Magnavox Console Horns?

janikphoto

Lunatic Member
Who knows what the ohms rating is on these horns? Who knows what crossover point they most commonly used? I have some I'm using in a project, and I can't remember where I put the little crossover that was originally connected to them. I'm guessing 16 ohm?

mkuwZxCAwE3LKEMe6UxuEMQ.jpg
 
Pic too small to read, what are the numbers stamped on them? There were different kinds of horns used, Jensen and Heppner IIRC.

You should be able to get close by measuring DCR.

As far as crossovers, most consoles just had a couple of caps. I would think you could cross these over at the commonly used 5KHz.

I have several sets and always wanted to do something with them, in my spare time.
 
If those are the Heppner mid horns, they are indeed 16 ohms and I think they used an 8uF cap. If they are the smaller HF horns, I believe they used a 3.2uF cap.

Dave
 
Pic too small to read, what are the numbers stamped on them? There were different kinds of horns used, Jensen and Heppner IIRC...

Not my pic... just a random internet pic to show what I'm talking about.


If those are the Heppner mid horns, they are indeed 16 ohms and I think they used an 8uF cap. If they are the smaller HF horns, I believe they used a 3.2uF cap.

Dave

Yeah, these should be the Heppners. Mine are marked as "Magnavox 580088-1" speakers. Thanks! They ran the corresponding 15" wide open, right? I never found any crossovers for it when gutting old Astro-Sonics.
 
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What are the dimensions of the horn opening? Do your have the hard plastic or foam cover over the driver end?

Dave
 
The hard plastic cover would mean these are likely made by either Foster or Jenson. Any sign of an EIA code on them? Made in Japan stamp? I'm assuming these are the smaller (~4"x10.5") tweeter rather than the larger mid horns used in 3-way console systems. If so, I'd start with a 3.2-3.4 uF cap. These things tend to get a bit "honky" and harsh if crossed over too low and have a pretty rapid roll-off above ~13Khz.

Dave
 
The hard plastic cover would mean these are likely made by either Foster or Jenson. Any sign of an EIA code on them? Made in Japan stamp? I'm assuming these are the smaller (~4"x10.5") tweeter rather than the larger mid horns used in 3-way console systems. If so, I'd start with a 3.2-3.4 uF cap. These things tend to get a bit "honky" and harsh if crossed over too low and have a pretty rapid roll-off above ~13Khz.

Dave

You are right! I just looked closer at one pair, and they have the Foster squiggly S logo on the horn. They came out of an early 1970's Astro... the other pair look almost the same, but don't have the logo. They came from a mid-60's Astro. Both were two-way systems, only had a pair of tens and the other had a pair of twelves I think?

I messed around with similar horns a couple years ago, and I recall that the rolled off pretty low. I just couldn't remember what cap I used and what cap Magnavox used.
 
I'll post pics soon, but here's what I've got... Two horns per cabinet - run in series with a 2.2uf cap on it - and one 15" run wide open.
 
2 16 ohm horns in series will present a 32 ohm load. With that cap value, your crossover point is going to be way too high. (I think) :scratch2:

I would imagine that your crossover point is upwards of 10Khz.

Dave
 
I'm calculating around 2200hz, give or take. I was thinking of changing it to a second order crossover, though. We'll see. I'll take a few measurements and see how the highs do. They are rough on classic rock at the moment, but not bad on old jazz.
 
My Magnavox console using those horns have a 8 uf cap as I recollect. Also 15 inch woofer with inductor coil. I do not know the value of the coil. I think they ran the horns at a fairly low frequency. But I'm no expert.
 
My Magnavox console using those horns have a 8 uf cap as I recollect. Also 15 inch woofer with inductor coil. I do not know the value of the coil. I think they ran the horns at a fairly low frequency. But I'm no expert.

Interesting. I've never seen an inductor on the woofers, but I could've just missed it, I guess.
 
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My memory served me right this time. I see a 8 uf cap and inductor
Good luck on your project and keep us posted. Regards. Curt
 
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Our own GordonW has built up a couple pairs of speakers here using the Magnavox horns. One pair named Vox Magna. He designed the crossovers and then sent all the components to me to install in my own custom cabs. The thread is here:http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=293582 and his crossover explanation is in post #40. Here is the direct link to the crossover explanation.http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showpost.php?p=3657227&postcount=40

Interesting links. Thanks!
 
Here are pics of a couple recent astro sonic crossover pulls, inductors measure 1mh +/- both. Caps are 8mfd on both.

One of these was 15's with foster horns Blue caps,

the other with resistor added (on the card) 12's with the foam backs.
 

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