604-8K

[Todd W. White]

The correct T/S's for the 604-8K are here:

http://alteclansingunofficial.nlenet...ele-Small.html

As for the dates of your speakers:

Box A) handwritten with ink pen 3983 - this means that it was built in the 39th week of 1983.

Box B) handwritten with ink pen 3276 - this means that it was built in the 32nd week of 1976. Interesting...

Box C) handwritten with ink pen 4499 - no telling.

The crossover numbers are in-house Altec part numbers.

Not sure if this helps or not...

Regarding the H vs K - the early K's were verrry similar, if not the same, in their LF performance to the G and the H. The later K's varied wildly prior to the move to OKC. They stabilized under Jerry Hubbard's watchful eye, but they changed without anyone noticing until it was way too late in the game that EV was playing to do anything about it....

[Adhoc]

Thanks Todd! I will use your confirmation for correct figures / specs then.

Silly question maybe, but does anyone know what would be an "early", "middle" and "late K" in terms of date and manufacturing plant. I understand Todds answer as:

early = Anaheim = good speakers
middle = Anaheim or OKC = questionable speakers
late = OKC = improved again versus the middle ones.

It seems to me the number written on the box is / should be the same as the imprinted serial number on the speaker. They are quite similar anyway, probably the speaker did not go back into its own original box at some time, when pictures were taken etc.
Box A) "3983" <=> speaker serial no "03983"
Box C) "4499" <=> Speaker serial no "04499"
Box B) "3276" <=> speaker serial no "04099".
The "3276" and "04099" don't go together. So 2 of the speakers can't be dated, the 04499 and 04099. Yes Todd, interesting ... Hello Sherlock H, where are you?

The import/customs labels says 408-8H on all 3 boxes. So I hope this is an indication of "early K's", -text in shipping documents hasn't caught up with actual manufactured type number.

[Todd W. White]

Not quite.
The dates, 3983 and 3276 are Altec date codes, in all probability.

The 3983 means that it was built in the 39th week of 1983, and the 3276 means 32nd week of 1976.

These are not serial numbers.

[Adhoc]

In Europe that's the most common way to write out, lets say, a wanted delivery time. Today is week 0518. Next Wednesday would be 05193, with the day of the week given.

As several of the numbers were so much alike, and a "first 0" is often supressed (right word???)and not written out, I suspected someone had just written the speakers serial number outside on the box.

[GM]

>The dates, 3983 and 3276 are Altec date codes, in all probability.
====
Greets!

OK, then this begs the question, when did they quit using their decades long EIA date code system?

For example: 391220

391 = Altec-Lansing
2 = last digit of the year
20 = 20th week

GM

[Todd W. White]

Well, I've seen BOTH the EIA codes and the in-house date codes on things they built.

It's really hard to tell the dates until you get into the 1980's and forward...