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Wagner
10-22-2009, 10:07 PM
I can find them easily enough in the Library, but turn up nothing with a general search as the number "3" is "too short or too common. "Three" as well ;)

Comments on this model please.

Seems rather lightweight at only 26 lbs. or so for a 10" 2-way.

Thank you,
Jim

hsosdrum
10-27-2009, 10:08 AM
Back in the late 70s when I was selling audio at a Southern California chain that carried the full Altec and JBL consumer lines, the Altec Model 3 was by far my favorite of the "1/3/5/7/9" series. I remember it being very dynamic, with punchy bass and a fairly detailed midrange. In fact, most of us at the store thought that the Model 3 sounded better than the JBL Decade L26, which was it's closest direct competitor.

One of the more popular low-end audiophile speakers back then was "stacked Advents" -- two pairs of Large Advent speakers that were stacked one on top of the other, with the top speaker placed upside-down so that the tweeters were next to each other. (I seem to remember this particular combo being popular with The Absolute Sound.) One time, we tried stacking two pairs of Altec Model Threes in the same tweeters-adjacent arrangement, and the resulting sound was scary good. It was hugely dynamic, with deep, crisp bass (much more detailed bass than the stacked Advents), and sounded terrific with rock music, though we never got around to trying it with classical music. Plus, it presented the amp (usually a Yamaha receiver) with an easier load to drive than the stacked Advents.

Those were the days. (I wonder what stacked L26s would have sounded like...)