Altec 250A

A rare 1950s mixing console from Altec Lansing, modeled on the Western Electric 25B and fitted with 428B microphone preamplifiers and Peerless transformers.

Overview

The Altec 250A is a mixing console made by Altec Lansing in the 1950s. It was designed as the successor to the Western Electric 25B Mixing Console. The unit is rare and was used in professional broadcast and recording work. One documented example has been running at Eldorado Radio Station in São Paulo, Brazil, since 1958. It looks a lot like the Western Electric 25B, but it sounds different. The frequency response is broader than the Western Electric design, both above and below.

Design

The microphone preamplifier is the Altec 428B amplifier module. The console uses a Peerless 4629 transformer for input and a Peerless 16267 transformer for output. It has two output channels and builds in a power supply, monitor amplifier, reverb unit, patchbay and talkback system. The equalizer is described as "very simple." The look follows the Western Electric 25B, but the internal design and the sound are distinct.

Context

The Altec 250A replaced the Western Electric 25B Mixing Console and was in use during the 1950s. One unit was documented at Eldorado Radio Station in São Paulo, Brazil, from 1958 onward. The console has been associated with professional recordings, including Vincent Gallo's "When," though that recording used the related Altec 250SU model with 458A preamps.

Market

The Altec 250A is considered very rare. One known unit is incomplete. It is missing the power supply, monitor amplifier, reverb unit, patchbay and talkback system.