DIY Altec 2 Way Build ala JELabs - 802/32/414

[RPMac]

Thought I’d add my latest experience with my 807/32c/414z OB(open back more so that open baffle).
I’ve been playing with the Joe Roberts idea of a single cap(capacitance) croSS over with the 414 wide open. I started with a 5uf PIO motor run and have slowly worked my way larger (lower crossover fq).

I have a 6.7uf (2950 hz) and a 7.9uf (2550hz) that I can swap between. At 2950, I have a wide, detailed sound stage that isn’t quite ”in the room“. The 414z still seems to dominate...which I like.
At 2550, the horns start to over power the 414. The details are still there, but the sound stage is more center focused and ”in the room“.
Next step was to hit somewhere in between. I put together a 7.2uf (2750hz) and have been blown away since first listened. I’ve been hearing things in familiar songs that I haven’t noticed before...like the guy in the background playing a tambourine.

I can live with this, but have some ideas to “fine” tweak it.

 

[Wntrmute2]

I'd like a picture of how you have wired it up if you could. Sounds (reads) perfect!

 

[RPMac]

I'd like a picture of how you have wired it up if you could. Sounds (reads) perfect!

Right now I’m using audiophile approved clip leads.

 

[Wntrmute2]

Ha, of course. I guess I really needed a sketch.

 

[RPMac]

Ha, of course. I guess I really needed a sketch.

The 807 is wired parallel to the 414z with the caps between the two on the positive side.

 

[Ceynon]

New house, new room and new speakers.

 

[Thermionics]

Was finally able to finish the cabinets up (remount the legs / veneer the cabinets) and I think they turned out pretty well. Hopefully this will be the last mucking about I have to do with these speakers and I can just enjoy listening to them. Oh yeah, and I replaced the pushed-in dust-caps as well (probably the most nerve-racking part of the whole operation). With the grilles, I don't have to worry about inquisitive puppy noses any more.



(that's quarter-cut Burma teak veneer with 4 coats of tung oil - was trying to get a better match to the console which is old-growth teak veneer circa 1960-something)

 

[marantzfan]

Those look fantastic. Glad to see you got this project over the finish line and met the required design specifications. I’m often a bit obtuse on the second criteria…

 

[MrEd]

They look mighty fine.

 

[Drugolf]

Great!

 

[Thermionics]

Great!

They look mighty fine.

Those look fantastic. Glad to see you got this project over the finish line and met the required design specifications. I’m often a bit obtuse on the second criteria…

Thanks, guys! I think I successfully captured the MCM look I was trying for with this. Thankfully, no cats (allergic), so no worries about the grille cloth getting scratched up.

 

[Sean.m.miller1]

Was finally able to finish the cabinets up (remount the legs / veneer the cabinets) and I think they turned out pretty well. Hopefully this will be the last mucking about I have to do with these speakers and I can just enjoy listening to them. Oh yeah, and I replaced the pushed-in dust-caps as well (probably the most nerve-racking part of the whole operation). With the grilles, I don't have to worry about inquisitive puppy noses any more.

View attachment 39744

(that's quarter-cut Burma teak veneer with 4 coats of tung oil - was trying to get a better match to the console which is old-growth teak veneer circa 1960-something)

Those legs are very handsome! Nice work

 

[MrEd]

Those legs are very handsome! Nice work

Bet you never thought you would ever get compliment like this ... every one thinks I have knobby knees... )
All jokes aside they look great, nice work.

 

[Audionut]

Bet you never thought you would ever get compliment like this ... every one thinks I have knobby knees... )
All jokes aside they look great, nice work.

I was going to compliment @Thermionics on his nice slender legs too, but wasn’t sure how he would take it.

 

[doglv]

Well done. Fits your room beautifully.

I am picky about grill cloth and have to say that is some really nice looking fabric.

 

[Thermionics]

Well done. Fits your room beautifully.

I am picky about grill cloth and have to say that is some really nice looking fabric.

Thank you. I lucked out on the fabric (found it on eBay). Once I saw it, I had a mental image of how the speaker should look - found the legs and the veneer shortly afterwards. Unfortunately, I'm a bit better on the vision aspect than the completion. Nice to have this done.

(the grill cloth is a bit like the rug in The Big Lebowski - it ties the speaker together)

 

[Thermionics]

I was going to compliment @Thermionics on his nice slender legs too, but wasn’t sure how he would take it.

Bet you never thought you would ever get compliment like this ... every one thinks I have knobby knees... )
All jokes aside they look great, nice work.

Knee surgery scars (and other scars) aside, my legs are fairly decent, so I'll take this as a complement.

 

[billfort]

These turned out great and the grill cloth is just perfect - nicely done!

 

[ludcam]

Great stuff! I thought you guys might want to look at these adapters that my brother made--he's a machinist and lucky for me has a shop down the street.

As has been discussed, there's a bit of complexity around the different 32 horn incarnations.

The WE 32A has a .76"opening, suitable for the 713A, B or C drivers as well as my 720A and probably close enough for a 555 too. There's a recess to seal off the 7 series drivers.

The Altec 32A, a metal horn, is 1", but is not really native. It's cast from the WECO mold, but reamed out, evident from multiple sources (including the pair I tried).

A number of people have said they prefer the plastic 32B and 32C with the 1" Altec drivers.

I fall into that camp and suspect the parallel throat walls of the Altec 32A may be the cause.

Well, real WECO 32A horns are hard to find and expensive to say the least, leaving me with limited options to mount my 720As.

So we made this handy adapter that sort of turns a 32B or 32C into a WE 32A, ready for sub 1" drivers, like the 720A pictured.

The throat is a short exponential expansion, although we also tried a conical expansion and I couldn't tell a difference.

Sure enough, if you replace it with a plain tube, something sort of smeared comes out in the sound.

It's also made with a removable driver side mounting plate, and that allows mounting the whole family of Japanese drivers like the vintage YLs, the GOTOs etc.

 

[MrEd]

What a great thread, thanks to @marantzfan for starting it and thanks to everyone that has shared information and photos.
I am going to embark on a two way build with some 414s and Mantry horns I got from @ICTWoody soon.
They will be for Lucy's living room system and I will do my best to give them a retro look of the Western Electric or early Altecs shown here.
A push on my cabinetry skill most definitely, but I look forward to the challenge.