Altec 604-8G update.

All that's needed is one replacement diaphragm! I'll replace both. Apparently Great Plains Audio in Oklahoma City make the best, with Altec's original tooling. YeeHaw!

The drivers and crossovers are in excellent physical shape. The cabinets are professionally made, but not by Altec. They're practically the size of refrigerators! One sounds awesome, the other will play through the woofer or tweeter, but not simultaneously, and never when using the bottom connectors (one set of leads connected to the top drives the tweeter, the other, also connected through the top connectors, drives the woofer. I'm sure the solution is simple, but I'll troubleshoot it tomorrow. These are legendary systems, and I can't wait to hear them.

Mcintosh speaker & equalizer update.

  I've never had any Mcintosh gear before this, and was quite excited. I set up the ML-1Cs, put the equalizer in the tape loop of my trusty Arcam Delta 60, with attenuation set at the recommended -6db (apparently to avoid overloading the tape monitor circuit). The sound was really disappointing…dull, sluggish, compressed. I was stunned. I took everything apart, went back to enjoying the Hanson Zylberberg Monitors.
  Two weeks later, I had some time to experiment. I put the Macs back, brought in my wonderful Sansui AU-8500, and because the amp has removable pre out/main in jumpers, put the equalizer between the preamp and power amp, with no attenuation (also as recommended). Now I heard music! These are very nice speakers, full range, with pretty good detail. The softly glowing equalizer on top of the big Sansui, and the late sixties modern vibe of the speakers make the Seventies Stereo listening room feel like Don Draper's place.