dowto1000
Junior Member
FINAL CHOICE: ……..604s – NO…… A7-800s – YES .
I have been going to RMAFs annually since 11-2006, and spend three days each year, listening to my buddy Dennis’ ( Serious Stereo ) GPA 604s, in 10.7 cubic feet MLTL enclosures…lovely stuff. He employs, in my opinion, likely the best tube amp ever made, for powering the GPA 604 speaker / MLTL combination.
Well, …..I have FINALLY made up my mind today NOT to build 604 MLTLs, but instead, go with a new VOTT A7-800 design.
After attending my first RMAF, November ’06, ( on December 20 , ’06 ) I bought SEVEN 5 by 5 feet sheets of ONE INCH THICK Baltic Birch, with the idea of making SOME sort of good speaker, using ALTEC components.
I never could make up my mind, on what to build, until this morning. These seven sheets have been sitting in a second, unused room in my place, all this time !! Waiting on a decision.
About five years ago, a local audio freind ( 'mentored since 1984 ), Greg, gave me his ALTEC 515Bs, 802Ds, and 511 Horns. About two years ago, another audio buddy I’d mentored, gave me a pair of unloaded VOTT A-7 / 825 enclosures. All this classic vintage ALTEC gear, for free.
Over the last year and a half, these free ALTEC parts were set up as A7-800s in my place, and I have been looking to finalize the install.
On previously-posted Forum photos, are shown mass-loading of the flimsy ( 5/8ths plywood ) early ALTEC 825 enclosures, each with about 400 pounds of concrete, to get them to play at an acceptable level. Last week, I posted about new and “extensive” mass loading, of the components – to drive these speakers.
I had a pivotal phone conversation this AM with my Buddy Dennis, who is also an audio mentor to me. I told him how much I liked his Point Source 604 MLTLS at RMAF, and how I knew they had fabulous bass, which the A7-800s had no chance to produce, but I told him “ I like hearing the ( partial ) horn load with a VOTT/ A7 enclosure, of the 15 inch driver ”, which the 604 lacks.
Dennis agreed, and said, listening to well implemented ALTEC movie theatre speaker is really a treat.
He went on to agree, “ nothing can play a piano, or do voices and the lower midrange on up, like a VOTT A7-800 when its well-set-up.” He went on to say, “ You give-up extreme bottom on the A7, ( that he gets out of his 10.7 cubic feet MLTLS ), but its NOT a bad trade-off, for what the bass horn does positively, as a VOTT, in front of the 15 inch”.
SOLD !!!!!!!
He also clued-me-in on mass loading. “ It shifts the music down, so that disturbing high frequency resonances get curtailed, but it also “ robs” some of the music in the mid range, makes it sterile, less fun to hear, loses energy and a certain sense of spontinuity and aliveness”. I told Dennis, “ Yes, I hear that precisely as you describe, as a mass-loading trade off . “.
Dennis offered alternatives to mass loading, for me to execute, and get the results I am seeking, with less detremental consequences.
On the SET amps, the mass loading alternative has to do with HOW to mount all the iron to the chassis, the power and output transformers, and the chokes, so they do not interfere with the audio negatively. This, I will DO on this upcoming JJ 2A3–40 build next month.
Back to the speakers, 604 VS A7-800. There is one simple mass loading alternative. Dennis encouraged me, NOT to mass load my early 825 enclosures as “ an ultimate ALTEC solution “. Instead, enjoy the A7’s design ........ by making it out of 1 and 1/8th inch Europly / Baltic Birch .
I mentioned the seven sheets of one inch Baltic Birch I have been saving, last eleven years, and he encouraged me to proceed with a new VOTT / A7-800 system build, making new enclosures ….. out of the one inch Baltic Birch.
Dennis speaks with decades of hands-on experience with movie theaters, being IN that business most of his adult life, owning and servicing them. I can rely upon his direct years of experience, and… he certainly knows high end audio !!
So, my personal audio “ die is cast ”, (1) make cheapened / rough copies of Dennis’ JJ 2A3-40 SET mono amps year-end 2017. Also, (2) design / have built new one inch thick Baltic Birch VOTT A7 enclosures during 2018.
I am very confident that this path in audio, will be suitable. Best wishes to all of you..
FUN .
Dowto1000
I have been going to RMAFs annually since 11-2006, and spend three days each year, listening to my buddy Dennis’ ( Serious Stereo ) GPA 604s, in 10.7 cubic feet MLTL enclosures…lovely stuff. He employs, in my opinion, likely the best tube amp ever made, for powering the GPA 604 speaker / MLTL combination.
Well, …..I have FINALLY made up my mind today NOT to build 604 MLTLs, but instead, go with a new VOTT A7-800 design.
After attending my first RMAF, November ’06, ( on December 20 , ’06 ) I bought SEVEN 5 by 5 feet sheets of ONE INCH THICK Baltic Birch, with the idea of making SOME sort of good speaker, using ALTEC components.
I never could make up my mind, on what to build, until this morning. These seven sheets have been sitting in a second, unused room in my place, all this time !! Waiting on a decision.
About five years ago, a local audio freind ( 'mentored since 1984 ), Greg, gave me his ALTEC 515Bs, 802Ds, and 511 Horns. About two years ago, another audio buddy I’d mentored, gave me a pair of unloaded VOTT A-7 / 825 enclosures. All this classic vintage ALTEC gear, for free.
Over the last year and a half, these free ALTEC parts were set up as A7-800s in my place, and I have been looking to finalize the install.
On previously-posted Forum photos, are shown mass-loading of the flimsy ( 5/8ths plywood ) early ALTEC 825 enclosures, each with about 400 pounds of concrete, to get them to play at an acceptable level. Last week, I posted about new and “extensive” mass loading, of the components – to drive these speakers.
I had a pivotal phone conversation this AM with my Buddy Dennis, who is also an audio mentor to me. I told him how much I liked his Point Source 604 MLTLS at RMAF, and how I knew they had fabulous bass, which the A7-800s had no chance to produce, but I told him “ I like hearing the ( partial ) horn load with a VOTT/ A7 enclosure, of the 15 inch driver ”, which the 604 lacks.
Dennis agreed, and said, listening to well implemented ALTEC movie theatre speaker is really a treat.
He went on to agree, “ nothing can play a piano, or do voices and the lower midrange on up, like a VOTT A7-800 when its well-set-up.” He went on to say, “ You give-up extreme bottom on the A7, ( that he gets out of his 10.7 cubic feet MLTLS ), but its NOT a bad trade-off, for what the bass horn does positively, as a VOTT, in front of the 15 inch”.
SOLD !!!!!!!
He also clued-me-in on mass loading. “ It shifts the music down, so that disturbing high frequency resonances get curtailed, but it also “ robs” some of the music in the mid range, makes it sterile, less fun to hear, loses energy and a certain sense of spontinuity and aliveness”. I told Dennis, “ Yes, I hear that precisely as you describe, as a mass-loading trade off . “.
Dennis offered alternatives to mass loading, for me to execute, and get the results I am seeking, with less detremental consequences.
On the SET amps, the mass loading alternative has to do with HOW to mount all the iron to the chassis, the power and output transformers, and the chokes, so they do not interfere with the audio negatively. This, I will DO on this upcoming JJ 2A3–40 build next month.
Back to the speakers, 604 VS A7-800. There is one simple mass loading alternative. Dennis encouraged me, NOT to mass load my early 825 enclosures as “ an ultimate ALTEC solution “. Instead, enjoy the A7’s design ........ by making it out of 1 and 1/8th inch Europly / Baltic Birch .
I mentioned the seven sheets of one inch Baltic Birch I have been saving, last eleven years, and he encouraged me to proceed with a new VOTT / A7-800 system build, making new enclosures ….. out of the one inch Baltic Birch.
Dennis speaks with decades of hands-on experience with movie theaters, being IN that business most of his adult life, owning and servicing them. I can rely upon his direct years of experience, and… he certainly knows high end audio !!
So, my personal audio “ die is cast ”, (1) make cheapened / rough copies of Dennis’ JJ 2A3-40 SET mono amps year-end 2017. Also, (2) design / have built new one inch thick Baltic Birch VOTT A7 enclosures during 2018.
I am very confident that this path in audio, will be suitable. Best wishes to all of you..
FUN .
Dowto1000
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