Stanley Screamer Model SS-3210R
Courtesy Stephen Edmonds

Sound and Communications Inc. of Jackson Mississippi is one of the oldest sound contractors in the United States and the largest in the state of Mississippi. Until Telex's closure of the Altec Lansing Professional Division in 2000, they were a major Altec Lansing dealer going back to the mid 50's. Steve Edmonds of Sound and Communications has maintained an extensive library of vintage Altec literature that he and his employer have kindly shared with us. In addition, they have seen a number of fascinating Altec Lansing and associated products pass through their business and have provided a number of photo's that should be of interest to our readers.

The photo series above is of the construction details for the Altec Lansing Model 19. This is arguably the most highly regarded home speaker Altec ever produced and would be an excellent enclosure to replicate as a home project. We have yet to track down plans for this system, but the above photos should provide useful visual guidance to those interested in building this system on their own.

This next series of photos (and the photo at the top of the page) illustrate the unique Stanley Screamer three-way system. Stanley Screamers were produced by Stanal Sound in the late 70's and early 80's and were marketed directly by Altec Lansing. What made these products distinctive was their extensive use of 604 Duplex loudspeakers for sound reinforcement. These were limited edition, high-power versions known as the 604-168X. Stanal hand picked and tested the individual drivers for their systems. In this particular system, two 604's were used in conjunction with a single 291-16K compression driver and Mantray horn. The system was intended to be tri-amped. It would appear the bass cones of the 604 drivers handled the bass frequencies, the 291 covered the midrange frequencies and the horn drivers of the 604's handled the high frequencies. This system achieved fame as being an integral part of the sound system for the original Pink Floyd tour of "The Wall."

These photos illustrate one the more unique horns in Altec's inventory and one of the longest in production. The design actually originated with Western Electric and was available to Altec as part of the 1938 consent decree that established the firm. It was most widely used in loudspeaker systems requiring minimal depth in conjunction with the 802 compression driver. The most famous such system was the A8 Voice of the Theatre. It was also used in 9849 studio monitor. The late 70's saw its incorporation in the Model 15 home speaker system.