The Dead Altec Project (1 Viewer)

[Chuck Bogie]

Okay - My brother in law was cleaning out his basement, and I received a couple of pairs of pretty old speaks... One (2-way sealed box from EPI? heavy little buggers...) wasn't all that bad, and is over in a friend's basement, and I kept the big boxes, labeled Altec Lansing something something...

These things are odd... I thought it was a weird 2-way sealed design, but when I pulled the drivers, it turned out to be a 10" woof and a 10" passive radiator. The thing also has a pair of cone tweeters.

The radiators are pretty ate up, the woofs not quite as bad - but I doubt they'd be worth messing with unless these were just incredible speakers (the guy said he's spent a bunch on 'em...), which I somehow sorta doubt...

The wires come from the back directly (do not pass go, do not collect $200) to the woof, then on to the tweets (8 mike cap and something I didn't recognize) via an L-pad. The tweets are paralleled.

The box is just a hair under two cubic feet.

Well, here's what I'm thinking... A pair of the 10" dayton woofs (I think they're $22 or something like that...) and a silkie and plug the other hole. Or should I run two silkies? The holes are 3" so I'm not gonna have to play with the router... Gonna stuff it pretty heavy. Other alternative would be one silkie and a vent, but it'd be WAY undersize, so I'm guessing it'd need a LOT of stuffing...

Cross 'em at approx. 1850ish? What sort of weirdness am I going to run into running the multiple speakers?

These are going to be basically party speakers to keep in the back of my van...

 

[Aaron_Smith]

There is a possibility that they could be very valuable and very rare. I'd check some of the vintage audio boards (audio asylum, etc.) to get some info before you start a project you may regret.

 

[Javier_Huerta]

Altec Lansing can, indeed, be kinda valuable.

Some 14 years ago, I remember buying a complete set of speakers for my car. They were something like $300 a set of 5 1/4 carbon fiber woofers and mylar tweeters. They sounded out of this world; it's the best speaker system I've ever listened to.

I started looking for info on them about a year ago - you'll not believe the ammount of info about them on the web. Just type "Altec Lansing" on Google, and prepare to be overwhelmed.

Altec Lansing today has nothing to do with what the "real" Altec speakers were in their heyday.

 

[Chuck Bogie]

Well, the passive radiators are sans foam surrounds, and the woofs should still be okay if I can have 'em refoamed. On one of 'em, the tweeters look okay, but on the other, someone dinged the chrome-plated dust caps. Wires were also loose inside the one that I dissected (didn't trash any parts - just took the stuff apart).

They've got a model number on a big stripe on the grille - I'll make sure I write it down and search on that tomorrow.

 

[Dan Hine]

On one of 'em, the tweeters look okay, but on the other, someone dinged the chrome-plated dust caps

It's probably nothing more than a cosmetic issue. I really wouldn't worry about it until last. Get the speakers working and see if the tweeter sounds bad to you.

Pictures would speak a thousand words. If you could get some then people might have additional info to add.

 

[Chris Carswell]

Dan, they still let you post here?????????????

 

[Chuck Bogie]

Okay - the fronts of the things say "Altec Lansing Image 20" on 'em.

So, are these real speakers, or are they box donors?

 

[Dan Wesnor]

If the EPI's don't say "Harmon" anywhere on them, I'd get them back. They are collector's items.

 

[Javier_Huerta]

That's "Harman", Dan.

I assume you meant the Harman group, no?

 

[Chuck Bogie]

Nope, they don't... Of course, it's a VERY good friend's house, and I have deck on the lake, boat, dock, and hot tub privileges... She's got 'em hooked to an old Marantz 4240... I think the back has the word Epicure... Not completely sure... They did sound pretty good tho...

Okay - I think that they're these... They look a LOT like the 100s...

http://www.arsenal.net/speakers/epi/epi.htm

Of course, depending on collector value... How much do you think the things could be worth? They're two-ways, about 14-18" high (maybe more... I can tell you if a target is 100 or 125 yards away, but darned if I can guestimate close-in stuff...).

Heck, if it's interesting, I could tell her to ebay the things...