604's are too expensive, what about 12"er's

[kevin grier]

I've really appreciated the lowdown on the various versions of altec 604's but they are out of my financial comfort zone. can anyone give the scoop on the 601's and the 605's? Thanks in advance for any info.

Kevin

[Todd W. White]

The 601 is a nice speaker - I have always liked how they sound.

The only real problem with them is that they are fairly fragile - the HF section is the element from a Western Electric (later Altec) 633 "Saltshaker" microphone. This is a very small aluminum diaphragm that can't take a lot of power. Replacements for them are very hard to come by. Bill Hayes at MicroMike Labs has the remaining Altec stock, but his supply is limited.

If you're going to use the 601, do so, but BE CAREFUL with them!