OK, then the baskets [frame/chassis] are the same, so without the pot, Qts should be slightly higher, making the cheaper 'z' theoretically perform very close to the 'b' in a HIFI/HT app, though in a prosound app the difference would most likely be audible, especially over distance as its efficiency drops due to VC heating, ergo potentially 'letting its smoke out' prematurely.
The 'a' had a different frame and more powerful motor, i.e it was designed for the low power amps and the available materials, manufacturing capabilities of the day.
In short, each driver update was about taking advantage of the increasing power and BW available; so in general, as Qts went up, Vas went down to compensate for the amp's increasing damping factor [decreasing output impedance] and Fs changed as required to reach an acceptable trade-off between reproducing the increasingly lower frequencies of consumer recordings and still be a ‘close enough’ drop-in replacement. Of course, taking advantage of any materials, manufacturing cost cutting advancements was equally important.
GM
The 'a' had a different frame and more powerful motor, i.e it was designed for the low power amps and the available materials, manufacturing capabilities of the day.
In short, each driver update was about taking advantage of the increasing power and BW available; so in general, as Qts went up, Vas went down to compensate for the amp's increasing damping factor [decreasing output impedance] and Fs changed as required to reach an acceptable trade-off between reproducing the increasingly lower frequencies of consumer recordings and still be a ‘close enough’ drop-in replacement. Of course, taking advantage of any materials, manufacturing cost cutting advancements was equally important.
GM
I have the 414A. The 414z I've seen were the same (same basket and motor) but without the back cover and were a different paint colour. I'd assumed (perhaps wrongly) that the 414-8b/16b were just different baskets, and then eventually different motors as Altec switched to ceramic magnets.
On the subject of Altec 'goop' which came up several pages ago, does anyone have any idea as to where I can get some please? I had to have my speakers reconed in the UK a few years ago, and the reconer didn't 'goop' them. I now live in Hong Kong, and so something that I can get over the internet would be preferred.
On the subject of Altec 'goop' which came up several pages ago, does anyone have any idea as to where I can get some please? I had to have my speakers reconed in the UK a few years ago, and the reconer didn't 'goop' them. I now live in Hong Kong, and so something that I can get over the internet would be preferred.
The 414b's i think are going to go back as they are going to cost to much to recone - with import taxes for some cones from GPA.
I have noticed a pair of 414 16C's on that auction site - in europe. I remember reading somewhere that these had superior bass to the "Z, a or B's". I always assumed the C stood for ceramic magnets, which ties up with the Angola conflict of the 1970's which made Alnico scarce. I know GM will put me straight if my facts are wrong!!
I have noticed a pair of 414 16C's on that auction site - in europe. I remember reading somewhere that these had superior bass to the "Z, a or B's". I always assumed the C stood for ceramic magnets, which ties up with the Angola conflict of the 1970's which made Alnico scarce. I know GM will put me straight if my facts are wrong!!
NB: on the subject of boxes, for the 414a/z I've had mine in sealed boxes (c.55 litres net) for about 4 years now. This was in part due to the fact that I couldn't persuade my wife that bigger boxes would be better, and in part because after a lot of thinking/modelling (including front loaded horns), this was a reasonable compromise. I have to admit though, that due to the reconing, my measured T/S parameters are a bit different from what I've found on the internet. (Or maybe I wasn't measuring properly!) I run horns above (JBL 2420 into Stereolab 400hz spherical horns, with little Goto tweeters kicking in above 10khz - an impulse buy, and not convinced they're necessary), but I've now got some old YL mid drivers into YL MB-150 horns and will add these in probably c.350hz to 1-1.25khz (once I've got my crossover sorted). So, the 414a will be running c.60-350hz (which I know is a bit of a waste of their mid abilities, but ...
Stephen
Stephen
News to me and if they are like the AlNiCo 416B, 515B Vs ceramic 416C, 515E, then I don’t consider them sonically superior nor do they make more bass per se IME, though the 515E’s specs were optimized more for vented than horn cabs, so was closer in LF performance to the 416.
No, just a coincidence that the next model revision letter for most of the drivers was a ‘c’ with the 515 being an ‘e’ and the 604 a ‘k’.
GM
3GGG - here you go. There's still some work to do though. The horns were in fairly bad shape, and so I stripped them back and restarted them, with underbody on the outside to try to damp them down. I also replaced the 90 deg bend with my own straight section (hand cut in sheets of ply).
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There is a European equivalent to the CP Moyens "Goop" made by BASF which you maybe can get in HK.
After discussing the reconing with my local speaker repairer, it has become apparent that there maybe some home grown solutions. I have some vintage 15" german drivers with very large magnets ( BL= 25 +) that need reconing. There are apparently still - goodmans, vitavox etc recone kits around. If i were to have a custom recone what would be the ideal properties for the driver to be used in a MLTL?
After discussing the reconing with my local speaker repairer, it has become apparent that there maybe some home grown solutions. I have some vintage 15" german drivers with very large magnets ( BL= 25 +) that need reconing. There are apparently still - goodmans, vitavox etc recone kits around. If i were to have a custom recone what would be the ideal properties for the driver to be used in a MLTL?
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