Altec A-4 (dates undocumented)
Little is documented about the Altec A-4. The archive's research file for this model is essentially empty. No production years, specifications, prices, or design details have been confirmed, and no period article has yet been tied to it by name. The record shows that the A-4 is an Altec audio product, and the archive groups it with the Voice of the Theatre A4 speaker system.
Two period clippings sit in the A-4 file, but both are indirect. In May 1972, HiFI/Stereo Review (May 1972, p.27) carried an Altec advertisement for the company's finest system. It had separate drivers for the highs and the lows, paired with the new 724A tuner preamp, and the ad presented it as able to handle the full dynamic expanse of Copland's orchestral music. The ad doesn't name the A-4. A late-1989 HiFI/Stereo Review test report (November 1989, p.92) of an Altec loudspeaker measured 92 dB SPL at 1 meter with a 2.83-volt input. It noted the system's impedance was unstated but suited to amplifiers from 50 to 300 watts, and it found a slight mid-bass heaviness along with a directivity dip above the tweeter resonance. Again, the clipping doesn't identify the model. Neither source can be confidently attached to the A-4 without further documentation.
If you have a manual, brochure, or photograph of an A-4, the archive would like to fill the gap.
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