Black Frame early 604C

**magnarc** · March 2nd, 2011, 12:31 AM

RARE BLACK FRAME ALTEC 604C VINTAGE TUBE SPEAKER DUPLEX - eBay (item 120692165554 end time Mar-08-11 18:00:36 PST)

Never seen one of these.

Maybe the seller is correct in that it is a prototype?

**Audio_by_Goodwill** · March 2nd, 2011, 12:45 AM

It doesn't look black to me........ brown/green and dirty. Kind of like a Kennedy tool chest that's been sitting in a shop forever.

**Steve Schell** · March 2nd, 2011, 03:29 AM

Thanks for the auction link, magnarc. One of the fun things about this hobby is that just when you think you've seen everything, another oddity shows up. Never seen a gray wrinkle 604C before, but I have seen a few gray wrinkle 802C compression drivers. This is the same paint that was applied to the B series drivers. Evidently the change to the C series drivers was made just before the change to green paint. I seem to have it in mind that the C series appeared in 1952, but that may be off by a year or so.

**magnarc** · March 2nd, 2011, 04:33 AM

Likewise.

Just wonder if it is a mislabelled 604B.

**David Yost** · March 2nd, 2011, 10:28 AM

Is the cone surround repairable or is it done?

GM · March 2nd, 2011, 11:10 AM

Someone with a lot of patience could use fine silk or similar plus goop to repair it and since the spider dominates its compliance it shouldn't affect performance as long as the repair doesn't overlap the diaphragm proper much which might audibly affect its HF performance through the XO BW, though it wouldn't look OEM unless repaired from the backside and no goop leaked through to the front.

GM