Iconic hi-fi brands and the first speakers they produced, part two
Ever wondered about the heritage of your favourite speaker brands? We’ve delved back in time to discover the fruits of their very first efforts...
From Wharfedale’s driver-only efforts in the 1930s to Q Acoustics’ modern beginnings in 2006, via the BBC’S Research Department in the 1960s, this list details the first-ever models from some of the most renowned loudspeaker brands past and present. So if you’re a fan of hi-fi nostalgia, then this one is for you.
Part 1 of this two-part feature, covering iconic speaker brands from the early days of hi-fi in the 1930s until the late 1970s, was published in the April issue of What Hi-fi? – (if you missed it, check out the full list on whathifi.com). Meanwhile, this second part of the feature covers debut speakers by manufacturers from the 1980s through to Q Acoustics’ first effort in 2006.
Wilson Audio WAMM (1982) Following Wilson Audio’s Smart turntable – essentially a re-jigged Acoustic Research deck which became Wilson Audio’s first product – founder Dave Wilson introduced the company’s first pair of speakers, the Wilson Audio Modular Monitor (WAMM), in 1982.
Each channel comprised two towers: one sub-bass module, and one with twin mid/bass drivers and an electrostatic supertweeter flanked by twin midrange/ tweeter modules. It sold for $28,000 and was the most expensive speaker you could buy at that time. The WAMM evolved through six versions from 1982 to 1993, and has since been revived, with the Master Chronosonic and Master Subsonic speakers still in the company’s catalogue. Focal DB13 (1982)
Three years after Jm-lab established Focal for speaker-driver production in Saint-étienne, France, in 1979, its first pair of complete speakers appeared. The DB13 bookshelf speakers were equipped with a double voice coil driver, with their Polyglass and Polykevlar driver cones, and were capable of volumes more akin to larger speakers.
They propelled the company towards the high-end audio market and, before long, the established French brand arrived on international shores. Founder Jacques Mahul was also diversifying into car audio around this time (the Car Department was created in 1989), and in 1995 the company’s Utopia line (these days heralded by the £150k Grande Utopia EM Evos) was born. Martin Logan Monolith (1983)
Convinced they could make a classleading electrostatic speaker capable of adequate bass and suitable for rock music, Gayle Martin Sanders and Ron Logan Sutherland (later naming their company ‘Martin Logan’, rather than ‘Sanders Sutherland’) conceived a prototype in 1980. Unfortunately, its flat aluminium panel blew up when they turned up the volume!
Undeterred, the two budding speaker makers’ next efforts resulted, three years later, in their first production-ready speaker: the Monolith. A revised transducer saw a clear Mylar diaphragm sandwiched between two perforatedsteel stators. And, to ensure good sound dispersion, a horizontally curved panel was implemented; this curvilinear transducer has been central to the design of every Martin Logan electrostatic since. Sonus Faber Parva (1983)
In 1983, three years after Sonus Faber founder Franco Serblin produced his first system (an all-wood, all-in-one model called the “Snail” that really has to be seen to be believed), the brand was established in a small laboratory in Monteviale, northern Italy.
It was in that year Sonus Faber launched its first product: the Parva two-way speaker, featuring a Kevlar midrange cone and solid walnut wood cabinet. This paved the way for some legendary models (such as the Extrema and Guarneri ranges), and what is today, 35 years later, one of the world’s most distinguished and design-savvy high-end speaker brands. Dali 2 (mid-80s)
The Dali 2 was released shortly after the story of the now-renowned Danish speaker company Dali (Danish Audiophile Loudspeaker Industries) began in 1983.
The debut speaker had a two-way configuration, with a 16.5cm laminate pulp/polyvinyl cone woofer, 25mm tweeter with a soft polypropylene dome, and walnut veneered wooden cabinets. The Dali 2 was followed soon afterwards by larger models in the range, the 3, 4, 6 and 8, which shared the same design philosophy and signature sound. “They don’t ’thunder’ or ‘boom’ bass, they just handle more power and provide better bass response,” Dali explained.
Acoustic Energy AE1 (1987)
With the introduction of the AE1 Loudspeaker in 1987, Acoustic Energy Ltd was officially born. The concept was to create a compact studio monitor (it measured 30cm tall and 18cm wide) that could handle the high volumes and dynamics of larger speakers.
To achieve this, Acoustic Energy lined its cabinet with a plaster compound that was designed to eliminate as much resonance as possible, and also developed a new mid/bass driver.
This driver featured a 10cm cone of spun aluminium, which was thicker at the centre than the edges and anodised to create a ‘ceramic sandwich’. The speaker also used an oversized magnet assembly that allowed the AE1 to accept 200W of power.
The AE1 evolved in several revisions until 2016, when its SEAS tweeter went out of production. However, the design has since resurfaced in the amplified AE1 Active model.
Neat Petite (1991)
Neat Acoustics began life as a hi-fi shop in Darlington called North Eastern Audio Traders. After identifying a gap in the market for a small musical speaker, its owners developed the Neat Petite. When we reviewed them in 1993, we heralded these speakers a musical success. We called their sound ‘hugely stimulating’, mostly due to the way they portrayed timing and dynamics – something that continues in the brand’s more recent speakers.
PMC BB5-A (1991)
After a stint as the manager of BBC’S Maida Vale studios, Peter Thomas and former BBC engineer Adrian Loader designed the first PMC speaker, the BB5-A. It introduced the company’s hallmark Advanced Transmission Line technology, in which drivers were used to improve bass output.
According to Thomas, the design was certainly not conventional. “Whereas the majority of speaker designers used ported or sealed cabinets, we found that a transmission line system for bass loading, if refined, gave a performance that significantly exceeded conventional bass-loading principles,” he said.
Wilson Benesch A.C.T. One (1994)
Five years after launching its first product, the Wilson Benesch Turntable, the British company launched a second product: the A.C.T. One loudspeaker.
Unveiled at the 1994 Frankfurt High End show, the A.C.T. One introduced the world’s first curved carbon fibre composite panel in a speaker design. It sported the sloping top and solid metal baffle that remain part of the company’s distinctive designs today.
Though it was many years before the company implemented crossover-free midrange driver designs in its flagship Eminence series, the A.C.T. One placed great importance on phase coherence and the reduction of crossover elements.
Eclipse TD 512 (2002)
Deviating from the traditional two-driver configuration and box design, Eclipse’s speakers are as distinct as they come. The company’s first, the TD 512, were a radical departure from the norm, with only one drive unit and egg-shaped enclosure made of marble-loaded resin.
The former’s job to cover the whole frequency resulted in shortcomings, such as a rolled-off treble, but ultimately these beautifully imaged and detailed speakers did more than enough to enjoy a five-star debut. As we said: “Little else at their price (£2350) will deliver such unrestricted access to the recording.”
Q Acoustics 1000 series (2006)
Q Acoustics may not have the heritage of some other brands, but the British company’s debut, the six-strong 1000 series in 2006, has been one of the most notable of the 21st century.
Still recognisable next to the company’s current 3000i range, the 1000 series comprised the 1010 and 1020 bookshelf speakers, 1010C centre channel, 1030 and 1050 floorstanders and 1000S active subwoofer. Each model featured the same ferro-fluid cooled, micro-polyester weave tweeter and Linkwitz-riley crossovers, and every drive unit was ‘torque mounted’ into its front baffle.
The 1010s were five-star performers in their own right, and later received another five-star review as part of a multi-channel surround package.