Big One That Got Away

[bowtie427ss]

I've spent the last week or so battling a nasty autumn cold/flu which has put a damper on my ability to negotiate any savvy deals. I had an email off to these folks about freight or possible pick up arrangements on these in case my lowball bid of 550 won them, yes i'm frugal and hopeful:

Altecs

Sooooooo, this morning to add a good dose of insult to my misery, i get an email from ebay sayin a "watched" item has been relisted. Imagine my thoughts when i discovered that someone far more savvy than i had talked them into a 400 dollar BIN!

At 400 bux in walnut vintage cabinets does it even matter if they're 604's or 605's?

I'm reminded of those simple words "you snooze, you lose".

Thank God there are always more deals out there.

[doucanoe]

OUCH!

That one stings a little. I wonder what they were, sure looked like 604's to me.

RC

[valhallax]

i didnt even see those..wish ya would have gotten them. yep, someone scored there..

[Jim Butler]

HI Guys,
Well...I'm the guy who got 'em.

Its been lots of months since I've posted here because of work and various complicated life-things. I've checked in to read sporadically but it wasn't till a few weeks ago I got back to hifi-ing as time (and finances) have allowed.

Anyway, heres what happened:

I happened to get up at 5:15AM ( VERY unusual) that morning and saw the BIN at $400 because my computer was on. The speakers were an easy 150 mile drive away (I'm in Vermont right now for a few months) and I got 'em. Yesterday I drove down to Massachusetts and picked them up (beautiful drive as the trees are incredible).

I looked inside the cabs before I put them in the car. They are 605's. Pristine. Don;t know yet if they are A's or B's. They're in sealed original Hillcraft (Altec) cabs that are in great shape. I think they are Carmels. Its amazing to me a stereo pair of them turned up here on the East coast.

I kinda feel like I won the lottery. My apologies to all who were watching.

I'll be hooking them up in the next couple of days and will let you know how they sound. Never heard of a sealed cab for a 605/4...

PS: When it rains it pours...two weeks ago I picked up pair of Altec Segovias from a guy on craigslist for $150. They are stone-mint (original owner). I've been looking for a pair for years but they too never are to found on the East coast. I'll be sending the woofers to Bill for refoaming this week. The woofers are a 12inch frame with the enormous 413/411 type magnet. Can't wait to hear these too.

Cheers,
Jim

[bowtie427ss]

Excellent and congrats!

Thanks for posting, i'm feeling much better about it and in general. Of course the spotless and freshly rebuilt 604-8G's i just grabbed from Steve and Jim at Iconic are going to help too.

I'm sincerely glad that a veteran and well respected member here got them.

FWIW, my original post wasn't intended as a whine or rant, just sharing an "experience".

This is a wonderful hobby/sport/illness, partly because of the good folks involved.

Again................. really glad a member here got them.

My apologies to all who were watching.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">No apology necessary here at all, i'm plenty happy just knowing they didn't go to a "flipper" to just be parted out.

Some pics of them being loved in your listening space might be appreciated by many when you have the chance.

<font color="#FFFFFF" size="1">[ October 19, 2008 12:05 PM: Message edited by: bowtie427ss ]</font>

[selmerdave]

Wow, Jim, congrats. In my book you remain "the king". Hope you're well, let me know when you get back around.

Dave

[Jim Butler]

Thanks for the good cheer guys ...I'll be posting some pics this fall.

Dave: "The King"??!! Only if you mean the character of the "Burger King"...most times I feel, like him, four feet tall and just one step ahead of calamity.

I'll let you know when I'm back in NYC and lets get together.

[doucanoe]

Way to go Jim! You must be thrilled. I know I would be.

RC

[Ploeppe]

Hey there-So how did you like the Segovias? I have two pairs, a mint pair and a funky pair that need work. I love them-I think they're very possibly the best "bookshelf" speaker of all time-though I'd be interested to see the bookshelf that could hold them! I'm driving mine with Naim stuff, they sound fabulous. Better than my Tannoys...or at least, different.