Altec Lansing · Horn-loaded · Into the early 1970s (replaced by the 846B by 1974)
The Valencia put Altec's theater sound in a living-room cabinet. The 846A uses a 15-inch 416 woofer and an 807-type compression driver on the 811B sectoral horn, crossed at 800 Hz, in a hand-finished walnut cabinet about 30 inches tall and 27 wide. You can tell it from the later 846B at a glance, because the 846A has a curved wooden fretwork grille where the B has black sculpted foam. Altec also sold the empty cabinet as the 859A, cut to take other Altec speakers, so a Valencia can turn up with drivers that never came in one from the factory. The 846A was still in Altec's 1971 catalog alongside the oak Flamenco and the Milano with its folding doors, which used the same A7 Voice of the Theatre components in different furniture.
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.
Because the cabinet was sold empty as the 859A, check that the drivers are the 416 woofer and an Altec driver on the 811B horn. The fretwork grille is wood and can crack or lose pieces.
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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