My DIY Altec Lansing A7 - Voice of the Theater

[santhosh]

d-f= Duty Free. Go ahead and try to enter the d-f shop at BIAL now if you can to try and get it for Srini!

No worries , Srini will have to sponsor my flight tickets to a holiday destination, have anyways been dreaming/planning a holiday in Sri Lanka sometime soon!! Btw, the prices at BIAL Duty Free were very competent and in some instances cheaper than Singapore Duty Free prices.

 

[srinisundar]

No worries , Srini will have to sponsor my flight tickets to a holiday destination, have anyways been dreaming/planning a holiday in Sri Lanka sometime soon!! Btw, the prices at BIAL Duty Free were very competent and in some instances cheaper than Singapore Duty Free prices.

Can do it...

Last few weeks hunting in chennai d-f shops + uae shops could not get it, may be sales in bglr is more so keep stocking that.

 

[santhosh]

GeorgeO and anilva dropped by yesterday. In addition to an exhilarating spin in Anil's shiny new Beemer and finalising the agenda for the Bangalore DIY meet, we also listened to the Altecs and also my HT Room. Both of them being seasoned DIYers gave me some valuable feedback regarding the speakers.

They suggested that...

• I tweak the crossover further as the HF was a bit pronounced in relation to the LF
• I solder the capacitor wiring as that would increase capacitance (I had twisted the wire around the terminals)
• I should try an active crossover atleast the finalise the crossover and then build a passive one based on that
• I also measure the Frequency Response (as a reference) so as that will give me a better understanding and hence improve the crossover

Thanks both, I will work towards incorporating the same and update this thread on how I go .

 

[GeorgeO]

I was most impressed with Santhosh's effort. The cabinetry is outstanding, and done with passion. The sound is also good barring some minor tweaking, and is a very good benchmark for anyone wanting to go down this route. Santhosh is lucky that he has the space-something that most city dwellers find difficult. Barring the longish drive( I felt it was halfway to Mysore!!), it was a thoroughly enjoyable session for both Anil and me.

 

[avidyarthy]

May be i can request somebody here to get me one from Banglore...If anybody willing ?

Regards

Believe me, Amrut is way better to the Lahroaig ... Lahroaig is way too woody, too much of wooden cask after-taste. A lighter flavour would have been more desirable. But, thats 'on-the-rock' version, dunno how it would rate when contaminated with H2O!

 

[soundnovice]

@santosh: thanks for inviting me for auditioning ur system. it sounds great! looking forward for second audition after xover and box tweaking.

 

[captrajesh]

Lahroaig is way too woody, too much of wooden cask after-taste.

From my experience, it had overtly smoky flavour.

IMFL that have smoky flavour are Signature & Teachers Highland cream in the ascending order of refinement. I found that they are not even a patch on Laphroaig.

 

[santhosh]

@santosh: thanks for inviting me for auditioning ur system. it sounds great! looking forward for second audition after xover and box tweaking.

Sorry Prashant, we could not spend as much time as was required since my son was unwell and we had to take my son to the doctor. Since you stay so close to my house, please drop by another day.

avidyarthy\capt: I am yet to try Amrut (shame on me, being in Bangalore that too hyeah, love the Laphroaig though

 

[avidyarthy]

Missed out the 'p' in my earlier post ....

BTW, ever tried Bourbon ... currently relishing a coupla bottles of Evan Williams (a much lower down Yankee spirit), but with a very smooth, light smoky flavour. Can easily be had on-the-rocks, without hurting ones throat. Many of my guests have found it to be a 'Drambuie' without the sweetness!

@ Santhosh ... nothing serious, I hope!

 

[santhosh]

Missed out the 'p' in my earlier post ....

BTW, ever tried Bourbon ... currently relishing a coupla bottles of Evan Williams (a much lower down Yankee spirit), but with a very smooth, light smoky flavour. Can easily be had on-the-rocks, without hurting ones throat. Many of my guests have found it to be a 'Drambuie' without the sweetness!

I like Drambuie and even Bailey's Irish Cream, will try Bourbon when I get a chance next.

@ Santhosh ... nothing serious, I hope!

Thanks Avid, he is better now. He had developed ear pain and fever.


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[captrajesh]

BTW, ever tried Bourbon

The very next week after downing Laphroaigs, I had visited my coursemate who is a serving Colonel posted there and we were discussing Whiskeys over a couple of pegs (what else) in my club at Hyd.

That bugger just came back from abroad UN mission. He treated me to some creamy bourbon before a couple of rounds of Jack Daniels. The creamy stuff is basically for ladies and tasted like Vanilla cream.:licklips:

 

[anilva]

Myself and GeorgeO went over to Santhosh's home to listen to his Altecs and also discuss few housekeeping activities related to DIY meet in Bangalore.

The sight is awesome. They are huge and my Altec Onkens which are huge as well are probably 3/4 size of his design. They sound absolutely brilliant as is expected of a Altec pair. No strain and absolute ease in reproduction.

My only comment to Santhosh is on his caps not being soldered (in the crossover), which can have a impact on the capacitance and alter the crossover points. The crossover did sound tuned more towards highs and less on the bass. He agreed to measure his room+speaker response and see where the issue is.

Overall a great evening. Since we had other commitments, we could not stay longer. Thanks Santhosh.

Cheers.

 

[santhosh]

Update time Friends

After watching eBay regularly for last 4 months or so, I finally got lucky and won two NOS Altec 1 to 1.4 inch throat adapters in two separate eBay auctions by the same seller. Cost me ~$90 + shipping. The seller found 6 of these lying in a barn and listed them separately which is good, chances of winning were higher. If I am correct, Altec made these until early 80s after which these have been scarce.

Why do I need these?
Because I have a smaller format 1 inch throat compression driver and the horn that I am planning to use next is called Altec 805 and has a 1.4 inch throat. This will act as a reducer.

Why did I not DIY it?
I wanted to DIY it only I could not get the drawings, nor could I find a sample to copy. The length, flare rate and material used is very important to how it sounds.

I received them today. Here are some pics:

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[GeorgeO]

Santhosh

Your single minded journey towards the Holy Grail reminds me of a book that I read when I was a kid called" Magnificent Obsession"!

 

[santhosh]

Santhosh

Your single minded journey towards the Holy Grail reminds me of a book that I read when I was a kid called" Magnificent Obsession"!

Thanks George, it is indeed a very interesting journey that I am enjoying every bit of, learning and picking up things on the way .


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[captrajesh]

What material are they? From the pic, it looks like wrought Iron. It may be a good idea to get CAD/CAM drawing for future reference; if not for making a few pieces for resale (@USD90 it would be an attractive proposition) at least to keep it as reference for any eventuality in future.

 

[santhosh]

Like I mentioned on another thread, I visited Rajiv on Sunday and thanks to him I drove back with a pair of Altec 805 horns and a Lenco L75 TT - both in great condition.

I managed to swap the 811 horns with the 805s just now. Too late in the night to listen loud but initial impressions are that HF seems to have rolled off just a bit luckily not as much as I had expected....will listen again today. Vocals now have more body and heft. The new horns will allow me to crossover much lower as the horn cut-off frequency is 500Hz while my earlier horns had a cut-off frequency of 800Hz. I will need to adjust the crossover, yet to do so. The horns also need a coat of paint as paint has chipped off in some places. I am considering powder coating them Matt black.

Here are some pics:

These pics should give an idea of how big they are. I like the way it looks but definitely need to think of a way to make the 805s look more WAF-friendly. Perhaps a coat of paint and some wood trim will help. Ideas welcome.

Some pics of the Lenco L75:

 

[anilva]

Terrific setup Santhosh. Both 605s and the Lenco look very good. I am not sure how good the arm of Lenco is? Can it be upgraded?

BTW, when you powder coat the horns, I would like to bunch my 811s as well with them for powder coat. Let me know when.

Cheers.

 

[sachu888]

Nice looking Lenco Santhosh.I think Lenco arm is missing counterweight,anyways upgrade its arm to something better.Time to register here http://www.lencoheaven.net/forum/index.php?www

Regards,
Sachin

 

[santhosh]

Terrific setup Santhosh. Both 605s and the Lenco look very good. I am not sure how good the arm of Lenco is? Can it be upgraded?

BTW, when you powder coat the horns, I would like to bunch my 811s as well with them for powder coat. Let me know when.

Cheers.

Thanks Anil, I plan to upgrade the arm and cart soon. Sure thing, will keep you posted on the powder coating.

Nice looking Lenco Santhosh.I think Lenco arm is missing counterweight,anyways upgrade its arm to something better.Time to register here http://www.lencoheaven.net/forum/index.php?www

Regards,
Sachin

Thanks Sachin, the TT is in very good condition and the counterweight etc is all there. I had removed it for transporting it and have not had time to set it up on my return.

Hehehe, I have been a member on Lencoheaven for a while, but will start posting questions soon. I plan to make a multi-layered CLD plinth or something in those lines. Reading up now and decide soon.