# Anyone using an Altec Lansing 15 inch 416 driver as subwoofer?



## RAJBCPA (Jul 31, 2021)

These have a sensitivity rating of 98db at 1 meter. 

An amplifier of 200 watts should drive this well, no?


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## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

Yes indeed. Probably won’t use anywhere near its maximum output.

Regards,
Wayne


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## Juan Acevedo (Jul 5, 2013)

Attached are the Thiele parameters for the Altec 416. Enjoy...


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## ENDEEINN (Jan 13, 2009)

You can use it but it will not be a true sub-woofer and won't go low. X-max is only .15 inches. Great speaker though.


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## AlexPhilip (Sep 26, 2021)

My first set of speakers were Altec Lansings. They're basically..good low range speakers. If you want speakers that are going to last you a while, then go get some Logitech stuff. Pretty much my go to company for Speakers and Mice. I'm hesitant to say BIFL because electronics are rarely BIFL, but I've had my speakers (z5500s) for almost 7 years now and there's nothing wrong with them. So much so that my brother got a second pair.

Logtech upgraded the line up but alot of people seem to think that the original Z5500s are a better deal. You can probably find it in stores.

And if you don't want 5.1 systems, then the 2.1 systems by logitech are just as good. Crazy amounts of awards and such.


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## Juan Acevedo (Jul 5, 2013)

To Alex,
Altec Lansing was a manufacturer of professional equipment for theaters, and stadiums, etc. The Altec Lansing you refer to was not the same, this was a bought brand name making small speakers and headphones. So looks you don't understand what the 416 Woofer meant in the industry. The Woofer used in thousands of VOTT and others. used in the Model 19, Valencia and others.


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## Da Wiz (May 8, 2019)

This is a short-excursion woofer spec'd at +/- 0.15 inches... so 0.3 inch total excursion. This sort of driver will never produce what you think of as subwoofer bass. It wasn't designed for that job. It was designed as a woofer in a large horn-loaded cabinet that probably didn't produce much bass below 60 Hz and possibly not even THAT low. Just because a driver is big doesn't mean it is suitable as a subwoofer driver. You will want a driver with MUCH LARGER excursion capabilities to actually create low bass in your room. The craziest subwoofer driver I've heard of so far is a 22-inch driver with a 2.5 inch excursion in both directions for a total excursion of 5 inches. THAT will move a LOT of air. Most 15-inch drivers that work well in subwoofers will likely have 2-3 inches of travel, that's 6 to 10 times more travel than the 416. Those little pleats along the edge of the 416's cone are what limits the travel of the woofer cone so much. More typical subwoofers have 1 large half-round rubber surround or possibly 2 or 3 smaller ones that add-up to 2-3 inches of actual travel. The lower the bass you want to reproduce, the larger the cabinet, woofer, and excursion need to be (among other factors, of course).


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