intotubes

I'm glad you're not hearing a significant difference. I briefly considered the same thing. Even called Bill for a price on the 16 ohm drivers. I think I will keep them stock. I am really liking these 19's. So detailed. I was running the HF L-pad a little too hot, I backed it off some and it is much better. No fatigue whatsoever. I have the Carmels disconnected and stacked in the corner. Seems a shame. Maybe I can talk the spousal unit into letting me set up a system in the main part of the house. [H] Maybe not. [A]

Here's what I'm talking about. These are mine before I got them. The fiberglass is a little smashed and should be replaced but you can see how the cloth covers only about half the inside of the cabinet - just enough to give the illusion of infinite blackness. The slot is not covered.

Yes, except the horn is on top. The cabs are a little rough - nothing like yours, those are beautiful. But the sound.....it's very close to the 19's (at least the midrange). I am getting used to the extended highs of the 902 drivers. I was accustomed to the smoothness (mellowness?) of the 804 drivers. But I'm liking it. Even my wife can tell a difference - thats a big deal. [Y]

Yes, you've spoken of your A7's before. I think you had the Heathkit 9844's too. You can sure pick 'em. What I was getting at was mine have a black (nylon? Cotton?) material covering the fiberglass inside the cab. It only spans about half the cabinet, just so the area behind the slot looks black. It should be pretty easy to install/replace so when you have the grilles off you can't see the fiberglass damping material. I have seen pics of 19's both ways. I don't doubt you have a bone stock set. They sound incredible. Good to hear there isn't much diff between the 902 & 802 drivers. Many future upgraders will appreciate that.

Those are nice. Thanks for posting the pic. I needed to look at the risers. Mine came without. I need to build some. Man these speakers kick serious *** (butt). VERY nice. I think I will keep them. What happened to the black material that covers the damping material behind the slots? It makes the slots look black.

Yowza Michael. Thumpers to boot. I'm sitting very close to them so I have to go easy with the watts. They are waiting for a bigger room.

Yeah but one is in rough shape. I will need to rebuild it and then recover all four of them I think they look cool nekkid and I don't have any small children or cats. They do look more refined with grills and I plan on restoring them. BTW- I didn't know you and gonzp were friends. He lives a few miles north of me. Great guy, and great hi-fi. -Mark

[:S] No, they sound like crap there. I keep moving them around but it gets no better.

Model 19's are in the house! I am in audio heaven right now. Yes, there is music blasting out of them right now. 902 drivers on the horns - yeseree

You have a PM my friend.

Oh yeah. I picked up three boxes of approx. 60 ea. LP's from an auction a couple weeks ago. I have been a busy boy cleaning and playing them. Got a few gems that make the whole purchase worthwhile. War, Why Can't We be Friends - has some wear but is very listenable. Procol Harem, Broken Barricades - very good music on this one. Mama's & Papa's, If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears - original Dunhill label. Good condition, very cool. Tijuana Brass, Whipped Cream and Other Delights - the green risque cover, fair condition but very listenable. And a real find, Mantovani, Continental Encores - fairly rare, on the original London label in "Full Frequency Stereophonic Sound" and they aren't kidding! This album has the widest dynamic range of anything I have heard. It's incredible and beautiful. I really enjoy this one. In fact I just aquired a boxed set of 5 Mantovani LP's. I hope they are half as good as this one. -Mark

Those are VERY reasonable prices. Where were you last month when I was accumulating all my Altec stuff? $200 for 902-8B's is a good deal. Those 90 deg. horns would be cool to experiment with but my CW's are long gone.

This would be really fun to put together. It's not a bad price either. Brand new 35WPC tube amps are a pretty penny in today's economy. Coupled with a sweet little tube pre and you are set to go. I think you can even drive these directly with a CD player. -Mark

The 511B horn occupies exactly 0.42 cu.ft. behind the flange. An old 802 driver occupies 0.026 cu.ft. and an old 806 is 0.023 cu.ft. You could probably guess 0.025 cu. ft. for the 902 and be close enuf.

I have to agree. No reason to mess up that beautiful 902/511 combo with a tweeter. Try it two way first and see what you think. I specifically chose a 902 over an 802-8G in order to get the extended highs w/o a tweeter in my Model 19's. Even an 802 sounds heavenly. Give your Altec horns a chance. I think you will like them very much.