Vintage Altec Lansing 878B Santiago // Speakers / Custom Restoration
SOLD , now part of a Private CollectionWe may have outdone ourselves with this build. The only thing we didn't re-envision were the cabinet dimensions and driver load-out. Simply spectacular, and they sound even better than they look.
Please take a peek at the extensive list of restorations we've performed here, but of particular note is the new crossover, which has been completely overhauled and upgraded. The crossover point of the original N801-8A was 800Hz. The new crossover point is slightly lower at 600Hz. This allows for the woofer to focus more on the lower frequencies. The original crossover had one L- pad to attenuate the high frequencies. The new crossover has two L-pads. One to adjust the volume of the horn, and the other to attenuate the midrange. Having both L-pads creates even more control of the blend of the horn and woofer. It is much easier to dial in these speakers to the room with both of these controls. The polarity of the horn is inverted to phase align the woofer and the horn.
One of the biggest upgrades to the crossover are the charge coupled capacitors on the horn. Twice as many capacitors are needed to run charged coupled capacitors. In this case we needed two 3.0uF and two 15.0uF capacitors rather than one of each like you would find in a typical crossover capacitor configuration. A 9V battery is used between the pairs of capacitors to charge them. By charging the capacitors the internal mechanical resonances of the capacitors are decreased. It also reduces the harshness in capacitors by keeping the capacitors away from 0V. The charged coupled capacitor method takes great capacitors to even higher levels.
Part of the Aural Restorations collection.
We may have outdone ourselves with this build. The only thing we didn't re-envision were the cabinet dimensions and driver load-out. Simply spectacular, and they sound even better than they look.
Please take a peek at the extensive list of restorations we've performed here, but of particular note is the new crossover, which has been completely overhauled and upgraded. The crossover point of the original N801-8A was 800Hz. The new crossover point is slightly lower at 600Hz. This allows for the woofer to focus more on the lower frequencies. The original crossover had one L- pad to attenuate the high frequencies. The new crossover has two L-pads. One to adjust the volume of the horn, and the other to attenuate the midrange. Having both L-pads creates even more control of the blend of the horn and woofer. It is much easier to dial in these speakers to the room with both of these controls. The polarity of the horn is inverted to phase align the woofer and the horn.
One of the biggest upgrades to the crossover are the charge coupled capacitors on the horn. Twice as many capacitors are needed to run charged coupled capacitors. In this case we needed two 3.0uF and two 15.0uF capacitors rather than one of each like you would find in a typical crossover capacitor configuration. A 9V battery is used between the pairs of capacitors to charge them. By charging the capacitors the internal mechanical resonances of the capacitors are decreased. It also reduces the harshness in capacitors by keeping the capacitors away from 0V. The charged coupled capacitor method takes great capacitors to even higher levels.
Part of the Aural Restorations collection.
