The Vintage Altec Codex

[chipchas]

I have ordered the external crossovers by Mast Mutter. They should ship early next week.

I am wondering the best way to run the wires into the speakers. The previous owner of my Valencia's modified the back with a plate that accepts banana plugs. I could either remove the plate and maybe cover the opening with a piece of wood then drill through that or I could replace the back entirely.

If I replace the back entirely, what type of wood is recommended? Also, what type of material would replace the foam on the inside back of the originals?

Junker, thanks for your input. The inside of your speaker is so clean. The crossovers look great! Is that carpet padding?

[junker]

These are some good questions!

Well, you don't need to run the crossover boards externally so you could run the same banana plug plate to your crossover and mount it on the inside-right wall. If you are wanting to go external than I'd suggest just making a new plate with holes for the wires to the drivers.

Making the rear panel is actually a lot harder than you would think and might make a nice longer-term project. I used 3/4" Baltic Birch. Just one example of something that makes it a bit harder than you would think is that the HF compression driver extends just about all the way through the rear panel, so most likely you need to make a hole and cap it. I used 3/4" Baltic Birch here as well which is infinitely better than the stock masonite cover and also serves as a brace. Even so, I'd recommend making a brace similar to what you find on the inside of the stock panel. I don't have one, but am considering it in the future.

My damping insulation is wool felt. =) Take a good look at the stock rear panel and you'll find that about 1/3 of the area actually has no insulation on it at all and this is another area of improvement in the stock cabinet to reduce the rear reflection coming through the LF paper driver.

[junker]

[fjn04]

chipchas- I also prefer my DeVore speakers, to my stock Valencia 846A's. In my case, it's the 0/96's. Just more refinement in the mid-upper frequencies to my ears. However, I really need to get moving on my Valencia's. I heard very good things about the Mass-Mutter (e-bay seller) crossover. I believe the guys name is Werner Jagusch. Please keep us posted. Josh- may I ask how high you decided to get your Altec's off the ground ? Your stands seem pretty straight forward, but I'm still going seek out my wood guy. Carpentry is not my strong point. Cheers -Don

[junker]

You just need the horn at about ear level when seated so measure that regardless of being a woodworker or not. For reference, the top of my speakers are at 44".

[fjn04]

Thanks Josh- the TOP of my cabinet's are a hair under 30" off the ground, but there are four wood pieces that run around the bottom which raise the speaker an inch or two. Regardless, my guess is your stands are 14-15" high. Much appreciated.

[junker]

No problem. The dimensions of the Flamencos and the Valencias are a bit different. I just went with pre-fabricated hardwood legs attached to the 3/4" baltic birch base using all brass hardware. And I removed the plastic sliders from the bottom. I can't remember if Art Dudley removed the skirt from his Valencias but I would at least remove the plastic sliders. Coupling would be better without the skirt, but I'd personally leave it on as it is the original design.

[chipchas]

Junker,

Thanks for the warning! Any other potential complications I should be aware of if I change the back? I would assume getting the original crossovers and wire out of the cabinet can only help.
How is the sound improved by changing the back vs stock? What about using the felt vs the original insulation?

fjn04,

I ended up buying the Valencias that were auctioned on Audiogon and which you originally posted about :-)
I had been meaning to get your thoughts on the Valencias and how they compare with your O/96's. Thanks for that.
Ill definitely keep you posted on the crossovers. Im still waiting for them to ship...

I haven't had a chance to try elevating the speakers. Is there a large decrease in the bass output with them on stands?
Art Dudley did remove the bottom skirting before placing them on stands.
I too would like to keep the speakers as close to original as possible and so would prefer not to remove the bottom skirt. Im no artist, but I'm thinking the speakers would look a bit awkward on stands with the bottom trim in place? I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks!

Chas

[junker]

Hey Chas, I'll get back to some of your questions by Friday. Aesthetics wise I don't have any idea what they would look like with or without the skirt. I'd recommend is just placing them on some boxes or something from Ikea, or something that you might have laying around at your place to try out. When you do this you can turn the horn down a lot once it is about at ear level. Then you can get an idea what they look like and what happens with the bass. -Josh

Also, do you know how easy it is to remove the bottom skirt?

[junker]

Hey Chaz and Don! Have either of you guys tried raising your speakers off of the floor yet? Here is a picture of my Flamencos on the tables I built.

Notice there is no gap because I removed the plastic sliders. While I don't have a skirt on mine to remove they still have the lower trim and the table was sized accordingly. I never heard back from anyone on how easy, and reversible, removing the Valencia skirt it, but that it what would decide this issue for me. If there were easily removable then yeah I'd probably take it off when mounting to a table.