Altec 340 (ca. 1955)

Almost nothing is documented about the Altec 340. The only known reference is in High Fidelity (December 1955, p.117). It's an advertisement that lists the "A-340A Power Amplifier" among Altec Lansing's line of 27 home music components. Past that listing, no specs, design details, pricing or production dates turned up in the records consulted.

The ad puts the 340 inside Altec's push into consumer high-fidelity systems in the mid-1950s. The other components in that push ranged from $324 to $1,180 for complete systems. Nobody can say whether the 340 was a standalone amp or a preamp/power amp combination. Its power output, tube complement and dimensions are all unrecorded in the available material.

Given this near-total absence of documentation, the Altec 340 remains a ghost in the catalog — a model name that appeared once in print and then vanished from the historical record. Any collector encountering one would be adding meaningfully to what is known.