Altec 685A (circa 1960)
Not much is documented about the Altec 685A beyond its launch in the early 1960s. It appears to have been a professional cardioid studio microphone, and Altec advertised it loudly. Audio (September 1960, p.35) ran a full-page announcement calling it a "design advance in microphones." The ad claimed a flat frontal response from 40 to 16,000 cycles and an average front-to-back discrimination of 18 dB across the entire frequency range. The same magazine (December 1960, p.7) repeated these specs. It added that the microphone used Altec's newly developed "golden" diaphragm, claimed to give unusually smooth, extended response and high output.
Past these ads, the record is thin. The 685A offered three selectable impedances, switched via the cable plug, which gave it some flexibility for studio and broadcast use. No other technical details have turned up in surviving documentation - no dimensions, weight, output level or original price.
- Type: Cardioid studio microphone
- Frequency response: 40–16,000 Hz (flat frontal)
- Front-to-back discrimination: 18 dB average, over full range
- Impedance: Three selectable from cable plug
- Diaphragm: "Golden" diaphragm (proprietary Altec design)
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