joessportster Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 anyone here been lucky enough to compare altec vot to the k-horn if so what were your impressions wandering about the bass mainly but also interestedin what the overall sound of the vot was compared to k-horns Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedcrankcammer Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 anyone here been lucky enough to compare altec vot to the k-horn if so what were your impressions wandering about the bass mainly but also interestedin what the overall sound of the vot was compared to k-horns Joe Joe, Apples and oranges, still good, but different. I am by no means a tube guy, but the VOTs I have heard, sounded much better on tubes, still, I won't be getting rid of my Cornerhorns or TSCMs anytime soon. Brother in Law has Altec Lansing Studio Monitor 19s which are to VOTs as cornwalls are to LaScalas, anyhow, the Altecs although Large, are packed away in a closet, and have been for several years. He listens to the Cornerhorns. Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZAKO Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Well for starters.... The Khorn is still being made,,,and Altec is out of business,,, If the VOT was any good it would still be in production,,,customer demand tanked,,, The sound is a no brainer.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundbound Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 I owned VOT A7 and Klipschorn speakers at the same time and I thought the Klipschorn had better bass. I didn't own tubes at that time though and I've also been told that the VOT sounds better with tubes. I still can't imagine the VOT out preforming the Klipschorn in bass. The VOT did have sweeeeeeet midrange and (good highs when slightly boosted by preamp.) Did I mention how much I liked the VOT midrange? Would twistedcrankcammer please post a large photo of your avatar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaspr Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Brother in Law has Altec Lansing Studio Monitor 19s which are to VOTs as cornwalls are to LaScalas, anyhow, the Altecs although Large, are packed away in a closet, and have been for several years. Wow, that must be one huge closet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted December 20, 2008 Author Share Posted December 20, 2008 thanks for the thoughts, i have often wandered how the altecs would sound but they are so big it makes it hard to justify putting them in the room maybe jubilee is the way to go !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they are a 2 way set up right ????????? maybe some ouners will chime in Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 "If the VOT was any good it would still be in production" http://www.alteclansing.com/index.php?file=north_product_detail&iproduct_id=a7 The A7 came with the 416 woofer and 902 compression driver, the A5 had the 515 woofer and 288 compression driver. The new A7 has the 515 woofer and the 902 compression driver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheltie dave Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 Joe, the VOTT bass is slower and has a lot more thump than the KHorn, and takes up more room in the house. Altec ended up trying to get more sales by thowing them in WAF cabinets, the Magnificents, and then downsized them in Valencias, Flamencos, and Madrids, and finally mutated them into the Model 19s. The two to aim for are the Valencia 846B version with twin round ports, and the Model 19s. Tom Brennan LOVES his Model 19s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZAKO Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 DJK,,,, The so called company that owns the ALTEC name,,,Does not have the A7 in production,,, They have to present a product to make it viable to keep the name, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cut-Throat Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 I owned VOT A7 and Klipschorn speakers at the same time and I thought the Klipschorn had better bass. I didn't own tubes at that time though and I've also been told that the VOT sounds better with tubes. I still can't imagine the VOT out preforming the Klipschorn in bass. The VOT did have sweeeeeeet midrange and (good highs when slightly boosted by preamp.) Did I mention how much I liked the VOT midrange? Would twistedcrankcammer please post a large photo of your avatar? Go for the Best of Both Worlds - YOu can have it all![] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blvdre Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 My understanding is that the admired midrange of the VOTT's was as much the 515 and 416 woofers, as it was the various HF drivers and horns. The 19's were crossed at 1200Hz, well above the fundamentals of vocals, and most instruments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedcrankcammer Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 Well for starters.... The Khorn is still being made,,,and Altec is out of business,,, Maron, I'll bet Altec Lansing would like you to tell THEM that they are out of buiseness, because as of right now, it is pretty obvious to me that THEY are unaware of this fact!!! If the VOT was any good it would still be in production,,, Marion, The A-7 Voice of the Theatre, or V.O.T. as it is refered to is available brand new right now on custom order basis for $5,800 customer demand tanked,,, The sound is a no brainer.... Marion, With this type of anowlogy, one could say that Phase Linear Sucked, or Carver Corporation sucked, but I'll bet it would get you a hornets nest comming your way. Look into the history of it: (side show Bob) aka Bob Carver was the brains behind Phase Linear, then Carver Corporation, and now SunFire Corporation. One could argue he is a poor buisenessman , but not that he was not an inovator in the industry. Now let's look at the Altec Lansing speaker manufacturing company: James Martini was born in 1902, in 1927, he started the Lansing Manufacturing Company to produce speakers with financial partner Ken Decker. Just before the new company was registered, James Martini legally changed his name to James Lansing. Ken Decker was killed in an airplane crash in 1939 and without his buiseness guidance, James ran the Company into financial trouble. In 1941 The Lansing Manufacturing Corporation was bought out by Altec Service Corporaion and renaimed Altec Lansing. James was given a 5 year contract as VP of Engineering. As soon as James contract was up in 1946, James quit and started a new company. James full legal name that he adopted in 1927 was James Bullough Lansing, and his new speaker company became known as the JBL Corporation. James poor financial handling, ran the new company into trouble again, and in 1949, James B. Lansing commited suicide by hanging himself. Similar in inovation and poor buiseness sence to Bob Carver, James Lansings two buisenesses he founded are still alive and well to this day, and their affect on the audio comunity is undenighable. "And now you know.... the Rest of the Story" Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Richard Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 The Altec sounds lousy no matter what you drive it with. I would rather have a pair of Hereseys than VOTT. The Altecs don't even make good firewood - the paint stinks when burned. They will get pretty loud, but you wouldn't want to be listening when they did. The only speaker they would compare favorably with would be Bose 901s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedcrankcammer Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 Brother in Law has Altec Lansing Studio Monitor 19s which are to VOTs as cornwalls are to LaScalas, anyhow, the Altecs although Large, are packed away in a closet, and have been for several years. Wow, that must be one huge closet... The model 19 isn't much different in size fom a deep Belle that is a little taller as well. His house is an old farm house with a rather large addition, about 3,500 sq feet total, they are in the closset under the old staircase. Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedcrankcammer Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 I owned VOT A7 and Klipschorn speakers at the same time and I thought the Klipschorn had better bass. I didn't own tubes at that time though and I've also been told that the VOT sounds better with tubes. I still can't imagine the VOT out preforming the Klipschorn in bass. The VOT did have sweeeeeeet midrange and (good highs when slightly boosted by preamp.) Did I mention how much I liked the VOT midrange? Would twistedcrankcammer please post a large photo of your avatar? Go for the Best of Both Worlds - YOu can have it all! Cut-Throat, My computer is messed up. and I am not good at posting pictures. It would be much easier for me, if you were to email me at rgordon@watchtv.net and I will try to take ant shots that you might be interested in of the TSCMs that you ask for and you can post them, or whatever. Are you interested in adding backs to your Bass Bins?? Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedcrankcammer Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 The Altec sounds lousy no matter what you drive it with. I would rather have a pair of Hereseys than VOTT. The Altecs don't even make good firewood - the paint stinks when burned. They will get pretty loud, but you wouldn't want to be listening when they did. The only speaker they would compare favorably with would be Bose 901s. Don, They would not be my first choice, but they don't get that loud when compared to the output of a Cornerhorn or LaScala, so I question your experience with them?? Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheltie dave Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 VoTTs don't get that loud compared to KHorns and Scalas? Man, you might want to check your sanity level today. They won't go as high as the T35, but the 515 is a better woofer and the midrange is quite delicious. The Klipsch are built better and stronger, but the Altec drivers are superior. Between Carl, CapnBob, Maron, and me, we have all the thumping Klipsch and Altec setups or have heard them. Along with JBL, they have being blowing out doors for fifty years, so hats off to all three legacy speaker companies! I have done sound for gatherings up to 12,000 people in one place, and I'm always confident if I had the big three or Reinkus Heinz to kick out the jams. Locally, we also had Heil, Community, and EV at some gigs, but didn't have the same comfort zone dealing with these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedcrankcammer Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 VoTTs don't get that loud compared to KHorns and Scalas? Man, you might want to check your sanity level today. They won't go as high as the T35, but the 515 is a better woofer and the midrange is quite delicious. The Klipsch are built better and stronger, but the Altec drivers are superior. Between Carl, CapnBob, Maron, and me, we have all the thumping Klipsch and Altec setups or have heard them. Along with JBL, they have being blowing out doors for fifty years, so hats off to all three legacy speaker companies! I have done sound for gatherings up to 12,000 people in one place, and I'm always confident if I had the big three or Reinkus Heinz to kick out the jams. Locally, we also had Heil, Community, and EV at some gigs, but didn't have the same comfort zone dealing with these. Dave, Just the FACTS!! No sanity involved. The T-35 was only rated to 17,000 Hz where asa the VOT is supposed to go to 20,000 Hz. Regaurdless of if I even believe that, the frequency has nothing to do with how LOUD the VOT plays!! The Vot has a sensitivity rating of 97db at 1 watt at 1 meter, or slightly less efficient / less loud on 1 watt then the Klipsch Quartet at 97.5 db sensitivity. (FACT) At a 97 db rating, the VOTT will not play as loud as a LaScala even if you push 4 times as much power through it. (FACT) It will take the VOT 8 times as much power to achieve the same accoustic output as my TSCMs, and the VOT is rated at 125 watts RMS, so it is physically impossible for it to ever hit the 121 db output of a LaScala as it would take 256 watts to do this, and the VOT crests well before 100 watts RMS. (FACT) The VOT does not play real loud (FACT) Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheltie dave Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 Another FACT is the 811/802 struggles mightily to reach 17.5K -5dB, and most any other driver besides the 902 can't reach it either. In just about every home environment I have listened to Altecs and Scalas/KHorns, the T35 distortion starts screaming at you when whipped. The Altec horn/driver is much more polite, mainly because it rolls off in a more sedate manner. The Altecs also are infinitely modable, unlike the Scalas. I won't even worry about the KHorns- not too many people take them on the road. Stick a BMS or TAD driver, maybe a Beyma - and you can get up to 110 dB sensitivity on the top end. There are some good 102 dB woofs that get toward full range ala Altec, but prices skyrocket. 97 dB by itself is not a bad thing. If you listen quietly, SET amps can be run with Altecs as readily as Klipsch. Likewise, in most peoples' rooms unless you go to Parrot's scale, Altecs will be all you ever need to fill the space. Both will cause permanent hearing loss if you exercise the volume knob indiscriminately. While they may not be "loud" to you the rest of the world knows better. Joe, if you are around St. Louis, shoot me an email and you can hear the VOTTs, Valencias, Flamencos, and KHorns in a sitting and judge for yourself. We can even drag out the Fraizer MK VIs, which get more boisterous than the Scalas. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triceratops Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 Sheltie Dave, I have been keeping a lookout for some clean Model 19s or Valencias for a while, but I recently came across some Magnificents (the WAF version of the A7) and am thinking about purchasing them. They are in good shape with all the original drivers and sound quite good, although they are about as big as a Khorn without the capability to fit neatly in a corner. I already have two pairs of Khorns (plus Belles, LaScalas, Cornwalls, Heresy's, and RF-7s) so I thought that the Magnificents would be a worthwhile addition to the collection and fun to compare with the Klipsch stuff. Do you prefer the other Altec models to the Magnificents because they sound better, are a more practical size, are more available, or some other reason? Thanks in advance for any advice! triceratops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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