ALTEC Valencia 846A/Shindo
 

A nice pair just came up on Audiogon. Can anyone describe their sound? They would be a second speaker to my 0/96's, in a 23' X 12', 8 ft ceiling room. Cheers -Don

fjn04.......I owned a pair of Altec Valencia's many moons ago. I enjoyed their sound very much. The bass was solid and the midrange and highs from the compression driver and horn sounded live. I have previously owned Altec Lansing A7 Voice of the Theater speakers and found the Valencia's to sound quite similar. The Valencia's sensitivity was high enough that my 30 watt per channel tube amplifier gave me all the volume and dynamic range I wanted. I owned them nearly 10 years and only sold them because I moved across country and did not want to have to transport them. I believe you will find Shindo and Altec Valencia to be a fine combination.

I have owned the Valencias for years and currently run them with a Masseto and Haut Brion, but have, in the past, used them with the Aurieges-L, connected to a K and K phono stage and the Cortese and Corton Charlemagne amps.
The Valencias, in my opinion, are the no-brainer speaker to mate with Shindo gear if you don't have serious money to spend.
I also have a pair of the LM 755i's that I rotate in and out with the Valencias. They are very different speakers. I enjoy them both.
By the way, the Valencias took a huge step up in performance when I upgraded the crossovers to transformer based crossovers made by Jabo/Werner Jagusch. He sells them for around 500 a pair on ebay. They make the Valencias that much more coherent and get rid of any horn shoutiness. They are, in my opinion, must buys if you are going to invest in a pair of Valencias.

Sorry, I just noticed that you asked to describe their sound.
I would say they are loud and clear and honest in the extreme to the source.
They are not going to prettify the sound in any way. And there are more refined soeakers out there.
What you put in is what you will get out.
They are also great at portraying the weight and solidity in the music.
They move serious air and if you feel lime having a concert in your listening room, then a concert you shall have.

I acquired a pretty pristine pair of 846A's from the son of the original owner up in Oregon back in 2011. It was a bear getting them safely down to sunny Orange County (now South Bay) but it was well worth the effort! I originally paired them with older Audio Research tube gear which was a very good match but when I acquired a Monbrison preamp (soon to be a Masseto; thanks Matt!) and a Cortese SET amp, that was the game changer. The Shindo-Altec system synergy is amazing! Emotionally involving music, nothing out of balance, never fatiguing. I don't think I'll ever need to seek another main pair of speakers.

Once I get firmly into my new digs in Northern Cal in about 18 months, I will experiment with tweaks like raising them on stands and possibly the German crossovers that JayBass wrote about but if these things don't come to pass, I still would be totally satisfied with the 846A's present performance.

Thanks so much for your thoughts. I can see these making sense within the mix of gear I have. I would have to drive 21 hours round trip for these, but I have a friend willing and able to take the venture with me. I emailed the seller about the AUCTION, and he doesn't want to deal with me directly. So i am at the mercy of the Audiogon Auction, which I am unfamiliar with. Any idea what would be an aggressive, yet not foolish price to pay for these? Cheers -Don

Before you take the trip, have him send you photos of the interior of each speaker to make sure you are getting what you think you are getting.
Post the photos here and we can all let you know if they look correct and have not been tampered with.
I see from that listing that the speaker terminals have been modified, so, for me, that is always a potential red flag that other, more serious, changes may have been made.
If he is unwilling or unable to get you these photos, definitely take a pass.
As to price, it is tough to say.
Right now, on ebay, there is a mint pair in the middle of an auction where the bidding is already over 2800. That seems a bit high, but if the pair is close to mint, it is probably worth it. Fwiw, I paid 2000 plus shipping for my near mint pair a number of years ago and have never regretted it.
3 comments: They are not making any more of these. Pairs in great condition are becoming increasingly rare. And, finally, when you think about how much new "Shindo compatible" speakers are selling for, 2 or 3 thousand dollar speakers are a veritably bargain.

2k seems to be the usual price.

Requested the photos last night, and he got back to me today. While not enthusiastic, he seems amenable. He said he would work on it. It's a long drive, but there's always cruise control. Thanks again, and please share any other thoughts.

The seller added a photo of the inside of one of the cabinets, but not the other.
I will attempt to paste it over here, so you guys can see it. I can't see any actual writing on the driver.