Altec 832A Corona ("The Corner Horn")

1957 - 1960s

The Altec 832A Corona is a corner-horn speaker system from the late 1950s, sold as "art speakers" for well-decorated homes. Glenn of California made the cabinets in the California Modernist style. They were meant to sit in a room corner as furniture and still deliver professional-grade audio.

Specifications

Design Philosophy

The Corona is a corner-horn system with triangular cabinets that fit into room corners. It isn't a true corner horn, though. The bass driver is not horn-loaded and works in a bass-reflex enclosure. The backs are "sealed" rather than semi-open, so the wall doesn't become part of an extended horn.

The furniture-grade construction set the Corona apart. Glenn of California, a craft furniture maker working in the popular California Modernist style of the 1940s-1950s, built the cabinets for Altec. Customers could order Coronas styled to match their existing Glenn of California furniture.

Driver Components

• Woofer: 803A - 15" free-edged woofer with Alnico magnet. Keith Aschenbrenner of Auditorium 23 has called the 803A one of his all-time favorite low-frequency drivers.
• Compression Driver: 802D - 1.75" diaphragm compression driver with Alnico magnet structure
• Horn: 811B - The smaller 90° x 40° exponential sectoral horn was chosen to keep the enclosure size manageable for home use
• Crossover: N-800-E - 800 Hz crossover network

Historical Context

Altec introduced the Corona in 1957 at $762 per pair. That is approximately $6,700 in 2018 dollars. For comparison, a 1957 Chevrolet Corvette sold for $3,176.

The Corona was part of Altec's push to bring professional audio components into the home market. The larger A5 and A7 Voice of the Theatre systems used 500 Hz crossovers and larger horns for professional work. The Corona and similar home models used 800 Hz crossovers and smaller horns to keep the cabinets a reasonable size.

Performance Characteristics

Owners report the Corona delivers:

• Superb Tone: The 803A woofer is known for its musicality and presence
• Startling Dynamics: High sensitivity allows for lifelike dynamics even with low-powered amplifiers
• Vivid Presence: The horn-loaded compression driver provides clarity without harshness
• Captivating Musicality: Many owners describe the Corona as having a "magical" quality

Placement and Setup

The Corona was designed for corners, but it can also work as a free-standing speaker. Owners report that it sounds better closer to the front wall, which gives a more natural overall balance. The triangular cabinet looks good out in a room and still fits into a corner.

Amplifier Pairing

With 97 dB sensitivity, the Corona works well with:

• Low-powered tube amplifiers (5-20 watts)
• Vintage solid-state receivers
• Modern high-efficiency amplifiers

The 16 Ω impedance is high, so the Corona works with a wide range of amplifiers, including vintage tube equipment.

Legacy

The Corona dates from a time when high-fidelity speakers were designed as furniture art pieces. The Glenn of California cabinets make them highly collectible today, for the sound and for the mid-century modern design.

Well-preserved Coronas command premium prices on the vintage market, and restored pairs often sell for $5,000-$6,000. Collectors still seek them out for their audio performance and as "art speakers" from the golden age of hi-fi.

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