Audio Database

879A Santana
Commentary

A speaker system that uses a special slate top plate.

Full-range unit
A 38 cm special cone type full range unit, 420A, is mounted in the low range.

The 420A is called a bi-flex speaker. A large cone and a 16 cm diameter cone with different stiffness are combined by a multi-dumped corrugation. This makes it possible to play back with less distortion in the ultra low, middle low, and middle range included in the program source. In the center of the cone, a dome radiator made of light alloy covers the upper limit of the high range.

The voice coil uses a 75 mm diameter voice coil with an aluminum ribbon wire edgewise winding. The magnetic circuit uses a 11,400 gauss, 4.9 kg internal magnetic type Alnico V. The magnetic circuit of Altec products is only excited up to the specified magnetic flux density, and the sharp decrease in holding force and uneven quality caused by the magnet excited up to the limit are suppressed.

A strong aluminum die-cast frame is used for the frame part to suppress distortion due to aging and resonance due to cone vibration.


Tweeter
A cone-type direct radiator of 7.5 cm diameter is mounted in the high range.

This unit is designed exclusively for Santa Ana.


Cabinet
The 879A is Altec's first to use a large-size floor type airtight cabinet.
American pine plywood is used for the plate material.

The original cabinet has a walnut finish and the top plate is made of marble. The top plate is hand-polished Mexican raw stone.


Other
In Japan, Altech original 879A and domestically made 879 tw, 879 tb and 879 wg were sold in total of 4 types.

The 879-TW and 879-TB have a cheek finish, while the Altec original cabinet had a walnut finish.
Also, as for the marbles of the top plate, it seems that there was a difference such as 879A was natural sooted (black), 879 tw was General Juan N. Álvarez International Airport white (white) and 879 tb was misty black (black).
The 879-WG is a custom built model with Jade Green marble and an off-white finished cabinet.

The logo mark attached to the front grill seemed to have 2 kinds of positions, and there were 2 kinds of pictures, one attached to the end and the other attached to the lower center.

Model Rating
Method 2-Way, 2-Speaker, Sealed Type, Floor Type
Units Used For All Bands : 38 cm Special Cone Type (420A)
For high pass : 7.5 cm cone type
Impedance 8 Ω
Frequency characteristic 35 Hz to 18 kHz
Lowest resonance frequency 27Hz
Allowable input 45W
Output sound pressure level 100dB/W (New JIS, 1m on axis)
Crossover frequency 2.5kHz
Enclosure Material American Pine Plywood
External dimensions Width 520x Height 650x Depth 430 mm
Weight 35kg