Look at my new babies...Altec 846Bs w/EV Tweeters!

[Storm]

Hey there everyone!

Look at my new toys!

I don't know if anyone was following the eBay auction for the Valencias in Scottsdale, Arizona - but I was. Only a three day auction.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWN:IT&ih=017

Check out my new babies.

And yes, the 846U's are going to be sold.

To everyone who was telling me to add a tweeter; now I completely understand the need for a tweeter on the valencias. They smooth out the harsh highs and bring it down to a listenable level, very pleasurable I might add.

I paid $1200.00, but I think I got a good deal - especially because I got to pick them up only an hour after the auction ended.

Have a look and tell me what you think.

I think the tweeters are EV T-35's?

Thanks!

-Storm.

[Storm]

More pictures...

[SUPERBEE]

Now, wait till Storm hears an L-300 rig or better.

BTW.....

Those are nice speakers. Hit those puppies with a little Howards Restore A Finish then the Feed N Wax and they will look brand new.

[spwal]

those look exactly like the k77 klipsch tweeters (the bell part at least) in both my hereseys and cornwalls...

storm-- get some decent amplification so that you can REALLY get your speakers rocking. You have 1200 bucks to buy another pair of the speakers you pretty much already have, so its not a liquidity issue.

Grats on your new toy , now make it sing! Not sure that a solid state reciever from the 80s can compete with some things that are out there now. Sure the woodwork is pretty, but you really should consider this course of action.

you have an xbox in your signature. i suggest you bump the xbox off the list and get a nice modern amp.

I wonder how those custom tweeters affect the value of the speaker.

[Titanium Dome]

Congratulations, Storm. Glad you're happy with them.

Looks like the tweeters are mirror-imaged. It also appears their placement will impact the dispersion from the original horns a little so try the pair with the horns on the inside and on the outside to see if one arrangement sounds better than the other in the midrange.

Good luck.

[Tom Brennan]

"They smooth out the harsh highs and bring it down to a listenable level"

You think Altec highs are harsh but an EV T-35 isn't? That's interesting. I've heard Altec highs describes as soft, rolled-off or missing (and to some extent I agree) but never harsh.

Whereas if the T-35 had been developed a few years earlier we could have avoided dropping the A-bombs on Japan.

Well it's a subjective hobby, that's for damned sure.

[Storm]

Thanks for the kind words, everyone.

Well, to my ears when I did an A/B test between the U's and these, I found these are much more smoother in the mid and high range. They have a very lovely sound.

The real test is to see if I can crank Pink Floyd: Pulse up to the level I like without the piercing highs. That will really tell me if the highs are tamed. I will hopefully get to do that soon - when everyone is out of the house for a day.

As you can see, the previous owner added the tweeter in a fashion that it could be taken off and not leave a hole. That was very smart.

Do I assume that if they added a tweeter, that the crossover has been changed? I will get some pictures of the crossover later tonight.

-Storm.

[spwal]

Its his amplification. hes using a pioneer dvd player and an old altec amp. why is no one else seeing this?

what is the point of having incredibly detailed speakers if they are going to only reflect the shortcomings of the rest of your system.

"They smooth out the harsh highs and bring it down to a listenable level"

You think Altec highs are harsh but an EV T-35 isn't? That's interesting. I've heard Altec highs describes as soft, rolled-off or missing (and to some extent I agree) but never harsh.

Whereas if the T-35 had been developed a few years earlier we could have avoided dropping the A-bombs on Japan.

Well it's a subjective hobby, that's for damned sure.

[Nightbrace]

those look exactly like the k77 klipsch tweeters (the bell part at least) in both my hereseys and cornwalls...

storm-- get some decent amplification so that you can REALLY get your speakers rocking. You have 1200 bucks to buy another pair of the speakers you pretty much already have, so its not a liquidity issue.

I wonder how those custom tweeters affect the value of the speaker.

Couldn't agree more about the amplification. No need to spend $1200, but there are MUCH better options than what he is using, and definitely needs a decent CD player.

They have to hurt the value..

[Mr. Widget]

Check out my new babies.

And yes, the 846U's are going to be sold.

I have a pair of 846 U speakers and they are my first and only speakers. I have heard other high end speakers and the JBL L100 and I would never "move on". Once you get yours up and running, you will never need to move on up.

I'm simply shocked!


Widget

[JBLRaiser]

Hey there everyone!

Look at my new toys!

I don't know if anyone was following the eBay auction for the Valencias in Scottsdale, Arizona - but I was. Only a three day auction.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWN:IT&ih=017

Check out my new babies.

And yes, the 846U's are going to be sold.

To everyone who was telling me to add a tweeter; now I completely understand the need for a tweeter on the valencias. They smooth out the harsh highs and bring it down to a listenable level, very pleasurable I might add.

I paid $1200.00, but I think I got a good deal - especially because I got to pick them up only an hour after the auction ended.

Have a look and tell me what you think.

I think the tweeters are EV T-35's?

Thanks!

-Storm.

If they sound fine, everyone is happy.

[Tom Brennan]

"the seller didn't mention these tweeters for a reason as a stock set of Valencia's is worth more than a pair with the incorrect components."

What, Storm's speakers? They have extra components not wrong ones. And the mod is cleanly done and easily reversed with only a few screw holes left. And note that the foam around the horn is still intact, you don't see that very often. Remove the EVs and put in some small foam patches and you'll have a stock set better looking than most.

In any event Storm is the fella setting Valencia values this week, not you.

[spwal]

The white elephant was in reference to spending alot of money. I, like many of us here, have done alot of audiogon transactions... once you get about around 1500, things get alot harder to move... you need bigger fish with deeper pockets. at under 1000 bucks there is a ton of interest.

I just wanted to make sure that he didnt make some outlandish purchase (like a 1200 dollar pair of modified vals heh) that will have less resale value when the experiment is done.

Though i have never heard the vals, arrent they essentially the same as 19s? What, then, makes them modest? cabinet size? They were my first choice... the 19s were serendipity. I went with the 19s heh.

The scott i am sure is a great tube amp. But you know what you are doing. He is not knowing what he is doing as much-- and rightly so, i think vintage tube amps are kinda tricky... with the wires and the caps and the power cords etc.

I have merely been pointing out to him several GREAT amps that will resell within HOURS of posting.

My rule of thumb is to ONLY buy what other people like, regardless of what i want. I have an asterix on there because i am curious about 1-off homemade stuff-- so that is a money pit for me, but other than that i never lose 1 cent on audio gear.

The belcanto evo 2 gen 2 for 900 shipped is a decent deal (these dont sell the wya they used to). The Aleph 3 for 850-900 shipped is a great deal. You cannot lose at these prices. Alternatively, he can try one of these warmer gainclone chipamps that are all the rage now. Homebrew ones only run a couple 100 bucks.

The only thing i disagree with you on Nightbrace, is the NAD source. though it is a step up from what he has, i dont think too highly of it at all. Again, it is a nifty dvdp that i have-- i love it for movies, but it is weaksauce as a cdp. of course a dedicated cdp from NAD may be a different story, but when it comes down to it they know that they are an entry level hifi company and are confortable positioning themselves as such.
without NAD, i would not have gone on the journey that i went on.

I dont know what to tell him for a source... maybe he should try a dac.

The bel canto DAC2 is a SICK dac and a great deal at 650-700. These have really come down in price. They sell within 1 day on agon at this price.

Hope this helps storm.

[spwal]

that really is borderline rediculous that he doesnt mention the tweeters in the ad. hah not even in the specs part. hah unbelieveable.

[SEAWOLF97]

In any event Storm is the fella setting Valencia values this week, not you.

just because he gets in a bidding war with some other yo-yo (prolly a shill), doesn't really establish anything, just an anomaly, like the pine AR3's.