Altec Model 15 Speakers
Documentation on the Altec Model 15 is thin. What we know comes largely from a single owner's report on the Audioheritage forum plus one estate-sale listing. It appears to have been a studio-monitor-style loudspeaker introduced in the late 1970s or early 1980s, though exact production years are not recorded. The high-frequency section is what sets it apart. A 1-inch compression driver (the 902-8A) sits on a large sectoral horn fitted with a 24-element fiberglass "glass" lens, intended to approximate a point source and control dispersion. The woofer side uses a 15-inch 416-8B driver in a vented, internally braced 1-inch plywood cabinet. The crossover point is 1200 Hz, using a 17-element, 12 dB/octave network with L-pad attenuation and a Zobel impedance-compensation circuit.
The owner who documented the system praised its clarity and accuracy for near-field monitoring. The known weakness is the lens. Fiberglass gets brittle with age and the lens is prone to crazing or cracking. It is not removable without risking damage to the driver, so replacement may mean replacing the entire horn assembly. Finish options were walnut or oak veneer. One estate sale in Mendham, NJ (May 2024) listed a pair, but no price was given.
Audio-Collection (undated, p.29) mentioned the Model 15 only in passing within a manufacturer/distributor index. That confirms it existed in the period trade, but adds nothing on performance. No dimensions, weight, frequency response, sensitivity, impedance, or original price have surfaced in any source reviewed here.
Known specifications, such as they are:
- 2-way system, studio monitor
- 15" woofer (Altec 416-8B)
- 1" compression driver (Altec 902-8A) on sectoral horn with 24-element fiberglass lens
- Crossover: 1200 Hz, 12 dB/octave, 17-element network with L-pad and Zobel
- Vented cabinet, 1" plywood, internally braced
- Walnut or oak veneer finish
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