Modern speakers vs Vintage speakers

[DasguteOhr]

When you want a amazing Vintage Active Speaker, my tip
Cabasse Albatros V. I had heard last week for some hours.
Such a good speaker ,but expensive old gear

 

[PeterA]

When you want a amazing Vintage Active Speaker, my tip
Cabasse Albatros V. I had heard last week for some hours.
Such a good speaker ,but expensive old gear

Very engaging and alive. Thank you for sharing this.

 

[DasguteOhr]

Very engaging and alive. Thank you for sharing this.

thank you, they cost $40,000 back then, here are the technical data.

 

[thomask]

Natasha ask me "What you are gonaa do now?"

I may do some tube rolling depending on my mood and music.

With RCA 805 tubes in Line Magnetic 508, it sounds fast and lively with sharp focus.

But with National Union 805, it could sound slightly softer.

Although Altec A7 can do boogie without subwoofer, Scaena two 18 inch subwoofers seems to add more solid foundation.

I am using Papc1 active croosover.

The source is ripped CD stored in Cocktail Audio x50d.

It goes through Denafris Gaia DDC and then to Dave and Mscaler.

I use Dave and pre and Dac.

Both Scaena subwoofers and basshorn of Altec A7 are driven by two separate Crown XLS 2502.


Fostex supertweeter got connected at 9k hz using 2.2 uf Mundorf oil capacitor.


The nice thing of Altec A7 and Scaena subwoofer combination is that I can play music loud as I want without any dynamic constraint.

 

[thomask]

The hunter by Jennifer Warnes sounds full and dynamic.

 

[thomask]

After hearing some microphonic noise, I replaced Russian 6n9s with Sylvania 6c8g (6sl7 variant).

Now Eva Cassidy's voice sound much cleaner.

This is the power of tube rolling.

You can taylor the sound with replacement of tubes.

 

[thomask]

I am back to Cayin 300b pp which give more nuanced sound while Line Magnetic 508 give slightly more lively and dynamic sound.

Cayn 300b pp is fitted with Psavne Acme 300b, Sylvania 6f8g(6ns variant), Telefuken ECC83 and Amperex ECC82.

It is also good experience going back between Telefuken ECC83, Amperex ECC83 and GE 12ax7 tubes.

Telefuken ECC83 give most lively sound with shapr focus while Amperex ECC83 give more relaxed sound and GE is in the middle of two.


I used to spend 500$ to 1k $ each month to buy vintage tubes.

Now I had decided to stop shopping vintage tubes since I have more than enough to last my life.

I have around 100 pairs of 6sn7 and variants, 20 pairs of 6sl7 and variants, 20 pairs of 12ax7 and variants, 30 pairs of 12au7 and variants
, 20 pairs of vintage 805 power tubes.

But I have only 3 tubes of WE 300b made in 1940's.

If they are avaiilable in good condition at reasonable price, then I may stock more WE 300b.

 

[thomask]

1000????? Western Electric ??????... - ????!

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page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp

Western 753c field coil speakers got sold at 5 million Yen(44,000 USD) at Japan auction site.

The starting price was just 1k Yen, but there were 146 bid.

 

[MarcelNL]

Gorgeous cabinets!
Are those Field coils? I see only two speaker wires and none for any electromagnets?
https://www.stereophile.com/content/listening-116-page-3 seems to confirm.

The combination of very rich people and unobtanium objects makes for crazy prices, try get a Cetron 300B for example...
Beauty is that there are alternatives costing pennies to the pound, and frequently they are as good or nearly as good. I recently listened to some Audio Note 300B amp, and sure it was nice and had something special it sounded 'like a 300B amp does', rich and lush as 300B typically does. We listened to some (admittedly probably pretty rare) 100$ mesh tube a while earlier, and that had spooky lifelike qualities to it that make me value it higher than a 300B.
Problem usually is that the alternatives are no drop in replacement, especially with tubes, so you need to either design from scratch or do some (sometimes extensive) modifations.

 

[thomask]

Gorgeous cabinets!
Are those Field coils? I see only two speaker wires and none for any electromagnets?
https://www.stereophile.com/content/listening-116-page-3 seems to confirm.

The combination of very rich people and unobtanium objects makes for crazy prices, try get a Cetron 300B for example...
Beauty is that there are alternatives costing pennies to the pound, and frequently they are as good or nearly as good. I recently listened to some Audio Note 300B amp, and sure it was nice and had something special it sounded 'like a 300B amp does', rich and lush as 300B typically does. We listened to some (admittedly probably pretty rare) 100$ mesh tube a while earlier, and that had spooky lifelike qualities to it that make me value it higher than a 300B.
Problem usually is that the alternatives are no drop in replacement, especially with tubes, so you need to either design from scratch or do some (sometimes extensive) modifations.

Yes it was not field coil but dual speakers.

 

[thomask]

Another natural sound out of Altec A7 driven by Ayon tube amp.

 

[morricab]

Another natural sound out of Altec A7 driven by Ayon tube amp.

I like Ayon amps...have owned three of them and still own one.

 

[Argonaut]

Another natural sound out of Altec A7 driven by Ayon tube amp.

And note the position of the Horns in the room …. Oh I give up !

 

[morricab]

The hunter by Jennifer Warnes sounds full and dynamic.

Her voice is quite out of balance tonally...her upper nasally part is being projected quite forward... I don't know to tell you other than there needs to be more work done here to tame resonances and/or frequency response of that system.

 

[PeterA]

Another natural sound out of Altec A7 driven by Ayon tube amp.

I think the music is fantastic and the video sounds good. Thanks for posting.

 

[Argonaut]

I think the music is fantastic and the video sounds good. Thanks for posting.

Thats not Tomask‘ssystem Peter

 

[PeterA]

Thats not Tomask‘ssystem Peter

Yes I realize it. But he did post it in this thread as another example of an Altec A7 system. I think I saw this in a different thread and made the exact same comment. I just thought it was worthy of repeating.

I see you made a comment referencing my early remarks about the speaker position. I was curious to know if the speakers were symmetrical in the room because the video didn’t show the left corner but I guess you did not approve of that questioning. I was curious if there was a corner and open space to the left or if it was a closed wall.

 

[thomask]

Two 18 inch Scaena subwooferes crossed at 56hz using internal passover of Crown Xls 2502 seems to work well.

Altec a7 is driven active bi amping with Pap C1 active crossover.

Treble horn is driven by Line Magnetic 508 and bass horn is driven by Crown Xls 2502.

Fostex supertweeters are also added at 9 khz using 2.2 uf Mundorf oil capacitors.

 

[DasguteOhr]

Two 18 inch Scaena subwooferes crossed at 56hz using internal passover of Crown Xls 2502 seems to work well.

Altec a7 is driven active bi amping with Pap C1 active crossover.

Treble horn is driven by Line Magnetic 508 and bass horn is driven by Crown Xls 2502.

Fostex supertweeters are also added at 9 khz using 2.2 uf Mundorf oil capacitors.

sounds good, maybe a bit of room tuning for the highs, the mundorf capacitors play very unvarnished and directly. I have them too.

 

[MarcelNL]

No cap is even better than a Mundorf, did you try a GOOD series resistor and a coil in parallel to the Fostex? (works great with the JBL I'm using, freq range is about the same) Nice feature is that with unwinding the coil you can tune the X-over freq to the ear.