Is the Stonehenge III any good?

[CHB]

Hi All, I am a newbie here.....I have an opportunity to acquire a prestine pair of Stonehenge III from a friend :p. Am curious, how good it is compared to modern speakers?

[robertbartsch]

Stonie IIIs were one of the best Altec systems ever made.

[CHB]

Thanks for your reply Robert. Just curious, how much would you pay for a pair in good condition?:)

[bakes837]

Hi All, I am a newbie here.....I have an opportunity to acquire a prestine pair of Stonehenge III from a friend :p. Am curious, how good it is compared to modern speakers?

The one time I heard Stonehenges, and this was many years ago, I was stunned by how they threw the performers out of the speakers and into the middle of the room - not quite in the way that the Altec 19s do, but still impressive.

You won't get *that* from some Bose cubes.:D

[CHB]

Dear Bakes,

Thanks for your feedback. Thinking of pulling the trigger on a pair.....

[robertbartsch]

The drivers are a single du-plex 15" with a HF compression driver and they are VERY efficient.

These drivers were the industry standard in movie theaters and recording studios for around fifty years - ending around the early 80s or so!

Anyway, a pristine pair is probably worth 600 - 1000, I suppose.

[hjames]

Dear Bakes,

Thanks for your feedback. Thinking of pulling the trigger on a pair.....


Just an FYI -
You can pictures and specs in the Lansing Heritage library at -
http://lansingheritage.org/images/altec/catalogs/1975-home/page06.jpg
and
http://lansingheritage.org/images/altec/catalogs/1975-home/page07.jpg

[robertbartsch]

You won;t find these often on Fleabay but the 15" Altec du-plex drivers from old movie houses and recording studios are fairly common.

The old du=plex 604 drivers typically sell for over 1000 a pair.

Great Plains Audio can re-build the units, if necessary

These are so efficient, an 80 watt amp will raise the roof in a home setting.

[robertbartsch]

...make sure the 15" drivers are the real deal and that someone did not rape the cabs and replace them with a garbage non-Altec driver.

Look on Fleabay to see what an Altec 604 duplex drivers looks like BEFORE you buy or better yet listen, if possible....

[John]

Stonie IIIs were one of the best Altec systems ever made.

How does that answer his question?:blink:

[CHB]

Guys, thanks for all your feedback. Everything looks original. Its going for USD1800 per pair. What do you think?:blink:

[JBLRaiser]

Guys, thanks for all your feedback. Everything looks original. Its going for USD1800 per pair. What do you think?:blink:

that didn't make the reserve price and cost $500 to ship.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Altec-Mdl-3577A-Stonehenge-III-Pr-w-604-8G-Duplex-Drvrs_W0QQitemZ330298755864QQihZ014QQcategoryZ5059 7QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[CHB]

that didn't make the reserve price and cost $500 to ship.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Altec-Mdl-3577A-Stonehenge-III-Pr-w-604-8G-Duplex-Drvrs_W0QQitemZ330298755864QQihZ014QQcategoryZ5059 7QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


Huh? The cabinets are in deplorable condition.....:banghead: USD710 is more than fair. Buyer still needs to pay for shipping....

[John]

Just incase you are going to buy a pair of these, be aware that they lack low freq. bass. Those cabinets are less than ideal for the 604-8G woofers. It was designed to look good, not sound great.

Major mistake by Altec.:blah:

[John]

Hi All, I am a newbie here.....I have an opportunity to acquire a prestine pair of Stonehenge III from a friend :p. Am curious, how good it is compared to modern speakers?

Well put it this way they would get spanked everytime:o:

[robertbartsch]

There was a Stonie III pair on Fleabay this week. The highest bid was 750 USD but it did not meet the minimum so it went unsold.

Anyway, the cabs on this pair were beat up and they did not have grills.

[sonofagun]

I can make replacement foam grilles for this model for around $125/pair + shipping.

I assume there is no grille frame?

[CHB]

Just incase you are going to buy a pair of these, be aware that they lack low freq. bass. Those cabinets are less than ideal for the 604-8G woofers. It was designed to look good, not sound great.

Major mistake by Altec.:blah:

That bad? I was told that someone had 604Es in a smaller cabinet and the bass is awesome......How about the highs? Heard it could be better....

[John]

I think you should have a listen yourself and then make your decision.

Forget about what you hear on public forums you have to go hear for your self. I am assuming you have heard modern high end systems before?

[CHB]

I think you should have a listen yourself and then make your decision.

Forget about what you hear on public forums you have to go hear for your self. I am assuming you have heard modern high end systems before?

Hi John,

Unfortunately, I would not have the opportunity to audition it. Hence mua coming to this forum for opinions. Yea, I am currently using a pair of Avant Gardes, Audionote and Tom Evans combo :p.

Looking for a 2nd system.....

[hjames]

Hi John,

Unfortunately, I would not have the opportunity to audition it. Hence my coming to this forum for opinions. Yea, I am currently using a pair of Avant Gardes, Audionote and Tom Evans combo :p.

Looking for a 2nd system.....

All anyone here can do is tell you what a good pair of them would sound like - but if they are aged/badly maintained/blown or modified ... what a risk for that kind of money!