Altec 756B + 32C + 806 + 23744 = mini 757

The WE756A is the middle child in the Western Electric series of wide range drivers introduced in the late 40s.

I've seen and heard a couple of WE/Altec 728Bs + a dozen or so pairs of 755As, but I've never heard a WE756A and have only seen one in the metal at a radio show many years ago. Although still quite scarce, its Altec 756B brother isn't quite as elusive.

Back: Blonde + Mahogany Altec Melodist 700A
Front L-R : WE728B, Altec 755A/pr. + Altec 756B

The few Altec 756Bs I've encountered all came out of the Altec Melodist 700A. It's a compact bass reflex speaker system loaded with the 756B, supplemented on top by a 3000A horn tweeter via an N3000B crossover. The 700A belonged to the Melodist monaural hifi system line, which Altec targeted at apartment dwellers in big cities of midcentury America.

 Subsequently, the 756B was replaced by an 8" Altec 401A and was re-designated as the Melodist 700B. With the introduction of stereo for the mainstream market in 1958, the Altec Melodist line quietly faded into oblivion.

 If found in good condition, the Altec Melodist 700A is a fine looking midcentury modern artifact! Unfortunately, the < 1.5 cf ported box doesn't allow the 756B to shine sonically, IMHO. Since it shares similar proportions to its more successful contemporaries like the Acoustic Research AR-1 and the Jensen Duette, the cabinet design may have been dictated by market positioning rather than sound engineering.

My once-in-a-lifetime lucky find 700A above has lived a hard life. The lower front edge of the cabinet was missing while the sweet and airy but very fragile 3000A horn tweeter element had been replaced by a tiny ferrite magnet dome tweeter.😏 A "mod" that has been circulating in the internet, so watch out.  

 

Fortunately, the 756B is very well preserved. If memory serves me right, the WE756A frame is more substantial than the Altec 756B. That’s probably the reason why the back handles were omitted in the Altec. The 756B has an 8 ohm voice coil, while the WE756A is 4 ohms.

J-Rob's Altec 756B at 
Capital Audio Fest 2016

Joe Roberts has already done a great job of describing the sonic qualities and proper implementation of the Altec 756B in his (Geekstar) "My big ten inch --Altec 756B" post at the Altec User's Board. He also gave insight on the shifting Asian market for vintage Western Electric and Altec gear. A guaranteed fun and informative read!

Since I don't have Joe's networking skills, I resigned myself to the reality that my Altec 756B will be the main speaker of my monophonic hi-fi set up, just as Altec intended.

Click for a videoclip

Meanwhile, I repurposed (sealed) a Heathkit AS10 (almost 2 cf) cabinet to familiarize myself with the 756B. I listened to it as a wide range driver with and without top end assistance from either a 32A/802/34852 + an XO based on this schematic or 3000H with an L-Pad + 0.5 uf - 1 uf paper in oil cap. The simplest XO I used was a 0.22uf paper in oil cap in series with the + terminal of the 3000H, no L-pad needed. That also sounded good, albeit, with slightly less sparkle.   

JE Labs mini 757
inspired by the Western Electric 757A

After extensive listening in wide range mode, I determined that a mono hifi set up will benefit from a wider baffle + the dispersion pattern of the Western Electric-derived 32 horn. So I sketched a slant front ~ 2.5 cf infinite baffle that has a provision for an Altec 32C horn + 802 driver and sent it to John Piro of Hommage Audio.

728B vs. 756B

As expected, the 756B is more extended at the top end than the 728B with almost, but not quite, equal bass extension. However, music through the 728B held my attention appreciably longer without my reaching for a clip-lead to fill in the top octaves with the 32/802 horn/driver for more harmonic overtones above 5 kHz. 

RTA = Altec 756B in a ~ 2.5 cf infinite baffle 

I confirmed this during one of my shop talks with J-Rob, who also found it more rewarding to listen to 728Bs in wide range mode than to his 756Bs. It makes me wonder if the 756B and its WE756A brother were designed with a middle-child syndrome gene in their sonic DNA.🤔

After many years of collecting Altec 1" compression drivers, I've only landed a single Altec 23744 "light" aluminum diaphragm, which was fitted to an 806 motor that was used in the Altec 9849 monitor speaker.

Things started to crystalize when my friend Dave V. aka Salectric,🙏 sent me his spare .085 mH choke. It was a proprietary part found in the EQ circuit of the Altec 9849 crossover, which is an 8 ohm speaker system. This EQ circuit shapes and boosts the response of the 32/806 horn/driver combo. Incidentally, Dave's "Last PAS" articles written for The Audio Amateur contributed to my 80s Dynaco hacking activities.

RTA = Altec 32C + 806 + 23744

 The 4 uf paper in oil capacitor serves as a first order high pass filter hinged around 5 kHz with a gentle 6dB/octave slope, while the variable 8 ohm L-pad shapes and controls upper frequency overtones to taste. 

inside the mini 757

John P did a great job of building a very rigid cabinet, which saved me the time and trouble of having to experiment with damping. I just lined the interior panels with Kimpak and I was ready to listen.

RTA = JE Labs mini 757

This project transpired as an opportune moment to assemble all the singleton Altecs from my collection - 756B + 32C + 806 + 23744 - into a formidable monaural hifi speaker system.😊

JE Labs mini 757

My ears hear close to half an octave of bass extension from the mini 757 compared to the 755A in a Silbatone or 618 cabinet. Due to its greater efficiency, it plays louder while dynamics at micro and macro levels are less compressed. The larger cone area of the 756B + wide baffle + 90° horizontal x 60° vertical dispersion of the 32C horn, portray a bigger sense of scale. All of these were achieved without compromising the midrange realism I enjoy from my beloved 755A. 

However, the Altec 753C is perceptibly more efficient, offers at least an octave lower of extension with more authority. It also produces higher SPLs. 

Alas, we can't defy the physics of sound...

JE Labs monophonic hifi

...so I focused on the aesthetics by spicing it up with a touch of Charles Eames and Dieter Rams! 😉

Hi-Fi for the Deck: Rpi3B >TDA1543x4 DAC > Simple Triode SE6V6 amp > EV Sonocaster

Spring and Fall are the best seasons to enjoy food and drinks on our deck. To complement the beautiful atmosphere, I assembled an e-z to set up and dismantle hifi system!

Music Source

This stack consists of a Raspberry Pi 3B loaded with Volumio music player/streamer tethered to a Signstek USB to SPDiF converter which connects to a Muse TDA1543x4 Non-OverSampling DAC.

Volumio offers a wide choice of radio stations streaming MP3 files up to 320 Kbps. The Radio Paradise channel has even started broadcasting FLAC files. 👍

Amplifier

In the late 80s, I built my first amplifier from scratch using transformers from a cosmetically challenged Dyna SCA35. I used this paraphase circuit from the Dynaco Transformer Catalog with a 6SL7 driving a pair of push-pull 6V6s. Musically, I preferred this amp to my then highly modified Dyna ST70 and pair of MKIVs.

with 6F6Gs courtesy of John Piro

Since I always had reservations about the 1626 triode's musical abilities, I converted the JEL Darling Style amp to use triode connected 6V6s. Wow!👍

!!!WARNING!!! 

The voltages in this circuit are potentially lethal! Build at your own risk!

Input sensitivity = 0.3V, no need for a preamp
This amp also does a good job of driving my collection of orthodynamic headphones via adapter.

Triode connected 6V6s mimic directly heated triodes much better! 🎻🎸

Speakers

This pair of Electro-Voice Sonocasters came from the flea market. I guesstimate the sensitivity to be in the mid 90s dB @ 1W @ 1M. Driven by 1.4 triode watts per channel from the SE6V6 amp, I sure won't be annoying the neighbors. 🤣

The 8" drivers are unmarked but look very much like MC-8s - not quite an Altec 755C or Pioneer PIM8L in terms of refinement or realism, but not too shabby either + a lot more rugged!

Happy Listening!🍻

Home Brewer: Silbatone 755 Cabinet DIYers Club

Left = JE Labs clone (by John Piro)
Right = J-Rob's Silbatone original 

"The cabinets were designed by genius Silbatone engineer Dr. Stefano Bae as a group project for the Silbatone-sponsored DIY/Western Electric forum in South Korea. 100 pairs were quickly sold out, immediately driving up the world price for 755As. The original uses Silbatone's custom silver litz wire, which is said to be an essential ingredient of the original recipe, and top shelf WBT connectors.

Over the years Silbatone designed and made literally dozens of experimental boxes, including back horns for up to four (755A) drivers per side. This was probably the most successful, although rather modest.

My analysis of this untuned little cabinet is that it falls under the 'small box with a hole in it' design paradigm."

Joe Roberts 

May 17, 2019

After I uploaded the Silbatone cabinet DIY info, I've received numerous inquiries about what drivers to use on this cabinet. Since it's impossible for me to try all the 8" drivers ever made, I thought it was best to let my readers chime in with their creations.

Altec 755As in Manila

Tango MCT999 MC transformer,
JE Labs 5691 passive EQ RIAA phono + 76 > Tango NP216N line stage, 
JE Labs SE2A3 with Magnequest TFA204 OPTs (on the floor)

Nonong is the only high school classmate and friend I remained in contact with after leaving Manila many moons ago. He coined SETUP (Single Ended Triode Users of the Philippines) back in the '90s and was one of the three pioneers listening to idler driven turntables, high mass tonearms, SPU cartridges + transformers, DIY preamps and SET amps driving high efficiency speakers.

Garrard 301 + Ikeda IT407 + SPU Meister Silver
JE Labs SE300B deluxe mono blocks with Tamura F7002s 
on copper chassis

His cherished pair of Altec 755As have been mounted on open baffles since the mid '90s. But as soon as he saw the Silbatone cabinet plan, he had the cabinets built in no time.

Altec 755As in the USA

Nate Grindheim aka Redboy in Audiokarma and HiFi Haven is an avid DIYer. You'll find his meticulously crafted MC step up transformers and amps in those aforementioned audio forums as well as in his Flickr stream.

Nate says:

"My buddy Gary (aka ejfud) built the cabinets for me. He knew I had the drivers and got tired of waiting around for me to build something for them, so he took the initiative to knock a pair together for me. He's a good friend to have around.

These things are really wonderful. They have that amazing Tone (with a capital "T"!) that I'm after, and the sound... it's just right, and good. They make music.

I am excited to get some proper amplification for them. There's a pair of 6L6 IPC amps here with Peerless iron that I think will be a great match, but I still need to overhaul them."

Altec 755C in Manila

Ben C recently retired from banking so he can focus his energy on his DIY audio passion. He's been stuck in Toronto since the Covid 19 lockdown and is itching to return home to finish his other audio projects.

Garrard 401 + RMG309 + FR64S + SPU Aniversary,
DIY preamp and SET amps

 I'm hoping that he'll drop by before he heads back to Manila when this is all over.

Altec 755E + JBL 075 in Manila

This bespoke cabinet is Joey's interpretation of the Silbatone executed in the Harana Audio Workshop. 

Harana Audio is also the official representative of Shinichi Suzuki and his Western Electric inspired G.I.P. Laboratory field coil drivers in the Philippines.

Lafayette SK98/Pioneer PIM8L in the USA

I've featured this driver and cabinet in a full-length profile of John Piro's creations. But it's worth reiterating a non Altec 755 driver successfully used in the Silbatone cabinet.

If you want your DIY Silbatone cabinet project added to this exclusive club 😉, please leave a comment with your email address. I will reply to you directly.

Cheap Thrills from Radio Shack + more

It's been three years since I blogged about Radio Shack's demise. I miss browsing at a Rat Shack store even more.😞 Through the years, a number of audio products from the Radio Shack Catalog  have caught the attention of budget-conscious Hi-Fi enthusiasts. 

I've already covered the 40-1354A 5.25" full-range driver and 40-1310 super tweeter in a previous entry. Below are capsule reviews of a few more Radio Shack audio goodies I've played with. Aside from the cool historical factor, IMHO, most can still equal or even outperform many entry-level audio gear today.

Realistic Pro 30 Headphones

The Realistic Pro 30 was introduced in 1981 for $39.95. Its price was reduced to $34.95 in 1983 and then to $29.95 in 1984. It made its final appearance in the 1986 Catalog. Instead of the usual dynamic drivers, these headphones were fitted with planar magnetic drivers, very unusual at this price point then and now.

It was one of the favorites in the orthodynamic round up thread started by wualta in headfi.org 15 years ago.

I got this pair very cheap because it needed new cables. In stock form, it sounds very smooth and refined. It can be tailored to 21st century tastes via judicious damping. The felt dot boosts high frequencies while the additional felt pad focuses the audio band a bit. New ear pads can improve the bass response since the flattened originals are no longer giving a good seal. Yup, speaker tweaks are applicable to headphones too!

Even if this is still a work in progress, I already prefer the sound of my modified Pro 30 to my Grado SR80. If you're patient, these turn up for around $30/shipped on eBay. 

32-1100A Stereo Mixer

 

I never got into DJ'ing/mixing but I couldn't resist this Stereo Mixer at a flea market for a couple of bills. It can be powered by 4 x AA batteries or a wall wart that can produce 6VDC at 35 mA. This mixer sports two magnetic phono preamps, 2 microphone inputs + 1 line level, tape out, a preamp output and a 1/4" headphone jack. No ICs or op-amps in the signal path as far as I can tell.

The headphone amp sounds very clean and has plenty of power for modern low Z headphones but may run out of steam driving higher Z or less efficient planars. I've even used this as a preamp in my near-field system with musically satisfying results!

41-2109 RIAA phono preamp

This outboard phono preamp was available in various permutations from the 70s to the early 90s. The circuit topology is very similar to the the above mixer but the sound is more dynamic and detailed due to the higher voltage rail powering the discrete circuit. 

41-2109 schematic

Some audiophiles claim that it can hold its own against tube phono preamps. It's good, but not THAT good. When pitted against my stock but refreshed Dyna PAS 3, it offered less resolution and was tonally more opaque. It was totally outclassed by my octal and loctal preamps. That said, I don't think you can find an RIAA phono preamp that can beat this bone stock unit for under $100.

 

Optimus LX4

Available only between 1995 and 1996, the LX4 achieved audiophile credibility because of Dick Olsher's review. It used the Linaeum monopole tweeter which provided a lot of air in the high frequencies without the sizzle of run of the mill domes. Unlike the paper coned Minimus 8 below, the LX4's Kevlar coned 4.5" woofer’s medium efficiency isn't as good in tracking micro dynamics. I voiced my original Simple 45/2A3 amp using a pair of Altec 755Cs in open baffles cross referenced to a pair of LX4s in the mid 90s.

Even if this was, and still is, a smooth and coherent sounding speaker at its price point, I wouldn't go as far as choosing this over the BBC LS3/5A. 

JE Labs Test Bench

A test bench isn't complete unless it has the facility to 'sound test' a freshly minted audio project or a newly repaired audio component.

Minimus 8

While I was a high school junior, I owned a pair of Minimus 8s driven by a Realistic SA-10. This speaker evolved from the Solo 103, which used various incarnations of the classic Fostex/Foster 103 4" paper coned full-range driver.

I got this ca. 1982 pair at Goodwill. Considering their diminutive size, these speakers are quite efficient at 89dB/1W/1M. To offset the upper midrange/lower treble tilt, these sound their best mounted flush against the wall. It's an easy load even for a 250mW per channel amp and provides nice background music while soldering.😉

The Realistic Stack

Top Right: Realistic TM-150, center right: Realistic SA-150,
center left: Realistic SA-10 (31-1982A)

Introduced in 1985, the TM-150 and SA-150 tuner/amp combo was riding on the mini-sized components trend of that era. The AM/FM TM-150 tuner has good sensitivity and can pull stations even in my basement shop via a simple omni antenna. 

 The SA-150 amplifier can trace its roots to the Germanium-equipped SA-175 amplifier from the late 60s, followed by the SA-101 from the mid-late 70s, which was succeeded by the SA-102 in 1980. Towards the end of the SA-102's production run, the accounting department tried their hand at circuit design and grafted an LA4440 IC chip amp on the same chassis.😡 This topology was carried over to the SA-150. Surprisingly, it doesn't sound bright or grating. On the contrary, it sounds dark and grainy.😞 It's ok for background music and has a value for the money MM phono stage.

Schematic of the SA-150 RIAA phono preamp
which can be accessed via the tape out
Note the similarity to the 42-2109 phono preamp 

The SA-150 was cosmetically altered in later years and was still available as the RCA SA-155 in the 2002 catalog.

Realistic SA10

Since I owned a Realistic SA-10 amplifier in my youth, I got inspired to search for another sample when I noticed the similarity of its circuit topology to the John Linsley-Hood 1969 Class A amplifier .

JLH 1969 Class A amplifier

Realistic SA-10 (31-1982A) amplifier section

However, the resemblance is only superficial since the JLH 1969 operates in pure Class A and the output stage is quasi single-ended while the Realistic SA-10 is a four transistor push-pull amplifier operating in Class AB1.

!!!WARNING!!! 

The voltages found in these circuits can be lethal! Proceed at your own risk!

Left: later version with IC chip amp
Right: earlier version with discrete solid state circuit

During its long life, the SA-10 was also subjected to cost cutting measures. The later 31-1982B sported IC chip amps in the output section.

Radio Shack could justify their use of IC chip amps on paper since I measured 700mW per channel from both versions. But the similarity ends in the test bench. Even if a different IC chip amp was used, the later 31-1982B also sounds dark and veiled just like the SA-150, whereas the all transistor SA-10 (31-1982A) has a more vivid midrange that reminds me of tubes.😊 

Loudness compensation bypassed + cap upgrades
31-1982A schematic

To be honest, I don't think the cap upgrades made a significant improvement in sound. I changed the output capacitors to protect my speakers and headphones in case of DC output in the speaker terminals due to leaky caps. However, I highly recommend bypassing the loudness compensation circuitry to remove the "Bose Wave Radio" crud.😆

With my DIY headphone adapter attached, the SA-10 (31-1982A) also does a good job as a headphone amp. The separate left and right level controls don't bother me and if I need more inputs I can press my 42-2112 audio source control selector into service.

 

42-2112 audio source selector

This source selector will extend one stereo input to three.

33-1009

If your amplifier doesn't have a headphone jack and puts out 2 watts per channel or more, you need this headphone coupler. This device has attenuating resistors inside to protect your headphone drivers (and your ears 😆) from getting fried.

Realistic SA101

The SA-101 was the unit that got away in '79 because it equalled the cost of my SA-10 + a pair of Minimus 8s. This amplifier hails from the generation of discrete solid state circuits. It has an RIAA phono preamp + two line level inputs, a balance control and 1/4" headphone socket. It's the ideal amp for a retro vinyl LP + headphone set up!😎

The amplifier circuit is virtually identical to the SA-10 (31-1982A) except for the increased voltage and beefed up power supply. Thus, my Fluke 87 measured 4V rms to an 8 ohm load or 2000 mW per channel. This may not sound like much but it drove most of the speakers in my collection to musically satisfying levels. Just like the SA-10 (31-1982A), it has some warmth and depth in the midrange reminiscent of tubes.😊

Why would I listen to the SA-101 and the early version of the SA-10 rather than their later IC chip amp brethren or the Class D chip amp I got from Parts Express a couple of years ago? 

First of all, I'm not a bass head and I don't listen at ear splitting SPLs. I also put more emphasis on sonic refinement which is easier found in flea powered amps (tube and solid state) designed by engineers who honed their skills (and ears) during the vacuum tube era, exemplified by Mr. John Linsley-Hood! 

Postscript

Ms. JE Labs' Office/Sewing Room Set Up

Tish’s office system consists of a Lafayette LA25A stereo integrated amp, fed by a Magnavox CD2000 CD player  + a Kenwood KT880D tuner. The components are flanked by a pair of Akai SW132 Jet Stream speakers.

The LA25A amp was OEM'd in Japan for Lafayette in the early 70s. This unit is very similar to the Lafayette LA25 sans magnetic RIAA phono input.

The Akai Jet Stream is a compact transmission-line (TL) cabinet manufactured in the Philippines in the early 70s. It supposedly contains a Fostex/Foster 103 driver variant. Unfortunately, I can't confirm this without disassembling the woodwork. 

This is a pretty good sounding speaker. The upper midrange forwardness inherent in the Fostex/Foster 103 driver is neutralized by the TL loading even if there's still not much activity below 90 Hz.

The speakers belonged to Tish's dad. He was a Filipino cardiologist and these Akai SW132s were the rear speakers of a quadraphonic system gifted to him by a patient. He also left behind a pair of Jensen Triettes and a Rek O Kut R34 belt drive turntable, which were part of his stereo rig while doing his fellowship in Cook County, Illinois in the early 60s. 

According to Tish, he was also into photography and developed his own negatives. Unfortunately, I never got to meet him. We would've enjoyed talking shop over ice cold beer since we shared a lot of common interests!