solarcarl Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 I just bought a set of Altec 511 E horns to swap out the existing squawkers in my La Scalas. All the talk I've heard about this swap seems to be around using the 511B which was what I thought the guy was selling me. He goofed up and I have the "E" version. The dimension of the flange is the same in spite of some chart showing otherwise so I know I can make it fit but what about the sound characteristics? Altec claimed the same dispersion angles and frequency on both the B and the E. Am I going to get the right results with these horns or should I get my money back and shop for Bs? I will be using Al's Universal networks and Bobs new tweeters with them.Carl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Klappenberger Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 Carl, Measure the diameter of the throat. I think it may simply be a larger diameter. Al K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Mobley Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 might it be a 2"? Check it out, see what you find. I'm interested in a 2" horn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfogg Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 If those are 511Es they are for 1.4" drivers. If you don't want them I'd love to get a pair of them. I've got some 511Bs I could exchange with you. Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solarcarl Posted February 9, 2006 Author Share Posted February 9, 2006 I measure 1 5/8" ID on the horn throat and 1" on the plastic adapters I already picked up. So how does this affect the sound compared to the 511Bs? Carl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.4knee Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 If Shawn is willing to swap E's for B's I'd say go for it. If you are using K55 drivers the B's are what you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 You are going to make it fit how in the La Scala? I too have the 511B but mine just sits on top of the box. Do you actually plan on putting it in the cabinet replacing the K400? If so, please explain how. Pictures? Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfogg Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 Mike, I posted the cuts required in the old forum but it looks like that isn't online right now. The 511 fits the LaScala top cabinet very well. Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfogg Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 Old front three... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfogg Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 Baffle cuts.... Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solarcarl Posted February 10, 2006 Author Share Posted February 10, 2006 How badly will it affect the resale value to cut into the original Klipsch cabinet and mount these monsters? I only paid $200 for mine and have turned down an offer of $1100 but its comforting to think I could get that much some day after quality improvements and lots of enjoyment out of them. Carl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfogg Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 Carl, If you are worried about resale I wouldn' cut them. It would likely be far easier to sell them stock. In my case to make my system fit I had to get the horns inside the cabinets of the LaScala. I ran them with the 511Bs on top for around a year but when my theater was finally getting near completion I had to drop the overall height so that the screen could fit above the speakers which mean mounting the horns inside the cabinets. As far as getting back to stock I had sold the K400,K55s and K77s earlier on so I wasn't as worried about it. Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 What do you do with the tweeter? Man, as much as I would love to run that horn in the cabinet, I cannot bring myself to modify the cabinets that Q-Man so lovingly brought back to life. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfogg Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Mike, I didn't have a tweeter, I was running Altec 902s in them. They have better HF response then the K77. To run with a tweeter it can go in another box or stand on top of the cabinet like these. Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfogg Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Looks aren't terribly important since they get covered up anyway.... Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 I will have to admit that I would not want to cut those up. They look too nice. I would be more inclined to build a set of bottom cabinets and add the 511s on top. Twelve pieces of wood for each cabinet -- thirteen if you make a removable speaker mounting board. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Mike, I didn't have a tweeter, I was running Altec 902s in them. They have better HF response then the K77. To run with a tweeter it can go in another box or stand on top of the cabinet like these. Shawn What's the highest freq the 511B can output with the 902 drivers? And do these highs sound better coming from the 511B versus the K77? Thanks again, Mike PS: I agree Marvel... I just couldn't bring myself to do that with these speakers. Having said that, I do much prefer the sound of the 511B versus the K400, but it is pretty unsightly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfogg Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Mike, "What's the highest freq the 511B can output with the 902 drivers?" Mine were still doing pretty well up to 20kHz. They were down somewhat up there but not terribly. My K77s by comparison nose dived very badly at 12kHz. "And do these highs sound better coming from the 511B versus the K77?" I certainly thought so. The dispersion of the 511B narrows as frequency increases though so the HF coverage gets smaller. If you critically listen from just the sweet spot that is no big deal (and can be a benefit if the room is too live) but if you critically listen from a wider listening area it might bug you. Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
intotubes Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Bill Hanuschak from Great Plains Audio ("modern" Altec manufacturer) told me the 902's will extend to around 17000 Hz. Plenty for most 40+ yr olds with normal hearing. I have some 811b horns I was considering swapping out the 804's with 902's forthe extended HF. The 804's roll off around 12k, still very smooth though. I like the sound of these horns a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 Shawn, Do the highs drop off on the Smith Horns? I know you wouldn't have the beaminess with them, but you would probably have to make your own. JBL recommends a low freq. crossover of around 800Hz, but the horn itself has about a 375Hz cutoff. Smith designed it for a 1 inch driver, at least in the article from Audio Engineering (Jan. 1951) I have. I love the look, compared to the larger Altec horns. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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