VISO 4-8-5
Altec compact high performance speakers

Project philosophy

Altec components

Enclosure design

Enclosure construction

Measurements

Crossover

Listening

Listening

My idea was to write a detailed report and critical of a listening session, with list of CD or LP used, impressions on the sound of several instruments, the male or feminine voices and so on. But from the final version of the crossover already passes a couple of months and every time that I try to do it, I listen music for hours and hours, enjoying track after track, without writing one line.

So, how are they? I read somewhere that the main difference between a horn system and a traditional system consists in the fact that with "a traditional" system who play music is there, in front of you, while with a horn system who play is with you, around you. I can say that I find it absolutely true. And it is also the typical comment of friends who listen to VISO 4-8-5 for the first time (ehi, do you have U2 playing in your dining-room?). But not only. Dynamics does not have comparisons, the speed is incredible, in all the range of frequencies.

The low frequency response at bottom is not very extended, in spite of the dimensions of boxes, but it is fast, dry and clear. There is no winking "loudness" effect, that immediatly could make impression but at the end get you tired or colours everything. Attacks of battery, bass or low piano registers are absolutely cleaned up, with no booms or dummy pulsations. The medium range is fascinating, maybe for crossing at 6dB/ott, the reproduction of the voices is simply... charming. Perfect. Singers (male or female, both are excellent) seems to be inside the room, playing and singing in the middle of my carpert. The high range, I can only say that they are "real", in the sense that the sound have nothing of the typical Hi-Fi sounding "soft and sweet". No, there is precision, decision... in one word truth. I will be sure I'm affected from "Scarrafone's Syndrome", but music exits fluid, charming, the only hard work of listens is to shut off the system and go sleeping late in the night!

Just a word about the sensibility of these objects. I didn't take care to measure with precision, but I suppose they are around 100 dB/W. My small VISO n°6 can drive them with only 1500 milliWatt (yes, you read correctly 1,5 W!) with sound level enough for a home rock concert. With my new VISO 3-00 it is another history, of course.

Last, my new speakers are integrated perfectly in my room and within furnitures, in spite of the big dimensions. Also my wife (after some "no-comment" in the beginning) has admitted that at the end they are not so bad. What is not said for love.

The final touch

Grids
About 6 months are passed since VISO 485 entered for first time in my house. 6 months of wonderful music, but with some moments of panic for the life of Altec 416Z woofers. I like to see them directly, the appeal is very "tech", but with three guys playing around with T-Rex, Robot Transformers, Witch, Playmobil it is too dangerous. So at the end I build the protection grids you can see below.