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Altec Lansing Model 19


MWS

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They can sound very good, but amp matching is key and source material and the space. I tried dozens of amps and combos with mine, most with very poor results. Find the right combo and they can sound great. Also make sure the caps were done and there is a ground lug mod that has to be done to sound their best. Good luck, Altecs can be a lot of work, but well worth it!!!

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some have even left Klipsch for those 19's....

Some men prefer little boys to women and that doesn't make that choice "Right" either!

My brother in law lives 5 miles from me and has owned his Model 19s for over 20 years as well as Klipschorns for over a decade and while I have known him since he was 11, I don't get it???

Oh, and by the way, his Altec Model 19s are out in the barn now!

Roger

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I think I may pick them up. Can probably re-sell them fairly easily if need be. I listened to my La Scalas last night for hours. I have upgraded the squawker and crossovers and they sound great. Always looking for more I guess.

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I think I may pick them up. Can probably re-sell them fairly easily if need be. I listened to my La Scalas last night for hours. I have upgraded the squawker and crossovers and they sound great. Always looking for more I guess.

Unless they are a steal and you can make a definite profit flipping them, I would suggest you put your extra coin in to building a competent horn loaded sub woofer instead.

Roger

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"To each his own" is nowhere more true than in audio IMHO, so some people, strange as it may seem, love model 19s...some of these people are people whose opinion I respect.  Many were pillars of this Klipsch community back in the day...so I will leave it as 'try it for yourself"...T

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry for sliding off topic a little but I have often wondered why with the model 19 being the flagship Altec loudspeaker they never offered it with the 511b horn and only the 811b horn. The lower crossover would have been a step up since the compression drivers were rated to operate at 500 Hz with 12db slope crossovers. It's not like there was not room in the cabinet for the larger horn. Has anybody ever seen this discussed before or is it just me. Given the option and the ability to cross at 500Hz Vs 800Hz I would pick 500Hz in a heart beat. What about you?

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Thank you Dennis that makes sense. Do you know how much lower the 511b holds its polar patterns compared to the 811b? Which would you say is the more important consideration, matching dispersion or the control of polar patterns? I ask as there is interest once again in two way and three way designs based upon large very wide band horns. Tom Danley was asking about interest in such a design recently.

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  • 6 months later...

Wow, I seem to come upon older threads pretty often.  Did you end up getting those 19s, MWS?

 

I'd say I'm a rather big fan of Klipsch.  I've got a set of Heresy III and Quartets right now.  I used to have KG4, and the promedia 2.1 system.  I also bought my father a set of RB 81 II and convinced my brother to get a set of La Scala II. 

 

As much as I love Klipsch, the 19s, for me, are the best overall speaker I've ever heard.  Yes, they are a 2 way, instead of the 3-way big Klipsch...but Paul always wanted the Klipschorn to be a 2 way - hence the Jubilee.  The 19s have all the presence of Klipsch, but have a very natural and real sound.  Having a direct radiating 15" woofer, I'm sure there is more modulation distortion at high levels in the 19s than the Klipschorn or La Scala, but at the levels I listen, I don't think I'd ever hear it.

 

The 19s have a very different sound that Klipsch, and if I had the space/money, there would be a set of La Scala in my home as well.  Everyone has their own tastes, but I would say the 19s are definitely worth a listen at least - if for nothing more than experiencing essentially a legend within the audio world, just like Klipsch.

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For those who haven't heard M19's, they are  huge STUDIO MONITORS, and are flatter then Khorns and don't  have that pleasant Klipsch sound......get the right recordings and you may hear some things you have never heard before, they are way too picky for most listeners, and your upstream has to very good and your space. Also they need to have a bunch of corrections to the crossovers with bad r&d,  mixing al with steel, and new caps as they have aged.  These are not smooth speakers,  they are in your face, how did the sound engineer do his work, let me know what he or she heard whilst mixing, and where they were taking the mixing, if they get it right they are right...

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I just sold a set of mint 19s to a local man. He was running Heresy's. He is unbelievably happy with them. I on the other hand would not put them up against the Klipsch top four. I have the top four and have done a lot of listening to the 19s, side by side with the Klipsch. Klipsch for me won every time.  Having said that, the 19s are no slouch. They do have great sound. As a matter of fact, the day I sold them, I had sellers remorse. Now to put a kink in the chain. I purchased a pair of modified 19s and they blow the original 19s away. In my opinion the mods keep up ( almost ) with the Khorns. Not quite, but close.  I am headed out today to pick up some JBL L300s. Cant wait to hear what they sound like. I have learned a lot from the Klipsch forum members. But there is nothing like hearing for yourself.  Its definitely a wild hobby we have, with all the different gear and speakers we have to choose from. It becomes absurdly addictive. I also am picking up some tube mac gear today.  Will the search ever end?  If you can get the 19s at a reasonable price, go for it. They are worth a listen.

 

                                                                                                      I wish everyone a great day. If you get a chance listen to some music.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Dean :)  

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I just sold a set of mint 19s to a local man. He was running Heresy's. He is unbelievably happy with them. I on the other hand would not put them up against the Klipsch top four. I have the top four and have done a lot of listening to the 19s, side by side with the Klipsch. Klipsch for me won every time.  Having said that, the 19s are no slouch. They do have great sound. As a matter of fact, the day I sold them, I had sellers remorse. Now to put a kink in the chain. I purchased a pair of modified 19s and they blow the original 19s away. In my opinion the mods keep up ( almost ) with the Khorns. Not quite, but close.  I am headed out today to pick up some JBL L300s. Cant wait to hear what they sound like. I have learned a lot from the Klipsch forum members. But there is nothing like hearing for yourself.  Its definitely a wild hobby we have, with all the different gear and speakers we have to choose from. It becomes absurdly addictive. I also am picking up some tube mac gear today.  Will the search ever end?  If you can get the 19s at a reasonable price, go for it. They are worth a listen.

 

                                                                                                      I wish everyone a great day. If you get a chance listen to some music.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Dean :)  

You may find this interesting since you are getting a pair of JBL L300's. They were also another big horn I was mighty impressed with when I first heard them.

 

http://www.firstwatt.com/pdf/art_l300.pdf

 

Good morning. I will post my findings on the 300s.  I see you are in Alabama. Just curious how close we are to each other. I am in Robertsdale. Just good to know your neighbor. Dean 

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