Altec 416z info please.

[hairfarm]

Hi,

I was looking for some info regarding my old pair of Altec Lansingspeakers. I got them from my step father about 19 years ago. I looked in the back of the unit after removing the plywood backing. These are fairly large floor models. The only info I got from the inside the speaker cabinet was this code: Altec 416z 1969, (possibly the date at the end?). It was written on the large 15. inch? speaker magnet.
They are loud as heck, and have a semi-unattractive swishy gold painted grill on the front, which makes them look dated and old fashioned.
The speaker in each cabinet seems to be about 15. inches. The tweeter is an enormous welded steel horn, which is located above the speaker. I have used them over the years. They sound beautiful and crystal clear.
I've heard that these older speakers sound as well, or even better, than some of the newer ones. Is this true? Are these worth keeping?

Also, is there a way to post pictures on this board, so I could show what they look like?
>
> Thank you very much,
>
> Raymond Salcedo
>
>

[Steve Burger]

The sound on those classics is fabulous and well worth keeping. You can email me some pics if you can't find a way to post. We would probably be able to tell you what they are exactly. Steve

[hairfarm]

Does anybody know a way to post pictures on this board? I'm trying to get some old Altec speakers identified.

thanks

Hairfarm

[Don McR]

Images can only be posted if they appear on an external website. You can embed such images by clicking "Image" below the text editing box and supplying the URL.

A rather poor workaround is to use a picture you want identified as your icon - like the Lansing Heritage logo next to this post. The problem is that the image is shrunk to a 100 x 100 pixel picture. If you want to try this, it is accessed by editing your profile.

[AL-TEC]

I'm not sure what Altecs you might have. This is good to know though:
Sunn musician equipment utilyzed Altec items such as 288 HF drivers (usually with Symbiotic Aluminum diaphrams), and big 40 X 90 composition Radial Horns in their line. Thier color was Purple on alot of thier items. I have seen many purple Sunn 288/Altec drivers.

I am just guessing about the Altec "gold" grill/ big horns you speak of: They sound like Seeburg extention speakers. These Altecs were used as extention speakers in BIG Venues such as teen dance halls.........ect,... sound eminating from a Seeburg Jukebox , or a live DJ.

The Altec horns used in these Seeburg systems were usually the 811B painted gold, and 802 series HF driver. Double Altec 12 inch high-efficiency woofers were used in these ported speakers as well as Seeburg cross-over networks that utilized big inductive coils, and motor starting type non polarized capacitors.

I could be wrong......

[Don McR]

Hairfarm

Here's a complicated workaround that will accomplish your goal. Basically, you attach photos to the forum on our site (Lansing Heritage). You can then open your photos, get the URL's and then include them in a post on this forum. Your photos will then show up here. If you want to try this, let me know and I'll give you detailed instructions.

[Steve Burger]

I looked at the pics he sent. I have not seen many Flamenco's and it has been quite some time so my memory of them is not great,but what he has may be Flamenco's with the black grills painted gold. I'm going to have Jim D. take a look at them next time he is here. The guts are the classic 416/811/806/800hz xover.

[Steve Burger]

They could be the seeburg's as well like stated above.

[hairfarm]

Thanks for all the advice.

I think Steve Burger may have been right about my Altec speakers being the Flamenco model. I dug up a picture at this Japanese website which shows speakers exactly like mine. Except that mine sit flatly on the ground and do not have the "legs" like the two in the picture. And mine have not been restored.

http://www.shindo-laboratory.co.jp/info/listen.html


I hate to attach a $$ value to these, but would anyone be willing to guess what my unfinished Altec speakers are worth? I've been using them for most my life, and really never thought to consider their value.

thanks,

Hairfarm

[Don McR]

You can find a picture of the Flamenco at the link below along with Altec's other A7 based systems here:

1971 Altec Catalog

Just click the thumbnails to expand to full size images.