I've an opportunity to pick up a pair of Altec Granada from an original owner who says he purchased them in 1973. I have not seen or heard them in person but have pictures and they do appear to be in excellent cosmetic condition. The surrounds on the woofers do also appear to be fine and they are supposed to be in full operating condition. I've attached a picture of one of them with the front grill off.
I am very interested in them but it would require a 400 mile one way drive to pick them up. Before I move forward, I would certainly appreciate any thoughts or suggestions from members who may have some knowledge or experience with this model.
From my research on this site, I found they were introduced in 1971 but were only in production for a couple of years. They appear to be a scaled down version of the Barcelona with a smaller cabinet, 15" woofer with slightly smaller Voice coil and magnet and an 807 instead of 808 compression driver. They also cross over at 800Hz instead of 500 Hz. One member on this site was not impressed by the 807. Please refer to the 1971 catalog pages 5 and 17.
They came in two versions, a powered bi-amped version, the 2875 and a passive version, the 875. This pair came as a biamped version but was converted by the dealer at the buyers request to the passive version using the 801 crossover.
I have owned several vintage horn systems including JBL Olympus, Sovereign, Klipsch KHorns, Belle Klipsch and Cornwall. I have never owned a vintage Altec system so would certainly appreciate any thoughts and experiences that any of you might have to offer in relation to JBL or Klipsch. Also, the Granada compared to other vintage Altec systems. Does anyone have a feel for the value of these? The asking price of $250 certainly seems reasonable.
Thanks for your help.
Kevin
Reply With Quote