Altec Lansing · Horn-loaded · 1971 into the mid-1970s (878A, then 878B)
Altec pitched the Santiago as a home version of its professional studio monitor, from the Voice of the Theatre family. It's a two-way with a 15-inch Dynamic Force woofer in a sealed box and a compression driver on the 811B sectoral horn above 800 Hz, in an oiled walnut cabinet about 30 inches tall with a composition slate top and a charcoal sculpted foam grille. The 878A was new in Altec's 1971 catalog, and the 878B followed by 1974. The 2878 versions add Altec's 770A bi-amplifier inside, 60 watts for the bass and 30 for the highs. Model numbers trip people up. The Santiago is the 878, while the 879A is the Santana, a different speaker with a 15-inch Biflex woofer and a direct-radiating tweeter, so check the label before you trust a listing.
With the grille off
Ask for a photo of every driver with the grilles off, on both speakers. They should match each other and this list.
On a 2878, a dead built-in bi-amp leaves you with a speaker that won't play, so make sure it works. The slate top and the foam grille are original parts, so check both in the photos.
New to old speakers? How to check a used pair walks through every driver, the crossover and the cabinet.
We haven’t been through this model’s listings yet. Search eBay and run every listing through the checklist above. Ask for photos of both speakers with the grilles off and the serial labels on the back, and pass on any seller who won’t send them.
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Horn-loadedSpecs and what to check →
Altec Lansing · 2-way
Horn-loadedSpecs and what to check →
Altec Lansing · 2-way
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