2. vintage
  3. 192221-198862

Altec Model 19 Soundsystem with Subwoofer pairing

Hi everyone,

Long time lurker of this site and finally now posting! Over the last few years, I have become obsessed with what high-quality speakers can do, and during that time, I have found (4) Altec Model 19s to emulate a modern club-level sound system with the aesthetics of vintage. We raised the Altecs so that the HF Horn would stand about 8 feet high and power all speakers with an SS Yamaha M4 amp (we are going to upgrade this when money permits). The wood floors are roughly 30x30 feet, and our capacity is around 200-250 at peak hour. During the first event, we blew a woofer on one of them from cranking the system too hard, so we need to dial that back, thus adding additional low-end to the mix is necessary to take load off the 19s. The hope is that by adding two subs on either side of the room (with each 19 positioned in a corner of the square) we can get below 30 HZ but crossover (via a DSP) at a frequency less detrimental to the long-term health of the 19s. 
 

My question: Does anyone have a good subwoofer rec that might pair nicely with the 19s? Open to modern, was thinking of something the JBL 4645 ilk (theater quality), but very much green here. If there is a DSP recommendation as well, that would be appreciated as a place to start looking into. Thanks in advance for the help!

chrispavlov
grinnell
1,107 posts
 

Our local record store has the biggest SVS sub i have ever seen outside of a concert venue.  its about 36 x 18 x 24

 

https://www.dtsvinyl.com/

yakbob
478 posts
 

Given the space you mentioned , it sounds like you’d want subs that lean more toward the pro audio side of the spectrum (utilitarian)

You didn’t mention a budget, but I would look at JTR subs. They have a number of single and dual driver designs up to 18” with DSP built in.

Perhaps two Captivator 4000ULF-TL, or from their pro line, Captivator 215PRO would do the trick.

https://www.jtrspeakers.com/home-audio

livinon2wheels
116 posts
 

I would cross over your subs in the 50-60 Hz range and make them do the heavy lifting on the low end for sure. The latest and greatest SVS subs are blessed with parametric EQ that should allow relatively easy blending of their output to match your mains. The good news is you don't need anything else if you already have a receiver or preamp processor that has bass management built in. Using that built in bass management and the eq built into the SVS subs you should be able to get exactly the right sound balance in your room. I would be interested to hear what you end up doing and also how well it works out for you.

Tom

erik_squires
16,254 posts
 

Measure and see what your bass response in room looks like, then determine where to cross.  It may be you have particular room modes you need squelched, say 72 Hz, so you'll want to cross higher than that and position the subs where they won't be affected by the room modes.

Also, check the AM Acoustics room mode simulator.  It will help you place your speakers in more optimal locations which avoid room modes, or at least minimize them.

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