Your recommendation on a 604 project

[mattvandyke]

I have a pair of Altec 604's - one is a B and the other is a C. I've owned these pair for almost 30 years and enjoy the sound of them. 10 years ago I down sized the cabinets to the smaller Altec 614 cabinets (approx 24H, 18W and 14D).

In the mean time, I've added some additional speakers (Altec Model 19, Dahlquist and a couple sets of Magnepan's). I enjoy the 19's tremendously and love the Altec family of speakers.

I want to build some new cabinets for the 604's - preferably the Stonehendge III in order to get the speakers higher at ear level. Additionally I would use the Markwarts crossovers.

My dilemma is that the 604's are mismatched and I'm a little concerned about investing time and energy in a cabinet and then potentially getting another newer set of 604's and having to remount the speakers as the hole patterns are different for the 604B-D than the newer 604 versions.

I love the history of the older 604's but prefer sound quality slightly over history. Potential budget of approx $500 for new 604's. Does it make sense to sell the older mismatched versions and get newer 604's or the GPA's 604 version? Does the mismatched version really make that much difference?

What would you recommend?

Appreciate your expertise here!

[oface1]

Hello Matt,

I would sell the mismatch ones and used the collections towards a new set form GPA, this is just my opinion.


-chris

[Altec Best]

I'm pretty sure that there wasn't much differance in the 604's from the original to the 604-8G and the 604H was when they got tangerines and then the K's ferrite magnets but for the most part very little differance from 604 to 604G the Xo's and maybe the ocaisonal diaghram change are what changed the most IMO

[GM]

My dilemma is .........having to remount the speakers as the hole patterns are different for the 604B-D than the newer 604 versions.

Potential budget of approx $500 for new 604's. Does the mismatched version really make that much difference?

So make a two piece baffle with the one for the driver removable like on the 846B/878B. I mean you need a brace below the driver anyway and if you make it symmetrical it's easier to periodically rotate the drivers.

Where do you buy a new pair of 604s for $500? Anyway, if you like how they sound, why 'fix' what ain't broke?

GM

[Panomaniac]

Where do you buy a new pair of 604s for $500?

That's what I wanted to know!

[GM]

White Van Boutique?

[mattvandyke]

I meant to say that I would have $500 in addition to the monies that I would receive if I sold the current 604's.

These $'s would not include the monies for the crossovers and cabinets as I already have that put aside.

Good idea on the second baffle - thanks GM.

Any feed back on the sound quality of the early 604's compared with the newer versions of the 604's?

[baja]

matt,
side by side (same crossovers, wiring and amplification, but different enclosures) I heard the 604H (alnico & tangerine - rebuilt 612b) and 604E (original EMI 620). somehow this was a shoot-out and I preferred the 604H. all other altecs I could compete by imagination only, because I audited them in different rigs, enclosures and at different times. putting it in a nutshell I would rate the 604B (with the huge facets horn) on top and model 19 at the end (this is MY subjective impression). in the end I decided to go for the 604H series II (GPA), because it is a serious bargain (aspects of warranty including) and in my ears they 'sound' marvellous in-between both worlds: vintage and modern. also they fit 100% to the 612b enclosure and I don't know if the 604B would be suit to that.
best,

[GM]

You're welcome!

My main experience is limited to the 604B, E which are sonically incompatible to my ears, but WRT the upper mids/HF the C thru G's XO and horn is either ~the same or can use the same XO and any woofer specs differences can be balanced out in the cab design and/or with EQ, so if you wanted to save $$ for now, selling the B and finding another C-G seems a reasonable plan. Long term though, the goal IMO should be a modern version of the B with a WG big enough to support a 900-1 kHz XO point, but I'll probably die of old age before it happens, so my goal is to DIY a three way Unity concept.

WRT the 604-8H III, its measured response combined with a better horn implies a sonic step-up overall from earlier models, so if the budget's willing............

GM