ARTICLE: INVENTION OF SPEAKERS

25 November 2021

EARLY INVENTIONS

The very first patent for loudspeakers was invented by the legendary Alexander Graham Bell during his development for the creation of his early telephone in 1876. This technology was later followed and improved by Ernst Siemens. These patents were all mainly used and installed on telephones to produce clear and intelligible sound to be received by the other end of the line. Later in the evolution of speakers, these were then applied to other electronics such as radios and a few vinyl players/ gramophones. Speakers as a whole witnessed the major change of use during the early 1900s.

 

                                                                                                 Ernst Siemens

Alexander Graham Bell, father of telephones/ speaker patents

 

BIRTH OF MODERN LOUDSPEAKERS

The first practical moving-coil (dynamic) loudspeakers were made by Peter L. Jensen and Edwin Pridham in 1915 in Napa, California. Like previous loudspeakers, theirs used horns to amplify the sound produced by a small diaphragm. The problem, however, was that Jensen could not get a patent. So they changed their target market to radios and public address systems and named their product Magnavox. The moving-coil technology commonly used today in speakers was patented in 1924 by Chester W. Rice and Edward W. Kellogg.  In the 1930s, loudspeaker manufacturers were able to boost frequency response and sound pressure level. In 1937, the first film industry-standard loudspeaker system was introduced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer​. A very large two-way public address system was mounted on a tower in Flushing Meadows at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Altec Lansing introduced the 604 loudspeaker in 1943 and his "Voice of the Theatre" loudspeaker system was sold beginning in 1945. It offered better coherence and clarity at the high output levels necessary for use in movie theaters.The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences immediately began testing its sonic characteristics and they made it the film house industry standard in 1955.

In 1954, Edgar Villchur created the acoustic suspension principle of loudspeaker design in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This design delivered better bass response and was important during the transition to stereo recording and reproduction. He and his partner Henry Kloss formed the Acoustic Research ​company to manufacture and market speaker systems using this principle.

 

VARIANTS OF SPEAKERS TODAY

Today we are lucky enough to enjoy the many varieties of speakers be it at home, offices or musical events, you name it. There are countless brands that have been carrying these products under their companies and saw great profit as audio enthusiasts and musicians from around the world are pressuring demand on these items. There are 7 popular types of speakers namely:

-TRADITIONAL LOUDSPEAKERS

-WALL/ CEILING SPEAKERS

-SOUNDBARS

-SUBWOOFERS

-CENTER CHANNEL SPEAKERS

-TOWER SPEAKERS

-BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS

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