Altec 605 was developed to be used in home environment?

[sanhanul]

This a belief going around in my area. I tried to find if there was any records about it. Is this true that the background of developing of Altec 605 is that 604 was too strong to be used in home environment so Altec decided to reduce the magnet size of the 604s and made the sound smoother? So 605 is a better improved speaker for the home hifi user?


Besides, what I read was about 605 was that recording studio engineers didn't like 605 and asked Altec to bring 604s. And actually , because of the failure of introducing of 605s to studio industries , other company such as JBL could get into the recording studio which was almost occupied by Altec before.


It doesn't sound reasonable for me that the 604 was too strong and harsh in high frequency and very difficult to use them at home. But studio engineers liked 604s not 605 and Altec had to continue with 604s.


I haven't listened 605s and don't know how does it sound but most 605 users here say that 605 sounds smoother in high frequency and has more base.
Basically, they say, 604s are excellent speakers but 605 is better in home environment because it is very difficult to deal with 604s at home.

I want to know what is the difference of these two speakers except for the magnet size and efficiency. Was really the 605 developed for home use purpose?
So the 604s has defects when it used at home?


I am using 604bs in 614 cabinets now at my home and I like it very much.
If is different, of course , from Rogers 3\5. Sometimes I feel it is too loud or noisy. Sometimes I feel it lacks high frequency or base.
But, this is the speaker which made me listen to the music. I have to say I was mealy an audio mania before, now I become a music lover after I got 604s.
I am reading, searching everyday about Altec. I've never had this kind of big shock with any other speakers, amplifies etc etc.

And I want to know more about Altec.

Crazy Altecer.

[cradeldorf]

My 604's almost seem a little too much for my home too but I suppose if you have a large room they would be better. My room is 11 x 20. I don't think I'd trade them for anything else though, It's way too fun to have people show me their systems and then I get them over to my place and blow them right out the window with them. Altecs forever!!!!

[Old Guy]

I don't believe the 604 was a "home use" item. It was marketed in the pro stuff. It was an effort to cut costs and intended to replace the 604. The 604 was actually discontinued and had to be brought back.

[bowtie427ss]

Agree with the old and wise one here.

AFAIK, the Stonehenge III was the first attempt to specifically market a duplex(604-8G) to consumers.

I believe 604E was available to consumers, along with specially ordered "blank baffle" versions of certain cabinets of the same era. This "availability" however was nothing akin to a marketing campaign, and it's fairly rare to encounter these examples. But, they do surface from time to time.

[Steve Schell]

Many years ago an ex-Altec employee and veteran of the L.A. studio scene told me his version of the 605 story. It seems that there was cost cutting happening at Altec at the time (early 1960s) and that the 604D was replaced by the 605A and sold as the next advance in the Duplex line. In truth it amounted to a considerable cheapening of the product, as the component parts were changed from the large magnet/structure 515 and 802 to the smaller 803 and 804 parts. The studios in town complained loudly about this, and amid falling sales the company finally relented and reintroduced the 604 in E version as the "Super Duplex." The 605 in B version was kept in the line as a lower sensitivity, less expensive alternative.

[Geekstar]

I always found the 604 to be very tricky to get sounding right for the home. Getting that strong little horn to match with a 15 cone is not easy.

The answer is not the 605, which probably has the same problems, but finding better crossovers. I suggest to read Jeff Markwart's page for some ideas: Jeff Markwart's Corner - Phase Corrected Crossovers

Urei and Mastering Labs, among others, worked on this problem for studio applications

The best 604s I ever heard were Jean Hiraga's which I believe used a version of Urei's crossover. Very fast, very smooth, no big jump from woofer to horn. I heard these at the Munich audio show two years ago. My plan was to come back the next day to ask what he did but the room caught on fire that night and he was gone the next day!

So, 604s can work for close listening at home but you must modify the crossover. The stock xover will not give the smoothest sound.