Altec A7-500W-1 (c. 1966)
Little is documented about the Altec A7-500W-1. Nearly all that survives is Altec's own 1966 advertising campaign. The A7-500 "Voice of the Theatre" was the company's big studio and theater speaker system, and the W-1 appears to have been the home-market, walnut-finished version. Altec's advertising in High Fidelity (February 1966, p.21) and Audio (February 1966, p.11) claimed the A7-500's sound was heard in the nation's recording and broadcast studios. It pitched the speaker to homeowners unwilling to compromise - in a hand-fitted, sculptured walnut hardwood cabinet.
The same campaign grouped the A7-500W-1 with the 846A Valencia and 847A Seville. All three were home speaker systems sharing the Voice of the Theatre heritage, styled with carved fretwork that Altec likened to 16th-century Spain. The ads listed the smaller 846A Valencia at $333 and described it as using the same components as the famous A-7, sized at 29¾"H × 27½"W × 19"D. No separate price or full specifications for the A7-500W-1 itself appear in this material.
Beyond the 1966 advertising, the record is thin. No production dates, driver complement, frequency response, or owner documentation for this specific variant has surfaced in the sources reviewed here.
eBay Listings
As an eBay Partner, we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our independent vintage technology research.