Did Altec inspire Radio Shack???

[sba2]

The link to the catalogs is great! Some of that stuff was quite pricey...here's a link to see those prices in today's dollars--
www (dot) westegg (dot) com/inflation/

[bfish]

Very cool - thanks! When does that date from?

You're welcome. The catalog's a '39, so the amp must be therabouts too.

[Russnohio]

The easy part was putting them out to the curb,the hard part was working that month to pay for them. Regards Have a Great Day !!!

Actually, I ended up selling them to my younger sister! THAT was the year ('77 or '78)...I discovered the world of Altec/JBL. I wanted Altec nineteens OR JBL L-300's. I dreamed about them. Tried like hell to save $$$ to get them (19's)....but could'nt make it happen. I DID manage to save enough to get a very good deal on a set of Pioneer HPM-100 speakers through a mail-order company called: "Discount Sound". I don't know how old you are John, but maybe you remember those mail-order houses in the '70's?

I ended up living with the HPM's for many years. Actually a very fine speaker system.....which BTW....was in itself inspired by JBL AND designed by a former JBL engineer. Still....I kept dreaming of a set of Altec nineteens. During the late 1980's before internet access.....I jockied the phone searching out a set but the "deals" always fell through for one reason or another. I finally found a set for a screaming good deal by simple word-of-mouth through my brother up in Wisconsin back in 2005. Guy in his neighborhood had a set for sale. The ones you see in my avatar.

So....the seed was planted in around 1978 (the year MY pair were made!).......but it took until 2005 to get them. I look at it this way: They were built for me back in '78 with my name on them.......but it took 27 years for them to get home!


Russ

[MikeInNH]

Mike,I think Jensens were considered the best back then because they were the best sounding speaker in most peoples price range back then their Coaxial,and Triaxials

You're really missing my point...YES the Voice of the highway was better...NEVER SAID IT WASN'T...I gave a specific timeline...the 70's. Back in the early to late 70's there were very very few players in this market...Jenson was clearly the leader...no question. It wasn't until the late 70's that other (I.E BETTER) companies decided to explore this untapped market. And then it took right off. By 1980 there were DOZENS of players...In 1974...there were probably less then 5. When other companies like Altec, JBL, Philips decided to enter the market...people learned what READ GOOD SOUND could sound like. Then in the mid-80's car manufacturers themselves decided to get in the market...OR partner with an already established sound company like JBL or Bose. I've NEVER been a fan of Bose...HOWEVER...when they custom designed a system for a specific car...it was far far superior to pretty much any OEM sound system you could get for a vehicle.

One of the BEST systems I ever had...was in my 84 GMC S-15. Phillips 4x10's in the real columns....4x6 Infinity Kapa's in the front...Electronic's were all Alpine....Not the ABSOLUTE best you could buy...but damn good for only $500....and 100 times better then the $1500 Ac/Delco system I could have bought from GM.

[Altec Best]

Actually, I ended up selling them to my younger sister! THAT was the year ('77 or '78)...I discovered the world of Altec/JBL. I wanted Altec nineteens OR JBL L-300's. I dreamed about them. Tried like hell to save $$$ to get them (19's)....but could'nt make it happen. I DID manage to save enough to get a very good deal on a set of Pioneer HPM-100 speakers through a mail-order company called: "Discount Sound". I don't know how old you are John, but maybe you remember those mail-order houses in the '70's?

I ended up living with the HPM's for many years. Actually a very fine speaker system.....which BTW....was in itself inspired by JBL AND designed by a former JBL engineer. Still....I kept dreaming of a set of Altec nineteens. During the late 1980's before internet access.....I jockied the phone searching out a set but the "deals" always fell through for one reason or another. I finally found a set for a screaming good deal by simple word-of-mouth through my brother up in Wisconsin back in 2005. Guy in his neighborhood had a set for sale. The ones you see in my avatar.

So....the seed was planted in around 1978 (the year MY pair were made!).......but it took until 2005 to get them. I look at it this way: They were built for me back in '78 with my name on them.......but it took 27 years for them to get home!


Russ

Hi Russ, I remember the mail orders but I didn't mess with them much I never bought a pair of speakers I couldn't listen to first.They had to sound good.And after visting all the hi-fi shops the ones that always sounded the best to me where Altecs hands down.The important thing is that you have your 19's now and you stuck with your dream that is important I won't be parting with mine anytime soon But I think it is still important or fun to mess with new speakers (build or buy) and just have fun with it.It doesn't matter how long the journey takes as long as you get there !!! And enjoy the ride while you can Regards ~ JOHN

[Panomaniac]

I look at it this way: They were built for me back in '78 with my name on them.......but it took 27 years for them to get home!

I love that story. =) Glad you finally got them.

[Altec Best]

you're really missing my point...yes the voice of the highway was better...never said it wasn't...i gave a specific timeline...the 70's. Back in the early to late 70's there were very very few players in this market...jenson was clearly the leader...no question. It wasn't until the late 70's that other (i.e better) companies decided to explore this untapped market. And then it took right off. By 1980 there were dozens of players...in 1974...there were probably less then 5. When other companies like altec, jbl, philips decided to enter the market...people learned what read good sound could sound like. Then in the mid-80's car manufacturers themselves decided to get in the market...or partner with an already established sound company like jbl or bose. I've never been a fan of bose...however...when they custom designed a system for a specific car...it was far far superior to pretty much any oem sound system you could get for a vehicle.

One of the best systems i ever had...was in my 84 gmc s-15. Phillips 4x10's in the real columns....4x6 infinity kapa's in the front...electronic's were all alpine....not the absolute best you could buy...but damn good for only $500....and 100 times better then the $1500 ac/delco system i could have bought from gm.

Agreed !!! I missed your date of the 70's, My Bad Sorry Mike Regards ~ JOHN

[Russnohio]

The important thing is that you have your 19's now and you stuck with your dream that is important I won't be parting with mine anytime soon But I think it is still important or fun to mess with new speakers (build or buy) and just have fun with it.It doesn't matter how long the journey takes as long as you get there !!! And enjoy the ride while you can Regards ~ JOHN

Yes, and who knows! It may have been better that I found them in later years as a middle-aged man. They are in a much safer enviroment!

....Had I been lucky enough to have them (19's)....as a teenager or early "twenty something".....they may very well have been utterly TRASHED from countless parties of my youth.....not by me, perhaps but by drunken or "spaced-out" freinds. Oh yeah! Those cabinets tops would at the very least be covered with hundreds of Budwieser bottle rings! No doubt those speakers would have been severly abused with the volume control!

We all remember partying friends of our youth.....and the collateral damage resulting!

Russ

[Altec Best]

Yes, and who knows! It may have been better that I found them in later years as a middle-aged man. They are in a much safer enviroment!

....Had I been lucky enough to have them (19's)....as a teenager or early "twenty something".....they may very well have been utterly TRASHED from countless parties of my youth.....not by me, perhaps but by drunken or "spaced-out" freinds. Oh yeah! Those cabinets tops would at the very least be covered with hundreds of Budwieser bottle rings! No doubt those speakers would have been severly abused with the volume control!

We all remember partying friends of our youth.....and the collateral damage resulting!

Russ

Absolutely!!! But Russ that's why they make Plexi-Glas to prevent Budweiser rings not much you can do about volume though except maybe inline fuses and hope they blow before your voice coils.But just think how loud they would of could of been(Parties).Maybe that's a good thing !!!

JOHN

[Russnohio]

But just think how loud they would of could of been(Parties).Maybe that's a good thing !!!

JOHN

Altecs + Amp + Youth=Eviction notice! (Smiley HERE)*


*For the life of me......I still cannot figure out how to insert a smilely into text! When I try it....it goes up onto the top of page only(!?)
(See what I mean?.......another smiley HERE!)

Russ