Altec 603

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October 25th, 2011, 12:47 PM
voice of the theater

Altec 603

VINTAGE Pair Altec Lansing 603-B Speakers 1951 15" Dia-Cone Great Condition! | eBay

Haven't seen a pair of these in a while -- I would think they're probably pretty rare (in good condition)...... Anyone ever heard a pair of these? Judging from the specs and graph in this link (below), it's no 604. I see it's a diacone, what's the difference between that and a duplex?

http://www.lansingheritage.org/image...1949/page4.jpg

A lot better price than this one:

Altec Lansing 603B 15" Dia-Cone RARE! Speaker 8 ohm 25W | eBay
October 25th, 2011, 02:14 PM
Altec Best

Re: Altec 603

Nice cabs ! But $1500 opening bid,crazy never get that !
October 26th, 2011, 01:38 AM
cradeldorf

Re: Altec 603

$1500 a pair....IDK he might see it. : /
Although I do see that almost every screw in the back panel has blown out where they screw into the cleats.
October 26th, 2011, 06:51 AM
bowtie427ss

Re: Altec 603

Quote:

$1500 a pair....IDK he might see it.

Maybe close, the cabinets are where the money will be. In better economic climates i've seen them bring 1K empty. However, i have my doubts about them going that high. IMO&E, the 603 is one of the few Altecs that's better off forgotten than remembered.
October 26th, 2011, 11:01 AM
voice of the theater

Re: Altec 603

Quote:

Originally Posted by bowtie427ss

Maybe close, the cabinets are where the money will be. In better economic climates i've seen them bring 1K empty. However, i have my doubts about them going that high. IMO&E, the 603 is one of the few Altecs that's better off forgotten than remembered.

Yeah, I agree--it's nowhere near as good as the 604--probably only worth any money as a collectable (and for the cabs)......
October 26th, 2011, 01:52 PM
gearfreak

Re: Altec 603

Love the style and seeming practicality of those cabs. Missed (priced) out on the big ebay sell off in central PA last year.
M600's are not bad to look at, but I likes me a removable back!
October 26th, 2011, 02:05 PM
voice of the theater

Re: Altec 603

I know it's a lot different than a 604 ("multicell dia-cone", not duplex), but do these speakers use crossovers? I didn't see them in the photos and there's no mention of them in the description. From this link (below), I see there is a horn -- do they send bass into the horn (which would surprise me) or is there a crossover (or is the signal "split" some other way)?

http://www.lansingheritage.org/image...1949/page4.jpg
October 26th, 2011, 02:20 PM
cradeldorf

Re: Altec 603

Quote:

Originally Posted by voice of the theater

I know it's a lot different than a 604 ("multicell dia-cone", not duplex), but do these speakers use crossovers? I didn't see them in the photos and there's no mention of them in the description. From this link (below), I see there is a horn -- do they send bass into the horn (which would surprise me) or is there a crossover (or is the signal "split" some other way)?

http://www.lansingheritage.org/image...1949/page4.jpg

Maybe that horn is Altecs answer to the whizzer cone?
October 27th, 2011, 10:13 AM
Cal Weldon

Re: Altec 603

Quote:

Originally Posted by voice of the theater

but do these speakers use crossovers?

No. Aluminum dome coupled to the driver coil for high end. The horn was there for dispersion only. No HF driver.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cradeldorf

Maybe that horn is Altecs answer to the whizzer cone?

Sort of.

From what I can gather not hearing them, is that they were not Altec's best effort. Poor man's 604.
October 15th, 2012, 07:42 PM
unreceivedogma

Re: Altec 603

Since I am new here, hello all!

35 years ago, I traded a pair of Warfdale bookshelf speakers for a pair of floor-standing speakers with a friend of a friend because they were too big to fit in his apartment, and since I had a 1900 sq ft loft, I had a lot of room.

The cabinets seemed like they were made in someone's basement tool shop. I had no idea what was inside, but I could see that the drivers were 15 inches, and I needed something big for my listening area. I opened the backs and found an Altec 604C in one, and an Altec 603B in the other.

My guess is that the 603 preceded the 604 and that this guy's dad used the 603B until stereo came along, then bought a 604C and never bothered to upgrade the other. I used them this way myself for 3 or 4 years. They worked OK together except that the 604C was slightly brighter, which I could compensate for with my Dyna PAS that had separate bass/treble controls for each speaker.

I still have the 603B. It has no crossover. It is for sale.
October 16th, 2012, 08:32 PM
Old Guy

Re: Altec 603

welcome to the group!

The 603 came WAY after the 604. It was a 'cheapie"

FWIW for sale posts go in the ads section though.
October 17th, 2012, 01:35 PM
Altec Best

Re: Altec 603

Quote:

Originally Posted by unreceivedogma

Since I am new here, hello all!
I still have the 603B. It has no crossover. It is for sale.

Yes Welcome to the Board ! If your interested in selling your 603 they are to be posted in the Marketplace thread at the top of the page. Thanks !