Kota Theater, Garrison, ND Altec A5

[Ronald Lee]

You're welcome! I see I forgot to post the nice Altec site I got them from:

http://www.voiceofthetheatre.com/

Note on the horn selection/pricing sheet the '800' system [original A7-8] listing, though apparently not in the catalog. It's been suggested that it didn't arrive until the late '40s, with the downsized A5, A6 shortly after:

800 VOTT

ALTEC speaker Systems

I guess in a bid to capture as much of the post war market as practical, they initially offered a large variety of big, expensive systems, but the rapid rise of union labor costs and the sprawl of the new ‘suburbia’ with its desire for small neighborhood cinemas quickly forced a shift to a smaller/cheaper product line. The large A6 [minus its baffle stand] at my high school came from the late ‘50s closing of just such a local strip mall cinema due to expanding to a Cineplex where even the downsized A7 series was overkill, peak sound power wise.

GM

Actually, another reason for smaller theaters is that the movie companies can make more money showing movies in a small theater. Recently(like ~10 years ago) a local movie chain changed a large theater with single showing movie to 5 "more" intimate theaters, each showing a different movie.

[bowtie427ss]

Many thanks for posting VH!

I think this is probably a very rare opportunity to see one of those early A5 systems with all it's original underpinning and wings just as it was originally installed. A well preserved specimen too.

[Nipper]

I like the Seeburg. Do not underestimate those! Working properly with the right amp they sound pretty darn good!

[VolvoHeretic]

Thanks for the links GM. I have learned a lot in just a couple of hours of viewing and drooling. I like how in 1947 dollars (as per date at bottom of price sheet), this A5 was just $600 including Altec installation supervision.
http://www.voiceofthetheatre.com/ima...945.prices.jpg

[GM]

You're welcome! Yeah, $600 looks a whole better than the ~$6100 in today's dollars.

GM