Need help identifying an old piece of equipment...

[WyllyWylly]

I've been given an old AM transducer that I was told came from the original WLW studios. Can anyone give me pointers to where I can research this piece of equipment and verify/determine its origins?

For the record, there is no branding anywhere on the transducer's exterior, just a stencil on the back that could be a model number. It could also be an engineer of yore marking it for any variety of reasons.

Would it help to post pictures of the beast?

 

[Chuck]

A picture would help a lot. The term "transducer" can mean many things...

 

[WyllyWylly]

I should have taken the time to post the pictures before. But here they are now, ready to view: http://s96.photobucket.com/albums/l196/WyllyWylly/old_speaker/

I've not yet tested the unit, but the previous owner told me that it could be driven from a headphone-level output (walkman, CD player). What really intrigues me is the absence of a power cord.

 

[stevezodiac]

I sure don't know what it is. I looked for at the WLW historical website, but didn't see it. In case you haven't seen the site, here is the link: http://hawkins.pair.com/wlw.shtml. Lots of photos and fascinating info. Good luck!

 

[WyllyWylly]

Thanks for that link, Steve. I hadn't seen that particular page, but I've seen a lot of other ones. I sent Jim an email with a link to the gallery at PhotoBucket pleading for help... we'll see if it turns up anything!

 

[Chuck]

I should have taken the time to post the pictures before. But here they are now, ready to view: http://s96.photobucket.com/albums/l196/WyllyWylly/old_speaker/

I've not yet tested the unit, but the previous owner told me that it could be driven from a headphone-level output (walkman, CD player). What really intrigues me is the absence of a power cord.

The two-toned "Burnt Umber" paint job makes me reasonably sure that your mystery speaker is an RCA. I know in my deep dark past, I've seen one of those in actual use in a radio station somewhere. Unfortuantely, I can't find anything that can identify it, but I'll keep looking.

Many early loudspeakers (even into the late 1960's) were very efficient. High power amplifiers were not at all common. 25 watts was considered a "big" amplifier. I used to have an Altec 604 that would run fairly well on the line output of a tuner. The monitor amps in most broadcast consoles of the era were 5-10 watts at the most. Some were as little as one watt. Therefore, there was a need for very efficient control room loudspeakers. The need for high efficiency is also why it is such a huge cabinet. The large box made for a lot of bass efficiency. Today, amplifier power is cheap and we have small, but not very efficient speakers.

 

[WyllyWylly]

Thanks, Chuck. I emailed Jim and his response was similar - he hadn't seen that particular cabinet before, but guessed it to be an RCA product. Sadly, RCA is no longer a company, just a brand name, so I can't contact the company and haven't had much luck finding old product information on the web yet.

I did connect a portable CD player to the unit, and it sounded fantastic. The line level output was too low to get much volume, but I had no idea what power I could comfortably feed it - although the information you provided helps. Next experiment is to find a desktop stereo unit and feed a little more to the cabinet.

Again, many thanks. Any information that turns up is greatly appreciated!

 

[Chuck]

You're welcome. I'd be hesitant to connect up much more than 25 watts or so to it, but you can let your ears be the judge. If you hear distortion or anything odd, turn down the volume. You may be amazed at what a couple of watts can do. RCA studio speakers were quite good in their day and should hold up well even today. Unfortunately, with any old speaker, the paper cone and its suspension may have become brittle over time. Pushing it to the max could result in an untimely end. You have a neat piece of history, and it is worth saving.