Brand You Covet

[Sal1950]

Well, since you asked what I would covet (especially for Jazz) Devore O/Bronze ("20").

Oh My Matt, the measurements.

DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96 loudspeaker Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield and spatially averaged room responses.

www.stereophile.com

 

[Sal1950]

PS Those ain't sandcast 811Bs. At least the one(s) in the pictures in the listing are not.

They could at least cleaned up the welds before painting. LOL

I'd just go vintage Altec -- probably save a fair bit of the budget, too.

You know the market I believe.
What is you opinion on the $2600 price for those Flamenco's?
I must have taken a ton of labor to get them looking like they do
in the pictures, I thought the price was very cheap ?

 

[Doodski]

They could at least cleaned up the welds before painting. LOL

I've had the medium and the extra large Altec Lansing horns and the welds on all of them whether flat black or metallic green where rough looking.

 

[polmuaddib]

Oh My Matt, the measurements.

DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96 loudspeaker Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield and spatially averaged room responses.

www.stereophile.com

I heard Devore speakers in Munich High-End show last year.
I know they don't measure great, but they sounded wonderful.
I was surprised.
Maybe they carerfully choose material so the bad don't show...

 

[MattHooper]

Oh My Matt, the measurements.

DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96 loudspeaker Measurements

Sidebar 3: Measurements I used DRA Labs' MLSSA system and a calibrated DPA 4006 microphone to measure the DeVore Fidelity Orangutan O/96's frequency response in the farfield, and an Earthworks QTC-40 for the nearfield and spatially averaged room responses.

www.stereophile.com

They are actually fairly neutral/flat on axis. Certainly better than many speakers measured by Stereophile in that regard ;-)

In any case, if for instance you were giving me advice on which speakers to seek out, you'd never recommend I even bother listening to those Devore speakers, right? But if I followed that advice I'd miss out on one of my favorite speakers I've ever heard.

This is an example why I personally don't find the usual ASR short list of speakers the be-all-and-end-all.

Expand your mind, Sal

 

[Mart68]

I know that midrange hump on the Devore would irritate me after a while. Might impress on a demo though.

I would go with JBL 4367 or Kii 2

 

[DavidMcRoy]

First, physical room acoustics modifications and the best DSP correction available. From there, my brain says Neumann KH420, but my heart says restored Acoustat SPECTRA 33s. (I currently have the baby brother, SPECTRA 1100s.) I'd go for Benchmark amplification if they're okay with the load, otherwise Bryston, plus SVS subwoofers.

(Not my photo of) Acoustat SPECTRA 33:

 

[Sal1950]

Expand your mind, Sal

It's been "expanded" way too many times.
Now Ozzy Osbourne and myself both suffer from many of the same issues.

 

[fpitas]

I'd just go vintage Altec -- probably save a fair bit of the budget, too.

With the caveat that a lot of them "feature" wrong replacement parts. Other than that, the old aluminum driver diaphragms probably need replacing, since the aluminum can crack with hard use. I know you know, but the OP may not

 

[Bob from Florida]

Suma Zen from Reference 3A - big, big brother to my Grand Veena's. Shown below with Tash posing by the much smaller Taksim's - gives a sense of scale. I would need a much larger room to accommodate them for sure.

 

[Sokel]

No wooden speakers for me please:
(about 10X OP's requirement but it's a free forum )

 

[fpitas]

Well... beautiful underneath the kitsch.

PS Those ain't sandcast 811Bs. At least the one(s) in the pictures in the listing are not.

These are sandcast 811Bs Joseph Esmilla's, in fact.

Is Emilar similar?

After reading positive reviews from members that I respect, I searched for and found some Emilar horns to try. I’m currently getting them ready to replace some 511Bs.

hifihaven.org

That said, probably worth the asking price -- in this day and age.

I do occasionally miss my 846A Valencias -- but mostly because I can't just casually mention, "Yeah, I've got a pair of 846As."

Those sand cast are purty, all right. I took a file to my 511s and cleaned them up. Cut the vanes etc. The resonance can be cured, although it takes some effort. In the larger picture of DIY though? Not much effort.

I think all 811s and 511s were cast in two pieces and welded together. And when you cut the weld at the vanes there's usually a noticeable twang, as if stress is being relieved.

811s might benefit from a vertical brace near the center of the flare like 511s have. I leave them in place but take a file to them to make them more aerodynamic. May not matter but it makes me feel better

 

[restorer-john]

I don't really covet any audio equipment 'brands'.

There's a bunch of legendary/statement/unicorn/rare pieces I would love to find in a "barn" or a thrift store for peanuts, but in reality, I'm happy with the vast collection of vintage and semi-modern gear I own. It'll keep me going forever.

A lot of the classic US made gear (Adcom/Pass/ML/Krell/etc) never made it to Australia and certainly not many in genuine 230/240V guise. The home market Japanese gear was all 100V and I have a huge fundamental issue with big gear and stepdown TXFs.

So, it's stuff that made it to the export market, and most of that was either super successful or never really saw the light of day and was sold off cheap.

If I was to pick a singular brand, it would be Accuphase.
As a technology leader, I'd say Sony, without a doubt.
A consistent, predictable and excellent Japanese company, I'd say Yamaha.

But I'd take a Pass designed Nakamichi or an Adcom GFA-555 if I wanted something I could pass on to my boys.
A pair of Arnie Nudell designed Infinities from the glory days.
Even some ARC tube gear, as that stuff is built so beautifully, it will outlast all of us.

The state of the so-called art of high fidelity has no rules, and what is old becomes new again on a regular basis. Upstarts vainly attempt to rewrite the narrative as they always have. It all goes full circle, just like a vinyl record.

 

[fpitas]

I'd just go vintage Altec -- probably save a fair bit of the budget, too.

I thougt of dredging up an old set of 9846s. They do appear from time to time when a studio changes speakers or shuts down. But then I knew the DIY bug would bite me: redesigning the crossovers, replacing the 802s with TADs, and on and on...

 

[Schollaudio]

A Revox stack, the years with physical switches not push buttons and TAD, just the two ways.

 

[mhardy6647]

They could at least cleaned up the welds before painting. LOL


You know the market I believe.
What is you opinion on the $2600 price for those Flamenco's?
I must have taken a ton of labor to get them looking like they do
in the pictures, I thought the price was very cheap ?

I don't follow the market on them (since I don't have to ). My gut feeling is that they're probably around market price, restoration effort notwithstanding. Goofy as their aesthetics may seem in the 21st Century, though -- the Flamencos might benefit from, shall we say, the Art Dudley Bump compared to their visually more drab (but functionally equivalent) cousins.

Listening #169: Altec Flamenco

On a bright, warm day in September, at the memorial gathering for our colleague Wes Phillips, I overheard John Atkinson, in pre-ceremony conversation, discussing men's fashions: "What's popular these days," he said, with a degree of puzzlement that stopped short of disapproval, "is very long...

www.stereophile.com

"Listening": a Video Tribute to Art Dudley

Listening, an extraordinary video tribute to the late writer Art Dudley's taste, vision, and devotion to music, premiers this month on Stereophile's YouTube channel. The video follows the unusual path of Art's beloved Altec Lansing Flamenco loudspeakers from their home in Upstate New York to...

www.stereophile.com

Still, a pair of $2600 Flamencos would leave our thread's OP, @chorus, with a whole bunch of seed money in their pocket to to spend on other things.

 

[mhardy6647]

I thougt of dredging up an old set of 9846s. They do appear from time to time when a studio changes speakers or shuts down. But then I knew the DIY bug would bite me: redesigning the crossovers, replacing the 802s with TADs, and on and on...

Resto-mod.

(random internet photo example )

There was a time when the "off the beaten path" (for hifi) Altecs were relatively cheap and plentiful. I suspect that's not currently the case.
My guess is when we all start checkin' out, big time, demand and prices will drop -- but for the best stuff from "that era" (ca. 1943 to 1980, give or take) will always have at least a niche market comprised of (arguably) savvy hipsters.

The state of the so-called art of high fidelity has no rules...

I'd concur -- but it's to the consternation of the average median ASR reader/contributor, I'd opine.

 

[fpitas]

Resto-mod.

(random internet photo example )

There was a time when the "off the beaten path" (for hifi) Altecs were relatively cheap and plentiful. I suspect that's not currently the case.
My guess is when we all start checkin' out, big time, demand and prices will drop -- but for the best stuff from "that era" (ca. 1943 to 1980, give or tae) will always have at least a niche market comprised of (arguably) savvy hipsters.



I'd concur -- but it's to the consternation of the average median ASR reader/contributor, I'd opine.

Well, I have little to no nostalgia. So, little reason to engage in the massive and necessarily restricted redesign that a Resto-mod implies. It's a matter of thriftiness, too. For the price of a vintage Altec, I could buy a TAD driver

 

[mhardy6647]

Conversely, I'd rather listen to a complete vintage Altec loudspeaker than a single TAD driver, just a-sittin' on the floor.
Apples to apples, per dollar spent, you know?

I am, in all seriousness, in no position to support either approach, and, in the context of this thread (!) I've deliberately left out my own path, which is somewhat similar to yours, as my "big boy" loudspeakers are a hodgepodge of old and new and bear no resemblance to any commercial product, past or present.

In all seriousness, I doubt that @chorus is in the mood to fiddle around with the building blocks in the way that... umm... some of us are.

 

[fpitas]

Conversely, I'd rather listen to a complete vintage Altec loudspeaker than a single TAD driver, just a-sittin' on the floor.
Apples to apples, per dollar spent, you know?

I am, in all seriousness, in no position to support either approach, and, in the context of this thread (!) I've deliberately left out my own path, which is somewhat similar to yours, as my "big boy" loudspeakers are a hodgepodge of old and new and bear no resemblance to any commercial product, past or present.

In all seriousness, I doubt that @chorus is in the mood to fiddle around with the building blocks in the way that... umm... some of us are.

If I just had to do vintage, there were some rare 9846s made with the 288 drivers and 511Es. Those I might keep as-is.