Altec Model 19 (Nineteen) Part #1 - Intro

[@davidperry4013]

If I had a pair, a 15-watt is all you need to enjoy Hotel California loud enough to turn your living room into a concert venue. I've watched recorded footage of a live Beatles concert from 1964 and they used Altec Lansing A7s speakers in a multi-mono configuration and it is one of the best-sounding live rock concerts that ever happened. If I ever got Altec M19s, they will most likely be my permanent speakers and power them with good old-fashioned vacuum tubes probably British-made audio amplifiers with 12AX7 and EL34 tubes.

[@vincentwolfe7324]

I really in joyed your videos. I have two model nineteens driving by a 2205 McIntosh amp. There might be better sounding speakers out there, but when it comes to playing loud these will blow your house down. Even if you have a big house. I got mine for 300.00 and it was the best money I ever spent. They always make me think of the old Maxell tape add. I must be old. Thanks again

[@vincentwolfe7324]

Hi Hopalong, Orange County Speaker Repair in Garden Grove CA got parts for me when my kids decided to see how far down the block you could go and still hear them. They ruined a horn. This place got me a new diaphragm for 70.00. They can repair your speakers too.

[@tylero8595]

How much did you pay for yours? There are a pair for sale near me for $4300 Canadian dollars. Thnx for the vid.

[@maynardcat]

I've always liked Altec speakers. A high end Altec stereo dealer here in town years ago sold stock Altecs like the model 19, but he also had custom made systems which I had. It was a 6'6" tall walnut finished cabinet 34" wide and 27" deep, each cabinet had the Altec 515-B horn, two 515-B woofers, and two Electro Voice t-35 ultra high frequency drivers on each side of the horn. The cabinet was 2" thick and steel reinforced, the back had about 100 bolts and one large one in the center steel reinforced to prevent any resonance or the power of the 515s from pulsating the back loose. They were powered by a McIntosh 2300, and had tremendous power. On low stops of pipe organ music your ears felt like your were in a vaccum, rock n roll music with a heavy low end made the floor feel like it dropped out from under you. I miss those speakers, when I sold them a piano moving company had to move them, nothing since could compare to those. They also easily handled the power of the McIntosh 2300.

[@davidclarke7154]

The Model 19s are very cool!

[@jolijn_is_preppy]

Cant wait to hear the listening tests! I have a set of 2004 Klipsch la scala`s, and am trying to decide whether or not to switch to the model 19... I`m really missing an upfront sound...

[@stereopolice]

Thanks bro! It's a very beautiful song, and the accompanying video somebody put together is pretty cool too. I put the link in the description of this video. Enjoy.

[@emirsalihovic4869]

Fantastiše

[@TheMKAndy]

Thanks a lot for your Video I am watching from Korea

[@stereopolice]

That one for $1850 looks like it has issues with one of the woofer surrounds. Unless you can get better photos of the surrounds, beware. The other one looks really nice, but it's a auction, without buy-it-now, so who know what the ending price will be. But they look fantastic!!

[@marcump]

Aren't those Altecs power hungry? I bet a Yamaha P-2200 would get 'em movin'

[@MrNeverlift]

They are one of the most efficient home speakers ever built. I never go over 1/2 watt per channel. Usually less than 2/10 watt is where I am at.

[@davidperry4013]

An sx1980 powering Altec model 19s can really hurt your ears. Low wattage vacuum tube amplifiers are just perfect for them.

[@wlbrobinson]

These were just amazing speakers except the horns would fail a lot. The Model 15's were very good too and would hold up if you had a really clean amp like a Crown. A crown amp would make average higher end speakers sound better. But like everyone manufacturing went to china so did the quality. Klipsch were great but you couldn't crank them anywhere near what a 15 or 19 would do. I miss those days.

[@stereopolice]

Cezar, check out the following albums by Stereolab: Cobra & Phases Group Play Voltage In The Milky Night Dots & Loops Aluminum Tunes (hard to find) ... and then move on to their other stuff. If you like Quick Canal by Atlas Sound, then I think that this music will change your life!! Cheerio!

[@manuelestrada4707]

i had simaler to thise they Freaking rock.

[@cezarc7937]

Hey. Nice videos. I'm planning to buy a pair of model 19. Can you please tell me the name of the song playing in background in this video ?

[@williamjverhagen]

Speaker tests mean nothing when we all are listening to them thru cellphone laptop and computer box speakers. Never do sound checks ever just tell us like you did tell us what YOU hear. We will never know.

[@stereopolice]

The 19's, in my humble opinion, are superior to the Klipsch Cornwalls I once had, by far!! In so many ways I won't get into. That's not to say that the Cornwalls are not great speakers, it's just a testament to how good these are (to my ears at least). Wait for the music demo in a few days, coming soon. I'm tweaking my set-up to ensure the highest fidelity recording.

[@martyjewell5683]

First off, I gotta tell ya I'm no Altec fan. JBL's too. The famous WEST COAST SOUND. That is until I experienced the Altec 19's. Heard them at a friends place in 1979. WOW, awesome speakers. Some background on the 19's; 15" woofer, vented. An exceptional Radial Phase Plug horn tweeter. Good frequency response down to 30hz, outstanding sensitivity of 99dB. Amp power to 350w and an incredible SPL of 117dB @ 65watts. A little weighty at 143 lbs. Big too, 30"X 39"X 21". Even classical works sounded swell on these monsters. Not the best speakers but truly great sound. What more can I say?? Impressive.

[@stereopolice]

Yeah, I really enjoyed them. Am listing to Forte III's now, and love those too. Regards ....

[@martyjewell5683]

I have a full page review of the Altec 19 speakers in High Fidelity magazine from a 1980 issue. Very interesting reading. I will also research the Forte lll speakers as I've never heard them.

[@stereopolice]

Please do, Klipsch did a fantastic job with the Forte III's. Hear them if you can. PS: I loved my 19's, but they did have a distinct harshness in the mids during some passages. Nonexistent with the Forte III's. Smooth as silk. Cheers ....

[@martyjewell5683]

The problem with mating a 15" woofer with a horn tweeter is a possible lack of dispersion in the mid and upper midrange and roughness too. Of course depending on the selected crossover point. The fact that woofers only disperse well up to a certain frequency is (or should be) well known. I know we're talking Klipsch here but the best BALANCED speakers I've ever heard are the EPI-100's. Not in the same league with the Altec's I know. I mentioned a girlfriend owning a pair of 19's back in 1979. This was in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and the cops were there almost as much as me. The 19's are robust systems, to say the least. Happy listening my friend.

[@stereopolice]

They go from 1500 - 3000 $, depending upon condition. Problem is, nobody ships them, so it's usually local pickup. For a pair in good condition, anywhere around $2000/pair is fair and normal. If you get them for less, you have a deal. Again, good condition!! Less than good condition, don't buy them, just wait ... unless you want to rebuild/re-cone/new diaphrams/cabinet work ... etc. yourself. Good luck. Post a video if you get them.

[@trumps-not-rightfor-us5603]

I guarantee you they were probably spider mites in in these things along with other nasty little crawly creatures that they've been sitting outside or even an uncapped household or storage unit. My curiosity is what it might have cost you to refurbish these things I love altec Lansing 19.. within the family we bought a total of six pair of these between 1974 and in 1979 and then the day they were fairly inexpensive. And they will handle still to this day up to about 200 w continuous without causing any sort of damage your fatigue with in the cones.. empower them with a number of Carver m500t magnetic field power is rated at 200 watts per channel maximum in an 8mm load. We've kept the model 19 in excellent like new condition ever since they were first purchased and when not in use for prolonged periods of time they are boxed and patted for storage.. enjoy those meddling teams you'll never hear anything wake them from speakers made in the last 25 yoursay have a sound all their own . In the image quality is very good they do not need to be specifically set up in a room to hear and listen to their full mannered potential as these were made to be😊😊😊😊

[@stereopolice]

In the instruction manual, it says that during the break-in period, insert a local indigenous spider into the port and wait for a week. When it's finished eating it will die, and every other bug in the speaker enclosure will have been killed too. Cheers..

[@cezarc7937]

Thank you very much for the song name and album names. Today i found two pairs of model 19 on ebay in very good shape with price range between 1500 and 1850 $. In your opinion, what would be a fair price for a pair on model 19 in good tehnical and esthetic condition ?

[@Mercury1955]

I bought a pair of these new back in 1980. I love them but they do have draw backs. That large woofer cannot produce good midrange up to the 1200 hz crossover point. Woofer would have to change directions 2400 times/second. They really should have produced them around a 511B horn instead of the 811b.

[@cezarc7937]

I don't care about shipping because i can pay a special delivery service to bring them to me, provided that the client is willing to pack them or accept those guys :)

[@stereopolice]

Just sent me an email. You might want to delete your email address from the comment above now that I have it. Brian

[@Joni0001984]

They look like they could use a larger midhorn and a supertweeter as an addition. If you feel like experimenting.