Altec 600B (1940s)

Name: Altec 600B
Brand: Altec

At 12", it has presence. It gets there without brute force.

Overview

The Altec 600B is not a modern reissue or a salvaged PA part. It's a full-range 12" DiaCone driver from the 1940s, descended from Lansing's earliest cinema speakers and from the pre-Altec days when Jensen and Stephens were shaping American loudspeaker design. It was marketed as a Lansing cinema driver before Altec fully absorbed that legacy. It came out during a transition, when compression driver know-how from Western Electric's WE 594 and 287 designs began influencing cone speaker engineering. It wasn't built for high excursion or thunderous bass. It was built for clarity, speed, and fidelity where dialogue and orchestral balance mattered more than volume.

Owners report it as a lower-excursion driver, which gives fast, crisp, detailed transient response. Studio monitoring and theater work of the time prized that. Despite its age, units that have been properly maintained or reconed (some with an EV 150 Watt Kit) still work, and at least one verified pair from 1953 is described as "mint, fully tested." The construction reflects its era: a fabric surround, the original Altec 20444 cone, and a notably hard edge treatment. That edge is different from later Altec models and closer to what Stephens and Lansing used in the 1940s. Some early 1950s examples show sticky "Goop" on the edges, a known degradation problem tied to the surround material.

It lacks the power handling of later Altec designs like the 604 or A-7. The 600B is a brief chapter in the company's evolution, one that favored precision over projection. Altec pivoted toward high-powered, full-excursion speakers in the 1960s and beyond, and the 600B was quickly superseded. Today it survives as a niche item for restorers and vintage audio specialists.

Specifications

Manufacturer	Altec
Product type	12" DiaCone full range Lansing cinema driver / full range 12" speaker
Driver/Cone size	12″
Nominal impedance	8 ohm
Voice coil diameter	3"
Cone trimmed height	2.5"
Surround type	Fabric
Frequency response	Nice and smooth up to about 800 cycles

Key Features

12" DiaCone Full Range Design

Multi-way systems split frequencies across drivers. The 600B uses a single full-range cone for everything, a design rooted in simplicity and phase coherence. The DiaCone geometry, a term associated with Lansing's early engineering, contributes to even dispersion and reduced breakup modes. That makes it particularly good in the midrange, which explains its original use in cinema sound, where vocal intelligibility was paramount.

Original Altec 20444 Cone with Hard Edge Treatment

The cone is stamped Altec 20444, a part number tied to original production runs. The edge treatment is more notable. It's described as significantly harder than what Altec later adopted. The stiffer surround limits excursion but improves control, which adds to the driver's fast, crisp action. It also matches the approach of 1940s Stephens and Lansing drivers, which suggests a shared supplier or design influence at the time.

3" Voice Coil with Fabric Surround

The 3" voice coil was unusually large for its time, especially in a full-range driver. Paired with an 8 ohm nominal impedance, it suggests compatibility with tube amplifiers of moderate output. The fabric surround was standard for the period and gives a smooth rolloff rather than abrupt mechanical limits. It's also prone to long-term degradation, notably the sticky "Goop" seen on some early 1950s units.

Lower Excursion, High Detail Character

The 600B was engineered for precision rather than power, so the cone doesn't move much. This lower excursion design avoids the distortion associated with large piston motion and gives a detailed, articulate sound. One owner noted that even with low-power amplification, the driver "jumped to life" and filled a room with clean sound, with no rattles or anomalies during testing.

Historical Context

The Altec 600B dates to the early 1940s, when Altec was integrating the legacy of Lansing Manufacturing into its product line. It draws clear inspiration from Jensen's earliest full-range offerings and Lansing's own cinema drivers. The twist was input from Altec's experience with Western Electric compression drivers like the WE 594 and 287. The result was a speaker that put fidelity and speed ahead of raw output. Altec's focus soon shifted toward high-powered, full-excursion designs in the 1960s, so the 600B was a short-lived type in their catalog.

Collectibility & Value

The Altec 600B is currently traded as a vintage or used item, often noted as reconed, particularly with the EV 150 Watt Kit, which may improve durability but alters originality. A pair from 1953 was documented as "mint, fully tested," so functional survivors do exist. Listings on platforms like Reverb describe units as "1950's HOLLYWOOD ERA Vintage." No market prices, original pricing data, or detailed maintenance guidance are available. One documented failure mode is loss of edge compliance, where degraded surround material leads to complete loss of bass response.