I did this mod, "my way", a couple days ago, and it helped my VOTT A7-800 set up. Uncle Stu posted this a year or so ago, and he passed away, but he needs to be given credit for unselfishly sharing this.

Can you think out of the box? Are you willing to TRY new things?

The fourth and top most box I added was very audible. Got a moving and storage business near you? It will cost under $20 for four new boxes to do your whole system.

My boxes were about 16 by 17 by 21 1/2 inches. So, I have a minimum of 16 inches baffle width at 45 degrees, and an 86 inch height. Rather than one large baffle, my pictured implementation allows one to position, box-by-box, by ear, on complex music, to a 1/16th of an inch, in each range the box influences.

If you have a decently-resolving horn system, this will improve it.

I can now better understand the words, diction improved, and other things as well. The Poinsettias are a big improvement also, adjust pot position near field, by ear, on complex music. A must-do.

The easy "click on it" - URL below, is Uncle Stu's original post. Please scroll down and read the entire Post, and see comments , photos, from Uncle Stu, and user's photographed implementations.

Consider this my Christmas present, a few days late.

Have fun, I certainly am !!

Jeff Medwin

• http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/tweaks/messages/19/198384.h

 I would do things a bit different... - noway 06:18:34 01/04/17 (1)
 RE: I would do things a bit different... - drlowmu 21:54:42 01/04/17 (0)
 :-) /n - Ivan303 14:24:12 12/29/16 (1)

...

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 I would do things a bit different... - noway 06:18:34 01/04/17 (1)
 RE: I would do things a bit different... - drlowmu 21:54:42 01/04/17 (0)
 :-) /n - Ivan303 14:24:12 12/29/16 (1)
 Two better photos to explain it...... - drlowmu 13:15:51 12/31/16 (0)
 RE: Belated THANKS to Uncle Stu, R.I.P. - Coner 13:32:56 12/29/16 (3)
 RE: Belated THANKS to Uncle Stu, R.I.P. - drlowmu 15:08:47 12/30/16 (2)
 RE: Belated THANKS to Uncle Stu, R.I.P. - Coner 16:20:40 12/30/16 (1)
 RE: Belated THANKS to Uncle Stu, R.I.P. - drlowmu 16:30:08 12/30/16 (0)
 Hmmm... - Lee M 11:01:42 12/29/16 (5)
 RE: Hmmm... - Rod M 20:34:37 12/29/16 (2)
 RE: Hmmm... - drlowmu 15:25:12 12/30/16 (1)
 RE: Hmmm... - elblanco 18:13:49 12/30/16 (0)
 RE: Hmmm... - Inmate51 19:40:55 12/29/16 (0)
 RE: Hmmm... - kitch29 19:01:24 12/29/16 (0)

Try a flower pot on TOP, around the middle of your ALTEC, see the original post's photo of that again, and set the exact plant position BY EAR, standing near field, while playing fairly loud and, complex music. The results will astound you.

Then you will discover WHY those flowers are there. Enjoy !!

Jeff Medwin

Let me know how your listening turns out please !! Email address is above. Do not forget the plants' positioning also.

Jeff

If you change the port, you determine that port size by ear, AFTER all else is set-up, and I would do it last. When you change the port size, you also change other parameters me thinks, perhaps efficiency, etc.

So, with the help of Dennis Fraker, who used to typically put eight A7-800s in each of the movie theaters he owned, or for theaters he bought and renovated for resale, I did my changes in a different pecking-order than what others typically do. ie:

a) I sent my 802s off to GPA for re-magnetizing and new stock diaphragms.

b) I carefully cleaned the surrounds on my 515Bs.

c) I extensively rewired the speaker internally, from the crossover to the drivers. I use Mil Spec wire, ran doubled-up 12 AWG ( equals 9 AWG ) to each woofer polarity, at Bob Fulton lengths ( 57 1/8th inches ). I ran 14 AWG Mil Spec from the crossover to the 802, not doubled up, however, 57 1/8th inches in length.

d) I rebuilt the 800 HZ / 12 dB crossover with much better parts, better Mil Spec wiring, and changed the adjustment pot from 20 Ohms to a 6 Ohm Ohmite 25 Watter, so I can get fine driver adjustmemts easier. " Human engineering " versus 20 Ohms . I used DIY golf balls to isolate the external crossover with mass loading. And my cap choice is to die for.

e) On the ALTEC 515B and 802D drivers, I eliminated the stock ALTEC " press to fit " terminals, stock, and Wonder soldered the Mil Spec wire carefully, properly, directly to the terminals that feed the voice coil wires. A big permanent improvement.

f) I made up DIY speaker cables, Fulton length multiples, Mil Spec and used three 12 AWG Mil Spec wires in parallel, lightly twisted, for each polarity.

g) I decided that the NOS 45 tubes I had been using, were not linear in the mid range, had a broad shallow depression, and just one listen to a JJ 2A3-40, in my 45 amp, convinced me to build a new DC amp using JJ 2A3-40s for the VOTTS, done 12-1-16, still breaking-in and needing final bypass work on all the film caps. Excellent change BTW !!

Comer, everything I did above, I would do again and suggest to others in the order shown, and the "port size" will be something I may be ready to visit dead last, late 2017, but only after I get all the most important things done in " my " pecking order, which I have thought-out carefully and conservatively. When the speakers are "flying" I will attend to port size.

I am simply conservatively taking my time, spent all of 2016 on this, expect to keep these speakers, need to just optimize them as I see fit.

Have fun, I am !

Jeff Medwin