be interesting to compare those Great Plains 515G's to the original Altecs. They could be a good option? Of course the 515c's were made with heavy Alnico magnets, which are expensive. I note the G's use ferrite magnets. Could sound similar, but they're not the same. Sure...good to compare. I lean towards new...more based on convenience, eg older models could well sound better, but need servicing and magnet strengths weaken over time etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sentient Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 If current trends are any indication, the concept of servicing is becoming more and more a thing of the past. We're a throw away society now. It's cheaper to replace, than to service. With vintage gear, it's all about condition. Those 515c's Tax is using are in mint condition. It's really hard to find them that good, let alone locally. The alnico's in them are ridiculously over engineered. There's no reason why they wouldn't outlast any cheaper current models, built from ferrite's. But anything vintage, always has some risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newman Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 ....Any thoughts on what I would be getting with the horn loaded 15 incher that I cannot get in open baffle vs a box? In my experience, it has led me to a new appreciation of how poorly mounted the glass panes are in the window frames in my listening room. But I suppose big subwoofer would do that too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damohpi Posted November 20, 2012 Share Posted November 20, 2012 (edited) Saying 515C are unobtanium is a bit of a stretch, the original 515 (and 515 RWB) with half roll surround, phenolic spiders are getting that way and starting to fetch a lot of money in mint condition (4-5k USD/pair +), the 515B and 515C were a lot more common but as with most vintage components the prices are steadily increasing. Locally the 515C may be hard to find, however most interesting vintage components are.... Anyway, GPA also make an Alnico 515C (along with Alnico 416B, 414B, and the new Alnico 604E-II) http://www.greatplai...loads/515_C.pdf Edited November 20, 2012 by damohpi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sentient Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 . Locally the 515C may be hard to find, however most interesting vintage components are.... they're not common,,,,, in Australia. Agreed. As you know, when importing this vintage stuff that weighs alot, it costs alot to get it here, and who knows what condition it really is in when you get it. Anyway, GPA also make an Alnico 515C (along with Alnico 416B, 414B, and the new Alnico 604E-II)http://www.greatplai...loads/515_C.pdf cool, has anyone done some comparisons of new/old? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuyen Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 For that sort of money for a used pair, might be worth looking at a pair of Wolf Von Langa - Kilimanjaro Series A515 field coil drivers. http://www.kilimanjaro-series.com/kilimanjaro-series/a515.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tax Posted November 21, 2012 Author Share Posted November 21, 2012 For that sort of money for a used pair, might be worth looking at a pair of Wolf Von Langa - Kilimanjaro Series A515 field coil drivers. http://www.kilimanja...eries/a515.html Thanks for your posts Tuyen. I was born near Kilimanjaro in Tanzania or what used to be Tanganika, so I would have a story to share if we go down this path. Have you used or heard these drivers? Any idea of pricing and what config or implemetation one would use them to compliment the avantgardes? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazikid Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Pretty expensive 1850 euros per unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuyen Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Have not any experience with Wolf's drivers, but a mate on here has. He may be able to share some experience if he is willing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sentient Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 After a bit of googling, I can't seem to find a price on those Great Plains 515c's (the Alnico version). Does anyone have any idea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damohpi Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 IIRC they were listed for ~550 USD ea on eBay. Tax: maybe email Wolf for advice, he's a wealth of information on all things Altec. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest atilsley Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 I love these 70-600 tractrix horns....I came very close to building these before I dabbled with the Inlowsound horn. http://forums.klipsc...spx?PageIndex=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sentient Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 IIRC they were listed for ~550 USD ea on eBay. Interesting. You'd hope they were as good as the originals for that price. I expect replicas to be cheaper than the real deal. If they weigh as much as the originals do, shipping costs will not be cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tax Posted November 25, 2012 Author Share Posted November 25, 2012 Ozmillsy, Check this comparison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holliswhy Posted November 25, 2012 Share Posted November 25, 2012 Tax. I always wonder what horn sounds like with this kind of stuff... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Once was an audiophile Posted November 25, 2012 Share Posted November 25, 2012 Top video on my crappy headphones gets the nod warning my headphones are bad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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