[Wayner]

I've been helping a friend that owns the local electronics store, to restore some old speakers, the JBL-L200s and the Altec Lansing Santiagos. The Santiagos are a home version of the "Voice of the Theater" speaker, featuring a 15" woofer and a horn loaded (big ars) tweeter.

I will post photo's later tomorrow if I remember to bring the camera.

The L200s employ a 15" woofer as well, but have an unusual louvered diffraction grill over the midrange.

The fun thing is we are powering both speakers with a Marantz 2238 receiver with a wopping 38 watts per channel (RMS) and can drive them without distortion to levels that most sane folks would be happy with.

The one thing I have to say is that these babies have dynamic range! Both pairs needed lots of cabinet repair on the veneer, and the bases of both needed to be constructed. The Altecs were in the worse shape and even needed to have the grills and cross-overs totally rebuilt. That is one hell of a cross-over network on the Altecs. Horn crosses at 800Hz. 12db slope on the 15" woofer, 18db slope on the horn, plus a fairly exotic EQ circuit on both woofer and tweeter, plus an L pad on the horn. Well, both the Altecs and JBLs have L pads.

Anyway, tomorrow, if it doesn't rain, I'm going to bring my AVA Ultravalve (33 watts per channel) tube amp over and see how the bad boys bark. To be honest, we have gotten both pairs to almost new looking condition.

All that said, remember that big speakers need big rooms.

Here is what they look like (not ours).

 

And the Altecs

 

Wayner 

[hibuckhobby]

had a pair of those L-200's not that long ago.  Regret selling.
Once you hear high efficiency, big driver speakers, it's not easy
to settle for something else.
Hibuck....

[eclein]

Wayner your so right about the size of the room, I just sold some JBL ND310ii's today that I picked up off CL a few months back and although they sounded excellent my listening room was just too small, I kept all the JBL's I have with 12" woofers and use some slightly smaller JBL's (S38ii) with 10's" for my 2 channel setup.

 Every model I've owned sound slightly different but they all have one thing in common and thats the nice low end, feel it in your chest kinda bass, that and the dynamic sound you mentioned are the reason I enjoy JBL's so much.

[Mitsuman]

Update? Especially on the Altecs puhleaze. 

[JoshK]

Very cool, esp on the Altecs.  I personally am not that intrigued by JBL, but the altecs have potential if you are willing to damp the hell out of the horn. 

That being said, I severely disagree with the following.  In my experience, and modern theory/understanding of acoustics, that larger speakers actually load the room more evenly that small speaker (controlled directivity). 

All that said, remember that big speakers need big rooms.
 

[Wayner]

The reason they need big rooms (IMO) is that they need to be spaced farther apart, for great soundstage (which I live for).

I am going to try to post some actual pictures in the next day or 2.

Wayner

[John Casler]

Had a pair of the Altec Valencias twin brother to the Santiagos in the early 70's powered with a Phase Linear 400 stereo amp.

Played ELP's Lucky Man at high SPL's and at the end when the Synth sweeps below Human Hearing, but you can feel it; I saw God whilst lying in the middle of my waterbed. 

It was one of my most memorable "high points" in my listening past.  Luved that system.  Empire 598 tt/Kenwood Tuner, CITATION Preamp, HK Cassette deck, Teac 3340 4 track reel to reel, Phase Linear 400 power amp, and the Altec Valencias.