Altec Nineteen or VOTTs

**messengerman** · 2nd May 2007, 10:52

Like buses you wait for ages and then it all kicks off.

I currently have some 15" Tannoys but have long hankered after trying the big Altecs and JBLs. But they are like hens teeth here in London.

Now all at once I have the chance to buy either a pair of VoTTs or a pair of Nineteens. And no shipping costs or import taxes.

So which would go for and how much would you pay?

**Markus S** · 2nd May 2007, 11:23

Difficult. Ideally you'd need to listen to both.

I have VOTTs and love them. I heard Chris' Valencias which are not too far from the 19. To a certain extent, it's swings and roundabouts between the two. The advantage of the VOTT is that the drivers are time-aligned. This results in a coherence and timing security that I find attractive. On the other hand, the horn in front of the 15" driver tends to vibrate and so colours the sound a little. Chris's Valencias were significantly less coloured than my speakers are, but I have no way of knowing how much of that was due to other modifications he did to the speakers (crossover, adding a tweeter etc.).

With the VOTT, a lot depends on the exact specification (which hf horn, which drivers etcs.).

**joel** · 2nd May 2007, 12:38

Nineteens are a SERIOUS blast and seriously cool. VoTTs aren't too bad either.
Here in Japan a pair of mint 19s can cost upwards of $5K, about a third less in the US I think. VoTTs are a big moving target since there were so many types over such a long period.
I'd go with the big Nineteens, especially if you have any Led Zeppelin albums in your collection...

**messengerman** · 2nd May 2007, 13:27

No Led Zep (involuntary shudder), but no shortage of reggae , funk, soul, jazz, hip hop and my daughter is a big fan of indie guitar bands.

I am sooo very tempted by the Nineteens. I can't imagine there are very many in the UK. I've certainly never seen or heard of any. They most definitely are cool. And I might be able to see and hear them in a few weeks.

**bottleneck** · 2nd May 2007, 13:35

Hi Messengerman

As Joel says, with Altec speakers a lot depends upon the exact horn, compression driver and bass unit used.

This varied - especially on the VOTT.

I would try to find out this piece of information before you buy.

Secondly, to really hear what these speakers can do, you need a large listening area. If you have a small british listening room they will do certain things magically - but you'll never get the most out of them.

If all drive units were the same, I'd personally go for the VOTT, but as mentioned the 19's are more likely to have the best drive units in them - and more likely to be in good shape, as the VOTT is often a gigging speaker.

As for price, well that's not something I could really say. Like the sound, it depends on condition of the cabinets and drive units used.

**messengerman** · 2nd May 2007, 13:53

Thanks all for your help. It was actually all your various postings on PFM which put me onto large old HE speakers in the first place!

This is the sellers description of the VOTTs:

N8500-8A Crossover - 8 ohm. Features switchable 500/800 hz crossover point and high frequency level control.

511-B 1" black throat horns 500hz

808-8A Drivers, Alnico Magnets, 1" Throat - Factory 8-ohm Simbiotek diaphragms.

416-8A - 15" Woofer. 8 ohms. Alnico magnet.

I've asked about the Nineteens...

**joel** · 2nd May 2007, 13:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by messengerman

No Led Zep (involuntary shudder), but no shortage of reggae , funk, soul, jazz, hip hop and my daughter is a big fan of indie guitar bands.

You wil love the Altecs*. Don't worry.

*the big Yam 1000x or 2000 provide much of the funk & groove of the big old Altecs / JBLs, but with the low distortion of Quads and near BBC levels of low-colouration.
How good does that sound...

**Markus S** · 2nd May 2007, 13:58

For reggae and hip hop, I think there are better speakers out there (the Altecs don't do real deep bass, 50 Hz is about the lower minimum). For funk, soul and jazz, it would be rather difficult to top a good Altec. That said, I haven't heard the Yammies that Joel likes to rave about ...

What's the rest of your system, and how far away from the speakers can you sit?

**joel** · 2nd May 2007, 13:59

sounds like a A7 cab, which is, ahem, the compact model

I think this would date the units to sometime in the mid-seventies (Chris. Markus?) - possibly younger than the Nineteens, but 19s are just the coolest speakers ever made...

Quote:

Originally Posted by messengerman

Thanks all for your help. It was actually all your various postings on PFM which put me onto large old HE speakers in the first place!

This is the sellers description of the VOTTs:

N8500-8A Crossover - 8 ohm. Features switchable 500/800 hz crossover point and high frequency level control.

511-B 1" black throat horns 500hz

808-8A Drivers, Alnico Magnets, 1" Throat - Factory 8-ohm Simbiotek diaphragms.

416-8A - 15" Woofer. 8 ohms. Alnico magnet.

I've asked about the Nineteens...

**joel** · 2nd May 2007, 14:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Markus Sauer

For reggae and hip hop, I think there are better speakers out there (the Altecs don't do real deep bass,

Neither do most hiphop records for that matter... Altecs and big JBLs work exactly where it counts. If you don't believe me, a walk around the many JBL-equipped dance record shops in Shibuya (and Shinjuku and Kichijoji) is in order...

NP Blacksheep - 8WM Novakane

**joel** · 2nd May 2007, 14:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Markus Sauer

That said, I haven't heard the Yammies that Joel likes to rave about ...

I'll shut up now.

**Markus S** · 2nd May 2007, 14:09

Some of my hip hop records (the few that I own, it's not my cup of musical tea) have very deep synth bass in the 20-30 Hz region, as I discovered when I had the ATCs. Some of my electro tango stuff also features awesomely deep bass, again synth-based. But for anything played by acoustic instruments (that includes e-guitar and e-bass, of course) the Altec woofers do just fine.

**Markus S** · 2nd May 2007, 14:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by joel

19s are just the coolest speakers ever made...

Quite possibly true.

**messengerman** · 2nd May 2007, 14:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by joel

the big Yam 1000x or 2000 provide much of the funk & groove of the big old Altecs / JBLs, but with the low distortion of Quads and near BBC levels of low-colouration.
How good does that sound...

Very good

, I'll add them to my watch list.

I do have another angle on these old speakers in so much as I quite like the idea of restoring them as well as listening to them. In fact I have just started digging the foundations for what will be my new workshop in which I intend to build some GRFs - and a great long list of furniture.

**messengerman** · 2nd May 2007, 14:27

The room is about 18' x 15' with very high 10' ceilings.

At the moment I sit between 8' and 2' of the speakers depending on which end of the sofa I sit on! But I can re-arrange things if I need to. There is no messengerwoman to please and my kids are of the bigger the better persuasion in all things. In fact I just put up a 4' deep 15' diameter "paddling" pool. You have to edge round it to cross the patio!

The rest of my music system is in a state of flux. I tend to leave it alone for years then buy three things at once to try before selling on a couple.

Currently I have a LP12, Marantz CD63 and a Squeezebox.

I have a Audiolab 8000A and pair of Tannoy Mansfields.

The Audiolab is not a great match and will shortly be supplanted by an Accuphase P-102 which is winging its way to me from Italy.

And just to prove that when I get these urges I really get them I also have the chance to bring in from the states a second hand Berning ZH270. A chance which I will probably take up!

2nd May 2007, 10:52	#1
messengerman Registered User Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 35	Altec Nineteen or VOTTs Like buses you wait for ages and then it all kicks off. I currently have some 15" Tannoys but have long hankered after trying the big Altecs and JBLs. But they are like hens teeth here in London. Now all at once I have the chance to buy either a pair of VoTTs or a pair of Nineteens. And no shipping costs or import taxes. So which would go for and how much would you pay?

2nd May 2007, 12:38	#3
joel Shaman of Signals Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 1,649	Nineteens are a SERIOUS blast and seriously cool. VoTTs aren't too bad either. Here in Japan a pair of mint 19s can cost upwards of $5K, about a third less in the US I think. VoTTs are a big moving target since there were so many types over such a long period. I'd go with the big Nineteens, especially if you have any Led Zeppelin albums in your collection... __________________ Gerbil Lover

2nd May 2007, 13:35	#5
bottleneck talks a load of rubbish Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: bucks Posts: 6,547	Hi Messengerman As Joel says, with Altec speakers a lot depends upon the exact horn, compression driver and bass unit used. This varied - especially on the VOTT. I would try to find out this piece of information before you buy. Secondly, to really hear what these speakers can do, you need a large listening area. If you have a small british listening room they will do certain things magically - but you'll never get the most out of them. If all drive units were the same, I'd personally go for the VOTT, but as mentioned the 19's are more likely to have the best drive units in them - and more likely to be in good shape, as the VOTT is often a gigging speaker. As for price, well that's not something I could really say. Like the sound, it depends on condition of the cabinets and drive units used. __________________ come friendly bombs and fall on benidorm

2nd May 2007, 11:23	#2
Markus S Registered User Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Nether Addlethorpe Posts: 1,485	Difficult. Ideally you'd need to listen to both. I have VOTTs and love them. I heard Chris' Valencias which are not too far from the 19. To a certain extent, it's swings and roundabouts between the two. The advantage of the VOTT is that the drivers are time-aligned. This results in a coherence and timing security that I find attractive. On the other hand, the horn in front of the 15" driver tends to vibrate and so colours the sound a little. Chris's Valencias were significantly less coloured than my speakers are, but I have no way of knowing how much of that was due to other modifications he did to the speakers (crossover, adding a tweeter etc.). With the VOTT, a lot depends on the exact specification (which hf horn, which drivers etcs.).

2nd May 2007, 13:27	#4
messengerman Registered User Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 35	No Led Zep (involuntary shudder), but no shortage of reggae , funk, soul, jazz, hip hop and my daughter is a big fan of indie guitar bands. I am sooo very tempted by the Nineteens. I can't imagine there are very many in the UK. I've certainly never seen or heard of any. They most definitely are cool. And I might be able to see and hear them in a few weeks.

2nd May 2007, 13:53	#6
messengerman Registered User Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 35	Thanks all for your help. It was actually all your various postings on PFM which put me onto large old HE speakers in the first place! This is the sellers description of the VOTTs: N8500-8A Crossover - 8 ohm. Features switchable 500/800 hz crossover point and high frequency level control. 511-B 1" black throat horns 500hz 808-8A Drivers, Alnico Magnets, 1" Throat - Factory 8-ohm Simbiotek diaphragms. 416-8A - 15" Woofer. 8 ohms. Alnico magnet. I've asked about the Nineteens...

2nd May 2007, 13:58	#8
Markus S Registered User Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Nether Addlethorpe Posts: 1,485	For reggae and hip hop, I think there are better speakers out there (the Altecs don't do real deep bass, 50 Hz is about the lower minimum). For funk, soul and jazz, it would be rather difficult to top a good Altec. That said, I haven't heard the Yammies that Joel likes to rave about ... What's the rest of your system, and how far away from the speakers can you sit?

2nd May 2007, 14:09	#12
Markus S Registered User Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Nether Addlethorpe Posts: 1,485	Some of my hip hop records (the few that I own, it's not my cup of musical tea) have very deep synth bass in the 20-30 Hz region, as I discovered when I had the ATCs. Some of my electro tango stuff also features awesomely deep bass, again synth-based. But for anything played by acoustic instruments (that includes e-guitar and e-bass, of course) the Altec woofers do just fine.

2nd May 2007, 14:27	#15
messengerman Registered User Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 35	The room is about 18' x 15' with very high 10' ceilings. At the moment I sit between 8' and 2' of the speakers depending on which end of the sofa I sit on! But I can re-arrange things if I need to. There is no messengerwoman to please and my kids are of the bigger the better persuasion in all things. In fact I just put up a 4' deep 15' diameter "paddling" pool. You have to edge round it to cross the patio! The rest of my music system is in a state of flux. I tend to leave it alone for years then buy three things at once to try before selling on a couple. Currently I have a LP12, Marantz CD63 and a Squeezebox. I have a Audiolab 8000A and pair of Tannoy Mansfields. The Audiolab is not a great match and will shortly be supplanted by an Accuphase P-102 which is winging its way to me from Italy. And just to prove that when I get these urges I really get them I also have the chance to bring in from the states a second hand Berning ZH270. A chance which I will probably take up!