Pricey.
Beautiful Altec Pair, 604B 604-B & N1000 N-1000 in Original 605A 605-A Cabinets | eBay
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Nice but ridiculous price. Those have the original bigger horn and 1K xover
Please ! These prices anymore are just ridiculous.
Nicest matched pair of cabinets i've seen, ever.
He's taking offers.
He'll get an awfully hefty sum for them. Probably not over 15k, but i'll wager he gets multiple 5 figure offers for those. Whether the offers will be seen in the ebay system is debatable.
What's TomT's opinion?
If those are original and not refinished, I'm with Bowtie. $$$$$
Im not saying what they may or may not be worth but some of you guys are in denial about the value of this equipment. Their not making any more. Altec prices will continue to climb until someone makes a better speaker. NOTHING else sounds like them except for some new "exotic" speakers that are using Altec components. :rolleyes2:
We will eventually get priced out of Altecs. Grab the good deals while you can.
I swear I saw these years ago calling for about $10k on ebay 5-7 years ago if I am not mistaken....
And which guys are they ? :biggrin2: I don't consider prices of one or two individuals who may bid $15,000 -$20,000 on these as the going rate.After all they could be off their rocker ! :biggrin2: :wink2: When we are seeing those prices consistently or on a daily basis then that would convince me.These old 604's have been popping up like dandelions this past year.Personally you would see me buy a pair of Lagunas for $8000 before I bought those 604's in 605 cabs for $15,000.And be beside myself in Happiness :tongue2:Quote:
Originally Posted by Nipper
The point is however that this pair in cabs is exactly what a number of buyers are seeking.
This is reflected in the price that will be paid. If the bidding field is wide, ie worldwide, then the worldwide market sets the price, irrespective of it being one or five individuals.
A pair of 604 in 605A cabs sold for $14,100 in June this year.
A pair of mint Bs, no XO, went for $8,000 in May.
Yes you can buy single Bs for less, still the going price for a good pair is still in the $4,000-5,000 range. This is a complete package.
When you consider mint 288 RWB pairs go for $6,000-8,000, or mint WE555s go for $13,000, and yet you only have half a system.
Nipper IS correct, value of these older units will increase, as they become rarer and rarer.
I've been tracking Altec prices now for 4 years. Values ARE increasing.
The Cabinets are in great condition which is the hard part to find, the drivers are in a little rough shape from the pictures. Awhile back a system like this with rougher cabinets sold for over15000, I think with gear prices being down slightly they should bring close to this figure. We shall see.
You can still find some good deals but now people look things up with Google before they sell...... @%#$. I have noticed that even Goodwill and other charitable organizations have started listing old desirable items with what I consider crazy prices.Quote:
Originally Posted by magnarc
This is IRRELEVANT Magnarc ! This isn't even an auction !!!! It is a BIN with Best Offers.And the listing is listed for 30 days.At this length the seller IMO is listing very high because he knows it is HIGH hoping someone will bite ! And is in for the duration.You don't list items for 30 days unless you feel it may take awhile for someone to purchase at the listed Price !Quote:
Originally Posted by magnarc
As anything becomes more rarer and rarer, they naturally become more expensive.
I too have been following prices on a daily basis and for a longtime.I have been collecting Altec gear for 30 years.
I would also want some pictures of the HF diaphragms as on the last pair that was on eBay that sold for $14,100, both HF diaphragms were on the brink of breaking.This has to detract from it's value.Also one cabinet looks like it had a different speaker in the one cabinet as you can still see where the gasket is stuck to the baffle.
WRT the worldwide market.Obviously the prices are pretty much geographical.Speakers sold in China,Korea,Japan,will be twice as much as here in the USA,but those prices there in the overseas markets are considered ridiculous here in the USA.Not even the ridiculously priced shipping fees will deter them from purchase sometimes.
So to us here in the (USA) they are ridiculous !!!! To folk's overseas maybe not ?
Just my $.02 ! :wink2:
And this is very odd ! Usually it is the other way around.I think these drivers have been sitting on a shelf somewhere and installed in these cabs after they were cleaned up a bit.If these drivers have been in these cabinets for 50-60+ years they should be pretty clean.They seem to be particularly dirty around the back of the cone and the spider.So I think these have been put together recently after someone polished up the cabs after seeing a pair just like them sell for $14G's a couple months back.... Again in the one cabinet you can see where a speaker gasket has been stuck to the back of the baffle.And those 604's have no gaskets !Quote:
Originally Posted by juniper
Have factored in the decline of the dollar?Quote:
Originally Posted by magnarc
It comes down to the old one man's trash argument. Value is relative.
There is a very limited number of buyers at ridiculous prices. Kind of a bell curve, with most in the middle and cheapskates like myself won't pay a lot. there is always something else to buy.
I do think the boxes in this auction were stripped and the duplexes added, so a nice set of furniture is being used to palm of a forgettable set of speakers for top dollar. In my world, unethical. But caveat emptor applies. Whoever buys these is paying for a fantasy. The fantasy is more valuable to some than reality.
This IS my point. Selling any item that has a high price takes time, and requires a length of time for advertising etc to allow the buyer who wants it and is willing to pay the price asked or thereabouts, to see the item, and decide they want it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Altec Best
It is not different to the on eBay system of buy it now for a 30 day listing with offers.
My point re worldwide was more along the lines that the buyers in the east WILL pay more than the US based buyers generally, and those sellers who offer items worldwide can ask and will get the high price.
My opinion.
Heres the BAD news.
50 years from now.... Someone will probably be selling YOUR Altecs for 60k. :biggrin2:
Oh Heck No ! My custom casket will be lined with my Altecs hooked to a bank of car batteries with cables brought to the surface so they can be charged once a month ! My Altecs are MINE !!! :biggrin2:Quote:
Originally Posted by Nipper
Could you please explain?....... I don't understand the "forgettable set of speakers". I thought 604s of any letter designation where highly regarded?Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Guy
I think the latter ones might be a little better???? The only reason I say this is that to this day many a recording studio still use them. Check out what Jean Hiraga has done with some of the latter model 604's.Quote:
Originally Posted by Audio_by_Goodwill
I would bet the earlier ones were better sounding. Just my $.02
Hey, for what it is worth, you guys low brow my new Altecs, but even though I still don't know what compression driver they have, they still sound like Altecs and still sound great...!!!?????
Say What ?? Low Brow ? VH what are you talking about ? :confused2:Quote:
Originally Posted by VolvoHeretic
I have been enjoying the passing parade of gear on ebay and the ups and downs of pricing for over a decade now. Some things in good supply like Altec ceramic 515s and JBL 075 tweeters have hardly changed in value while more rare items are all over the place, though mostly up. Most of the Western Electric items have skyrocketed in value due to scarce supply and constant overseas demand. A dealer told me that thirty years ago he bought 555 drivers for $25 and tried to export them for $75. Now they are bringing upwards of $5k and beyond. Altec's ancestors, the Lansing field coil gear, is considerably more rare and hard to price, though generally bringing five to ten times what it sold for a decade ago. Part of the current nuttiness is probably due to the weak US dollar compared to foreign currencies.
Steve, spot on.
I'm hoping that we're just misunderstanding him or something. I rather admire those A8 clones with the 418's in them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Altec Best
VH, i hope you haven't taken anything i've said as a put down. If that's the case, please accept my apologies and put it out in the open for clarification/explanation, or PM me if you'd rather.
VH,
You really can not have a good discussion about audio equipment without allowing someone to criticize.
You will learn a lot like that but what ultimately matters is how your system sounds to YOU.
I have heard enough systems in different places to know you need more than good speakers for them to sound great. Although the speakers ultimately do the "talking", your ears, your room acoustics and your equipment will all have a effect. Sometimes you get that sweet combination and sometimes you dont. What works for some might not work for others.
There are some good people in this forum with a lot of experience. Keep an open mind and enjoy the conversation!
Thanks for the comments about the drivers. When I looked at the photos I wondered why they looked so rough and dirty, if they had been inside those pretty cabs all these years. Had not thought about them coming from somewhere else. Doh!
Sorry, ignore previous thread. Wife took away my rum, deleted my responce and shut the lap top. :)
Cheer up Chap, theres more rum in the world. and if your rocking A8's I think your cool in my book. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by VolvoHeretic
FWIW A lot of times what can sound like criticism is just advice on how to get the best performance out of your speakers with someone who may have had more experience with a particular set of speakers,drivers,horns crossovers,etc. that you have. It's the holidays keep your spirits up my friend ! Things have a way of working out !Quote:
Originally Posted by VolvoHeretic
BTW- I too like the A8 clones !
All The Best ~ AB
My crystal ball tells me 50 years from now someone will be trading your Altecs for a herd of tribbles.....Quote:
Originally Posted by Nipper
Sounds like a lot of trouble to me :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by voice of the theater
Just noticed the shipping charges ! $1,000 standard shipping for the USA ? :emot15:
Now this isn't Ridiculous ? I can ship a whole lot of stuff for $1,000 IMO $400-$500 to ship them safely probably less than that.And the seller pockets $500-$600.
Overseas buyers can expect to pay as much as the speakers.Almost :p
You're suggesting common freight prices for items that are in no way, shape, or form common. Also, try finding a common freight shipper that will insure those for 18K.Quote:
Now this isn't Ridiculous ? I can ship a whole lot of stuff for $1,000 IMO $400-$500 to ship them safely probably less than that.And the seller pockets $500-$600.
The word "shipping" shouldn't even be used in conjunction with items like those. They're a job for a competent, experienced mover/moving company.
There's a LOT more to safely moving large collectibles than just strapping them to a pallet and writing a check so that Diner Dan the truck driver can pound them halfway across the country in the back of a unheated 48 foot leaf spring suspended trailer full of common freight.
1K to move/handle those properly to any USA destination is easily fair. They should be fully padded and crated if they'll be transferred or warehoused as part of their transit plan. Minimally, on a direct ship they need to be blanket wrapped and strapped in a climate controlled environment in a hauler with soft ride/air ride suspension only.
A good question for the seller would be exactly what kind of handling and transport you get for the 1K. I know that properly moving them coast to coast would be a bargain at 1k, but he's more centrally located so it's reasonable that he may be able to get them anywhere in the lower 48 for that.
They are boxes so they should be pretty easy to pack up safely ! Now shipping Lagunas or something with legs odd shapes I would be more concerned with ! But today paying all that money is still no guarantee your shipper is going to be careful with your stuff.Have you seen that Fed-Ex driver recently who threw a TV monitor over a fence onto concrete ? In southern California.If it's insured they just don't care insurance with cover it.That isn't an option though when you dealing with rare items.Can't buy new ones..Quote:
Originally Posted by bowtie427ss
http://youtu.be/7n4FkXgDBNg
OTOH For a grand I would consider picking them up myself even at todays gas prices ! To ensure safe arrival ! :p Coast to coast is a little bit much though to drive myself.But for classic gear like that I think I would make the trip ! Your talking about $20G's here.