I realize that this is an older thread, but I feel compelled to add my two cents.
The Valencia, the 19, et al, are the great Altec speakers. The only problem is that we don't all have the space (and/or the approving spouse) to plant a pair of junior refrigerators in our living rooms. The beauty of the Bolero--and particularly the 890c culmination, where they perfected the driver--is that it very closely approximates the trademark 3D technicolor Altec VOTT sound in a manageable @25" x 15" package that doesn't require a forklift to move around.
Sound quality, of course, is highly subjective; there are so many factors that will influence one's decision as to which speaker sounds better than another on any given day. I have auditioned the Segovia quite a few times over the years through different systems with varying degrees of satisfaction. The Segovia is a fine speaker, but to me it doesn't sound like an "Altec" in the way that the horn-equipped Bolero does.
To delve into geeky minutiae for a moment, the 890a & 890b have the amazing 3000g horn tweeter, but the high crossover asks too much from the driver in those model variations. The 406-8Y in the 890c has a larger VC than its predecessors, and while the outsourced Heppner horn in the 890c (made in Chicago; not in Japan as is commonly cited) may not by just a shade be quite as sensitive as the earlier 3000g, the glorious midrange of the 406-8Y trounces the earlier 406a/406z and makes for a better listening experience with the 890c by comparison.
I have owned all variety of hi-fi gear and nearly all of the high-end Altec speaker models at one point or another, and at this stage of my life with a moderately-sized house and a wife & two young daughters (read: no more man cave lifestyle), the Altec 890c is perfect.
The Valencia, the 19, et al, are the great Altec speakers. The only problem is that we don't all have the space (and/or the approving spouse) to plant a pair of junior refrigerators in our living rooms. The beauty of the Bolero--and particularly the 890c culmination, where they perfected the driver--is that it very closely approximates the trademark 3D technicolor Altec VOTT sound in a manageable @25" x 15" package that doesn't require a forklift to move around.
Sound quality, of course, is highly subjective; there are so many factors that will influence one's decision as to which speaker sounds better than another on any given day. I have auditioned the Segovia quite a few times over the years through different systems with varying degrees of satisfaction. The Segovia is a fine speaker, but to me it doesn't sound like an "Altec" in the way that the horn-equipped Bolero does.
To delve into geeky minutiae for a moment, the 890a & 890b have the amazing 3000g horn tweeter, but the high crossover asks too much from the driver in those model variations. The 406-8Y in the 890c has a larger VC than its predecessors, and while the outsourced Heppner horn in the 890c (made in Chicago; not in Japan as is commonly cited) may not by just a shade be quite as sensitive as the earlier 3000g, the glorious midrange of the 406-8Y trounces the earlier 406a/406z and makes for a better listening experience with the 890c by comparison.
I have owned all variety of hi-fi gear and nearly all of the high-end Altec speaker models at one point or another, and at this stage of my life with a moderately-sized house and a wife & two young daughters (read: no more man cave lifestyle), the Altec 890c is perfect.