ALTEC 825 Cabinets - A5 A7 VOT

[Wardsweb]

I'm thinking of picking these up or if someone wants them I can take them to Forward Air freighters for shipping.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=1383308181

[Kamakiri]

I was kind of thinking of those as I had seen the auction actually. Hmmm....I'll have to see where they close.

Thanks for the offer!

[Wardsweb]

Anyone know what drivers and crossovers were used in the 825 cabinets? Were they always the same or did they use an array of drivers? I know the 811B horn, but what driver? What's the difference in 802,806,808 drivers for these?

[Wardsweb]

I went and saw these cabinets and they are very pretty. So, I'm making a run for them on Ebay. Get ready for the snipage.

[bully]

Great snipe, Wards!!
The wood alone is worth more than what yer gonna pay.
And they're already shaped into a great cabinet.

far out

pete

[Wardsweb]

I got new cabinets, I got new cabinets. Now I need drivers.

The good news I saved so much on the cabinets, I can still afford drivers.

[THOR]

Now all you need are some altec woofers and horns

[ProAc_Fan]

Great score buddy! Hell I was gonna bid but I figured shipping charges would break me. Plus I knew you wanted them and I wouldn't outbid another AK member unless it was for a kickass TT.

Mike

[Don McR]

Originally posted by Wardsweb
Anyone know what drivers and crossovers were used in the 825 cabinets? Were they always the same or did they use an array of drivers? I know the 811B horn, but what driver? What's the difference in 802,806,808 drivers for these?

The most common 825 configuration was the A7 which used 416 bass driver with the 811 horn, 806 driver and N801 cross-over. To complicate matters there are many versions of the 416, small format compression driver and cross-over depending on age. In general, the later the better.

The A7-500 swapped out the 811 horn for the larger 511 horn, 802 driver and N501 cross-over. The 416 bass driver was common with the A7.

The A5 used the 825 cabinet loaded with the 515 bass driver and large format 288 compression driver with a multicell horn.

For home use, the best configuration is generally considered to consist of the 416-8B bass driver from the mid to late 70's, the 511 horn, the 802-8G compression driver with the "Tangerine" phase plug and N501 cross-over.

[gonefishin]

What about a pair of 650Hz saladbowls with jbl 2420's to go with them?

[Wardsweb]

Thanks Don, I'm going to build these for home use so your last suggestion seems fitting.

Lovely cabinets, someone spent some bucks having them veneered. They are a little shiny in the pic because I just oiled them. Should tone down overnight.

[Don McR]

For details on rebuilding 825's, you have to read this:

http://www.soundpractices.com/images/smallVOT.pdf

The article is primarily targeted at pro use of the 825, but most of what is written is applicable to home use as well.

The author, Jim Dickinson, posts regularly on the Altec forum as "Jim D" and can answer any detailed questions

http://members3.boardhost.com/AltecUsersBoard/

[Rob]

Wards,

You stole those A-7 cabinets. They sure look nice.

My experience with A-7's, either with the 800Hz horn or the 500Hz horn is that they do not work in an average living room. These speakers were designed to 'throw' the sound out into the audience of a theatre. I have observed that you need to be about 35 feet out in front of them before they 'phase' properly.
I have owned a sound system with four A-7's setting atop four 816-A bass bins (the bass horn half of an A-7) for the past ten years and tried a lot of room setups with them. They sound best outdoors, hands down!!!!

I'm not trying to discourage experimentation. I am also sure that some others will disagree with what I think, so buy some real Altec drivers and complete those beauties and have some fun playing with them. They are very efficient, about 105dB/1W with OEM drivers.

Rob

[Wardsweb]

Rob these should give me plenty to play with especially when I get a set of your tube amps.

I know they are not best suited for my small house, but for the price I couldn't pass them up. Most likely will I play with them for a while and then sell them. That's why I want OEM Altec drivers. My father always told me to do things only one way - the right way or don't bother.

[Thatch_Ear]

Could be the Tangarine phase plugs cause enough "turbulance" in the horn to shorten the throw a bit, but you are still going to have to really turn those in towards the center of the room compared to domes with baffles.
I was playing around with 811Bs with 808B(phenolic diaphragm) drivers using 421s in some Jensen cabinets. That didn't work too well.
When I used one of the horn/driver sets with the folded bass bin the closer I could get the mouth of the horn to being over the voice coil of the woofer the better the phasing was. The Tangerine might be a help in moving the horn forward and keeping the speed of the compression driver down.
Oh and congrats, the cabinets look great, have fun.