Altec Lansing 604 duplex speakers

[richsich]

Hi,

I have a pair of Altec Lansing 604 duplex speakers with crossovers in custom cabinets that I got from my grandfather years ago and I have no idea what the real value may be. They originally came out of a theatre in NYC.

They work, the cones are in good shape and they seem to be the original model because there is no letter designation after the model number on the speaker. But one person did advise me that because of the 20 ohm impedance they were 604A's.

Does anyone have a good knowledge of these speakers?

Thanks,

Richsich

[tom1356]

Hi,
Please check your PM's.
Regards
Tom

[altecjunky]

Ive owned many different models of the altec 604's. Over the years there basket colour changed. The very first models had a dark gray basket, the horn was larger then the later models(ugly in my opion). These speakers I beleave where from the late 40's. Green was the next colour they used and the horn size was decreased. White baskets came next, then finally black. The letters that followed the "604" I think gave information about the speaker like the type of coil used in the high fq driver section of the speaker and such. Some had loading caps on the horn driver coil and some didnt, also some had an aluminum surround on the diaphram of the voice coil (on the high fq driver section) and some had that red plastic type stuff which made them higher power rating but you loss fq response. If your speakers are 20 ohm Im sure they are gray in colour which makes them really old. They may be worth $$$$ to the right person, Ive seen these on ebay sell for around $600-$700 USD if they are in good shape. Im not an expert on these speakers but I have owned a pair of them which I reconed and made them 16ohm and installed the newer style horn to de-uglifi them.

[Steve Schell]

There is really no such thing as a "604A." People began calling the original by that name, as later ones have a suffix like B, C, D etc. Your drivers are original 604s, produced between 1944 and 1947.

The very first 604s (like maybe the first 150) have a rectangular black and white decal that says "Lansing" at the top and "Altec Lansing Corporation" along the bottom. Then came the red, white and blue decal, which most 604s have. The last ones have a gold and dark gray decal, as does the 604B which replaced the 604 in 1947. About 3,500 of the 604s were built before the B began with a new serial number sequence.

Cone condition is critical when it comes to resale value. Some collectors, mostly overseas, are convinced that original cones sound best, and they will pay a premium to obtain drivers with pristine cones. A 604 in need of reconing may bring $200-300 on ebay, but one that appears perfect with original cone may be bid up past $1,000.