Altec Speaker Mod

[Soul Tramp]

I decided to recess the horns on my DIY Altec cabs. It will look a LOT better and will help with diffusing the horns. The near-field on the 811-B horn is mind-numbing.

I added acoustic foam around the horns which is what Altec did with the Model 19. I'm also going to coat the horn with a sound-deadening spray/brush coating.

The cabinet on the left is as I originally built them with the horn flush mounted. The right cab has the horn recessed.

I now have to make a grill which will match what's on the ports and speaker. Should look very cool once finished. Also want to veneer the cabs someday.

 

[Rat44]

Does the foam subtract any thing from the top end ?
And yes, a little bit of veneer would dress them up a bit .

 

[J!m]

I'd guess he's not lacking high end with those horns...

 

[Soul Tramp]

Does the foam subtract any thing from the top end ?
And yes, a little bit of veneer would dress them up a bit .

No, the diffuser is a must. It's very common on high-end hifi speaker systems have foam diffusers around the tweets. It does several things, like reduce harshness, reduce diffractions, reduces resonance, etc.

This is a picture of my JBL L100s, you can see the foam diffuser around the tweet.

 

[Rat44]

Yes, thats why I was asking.
My Ar 9's have the same setup around the tweeters also .

 

[Soul Tramp]

And yes, a little bit of veneer would dress them up a bit .

I veneered the sub I built (between the two Altec cabs) in walnut. For the Altecs I'm thinking something more wow, like rosewood.

 

[Soul Tramp]

Finished the grill for the horn. I'm happy with the results. The grill has to be recessed about 1/2" so it's flush with the cab, but I first have to remove a couple braces that are in the way.

Now for the BIG QUESTION: Where should I mount the "Soul Tramp Amplification" badge? It's the small black badge you can see on the subs and other Altec cab.

These will look very cool once veneered.

 

[Bob Boyer]

That is gonna look impressive with the veneer. Very nice!

 

[laatsch55]

I see a 400 peekin out..

 

[J!m]

Lower left corner of your new horn grille.

 

[Soul Tramp]

I see a 400 peekin out..

Yup, White Oaks upgrade. Drives the subs, the PA-7 drives the Altecs.

 

[Soul Tramp]

Lower left corner of your new horn grille.

That was my thought as well.