Older Altec horn speakers

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.

@johnnyb53 Slight correction - the JBL you describe was the L55 Lancer, and was indeed a steaming pile of "What were they thinking?". The zL-65 Jubal was an end-table sized 12" 3-way with the 077 ring radiator tweeter and it’s famous clear lucite phase plug. Like all JBLs of the 70s it was beautifully built, and could play very loud and unlike most other JBLs, it actually sounded.quite nice properly setup, much better than the L-100s, and didn’t require a huge room like the washing machine sized L-200 and L-300.

The Altec 19s were sonically far better than any of them, but the same room size caveat, 300ft2 was the absolute minimum room size and 400-600ft2 was much better. I had one customer with Model 19s driven by a Mac MC275 tube amp in a 20X30 basement room and they were magnificent, filling that room with ease. Sitting back almost 20ft from the speakers everything came into balance. I upgraded his TT from a rumbly old Dual/Shure M91 to a JVC QL-7 and AKG P8E cart, and called it good.

Does it matter if you don't have the foam around the horns on a Altec 19? and if so where can you get them?

I’ve owned the Boleros a couple of times they are a large " book shelf " speaker.

They were nice sounding when they were around $300 / pair, I recently saw a pair advertised in the $800-900 range. There are a lot of better speaker available in that price range.

For reference,  I’ve also had Valencia , 878B and currently have model 14’s . The 14’s work better in my smallish room when modified aka Audio Nirvana style.

@mcgarick Wrote:

Im looking for a GOOD horn speaker.

JBL 4425, 4430 or 4435

Mike