radian 950 with Altec bass

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bonzo75

Member
2014-08-29 11:44 pm
Hi all, I am trying to thing of a Radian 950 configuration crossed over to a dual 15 inch woofer front loaded horn (FLH), or a single 15 inch woofer as a back up. Does anyone in UK or EU have such models I can listen to? I will tell you what I am trying to get to.

Please listen to the below videos on earphones or stream to a speaker. The Altec 817 has better cello, body, and natural tone than the big Cessaro. I like such dual woofer front loaded bass.

YouTube


YouTube


But if you look at the highs, the hORNS autotech universum in 2 of the 3 links below, which has the Radian 950pb with truextent beryllium diaphragm, has superior violin due to the nuanced tonal inflections and tonal variations. Please listen for it. The Altec in the first link below is much more homogenized in this aspect as compared to both Radian and TAD and I do not like that.

YouTube



YouTube


YouTube


So I am interested in combining the highs of the Radian with the bottom of the dual woofer FLH. Has anyone built such models? 2-way or 3-way are fine.
 
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Pano

Pano

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Paid Member
2004-10-07 6:05 am
I've only used some rather old model 1.4" Radians on Altec horns. I definitely liked the Altec 288 better on the same horn. But Radian has come a long way.

Are you really sure you want to judge this sort of thing from a YouTube video? Getting out there to actually hear them is a good idea.
 
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bonzo75

Member
2014-08-29 11:44 pm
Sorry those are my videos. I heard them in person many times and shot those videos, they are to be used as a guidance of what I am trying to convey. The superiority of the violin in terms of nuance and tonal inflections to me is very clear on the Radian both in person and on the videos, similarly the superiority of front loaded dual woofer horn bass of the Altec is as well. Ideally I would like to combine the two
 
Pano

Pano

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2004-10-07 6:05 am
OK, got you. If you heard them in person that's a whole different thing. :up:

FWIW, I've found that a lot of a violin's warmth and difference of character is actually way up high, like >5Khz. Chop off a violin recording at 7kHz and it loses much of its warmth.
Maybe the Radian is just better up top and that helps the stings? Mine certainly are not, but from what I've seen of recent Radian measurements they do have very good extension.
 
Pano

Pano

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2004-10-07 6:05 am
OK, I listened to all the videos on headphones. What I mostly hear is a big difference in tonal balance and room acoustics. Certainly the round horns are brighter and lacking bass, which makes the strings edgy and forward. The recording of the Altec system is much darker and actually has bass. A lot more room tone, too, which muddies things a bit.

I can understand where you are going, wanting the low end of the double Altec woofer and the brightness of the round horns. I don't think you can go wrong with the Radian, they are well liked by a number of people here. I'm a die hard multi-cell horn man myself because they sound the most real to me, so that's the way I'd go. Not everyone prefers them, tho.
 
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bonzo75

Member
2014-08-29 11:44 pm
I have heard many Altecs and heard those horns universum with various amps. I know the shortcoming of the vinyl front ends in both, and the recordings. I also know the Altec electronics well.

Those videos were chosen to convey what I am looking for. Yes I am quite convinced Altec as a driver cannot do it for me in the highs for the violin.

So, if I take that 817 and replace with Radian 950pb, is that easy to integrate? The 817 is crossing at 500. Would I face issues? I really like the coherence of the 817
 
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bonzo75

Member
2014-08-29 11:44 pm
Pano said:
I don't understand what you mean. The Altec 817 is a dual woofer cabinet. The Radian 950pd is a compression driver. Did you mean something else? Swap Altec for Radian compression drivers?
Click to expand...

How easily can I swap the Altec 288 to the Radian on top of that 817 bass cabinet? And can I retain the multi cell horn, or do I need to swap that over to the circular horn?
 
Pano

Pano

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2004-10-07 6:05 am
Ah, OK. Yes you can swap in the Radian. It will work as well or better than the Altec.
Yes you can use a multicell with the Radian.

However - important! The crossover must be adapted for that combo. The crossover will make or break the system. How are your crossover skills?
 
Pano

Pano

Administrator
Paid Member
2004-10-07 6:05 am
That's great. I suppose that you are in the U.K. so too far away for me to help directly, tho I would love to of course. :)

Learning measurement isn't too bad with some guidance and the gear is now affordable. Are you planning an active or passive or combination crossover?
 
Pano

Pano

Administrator
Paid Member
2004-10-07 6:05 am
Good. Passive will take longer to get right than active, but you'll enjoy it.
With a system like this I would (and have) run the woofers with solid state Class-A. Use the SETs for the top end. But starting with all passive gives you a good reference point.
 
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