Ampeg SVT Handwired?

[Patrice B]

Transmitter tubes were rated under specific conditions. Some specs are for intermittent use such as morse code. Designing with them requires understanding their peculiar requirements. The 811A is found in some hi-fi amps.

The Altec 1570B monoblock was rated 165W with a pair of 811A tubes.

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Me wants some Altecs for my hifi needs … unfortunately being in a long strike since one month, it won't be possible . Anyway, strike or not, I would guess it would be already out of my normal budget…

They were used in movie theatre I guess?

***2nd edit as I corrected my « hifi snobbery »: ok, yes hifi finally, 3% at that power is quite good and transformer handle 10 Hz to 50 KHz, enough to shake the walls a bit in a standard home

 

[Patrice B]

… or even two of the prototypes for a super home cinema (4x811A on each side, so two big mono blocks).

 

[beans-on-toast]

Me wants some Altecs for my hifi needs … unfortunately being in a long strike since one month, it won't be possible . Anyway, strike or not, I would guess it would be already out of my normal budget…

They were used in movie theatre I guess?

***2nd edit as I corrected my « hifi snobbery »: ok, yes hifi finally, 3% at that power is quite good and transformer handle 10 Hz to 50 KHz, enough to shake the walls a bit in a standard home

Bill's prototype was for a record cutting lathe. They are usually high power to drive cutting heads and designed to fit the RIAA curve, cut the low end boost the high. A very specific design. Lathe people are worse than hi-fi in terms of attention to fine detail.

The Altec was used for PA systems where many speakers were used. People use them for hi-fi as well.

 

[Patrice B]

Bill's prototype was for a record cutting lathe. They are usually high power to drive cutting heads and designed to fit the RIAA curve, cut the low end boost the high. A very specific design. Lathe people are worse than hi-fi in terms of attention to fine detail.

The Altec was used for PA systems where many speakers were used. People use them for hi-fi as well.

Seriously, as much as I (don't ) need an SVT in my home studio caveman, neither a V4 or my YBA-3, I am fine with tube amps ranging from 5 to 30 watts/ch for music listening, plenty loud! My Scott LK-72 (7591's PP) is my most powerful one… and is now sitting on a shelf in the basement. Awaiting for some rotation!

Heck, my girlfriend find it annoying when I practice my bass playing through a Stromberg-Carlson old tube amp ~14w/ch through two homemade 12 inches Goodman's full range speaker enclosures! Lovely sound BTW!

 

[agedhorse]

Me wants some Altecs for my hifi needs … unfortunately being in a long strike since one month, it won't be possible . Anyway, strike or not, I would guess it would be already out of my normal budget…

They were used in movie theatre I guess?

***2nd edit as I corrected my « hifi snobbery »: ok, yes hifi finally, 3% at that power is quite good and transformer handle 10 Hz to 50 KHz, enough to shake the walls a bit in a standard home

I serviced Altec electronics and speaker systems for the cinema industry back in the 1980's and 90's. Nostalgic for sure, but far from what HiFi became in terms of audio quality and clarity.

 

[Patrice B]

I serviced Altec electronics and speaker systems for the cinema industry back in the 1980's and 90's. Nostalgic for sure, but far from what HiFi became in terms of audio quality and clarity.

Ok, I'll forget it for my home cinema then .

 

[Short4since64]

The SVT had the same requirements from speakers of the day as well, that's why the earliest cabinets were intended to be run as 810 cabinet pairs using ~30 watt speakers (on a good day).

Backstory: Young stupid college kids. Practiced in warehouse in Beacon, NY. Five big Altecs from a demoed theater in storage. Twin 15s front loaded and two drivers on a multicell horn. Came home from our respective schools on Halloween night to play a dance. Harebrained idea to blast scary noise across the Hudson and cause panic in Newburgh on the other side at midnight. Hooked up one and pointed it out the rollup door. Record of a woman attacked by pack of dogs. Power on, light from the 813s and the rectifiers enough to see with. Dropped the needle. Loudest barking I ever heard. When she screamed, smoke from the horn and then nothing but rumble. Had to replace and pay for the diaphragms. Last time the amp was ever powered up, gave it to my uncle the ham operator to add to his collection of bizarre electronics.

 

[Short4since64]

Me wants some Altecs for my hifi needs … unfortunately being in a long strike since one month, it won't be possible . Anyway, strike or not, I would guess it would be already out of my normal budget…

They were used in movie theatre I guess?

***2nd edit as I corrected my « hifi snobbery »: ok, yes hifi finally, 3% at that power is quite good and transformer handle 10 Hz to 50 KHz, enough to shake the walls a bit in a standard home

The Altec stuff, at least the Voice of the Theatre A7 speakers, were loud but actually sounded horrible. The cast metal horn resonated. The multicell tin horns (A5) weren't much better. Made for speech intelligibility. Went on stage one night with the singer beating on an 811 horn with a drum stick for "Mississippi Queen" Their amps weren't bad. Still have a 200W solid state greenie from a drive-in if anyone wants it (Sarasota, FL). Works. 8ohm or 70V.

 

[Patrice B]

The Altec stuff, at least the Voice of the Theatre A7 speakers, were loud but actually sounded horrible. The cast metal horn resonated. The multicell tin horns (A5) weren't much better. Made for speech intelligibility. Went on stage one night with the singer beating on an 811 horn with a drum stick for "Mississippi Queen" Their amps weren't bad. Still have a 200W solid state greenie from a drive-in if anyone wants it (Sarasota, FL). Works. 8ohm or 70V.

Oh well, my hifi myths are now destroyed .

 

[Short4since64]

Oh well, my hifi myths are now destroyed .

If you like the old-school sound, a pair of Klipsch Cornwalls. LaScalas are even louder but lack the bottom octave. Had three before I moved to Fla and had a huge house in NY. Left, center, right for home theater. McIntosh tube amps. Sold everything for 5X what I paid for it. Now just using straight stereo, Cerwin-Vega HED-15 speakers and a Dynaco Stereo-70. Actually sounds better, and the speakers ,make a better stand than hanging an 86 on a flimsy wall.

 

[Patrice B]

If you like the old-school sound, a pair of Klipsch Cornwalls. LaScalas are even louder but lack the bottom octave. Had three before I moved to Fla and had a huge house in NY. Left, center, right for home theater. McIntosh tube amps. Sold everything for 5X what I paid for it. Now just using straight stereo, Cerwin-Vega HED-15 speakers and a Dynaco Stereo-70. Actually sounds better, and the speakers ,make a better stand than hanging an 86 on a flimsy wall.

Would like to stumble on some Cornwalls but unfortunately, space is a concern! I already have two big pairs of 12 inches homemade (not by me, from the old days) speaker enclosures (EV's and Goodman's). They reside in the caveman home studio.

 

[agedhorse]

If you like the old-school sound, a pair of Klipsch Cornwalls. LaScalas are even louder but lack the bottom octave. Had three before I moved to Fla and had a huge house in NY. Left, center, right for home theater. McIntosh tube amps. Sold everything for 5X what I paid for it. Now just using straight stereo, Cerwin-Vega HED-15 speakers and a Dynaco Stereo-70. Actually sounds better, and the speakers ,make a better stand than hanging an 86 on a flimsy wall.

I worked on the Cerwin Vega HED speaker project as a field service rep. It was good speaker combining high efficiency with reasonably low cost by using an epoxy paint coating over particle board.