Are these really Altecs?

[Old Guy]

Interesting. Are you sure about the 1970?

Sounds more like 80 if you are dealing with CTS and the date code is zero.

I have never seen a Magnavox with CTS early 70's. Could be, but I've seen hundreds.

Edit...a phone call to a friend, he says your horns are newer also.

Heppner was absorbed by Cerwin Vega late 70's. He says yes Magnavox did start buying Foster, so your friend is right. I remembered consoles being pretty much dead by then, but there were at least SOME I guess.

So what you have are Foster copies that borrowed from both the Heppner and Jensen according to him.

Honestly, I have never seen a pair like yours, but when I bought the Magnavoxes to part out I always went after tubes if I could. I didn't buy the many 70's ones.

If your woofs are 70. it is also possible your horns were replaced. Those things are easy to blow. But I think your woofs might be 80.

No biggie. As I say, your friend is right, but I still think I am right that older units didn't use the Foster, that they are later.

[bowtie427ss]

FWIW, it looks like the Radio Shack 40-1228 started out as the foam covered Heppner version sometime in the 60's and was replaced by the Japan/Foster made version circa 1975, and i think this is probably the time the snap on plastic covers entered the scene. In the '68 and earlier catalogs they made a point to mention they're made in USA, the catalogs continued to use the same stock photo thru '74. The years i was intimately familiar with RS(75-81) you could depend on the accuracy of the catalog images, they were of course masters of advertising.

The 70's RS/Foster versions are really very good sounding units for their entry fee, as OG says, they're fairly delicate and won't tolerate abuse. At some point in the early 80's they changed the horn to all plastic, and i think the country of origin became Korea(not so good anymore).

[Altec Best]

Thanks for the pics " Guys"

[Panomaniac]

Well I "think" it was an early 70s console. Code on the 12" Alnico woofer was 137 7011

So would that make it CTS, 11th week of 1970? Or am I reading that wrong?
IIRC, it was out of an RCA console. You may have seen similar. The horn and woofer were together in a Styrofoam cube. Small, simple crossover. It all did look more 1980 than 1970, but I just don't know. And if it really was an RCA console, why the Magnavox horn?

Now I'm very confused.

[bowtie427ss]

Well I "think" it was an early 70s console. Code on the 12" Alnico woofer was 137 7011

So would that make it CTS, 11th week of 1970? Or am I reading that wrong?
IIRC, it was out of an RCA console. You may have seen similar. The horn and woofer were together in a Styrofoam cube. Small, simple crossover. It all did look more 1980 than 1970, but I just don't know. And if it really was an RCA console, why the Magnavox horn?

Now I'm very confused.

That's how i'd read that date code.

I "think" Audio By Goodwill has/had some styrofoam cube speakers of the same or very similar variety, fairly sure his were from a "maggotbox" as we so affectionately refer to Magnavox consoles.

[Old Guy]

Entirely possible that the original horns were blown and replaced with yours.

CTS makes a LOT more sense in an RCA console. I had wrongly assumed we were talking about a Magnavox console.

Anyway, I did learn there WERE Foster horns in the consoles. But my source insists they switched when Heppner went belly up. ie late 70's.

[Panomaniac]

Well I can't swear it was a RCA console, so who knows? That what is I was told, but did not see the beast in person. And replacement horns is also a good explanation of the Foster in a 1970 console. Does not seem likely that the console got new horns and old woofers when it was built, but one never knows.

A mystery!

Where was Heppner based? I remember reading about them, but can't find the info now.

[Audio_by_Goodwill]

That's how i'd read that date code.

I "think" Audio By Goodwill has/had some styrofoam cube speakers of the same or very similar variety, fairly sure his were from a "maggotbox" as we so affectionately refer to Magnavox consoles.

Yes, I do. However, I'm not sure what the drivers are since I can't get the Styrofoam pieces separated without using drastic measures. It appears that they are sealed with construction adhesive. Unfortunately, the drivers were sealed, too, not just the Styrofoam seams.

Bowtie I can't beleive you remembered that.

They're actually in my way.......... if someone happened to be passing through, I'd gladly part with them for a bottle of something from your area....... or even just for the floor space.

[Audio_by_Goodwill]

Magnavox switched to CTS sometime in the 60's, I think. When watching Ebay for Magnavox woofers, I see a lot of them made by CTS. Then later Eminence. The CTS were still to the Magnavox (Jensen?) design, I believe........ I think they changed the cone eventually. The Eminence were revised....... at least some had the square magnets that Eminence is known for. I don't have any specific years for changes, as I've never studied it that closely.

Old Guy, I know this contradicts what you mentioned earlier, but is it possible you didn't look close enough to differentiate the CTS woofers from the Magnavox until they started changing the cone design? All of my Magnavox woofers are late 50's out of tube gear..... mostly consoles, one I think is from an organ tone cabinet.